"The list of students who have requested to spar with Everbright Academy."

Hearing Ethan’s words, Edwin raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

As far as Edwin knew, there were still two days left before the selections started. The request made no sense.

Ethan explained patiently,

"In my Golden Scale Academy, students can challenge other students for a spar. Since you all come from Karyal City, the students here are eager to test themselves against outsiders."

He paused, then added,

"And... I forgot to mention, you can avoid sparring matches. You do not have to accept every challenge. As long as you accept one spar, that is enough."

Edwin glanced at Cael, who was still sleeping on the bed, then back at Ethan.

"The Everbright representative and the others need rest after the journey. I will inform them about this. We will participate tomorrow."

Ethan nodded.

Before he could respond, a voice mocked from behind him.

"Hehe, told you. They will chicken out."

Another voice followed.

"I won the bet."

Hearing that, Edwin raised an eyebrow.

"Damn it, I lost the bet. I did not expect them to be cowards."

Ethan turned his head toward the corner with an amused expression.

Six students were standing there, talking loudly among themselves. Clearly, Ethan had also had a hand in this.

Edwin rubbed his head, feeling frustrated.

’I only asked for one day, and they are already calling us cowards. Ah... I see. They are rage-baiting us.’

Edwin smiled at Ethan with a knowing gaze

In a cool voice, Edwin said,

"It seems Golden Scale needs to learn about etiquette."

The crowd fell silent instantly.

Edwin continued,

"It seems... You are all from the martial department. No wonder people say Golden Scale’s martial department students are... muscle-brains."

Ethan’s smile froze. He had not expected Edwin to be so bold.

Insulting them directly and openly was not something most visiting students would dare.

Edwin gave one last look at the crowd.

"Actually, we have no obligation to follow your academy’s rules. We are here for the selections, and we will do just that."

"Since you are all so eager to spar, out of goodwill, I accepted your request. Yet you are picking on us."

"Is this the hospitality of Golden Scale? If so, I am disappointed."

After saying that, Edwin closed the door and walked back into the room.

Outside, Ethan and the crowd stood in a daze. They had never expected Edwin to be so direct.

Ethan and the other students slowly walked out of the guest dorm.

Their footsteps echoed off the stone walls, mixing with the faint sound of wind seeping through cracks in the old masonry.

Just as Ethan stepped outside, Elara’s voice reached him.

"You did not do anything stupid, did you?"

Ethan and the others felt a chill run down their spines. They turned to see Elara leaning against the wall, her brown eyes watching them.

"Wh-what do you mean? We did nothing at all. W-we just asked for spar, that’s all."

Elara’s gaze did not waver.

"And?"

Ethan hurriedly answered,

"Tomorrow. He agreed for tomorrow."

Elara nodded and started walking away. Then, as if recalling something, she turned back.

"You asked the Everbright representative, correct?"

Ethan hesitated.

"No."

Elara looked at him with a strange expression.

"Idiot. Only the representative has the authority to answer on behalf of the others."

She shook her head, a faint smile on her lips.

"Go again. This time, ask the Everbright representative."

She turned and left. Her footsteps faded into the distance, swallowed by the ambient noise of the academy.

One of the students muttered,

"So... we just picked a fight for nothing?"

The others fell silent. The wind picked up, rustling the leaves of a nearby tree.

Ethan looked back at the dorm and gritted his teeth.

"Let’s go. Let us talk with their representative this time."

...

Inside the room, Cael was sleeping. A cold sweat ran down his face. He was having a strange dream.

He stood in a stadium filled with people. The noise was overwhelming. Flags waved in the stands, each one bearing symbols he did not recognize.

The air was thick with the scent of sweat and excitement, the kind of atmosphere that only a live audience could produce.

’Weird, this feeling... I resonated again? No. This is not resonance. And this is not a dream either.’

The sensation was too similar to resonance. He was certain this was not a dream.

The crowd was chanting.

"Silver Moon Prince."

"Silver Moon Prince."

Cael turned his head from the people to the platform. Dust motes drifted in the sunlight that streamed through the open roof of the stadium.

The platform itself was scarred from previous battles, its surface cracked and stained.

On that platform, he saw himself fighting an opponent. He could feel a [Gold] presence from his other self.

’Future.’

The word entered his mind as if someone had whispered it directly into his brain.

"What?"

Cael took an involuntary step back.

Instantly, the world changed. The stadium glitched in red and black.

The colors bled into each other like wet paint, and the sound of the crowd distorted into a low, guttural hum.

When the world returned to normal, everything had changed. Brutally.

The stadium walls were broken. The floor was dyed red. The people who had been cheering were all dead.

Blood leaked from their eyes, their noses, their ears, their mouths. Their necks were twisted unnaturally.

The flags that had once waved proudly now lay torn and trampled, soaked in crimson.

His other self was nowhere to be seen.

Cael’s breathing quickened. He had seen deaths before in District Neva.

But this was different. The dread was deeper. He felt nauseous, as if he was actually present in that place.

The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood and the faint, acrid smell of charred flesh.

-BOOM

A loud bang resounded in the sky. A shockwave tore through the air.

Cael was pushed back several meters before he managed to stop himself.

Debris scattered around him, pieces of stone and metal that had once been part of the stadium structure.

"What is happening?"

-WHOOSH

Like a falling meteor, a figure crashed into the stadium. The entire structure shook violently.

Dust and debris erupted from the impact point, forming a small cloud that obscured the fallen figure. Cael steadied himself and looked.

Light wheat hair. Brown eyes. The face was familiar.

Another face overlapped with the injured figure. Elara Grace.

Cael started moving toward the fallen figure.

But before he reached halfway, his legs went numb. An oppressive aura pressed down on him, heavy as a mountain, cold as a grave.

’Miasma.’

He lifted his head.

A figure stood in the distance. One that could not be easily forgotten.

She wore a crown, its metal dark and jagged, as if forged from the night sky.

Her dress was royal yet martial, elegant yet ready for battle. Her eyes were inverted, white irises on black.

Two horns protruded from her head, perfectly matching the crown she wore.

A wraith princess.

And she was a [Marshal] rank wraith. One of the strongest at that.

The wraith princess raised her sword toward the fallen [Adamant] ranker below.

The blade gleamed with dark light, absorbing the sunlight around it.

"NO! FATHER!"

Elara’s panicked voice reached Cael. He turned to see her figure dash past him, passing through him as if he were a ghost.

Her boots scraped against the stone floor, leaving faint marks in the dust.

Elara’s father looked at her, then back at the wraith princess. His eyes shone with determination.

His face was calm, resigned.

A wave of heat radiated from his body. The air shimmered. The stone beneath his feet began to melt.

"I am sorry, Elara. Forgive me."

As soon as the words left his mouth, he self-destructed.

The flames engulfed the wraith princess, who was only meters away. Even she could not dodge.

The explosion was blinding, a second sun blooming in the center of the stadium.

The wave of flames did not stop. It consumed Elara as well. Her silhouette was visible for a moment, arms outstretched, mouth open in a scream that would never be heard.

Then she was gone.

In a fraction of a second, the flames were before Cael.

...

Cael’s eyes snapped open. He sat upright, his breathing heavy.

The sheets beneath him were damp with sweat. The pillow smelled faintly of disinfectant and fear.

The lucid feeling was still in his mind, but it was already fading, slipping away like water through fingers.

He could feel it now. This was not a dream. Not a resonance. Something else entirely.

As the last traces of lucidity left him, Cael activated his innate ability.

He overrode his Copy skill’s limitations and said,

"Copy."

...

At the same time, outside the guest dorm, a blindfolded blonde-haired boy leaned against a tree.

The bark was rough against his back. The evening breeze carried the scent of rain.

"First step done."

He pushed off the tree and began walking away. His footsteps were slow, deliberate.

"Onto step two."

...

In front of Cael, the interface appeared. Golden light flickered across his vision, casting pale shadows on the wall.

---

[SS-Rank Skill: Copy Activated]

[Do you wish to copy SS-Rank Skill: Temporal Reverie?]

[Yes] [No]

---

Cael copied the skill.

Then he wondered,

’Who used this skill on me? What are their intentions?’