[Velmora District]

The night over Velmora District had settled into a deceptive calm, the kind of quiet that wraps itself gently around a city after a long day, where the last flickers of activity softened into routine and the glow of lanterns painted warm reflections across the cobbled streets.

A shopkeeper pulled down his shutters with a tired sigh, muttering about closing hours, while inside nearby homes, faint conversations lingered—parents urging their children to sleep, utensils being set aside after dinner, the ordinary rhythm of life continuing without interruption.

Then, without warning, something shifted.

At first, it was subtle enough to be mistaken for imagination, a faint distortion in the air as though the night itself had begun to ripple, but within moments, the sensation deepened into something far more unnatural, something that pressed against the senses with a suffocating weight.

The sky above seemed to bend, not with light or heat, but with something colder, heavier, as though the very fabric of reality had begun to strain under an unseen force.

A low, grinding hum emerged, vibrating through the ground and into the bones of everyone present, growing steadily louder until it became impossible to ignore, as windows rattled violently in their frames and lights flickered in uneven pulses.

The mana in the atmosphere twisted erratically, no longer flowing in natural currents but tearing, colliding, fracturing in a way that made even those untrained in sensing it recoil instinctively.

And then—

Wee-ooo, wee-ooo !

Wee-ooo, wee-ooo !

Wee-ooo, wee-ooo !

The sirens screamed.

Their sharp, piercing wail tore through the district, shattering the fragile calm as an announcement echoed across the streets, its urgency unmistakable even through the distortion that broke its clarity.

"EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY! A HIGH-LEVEL BREACH IS FORMING —REPEAT—EVACUATE THE AREA AT ONCE—!"

Doors burst open across the neighborhood as people rushed out, confusion and fear blending into frantic motion, voices rising over one another as panic took hold.

"What is happening—why is the sky—?!"

"Grab the children—don’t waste time—!"

"Leave the bags, just move—move!"

A man stumbled out carrying armfuls of belongings, only to be pulled back sharply by his wife, her voice breaking as she shouted,

"Are you out of your mind? Forget everything—our lives matter more than this—just run!" while he hesitated for a split second, torn between what he owned and what he might lose, before finally dropping everything and following her into the swelling crowd.

Children clung tightly to their parents, their small hands trembling as they looked up at the fractured sky, their voices shaking with confusion and fear.

"Mama... what’s happening... why is it like that...?"

"Don’t look up, just stay close to me—don’t let go!"

The streets filled rapidly as people poured out, some trying desperately to gather what they could, others abandoning everything in blind urgency, their footsteps echoing chaotically against the stone as the tremors beneath them intensified.

"S-SOMEONE CALL THE AUTHORITIES!"

"M-MY HOUSE.....MY LIFETIME OF SAVINGS...!"

Someone shouted for the authorities, another screamed incoherently, and somewhere in the chaos, a child’s cry rose above the noise as they were separated from their family, their voice breaking into desperate sobs that were swallowed almost instantly by the surge of bodies moving without direction.

"Wait—wait for me—!"

"I can’t find him—has anyone seen my son—?!"

The ground lurched violently.

Someone fell.

And before they could even attempt to rise, the crowd behind them surged forward, driven by fear too overwhelming to allow hesitation, feet trampling over flesh and bone as screams of pain were drowned beneath the collective panic.

"Help me—please—stop—!"

But no one stopped.

No one could.

The sky tore open.

There was no other way to describe it, as the fractured distortion above split apart completely, revealing a jagged rupture that pulsed with raw, unstable mana, its edges writhing as though reality itself had been ripped open to expose something vast and incomprehensible beyond.

From within that tear, darkness did not simply emerge—it poured, thick and consuming, swallowing light as if it had never existed.

A massive void began to form.

It twisted upon itself, collapsing inward and expanding outward at the same time, until it took shape—a monstrous, swirling breach that resembled a black hole suspended in the sky, its presence so overwhelming that the very air seemed to distort around it.

And then—

It began to pull.

At first, it was subtle, a shift in the wind, a slight tug against clothing and loose objects, but within seconds, it intensified into a violent force that dragged everything toward it with relentless hunger. Dust lifted from the ground, debris scattered through the air, and then—

People.

Bodies were lifted as though weightless, their screams erupting in pure terror as they were dragged across the ground, their hands clawing desperately at anything they could grasp.

"Help—someone help me—!"

"I don’t want to die—please—!"

A man wrapped his arms around a lamppost, his entire body straining as veins bulged across his neck, his voice tearing apart as he screamed for someone—anyone—to hold him, but his grip slipped, inch by inch, until he was torn away and swallowed by the void above.

Nearby, a mother clung to her child with everything she had, her fingers digging into their arm as she screamed, "Don’t let go—don’t you dare let go—!" but the force was merciless, and her grip failed as the child was ripped from her hands, vanishing into the darkness as her voice broke into a scream so raw it seemed to tear her apart.

"NO—NO—PLEASE—!"

Amid the chaos—

Laughter echoed.

Not human.

Not sane.

A twisted, distorted sound that spilled from within the breach itself, as though something beyond was watching, amused by the destruction, feeding on the terror that filled the air.

"Ahahahaha—"

The sound warped and stretched, blending with the screams, turning the entire scene into something grotesque, something beyond comprehension, as the streets were reduced to a storm of desperation and horror.

People ran, stumbled, fell, were dragged, crushed, torn away, their voices rising and breaking in every direction as the breach continued to expand, its pull growing stronger with each passing second, devouring everything in its reach without pause, without mercy.

"RUN—RUN—RUN—!"

"IT’S PULLING US—!"

"HELP—HELP ME—PLEASE—!"

"AAAAAAAHHHHH—!"

And above it all—

The darkness churned.

Endless, hungry and Alive.

***

Midnight lay heavy over the academy, the vast grounds wrapped in a deep, undisturbed silence as rows of dormitories rested under dim, steady lights, every corridor still, every room quiet, as though the entire place had sunk into a single, collective breath.

Then—

"DING!"

"DING!"

"DING! DING! DING!"

The sharp, relentless chimes of manacrons erupted all at once, breaking the silence with violent urgency as the sound echoed through every corridor, every dorm, every room in rapid succession, overlapping into a chaotic chorus that refused to be ignored.

Damon’s eyes snapped open instantly.

He was already reaching for his manacron before the final chime faded, his body moving with instinctive alertness as the message illuminated his face in the dim light. Beside him, Sahira stirred as well, sitting up on the bed, her hair slightly disheveled as she rubbed her eyes, her voice still heavy with sleep and confusion.

"W-what happened, young master...?"

Damon did not answer immediately.

His gaze moved quickly across the message.

"EMERGENCY... ALL FIRST YEARS ARE TO BE STRICTLY GATHERED INTO THE 1ST YEAR AUDITORIUM!"

The words settled in an instant.

And his body reacted just as quickly.

He pushed himself off the bed without hesitation, already moving toward the door as he spoke over his shoulder, his tone sharp and decisive.

"Wait for me here... I’ll be back soon."

Before Sahira could even respond—

He was gone.

The door opened and shut in one fluid motion as Damon stepped into the corridor, only to find it already alive with movement, the previously silent dorm now filled with rushing footsteps and urgent voices.

"THUD! THUD! THUD!"

The sound of students running echoed through the hallways, doors slamming open, hurried footsteps overlapping as everyone poured out at once, confusion and tension spreading rapidly.

"What’s going on—?!"

"Did you see the message—?!"

"Move—just move!"

Damon didn’t slow.

He surged forward, his pace cutting through the crowd as he moved faster than the others, weaving past them with ease before breaking into a full sprint through the academy pathways, the cool night air rushing past him as his footsteps struck the ground in rapid succession.

"THUD—THUD—THUD—THUD!"

The distance to the auditorium closed quickly.

And ahead—

He spotted two familiar figures running side by side.

A young woman with ivory hair moving with urgency, her grip firm as she pulled along another with shoulder-length ash-blonde hair, both of them clearly heading toward the same destination.

Damon accelerated.

Closing the gap in seconds.

"THUD—THUD—THUD!"

He drew level with them effortlessly, turning his head slightly as he spoke without breaking stride.

"What’s going on?"

Serena glanced at him, surprise flashing across her face for a brief moment , but she recovered just as fast, her expression tightening as she replied while continuing to run.

"It seems there’s an emergency—!"

An irritated expression crossed Damon’s face immediately.

"Even I can see that," he said sharply, his voice cutting through the noise, "I was asking what caused this emergency?"