Chapter 9: The Second Fragment

The Abyssal Manticore lay motionless in the center of the arena.

Black smoke rose from its armored body, twisting toward the ceiling before disappearing into the darkness. The crystal embedded in its skull had shattered, leaving behind a deep wound surrounded by glowing violet cracks.

No student moved.

No professor spoke.

The only sound was the faint dripping of blood from Ethan Vale’s mouth onto the stone floor.

He wiped it away with the back of his hand.

His fingers were trembling.

The Crown Fragment inside his chest had gone silent, but the damage it had caused was still spreading through his Mana Core. The core was not breaking completely, but several new cracks had appeared along its surface.

He had used too much power.

Again.

A faint voice whispered inside his mind.

**Authority response detected.**

Ethan ignored it.

The message appeared above the arena once more.

**SECOND FRAGMENT AWAKENING.**

Then the violet letters dissolved.

The protective barriers around the battlefield flickered back to life.

Professor Lucian Gray was the first person to move.

He crossed the arena in a few quick steps and stopped beside the fallen Manticore. He knelt, placed one hand over its chest, and examined the creature’s fading mana.

"It is alive," he said.

A wave of relief passed through several students.

Professor Gray looked toward Ethan.

"You neutralized the corrupted core."

Ethan glanced at the remains of the Manticore’s skull.

"It was unstable."

"That does not explain how you destroyed it."

"It had a weakness."

"Every creature has a weakness. Very few first-year applicants can identify one while standing in front of an Abyssal Manticore."

Ethan looked around the arena.

Several students were staring at him as though he had grown a second head.

Some were afraid.

Others looked impressed.

Adrian Cross stood near the edge of the battlefield, his sword drawn but unused. His expression was unreadable.

Elena Frost was beside him, watching Ethan with narrowed eyes.

Noah Blake was lying on his back a few steps away.

Ethan walked toward him.

Noah lifted his head.

"Am I dead?"

"No."

"That is disappointing."

"You were not close to dying."

"I was thrown through a wall."

"You landed on a pile of training mats."

"They were hard."

"That is not how mats work."

Noah slowly sat up and touched the side of his head.

"What happened?"

"The creature attacked."

"I know that part. I was there."

"You were unconscious for approximately ten seconds."

"Ten seconds is a long time during a crisis."

Ethan offered him a hand.

Noah accepted it and stood.

Then he noticed the blood on Ethan’s sleeve.

"You are hurt."

"It is nothing."

"That is what people say when it is something."

"I say many things."

"Most of them are suspicious."

Before Ethan could reply, a loud bell rang throughout the arena.

The students flinched.

The crystal screens above the battlefield turned black.

A new message appeared.

**ALL EXAMINATIONS SUSPENDED.**

**APPLICANTS ARE TO REMAIN IN THEIR ASSIGNED AREAS.**

**FACULTY MEMBERS, REPORT TO THE CENTRAL TOWER.**

A second message appeared beneath it.

**ETHAN VALE IS TO BE ESCORTED TO THE DISCIPLINARY HALL.**

Noah read the words.

"Disciplinary Hall?"

Ethan looked at the screen.

"I have not even been accepted yet."

"Perhaps they are very efficient."

Professor Gray turned toward Ethan.

"You will come with me."

Noah stepped forward.

"I am coming too."

Professor Gray frowned.

"You are not involved."

"I was involved in the examination."

"You were one of the applicants."

"I was also emotionally involved."

"That is not a recognized category."

Noah looked at Ethan.

"Tell him."

Ethan glanced at Professor Gray.

"He is useful."

Professor Gray’s expression darkened.

"That is not a sufficient reason."

"It is the only reason I have."

For a moment, the two of them stared at each other.

Then Professor Gray sighed.

"Fine. But you will remain silent."

Noah nodded.

"I can do that."

Ethan and Professor Gray both looked at him.

Noah paused.

"I can try."

Elena stepped forward.

"I am coming as well."

Professor Gray’s eyes moved to her.

"House Frost does not grant you authority over academy procedures."

"No," Elena said. "But I was present during the incident, and I witnessed the creature’s corruption."

Professor Gray considered it.

"You may attend as a witness."

Adrian approached them.

"I will attend too."

Professor Gray’s gaze sharpened.

"Why?"

Adrian looked at Ethan.

"Because I want to know how he did that."

"That is not a reason to enter a disciplinary hearing."

"It is for me."

Professor Gray studied him for several seconds.

Then he turned away.

"Do what you want."

Noah leaned toward Ethan as they began walking.

"Is it normal for everyone to follow you?"

"No."

"Perhaps you are more popular than you thought."

"I am not."

"You destroyed an examination crystal, disabled a Manticore, and were named after the greatest villain in history. People find that interesting."

"I find it inconvenient."

"That is because you have no appreciation for fame."

"I had too much of it."

Noah looked at him.

Ethan did not explain.

The group left the arena and entered a long corridor beneath the academy.

Unlike the upper halls, this section was old.

The walls were made of dark stone, and thin violet lines ran between the cracks. The academy had repaired most of the ancient structure, but not all of it. Some sections looked less like hallways and more like the buried remains of a fortress.

Ethan knew these walls.

He had designed them.

The old architects had changed the shape of the passages, but the foundation remained familiar.

A hidden emergency route ran beneath the corridor.

A storage chamber used to be located behind the third wall on the left.

A sealed stairway descended toward the old command hall.

Ethan could feel the place remembering him.

The Crown Fragment pulsed once.

At the same moment, a wave of mana rolled through the corridor.

Everyone stopped.

A low vibration moved through the stone.

Elena placed her hand on her sword.

"What was that?"

Professor Gray’s face turned grim.

"The second fragment."

Ethan looked toward the floor.

The pulse had come from below.

Not from the central tower.

Not from the Black Citadel ruins.

From somewhere beneath the academy’s eastern wing.

The second fragment was awake.

It was not calling to him.

It was searching.

For a moment, Ethan felt a presence brushing against his mind.

It was cold.

Sharp.

And familiar.

A word appeared in the darkness behind his eyes.

**Witness.**

Then the presence vanished.

Ethan’s hand tightened.

"What did you sense?" Elena asked.

"Nothing."

Noah groaned.

"You are going to keep saying that until someone throws you out of a window."

"It is an efficient answer."

"It is a terrible answer."

Professor Gray looked at Ethan.

"You felt it."

Ethan met his gaze.

"So did you."

"I am not the one being investigated."

"You are not the one hiding something."

The air between them became tense.

Adrian noticed.

"What is beneath the academy?"

Professor Gray did not answer.

That answer was enough.

They continued walking.

A few minutes later, they reached the Disciplinary Hall.

It was a circular room surrounded by tall pillars. Each pillar contained a glowing eye-shaped crystal that followed the movements of the people inside.

At the center stood a raised platform.

Behind it sat five instructors.

The woman with the red hair from the assembly hall was there. So was the armored professor and the blindfolded Saint.

The Headmistress, Seraphina Crow, sat in the middle.

She looked calm.

Too calm.

Ethan entered the room.

Seraphina’s golden eyes immediately focused on him.

"Ethan Vale," she said. "You have caused considerable damage on your first day."

"The academy’s crystal broke during the examination."

"You broke the crystal."

"It failed while measuring me."

"You neutralized an Abyssal Manticore."

"It was attacking the students."

"You triggered a second fragment."

"That was not intentional."

Seraphina leaned back in her chair.

"That is the most concerning answer."

Noah raised his hand.

Seraphina looked at him.

"Yes?"

"I would like to state that Ethan saved my life."

The room became silent.

Noah lowered his hand.

"That was all."

Seraphina’s expression softened slightly.

"Your testimony is noted."

Elena stepped forward.

"The Manticore was corrupted before the examination began. Its core had been altered."

The red-haired professor frowned.

"You are certain?"

"I saw the crystal inside its skull."

"And how do you know it was the cause of the corruption?"

"Because the creature’s mana was being forced through an external command."

The blindfolded Saint turned his head toward Elena.

"House Frost has taught you well."

Elena bowed slightly.

"Thank you, Professor."

The Saint’s attention shifted to Ethan.

"And you understood the command?"

Ethan looked at the old man.

"I understood enough."

"Enough to rewrite it?"

Ethan said nothing.

The Saint smiled faintly.

"There are very few people in the modern world who can alter the structure of a spell without dismantling it first."

The armored professor slammed one hand against the table.

"Enough riddles. The boy has demonstrated abnormal abilities, triggered forbidden relics, and may be connected to the return of Azeroth Veyr. He should be imprisoned until the investigation is complete."

Noah turned toward Ethan.

"I do not think he likes you."

"That is mutual."

Seraphina lifted one hand.

The armored professor fell silent.

She looked at Ethan.

"Tell me what happened during the examination."

Ethan described the Manticore’s attack.

He explained the implanted core, the black flame, and the weakness he had identified.

He did not mention the full nature of his authority.

He did not mention the message inside his mind.

And he did not mention the Crown Fragment.

Seraphina listened without interrupting.

When he finished, she asked:

"Why did you not use a standard defensive spell?"

"My core is unstable."

"So you rewrote the Manticore’s spell instead?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"It was faster."

"You risked damaging yourself."

"I did."

"Why?"

Ethan looked at the students standing behind him.

Noah was still holding his injured arm.

Elena was watching him carefully.

Adrian looked as though he was trying to solve a puzzle.

Ethan turned back to Seraphina.

"The spell was going to kill them."

The room became quiet.

The answer was simple.

Too simple.

Seraphina studied him for a long moment.

Then she looked toward Professor Gray.

"What was his resonance result?"

"Rejected."

"His core?"

"Incomplete. Stability measured at eleven percent."

"And yet he defeated an Abyssal Manticore."

Professor Gray’s expression was grim.

"Yes."

Seraphina returned her attention to Ethan.

"You will be admitted to Eldoria Arcane Academy."

Noah’s face brightened.

"Really?"

The armored professor stood.

"Headmistress—"

"He will be admitted under special observation," Seraphina continued. "His movements will be monitored. His access to restricted areas will be limited. He will submit to weekly examinations."

Ethan frowned.

"No."

The room became tense.

Seraphina raised an eyebrow.

"No?"

"I will not permit anyone to examine my soul."

"Then you will not be admitted."

"I will attend the academy without the examinations."

The armored professor scoffed.

"You are in no position to negotiate."

Ethan looked at him.

"That depends on how much you want to know."

The professor’s hand tightened.

Seraphina smiled.

"You are already learning."

"I learn quickly."

"You will submit to physical examinations. You will not be forced to reveal your memories or soul structure. In return, the academy will grant you access to its library and training facilities."

Ethan considered the offer.

The library mattered.

The academy’s archives might contain records of his death, the fragments, and the First Door.

"You will also protect Noah Blake from retaliation by academy staff or students," Ethan said.

Noah looked surprised.

Seraphina glanced at him.

"Why?"

"He is involved because of me."

"That is not my responsibility."

"It will become your problem if something happens to him."

Seraphina’s eyes narrowed.

"You are threatening me."

"I am making a prediction."

For several seconds, nobody spoke.

Then Seraphina laughed.

"Accepted."

Noah looked at Ethan.

"What did you just do?"

"Improved your safety."

"You negotiated with the Headmistress for me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Ethan looked away.

"Because you are useful."

Noah smiled.

"That is almost sweet."

"It was not."

"I am going to interpret it as sweet."

Seraphina stood.

"Ethan Vale is accepted into Eldoria Arcane Academy as a provisional first-year student."

A silver mark appeared on Ethan’s wrist.

It formed the shape of the academy’s crest.

For one brief moment, the mark reacted to the Crown Fragment.

A second pulse answered from beneath the eastern wing.

This time, everyone in the room felt it.

The pillars shook.

The golden eyes turned toward the floor.

A crack appeared across the disciplinary hall.

The blindfolded Saint rose from his chair.

"Seal breach."

A voice echoed from below.

It was not loud.

It did not need to be.

Every crystal in the room turned black.

Then a single word appeared in violet light:

**WITNESS.**

Elena’s face went pale.

"What does that mean?"

Ethan stared at the message.

The second fragment had awakened fully.

And now it had found what it was looking for.

The floor beneath the academy split open.

Far below, in a chamber buried beneath the eastern wing, a woman opened her eyes.

She had been sealed inside a crystal coffin.

Her hair was white.

Her skin was pale.

A black symbol covered her throat.

As the coffin opened, she smiled.

"I knew you would return."

The academy alarms began to ring.

The woman stepped out of the broken crystal.

Then she whispered the name of the person she had waited a thousand years to see.

"Azeroth."

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