In a quiet study, Green sat in a chair, his gaze fixed on the book before him.
From the outside, it appeared to be an ordinary book, the kind you could pick up in any bookstore.
But Green’s furrowed brows, focused expression, and the beads of sweat forming on his forehead told a different story.
This book was anything but ordinary.
After a long pause, Green exhaled deeply, his fatigue evident.
The book had been left to him by Daniel. Green made it a habit to study it whenever he had free time.
Five years had passed, yet he still felt as though he had only scratched the surface of its knowledge.
The contents of the book were vast, like an endless ocean.
The more he delved into it, the more he realized how little he truly understood.
Back when Green had told Daniel of his desire to grow stronger, Daniel had given him the book.
At first, Green had devoured its pages day and night, completely absorbed.
But it wasn’t long before he discovered that what he had read was only the tip of the iceberg.
The deeper he went, the more expansive and complex the knowledge became.
“Vice Headmaster, it looks like you’ve been pulling another all-nighter!”
A playful voice broke the silence. Green looked up to see a girl entering the room.
“It’s you, Leah. Is something the matter?”
“Nothing serious,” Leah replied, setting a cup of tea on the table. “I just came to check on you.”
“How’s the background check on those three new students coming along?” Green asked.
“All clean. One’s a local from Riverside City, and the other two recently relocated here. No records of any misconduct.”
Green nodded, rubbing his tired eyes.
“This is a critical time,” he said. “I suspect the Headmaster will be returning soon. We can’t afford any mistakes.”
“You’ve done an excellent job! When the Headmaster sees your hard work, he’ll be pleased for sure,” Leah said, stepping behind Green to massage his shoulders.
Green felt the tension in his body begin to ease. Leah was unusually bold today…
But suddenly, Green snapped out of it.
His mind power flared, shattering the illusion around him.
The surrounding space cracked like glass, and Green’s eyes flew open.
A moment ago, he had been in some kind of dream.
Realizing this, he immediately became alert.
Who would infiltrate Crossbridge Academy to cast an illusion on him?
An enemy?
Before Green could ponder further, a familiar figure appeared in the room.
“Nina? When did you get back? Is the Headmaster here too?”
“I just returned, and the Headmaster arrived at nearly the same time. By the way, Green, are you dating someone?” Nina teased, grinning mischievously.
Green frowned, the realization dawning on him.
“That dream… was that your doing?”
“No, no! That wasn’t an illusion,” Nina said with a laugh. “Although I
can
create illusions, I have to clarify—that wasn’t one of them. I simply noticed how tired you were and helped you have a relaxing nap.”
Nina leaned closer, still smiling.
“To be precise, what you experienced wasn’t an illusion—it was your own dream. Everything in it was under your control.”
“That’s impossible!” Green protested, refusing to accept her explanation.
“Speaking of which,” Nina said, her curiosity piqued, “who was that girl in your dream? Is she someone you like? Have you confessed yet?”
Nina’s barrage of questions left Green exasperated.
After six years, he had hoped Nina would have matured, but she was still as childlike and playful as ever.
He sighed, deciding to change the subject.
“Where’s the Headmaster now?”
“In his office, of course,” Nina replied. “Isolde and Director Rowan are probably with him right now. He’s really angry, you know.”
“Angry? Did something happen on your way back?” Green asked, his anxiety growing.
He had worked tirelessly over the past few years to ensure that everything in Riverside City and the academy ran smoothly for Daniel’s return.
But it seemed his efforts hadn’t been enough.
From the moment Nina mentioned Daniel’s anger, Green knew something serious had occurred.
“On our way back… we encountered quite a few problems,” Nina admitted. “The Headmaster’s anger is justified.”
“But,” she added with a reassuring smile, “it has nothing to do with you. The state of Riverside City and the academy’s development—he’s satisfied with your work.”
Hearing this, Green breathed a sigh of relief.
“In fact, the Headmaster even said you’ve done an excellent job as Vice Headmaster,” Nina added.
Green nodded, though he didn’t respond. Instead, he shifted the topic.
“When did you put me to sleep?”
He recalled Nina’s abilities back during the Mistriver Realm expedition.
At the time, she could only perform basic spatial manipulations and illusions.
Now, it seemed she had advanced to the point of seamlessly pulling him into a dream without him noticing.
“When you closed your book,” Nina said with a sly grin.
Green thought back, replaying the moment in his mind. Even in hindsight, he couldn’t pinpoint when it had happened.
“By the way,” Nina continued, “the Headmaster is planning something big in the next few days. You might want to prepare yourself.”
“What kind of big?” Green asked.
“Saving-the-world big,” Nina replied with a straight face.
Green raised an eyebrow but nodded.
When it came to Daniel, even a claim as grand as saving the world didn’t seem far-fetched.
Meanwhile, Nina’s group from Coven had entered Crossbridge Academy.
Among them, Ryze stood out with his unbridled curiosity, gazing around like a wide-eyed villager visiting the city for the first time.
His constant exclamations of amazement made him seem like a country bumpkin.
Yet, beneath that unassuming demeanor lay the truth: Ryze was a member of Winterrealm’s royal family and the sole inheritor of its oracle lineage.
His mission was nothing less than to save the world.
As he explored the academy, Ryze began to understand why his earlier attempts to scry Riverside City through his divination plate had shown such a grand vision.
The answer lay in the heart of Riverside City: Crossbridge Academy.
The
sanctuary.
Ryze could feel the academy’s unique energy.
Even the trees and grass seemed to radiate faint mana waves—an extraordinary phenomenon.
Intrigued, Ryze wandered the grounds, seeking answers.
Eventually, he arrived at a tranquil lake behind the dormitories.
Sarra happened to be there as well.
“Does this lake have a name?” Sarra asked aloud, glancing around.
She stepped closer to the water’s edge to get a better look.
“Stop! Don’t go any further!” Ryze called out urgently.
Sarra turned, annoyed. “I’m not a child. Do you think I’m going to fall in?”
Ignoring his warning, she continued toward the lake.
But as she approached, a sudden sense of danger gripped her—a primal instinct inherited from her bloodline as a warrior.
Like a spell beast sensing peril, Sarra froze in place, uncertain of the source of the threat.
Danger… But why?