The next morning came with silence
No announcement no alarms
Just tension in the halls like someone left a scream half buried under the floor
Azel walked alone again
Sera disappeared before dawn
She said nothing just vanished like fog
He respected that
He headed for the library
Not the main one where the students wasted time memorizing safe spells
The real one
Behind the alchemy lab
It looked abandoned
Moss covered the door
Locks rusted over
Azel didn't knock
He placed a mana string into the top hinge
Turned it clockwise
The door opened without a sound
Inside were shelves stacked with forbidden books
Maps with burnt corners
Chapters ripped out by trembling hands
He scanned quickly
Looking not for spells
But patterns
He found it in the third row
A scroll tied with white thread
No label
Just a dot of dried blood on the edge
He opened it
His eyes narrowed
> Hidden Map Acquired
Region: The Buried Sector beneath the Academy
Purpose: Failed Culling Grounds
Status: Sealed but unstable
Azel traced the red ink
The map detailed tunnels that spread like veins under the entire academy
It was more than storage
More than failed projects
It was a graveyard
A testing ground
A disposal pit
And worse
A summoning site
At the center was a mark
Three intersecting circles
And a name
Not a person
Not a place
But something ancient
Orias
He didn't recognize it
That alone made it dangerous
He rolled up the scroll
Placed it into his system vault
Walked out of the library without a word
That night he did not return to his room
He stood on the roof
Watching the moon through broken clouds
Below him lights flickered
Not all from candles
Some were signals
He counted them
Twelve windows flashing in sequence
All in different buildings
A pattern
A message
They were preparing
He whispered one word
Orias
And the sky above seemed to pulse once
Then nothing
He smiled
The academy wanted a show
He was writing the script now