I was sitting on the couch, glancing from left to right, while my mother was busy preparing dinner.

Her features were filled with nostalgia, so I murmured to myself as I recalled images from the past:

I miss the old days.

She looked at me and smiled a quiet smile, then said:

“Those days will come back.”

I didn’t know how she had understood what was going through my mind, or if my facial expression had given me away.

Then she added:

“Go tell Ren that dinner is ready.”

I nodded quietly.

“Okay.”

I stood in front of a freshly painted wooden door, then knocked while my voice came out softly:

“Ren, are you here? Mom’s calling you.”

She didn’t answer right away.

I opened the door slowly, and her eyes appeared, swollen and red, while her voice sounded weak as she said:

“Okay... I’ll take a shower first, then I’ll come.”

I knew what I was seeing wasn’t real—that was a fake smile... I realized immediately that it wasn’t her real smile, but I couldn’t ask her anything; I felt like there was a wall of ice between us.

I simply replied:

“Alright... we’ll wait for you.”

I felt warm liquid welling up in my eyes, so I looked down and whispered:

“It looks like it’s going to rain.”

At the same time...

On the other side of Malisora, inside the cold corridors of the Academy of the Forbidden,

the hall door slid open, and a girl with an overwhelming presence entered.

Her blonde hair fell over her shoulders, and she wore clothes that highlighted the strength of her slender body.

She sat down coolly, crossing one leg over the other, then raised her sharp gaze toward Kamal and said in a stern tone:

“It seems Shikar and Devi have engaged in a bloody battle with the enemy... Should we send reinforcements immediately?”

Kamal sighed as he looked at his watch.

Tick... tick...

Then he said calmly:

“No... there’s no need to waste our resources. I trust their resilience, and I trust that their strength hasn’t been exhausted yet. We also need fighters in more than one location.”

Shina whispered softly:

“But the opponent... is a member of the Six Clans of Misguidance.”

A faint smile touched Kamal’s lips, and he whispered:

“I know that.”

Suddenly, an urgent alert appeared on all channels.

Television screens and giant billboards hanging above massive buildings lit up, while passersby on the streets stopped to exchange anxious whispers.

“It’s happened again...”

Inside homes, the volume of the televisions rose.

Children and teenagers gathered silently in front of the screens, while the urgent broadcast appeared on the TV in front of Mahmoud.

He was sipping his tea calmly, while Waddad was setting the dinner plates on the table.

She stood at the top of the stairs after hearing the announcer’s voice echoing through the house.

She approached slowly, until the reporter appeared on the screen, saying with a tense expression:

“Hello. We’re interrupting our broadcast to bring you this breaking news.

A violent clash has erupted between two groups of users of forbidden energy on a public street near the boys’ high school, resulting in widespread destruction and panic among citizens.

Behind him, plumes of smoke rose into the sky, while the sirens of ambulances blared in the area.

The reporter quickly continued:

“Malisora government forces have stated they have no connection to what happened, asserting that the conflict is being led by rebel factions.”

Then he put the earpiece to his ear for a moment before saying:

“We will now take you live to the scene of the incident.”

I froze in my tracks.

The screen shifted to scenes of massive destruction;

cracked buildings... shattered glass... and smoke filling the air.

The cries of children mingled with the screams of mothers, while a woman frantically pushed people aside, shouting amid the chaos:

“My daughter...! My daughter...!”

I watched as everything turned to ruin.

Severed limbs... and people who had lost half their bodies. My voice slipped out in a whisper without my realizing it:

“What kind of hell have I walked into...?”

Suddenly, the plate slipped from my mother’s hand and fell to the ground, shattering into tiny pieces.

My father glanced at her quickly, then approached and embraced her, murmuring softly:

“Everything will be all right... don’t be afraid. The Malisura government will take care of it.”

Her limbs were trembling, and sweat was pouring from her profusely.

But I could barely hear him.

Thoughts were racing through my head, while my eyes were fixed on the screen. In the middle of the devastated street, two terrifying figures appeared;

a thick blackness mixed with a dark blue surrounded two people standing amid the ruins. A question echoed in my head over and over:

Will... I face people like that?

I froze in place.

I could no longer move, as if the lower half of my body had vanished.

My father looked at me and called out:

“Hidara... bring your mother some water.” A weak voice emerged from between my parched lips:

“I... can’t move.”

My father suddenly approached me and slapped me across the face.

My head shook violently, then he grabbed my shoulder firmly and said in a harsh tone:

“I didn’t raise you like this.”

Then he went to the kitchen, brought a glass of water, and handed it to my mother.

I slowly placed my hand on my cheek.

I felt as if that slap had restored a missing part of my life.

A heavy sense of guilt crept into my chest.

Rin...

Mom...

Dad...

They were counting on me.

I raised my hand and slapped myself.

One slap...

Then another.

Slap after slap.

My father kept staring at me in silence, without uttering a single word, until I felt a warm liquid trickling from my nose... then from my mouth.

Rin rushed down the stairs and grabbed my hands with sudden force, pulling them away from my face. She was clutching my wrists with all her might, and I could feel her trembling. Her limbs trembling,

“What are you doing, Hidara? You’re going to hurt yourself...”

I turned to her and gripped her hand tightly, while a burning sensation gathered around my eyes. My vision blurred, and my voice became choked as I mumbled:

“I’m sorry, Ren... I’m sorry...”

She shook her head in denial

Then a smile spread across her face...

It was a genuine smile, warm and clear, like rays of sunlight breaking through a raincloud.

Meanwhile...

On the other side of Malisora,

at the scene of the accident,

Shikar gripped his sword tightly, staring at Ghaib with tense eyes.

Ghaib slowly raised his index finger before his eyes, and black sparks mixed with a deep blue began to glow around his fingers gradually.

Then he quietly pressed his index finger against his thumb.

He whispered a single word:

“Boom.”

Click.

The sound of his fingers tapping the air echoed.

And in less than a second

A terrifying, invisible force erupted throughout the place, violently tearing open Shikar’s chest.

Shikar’s eyes widened suddenly,

before his body was hurled backward with tremendous force, while blood sprayed into the air like rain.

His breathing quickened violently, as Ghaib drew closer with every breath he took.