Only twenty participants remained in the Dominion Entrance Examination.

The once chaotic battlefield had grown strangely quiet. The countless eliminations had reduced the competition to only the strongest candidates, and every remaining battle was now displayed on enormous floating crystal screens suspended above the Dominion Academy.

Thousands of students watched in anticipation, some cheered. Others simply waited to see who would claim the highest rank.

But none of them knew that one contestant was going berserk, Lucien.

He stood alone beneath a dying tree, his breathing becoming heavier with every passing second. His fingers trembled, his vision blurred for an instant before returning to normal. "No..." He grabbed his head. "It can’t happen now..."

The artifact that had been suppressing his Dominion nature was only temporary. Tiny cracks of black energy crawled across the invisible magic surrounding him like lightning spreading through glass.

He could feel it, something inside him was awakening, it was violent and chaotic. His own magic no longer obeyed him. Instead, it started controlling him.

Lucien shut his eyes tightly. "I’m still in control..." But even he no longer believed those words. Far above, the countdown continued. Every second brought him closer to losing himself.

---

Meanwhile...

Inside the Dominion Academy, Nyx and Dahlia hurried through the corridors leading toward the infirmary. "We’ve searched every room," Dahlia muttered.

Nyx frowned. "She’s too important to simply disappear."

They opened another door, it was empty, then another corridor, unfortunately nothing. Dahlia sighed. "Maybe we were wrong."

Before Nyx could answer, a calm voice echoed behind them. "Were you two looking for me?" They turned immediately.

Standing quietly beside a large stained-glass window was Meghan. She had apparently been watching them for quite some time.

The sunlight illuminated her silver hair while her expression remained completely unreadable. For a brief second, both Nyx and Dahlia simply stared.

Then Nyx walked toward her. "We need answers."

Meghan folded her arms. "About what?"

Nyx looked directly into her eyes. "What really happened during the war, you were supposed to be sealed but yet here you are. They say the Primordial Devils disappeared after the Great War. They say they were sealed forever."

"But they never explain how. Those beings stood at the very peak of existence, so tell me...who possessed enough power to imprison them? And if every Primordial Devil was sealed.....how are you standing here today?"

Even the wind outside seemed to stop. Meghan lowered her head before letting out a quiet laugh. "So the truth has finally become necessary."

Dahlia stepped forward. "The Fallen Angels were the ones, weren’t they?"

Meghan slowly shook her head. "No. The Fallen Angels were never capable of sealing the Primordial Devils."

Both girls frowned. "What?"

"They were strong warriors, they caused chaos, they opened the path, but they lacked the power to create a prison capable of containing beings older than kingdoms themselves."

Dahlia narrowed her eyes. "Then who did?"

Meghan’s answer came without hesitation. "The Angels."

Nyx’s expression changed. "...The Angels?"

"Yes, but above them all...Michael."

Dahlia took a step backward. "No..."

Nyx looked genuinely shocked. "I never believed Michael would involve himself in the affairs of devils."

"He stood for order, he is the mastermind behind all this, he despised unnecessary conflict.

"So why would he join forces with the Fallen Angels?"

Meghan looked toward the distant sky. "Because they realized something terrifying, they could not kill the Primordial Devils, no weapon could, no curse could, no holy judgment could. So they chose the only remaining option, they would erase them from the world."

Many years ago, Heaven gathered its greatest powers. Michael and the other Archangels sacrificed enormous amounts of divine essence. Ancient relics were broken, even fragments of celestial laws themselves were used. Together, they forged an eternal prison known only as...

The Sanctum Seal.

"It was not merely a seal, it was another dimension, a prison where time barely moved. When activated, chains of holy law emerged from the heavens and dragged every Primordial Devil into the Abyss beyond reality."

Nyx listened without blinking. "So none escaped?"

Meghan smiled sadly. "The adults didn’t, but they knew what was coming. In their final moments, they gathered the last fragments of their strength, they ripped open a crack within the seal, it lasted only a few seconds, the opening was far too small for them, so they did the only thing they could. Some were successful by pushing their children through it, they chose imprisonment...so their bloodline could survive."

Then she paused. "The crack closed, the parents remained behind. The children escaped."

Dahlia whispered, "So that’s how you survived."

Meghan nodded. "I was one of them and that’s how we came to learn all these."

Nyx immediately asked, "And the others?"

Meghan turned toward the floating screens displaying the ongoing examination. "They’re here, they’re taking the entrance exam."

Dahlia frowned. "Who and who?"

Meghan answered calmly. "The Arakiel twins and some others."

The atmosphere instantly changed.

"The twins? Rufus and lilith"

Dahlia scoffed. "They’ve always been insufferable monsters."

The two twins of Arakiel one of the primordial devils, They were unseparated, they believed the world existed to praise them. They hated people and people hates them.

No one enjoyed competing with them because they always demanded first place. Nyx folded her arms.

"They returned? Why was their escape successful."

"They escaped as children."

Meghan replied. "They are planning to seize the Student Council with their little minions."

Dahlia laughed. "They’re welcome to try."

But Meghan’s expression remained serious. "I don’t care who becomes Student Council. I don’t care who rules this academy, I only want one thing."

She looked directly at Nyx. "I want my father back, I want you to help me break the Sanctum Seal."

Nyx remained silent, after several moments, she asked, "Where is this prison?"

Meghan’s answer was unexpected. "Inside an ancient church, a sanctuary overflowing with holy essence. It is protected by divine laws, no devil may enter, no fallen Angel may cross its gates, the moment they step inside...the holy power burns away their existence, that is why the seal has never been broken."

Nyx slowly looked down. "A prison that devils cannot even approach...how could anyone possibly free them?"

---

At the Holy Academy...Lucien leaned against a stone pillar. His body shook violently, he covered his mouth. "Cough!" Blood stained his palm.

His breathing became ragged. The artifact’s suppression magic was collapsing.

He could feel another consciousness trying to take control. His own thoughts became distant. "What do I do? If I reveal myself...I’ll be hunted...shit! Why is this happening now, was the exam so hard that he took a lot of time."

His mind searched desperately for an answer. Then suddenly, his eyes widened. "Nyx." He closed his eyes and concentrated with everything he had left.

A faint silver thread of consciousness stretched across the distance. Somewhere far away, Nyx froze, a familiar voice echoed inside her mind, as if trying to communicate telepathically. "Nyx..." Her pupils contracted. "Come to the examination grounds immediately. It’s beginning."

"What...?" she whispered.

Beside her, Dahlia heard the same telepathic message. She stared toward the sky before sighing deeply. "...Of all the times this could happen...it had to be now."