“Yes. We’re on our way. He’s fine. You’re welcome.” Kang Do-Won ended his call then, refocusing his attention completely on the road. At least for a few seconds. “That was your headmaster,” he said a short moment ter.

  “I see…” Merlin replied dryly, his head resting on the side window of the car as he gazed at the people walking down the sidewalks, the bright lights of the streets, and how lively everything seemed, making him realize how listless he felt deep down. Maybe talking about what was bothering him would help. He really couldn’t keep feeling this way. “I have something to say,” he began.

  Kang Do-Won gnced his way. “Is it important?”

  “Depends on what you consider as important,” Merlin replied. “It’s something I left out of the report.”

  Kang Do-Won was silent. “All right. What is it?”

  Merlin was surprised that he was not instantly scolded for leaving something out of a report. But, even if he had, he wouldn’t have felt sorry. He had left it out because he was trying not to involve Janeth in his problems, and mentioning it would only have made her curious, which would then cause her to prod him for answers, and, well, involve herself.

  She had her own problems to deal with.

  He was confused, though, about if he should tell Nora or not. But it seemed he would have to leave that for ter. If she did not kill him for not telling her that he’d scheduled a date with Janeth first.

  His pn had been for it to be a surprise—him and Janeth dating. But everything had come crashing down. The cssic case of if something could go wrong, then it would go wrong.

  “The Dungeon portal…I think someone opened it,” Merlin began. “I know this might seem like a reach from me, considering I’m a Deficient Mage and can’t sense the exact fluctuation of mana in an area. But the way that portal sprung to life was weird.”

  “You’re right. Not even considering that the Consortium did not pick up on the mana fluctuation in the area too, it takes at least thirty minutes to an hour before a Dungeon Break occurs. So your line of reasoning isn’t weird,” replied Kang Do-Won immediately. “However, that doesn’t mean that someone was the cause of the portal’s sudden appearance. First of all, Dungeon Breaks have been occurring extremely frequently for a while now, so this could have just come about as one of the results of the abnormality the Dungeons have been showing. Secondly, it’s unheard of for anyone to be able to gather so much mana that it’s enough to open a portal. The simple result of that would be the person exploding.” He paused. “But you’re well an anomaly already, so I won’t put the possibility of such a person existing past anyone. However, I’ll need something far more tangible to tch onto than a simple guess. Is there another reason why you think the portal was activated by someone?”

  Merlin took a deep breath and exhaled as he recalled how his body had frozen when the mysterious dy had crept up behind him and uttered those uncanny words of hers. He wouldn’t lie, he was afraid.

  “Someone else was there.”

  Those words of his caused Kang Do-Won to take a longer gnce his way than should be required of someone handling the wheels of a car.

  “Someone else?” he asked.

  “A dy,” Merlin expined. “I didn’t see her face, but as soon as the Ice Wyverns lost their minds, she came up behind me. She said…” Merlin turned away from the window and towards Kang Do-Won… “My presence ruined everything.”

  The Consortium Mage frowned, though just slightly. He was not as shocked as Merlin had thought he would be. Merlin boiled that down to the difference in years between both of them. After all, Mages in their twenties and above had lived through the Cataclysm. There was barely anything that could frighten them as much as that.

  “I see…” Kang Do-Won said a moment ter. “That is ominous. Was that all she said?”

  Merlin shook his head with a sigh and leaned back on his seat. “No. There was more. She said she was going to tell someone about me—I have no idea who that is. Also that I shouldn’t disappoint ‘them’, and we were going to meet again.”

  Kang Do-Won nodded. “And I take it all this is what is bothering you?”

  “It’s only normal that it should, right?” Merlin said. “Basically, someone that’s powerful enough to open Dungeon portals is stalking me.” He gnced at his palms. “And it’s because of my anti-magic, I’m sure.”

  After all, what else could someone want from a Deficient Mage like him?

  “There’s no need to be frightened,” assured Kang Do-Won. “As long as you’re within Prestige Academy, no one can get to you. Just go on with your school life as you should, and I’ll handle the rest. Whoever this person is, it’s obvious that they aren’t our friend. And there’s only one group in the world who isn’t the friend of Mages.”

  “And they are?” Merlin asked, curious.

  “People you shouldn’t concern yourself with,” Kang Do-Won shut that conversation down swiftly. “Like I said, just go on with your school life like nothing happened. I will take care of the rest.”

  Merlin wasn’t fine with that answer, as he was deeply involved with whatever this group was. It was only right that he knew who they were and why they were stalking him; but he didn’t want to be pushy so he backed down. If the professionals told him to stay out of it, then he would stay out of it. At least, until they deemed him worthy enough to be deserving of the information.

  And, to be honest, whatever that group was, he had a feeling nestling at the back of his mind that they were linked directly to the return of the Cataclysm. He was not at the point where he could bear the weight that came with knowing anything about them.

  Merlin was met with a rather fascinating sight when he got back to Prestige Academy. Everyone—and he meant, everyone—was outside. It did not take a genius to realize why; after all, most of them had their phones in their hands.

  They all saw the video, huh? He sighed deeply, unenthusiastically taking in the varieties of gazes being thrown his way. He’d have thought the professors would have shooed the students in, but they had been too worried to concern themselves with something as menial as students not being in their dorms.

  And then he saw Nora. She was not too far, but she had that same look she’d had when he’d been battered beyond belief during the physical assessment—which, of course, paled in comparison to what he’d gone through this time.

  He had really messed up, hadn’t he? And if there was any doubt that he really had, Chima and Hakyun’s expression, when he found their gazes, did well to dispel any.

  “Thank you for the help, Do-Won ssi,” Headmaster Im Ilseong bowed slightly. “I’m in your debt.”

  “There’s no need for that, headmaster,” Kang Do-Won replied. “It’s the Consortium’s duty to see to the needs of budding Mages just the same as the Academy.”

  “Still, it’s only right to offer my thanks.”

  “Then I will accept it.”

  Headmaster Im Ilseong straightened, nodded, and turned to Merlin. Again, he did not look furious. Merlin was beginning to wonder what exactly could get under the man’s skin if even his student staring down death couldn’t.

  “Are you all right, Merlin?” the headmaster asked, visibly concerned.

  Merlin wasn’t, but he really wasn’t keen on spending another second in the ward. The smell of drugs and the rest of its peers reminded him of his parents’ occupation and how it distanced them from him and his sister. And, right now, he already had one too many mood dampeners running rampant in his head.

  He sighed.

  “Besides my clothes being all messed up, I’m good,” Merlin replied to the headmaster with the shadow of a smile.

  Headmaster Im Ilseong nodded. “If that is the case, then…” The headmaster took a pause, a weighty feeling bearing down on Merlin accordingly. “Merlin Tyrrell, for your careless act of remaining away from the Academy for longer than was assigned to you, I deduct twenty cohort points from Cohort Spearhead.”

  Merlin’s posture stiffened in an instant, his eyes widening as a flurry of gasps poured out from the students around, and murmurs took to the atmosphere quickly.

  He must not have heard correctly.

  “What do you mean points are deducted from my cohort because of my tardiness?” Merlin mouthed, his brows furrowed and his hands outstretched. “You know what happened. You saw it didn’t you? All of you did. I didn’t stay out te because I felt like it.” Headmaster Im Ilseong remained silent. “Say something! Why are you punishing me when I didn’t commit any crime?” His voice rose in pitch with every second. He was truly getting angry.

  “Merlin…” Professor Jung, dressed in her night robes, stepped forward as a means to calm him down, it seemed. But her words were smmed shut in her lips by Headmaster Im Ilseong’s raised finger.

  “It doesn’t matter what happened,” Headmaster Im Ilseong resumed. “You’re being punished for teness as it is stated in the Academy’s rules. That is all.”

  Merlin scoffed and shook his head. “I can’t believe this. So what exactly are you trying to teach me here? Next time, when I’m in a position to help people in need, I should just abandon them because I have somewhere else to be? I only did what was common sense, for goodness sake!” Headmaster Im Ilseong remained silent, his face not giving off any clue as to what he was thinking. Merlin paused, his chest rising and falling rhythmically. He hated this. And he couldn’t hold himself back any longer. “Piss off.”

  “Merlin!” Professor Jung roared.

  He clicked his tongue. “I’m going to my room. Thank you for the ride, Mr. Do-Won.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Merlin dipped his hand into his pockets and it was then that he finally recalled he had something known as a phone. He brought it out and his mood was further soured when he saw the web cracks spread out all over its screen. He squeezed his hand and dipped it back into his pocket.

  “Absolute shitty day,” he groused as he lowered his head and walked away, gazes burning into the back of his head from every angle.