Valerius stepped inside and whistled.

  “Wow… this is an actual dorm?”

  The apartment was spacious — two rooms, a shared kitchen, and a wide, sunlit lounge. Plush sofas lined the walls, and the faint scent of lavender hung in the air.

  Without hesitation, Valerius dropped onto the same couch Sierra had been lying on, crossing one leg over the other with casual confidence.

  “You were right,” he said, his tone blunt. “They’re nothing like the people on Plunder Island. Their mana is weak.”

  Ziraiah blinked. “Wait—you can sense mana?”

  “Of course.”

  “But… how?”

  “Mana is just refined Vitalis,” Valerius said casually. “So I sense it just fine.”

  Victoria, perched on the opposite sofa, leaned forward, eyes narrowing.

  “…He’s a Gifted One?”

  “Yeah,” Ziraiah admitted.

  “Then why don’t I feel anything from him?”

  Valerius smirked faintly. “Because I’m special.”

  Beside him, Sierra’s heart pounded like a drum. Oh god… he’s sitting right next to me. She forced herself to sit upright, her hands clutched tightly in her lap.

  Valerius turned toward her, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Is she really okay? Her heart rate’s spiking.”

  Victoria answered smoothly, “She’s fine.” She crossed her legs, then fixed her sharp gaze on Ziraiah. “So… was it all really fake?”

  Ziraiah scoffed. “No. It was real. That’s where we found him.”

  Victoria tilted her head. “Then nothing adds up. How can you and your brother be that powerful? You’ve been holding back this whole time?”

  “Pretty much, yeah,” Ziraiah said without shame.

  “Where did you even learn those spells?”

  “Just the ones we picked up in school. I tweaked them, scaled them up.”

  Sierra rose suddenly, her voice trembling but firm. “Only you could make it sound so easy…”

  Ziraiah frowned. “Sierra, are you sure you’re okay?”

  “I’m fine,” Sierra said quickly.

  Ziraiah’s grin returned. “Good. Then tell him how great this school is so he’ll finally change his mind and enroll.”

  Sierra’s eyes widened. “You… want him to come here?”

  “Wouldn’t that be great?” Ziraiah teased.

  Victoria raised a brow. “Three Delindors? Wouldn’t that be a bit much?”

  Valerius stretched lazily. “What would I learn here that I couldn’t just read in a book?”

  Sierra bit her lip. “Here, you’d learn from professionals. Retired Raiders.”

  Valerius froze. “It’s been so long since I heard that name… Oh, Ziraiah—almost forgot. I registered as a Raider three years ago.”

  Ziraiah’s eyes widened. “What?”

  “I think I was D-Rank back then.”

  Victoria shot to her feet. “What?! D-Rank? How?!”

  Valerius looked between them. “…Is that a problem?”

  Ziraiah groaned. “Val… the teachers here are all D-Rank Raiders. A few C-Ranks too.”

  Valerius blinked. “…Okay?”

  She pinched the bridge of her nose. “God, Val. You don’t know anything. See why you should come to school?”

  Valerius frowned. “Hold up. If the teachers here are only as strong as I was three years ago, then they can’t teach me anything.”

  “Of course not!” Ziraiah snapped. “It’s not just about fighting. It’s about how the world works. Common knowledge. How to be successful.”

  “…Do Raiders make a lot of money?” Valerius asked.

  Victoria crossed her arms. “Shouldn’t you know? Weren’t you one?”

  “Only for a day.”

  He got up and wandered to a desk, where a framed picture caught his eye. It was of Eryndor. He picked it up.

  “…Why is there a picture of Eryndor here?”

  Ziraiah smirked. “That’s Victoria’s roommate. She’s obsessed.”

  Valerius chuckled, putting the photo down. “Oh yeah. I wanna meet Mercy.”

  “She’s in the tertiary section,” Ziraiah said.

  “What’s that?” Valerius asked.

  Victoria explained, “The academy has three divisions: Primary for kids, Secondary for us, and Tertiary for the older ones.”

  Ziraiah added, “But we can’t just stroll over there. She’s not my friend.”

  Valerius shrugged, then glanced up toward the windows. “So which one’s your room?”

  “That one.” Ziraiah pointed. “Sierra’s my roommate.”

  Valerius leaned on the sill, peering down at the volleyball court where girls played under the morning sun.

  “Don’t you guys have school today?”

  “Not on weekends,” Victoria answered.

  Valerius exhaled. “Well… it’s nice to meet you all.”

  Ziraiah’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t tell me you’re going out through the window.”

  Valerius grinned. “Can’t walk through that crowd downstairs, can I?”

  Sierra’s eyes widened. “We’re on the fourth floor!”

  “Don’t worry.” He met her gaze with a faint smile. “I’ll be fine.”

  Ziraiah stepped forward, frowning. “Wait—why so soon? I’ve got more people to show you.”

  Valerius tilted his head. “Like the ‘Bold One’? Who’s that supposed to be?”

  Victoria’s smirk was sharp. “He’s got a crush on Ziraiah. She doesn’t like him, but he thinks he can win her over with time.”

  Valerius’s brows shot up. “Oh? Really now.”

  Ziraiah spun on Victoria. “Why’d you tell him that?!”

  “What? Was it a secret?”

  Valerius clasped his hands behind his back, smiling wickedly as he leaned toward Victoria.

  “You wouldn’t happen to have a picture of this… Bold One, would you?”

  Ziraiah groaned, grabbing Valerius’s shoulders from behind. “You know what? You should just go home.” She shoved him toward the window.

  “Wait—wait, I changed my mind!” Valerius barked, raising his hands.

  Ziraiah smirked. “No, you don’t.”

  Before he could react, she swung him clean out the window.

  “Ziraiah!” Sierra gasped, bolting upright.

  Victoria’s eyes widened. “What the hell—?!”

  Ziraiah shrugged, brushing her hands together. “What? He’ll be fine.”

  Victoria’s jaw dropped. “Fine? You just threw him out of the fourth floor!”

  “You think I’m joking?” Ziraiah folded her arms. “Every male friend I’ve ever had ended up in the hospital. He’s… unpredictable.”

  Sierra’s mouth fell open. “You can’t be serious.”

  “We thought you were exaggerating,” Victoria muttered.

  Sierra frowned, unease creeping into her voice. “…If that’s how he treated your friends, then what happens if he finds out you have a boyfriend?”

  Ziraiah froze, then spun on them, eyes sharp. “You’re never going to tell him.” Her voice rose, deadly serious. “Swear it. Swear on your lives.”

  Victoria raised her hands quickly. “Okay, okay—I swear!”

  Ziraiah’s gaze cut to Sierra.

  Sierra hesitated, then sighed. “…Fine. I swear.”

  ---

  The Volleyball Court

  Valerius landed softly in the sand below, straightening without a scratch. A game of volleyball halted mid-serve, the players staring wide-eyed at the tall, green-eyed figure who had just dropped out of the sky.

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  He stretched his neck, smiling faintly. “Man… I’ve missed seeing people my age. My size.”

  Beside him stood a girl with brown hair and round glasses. She’d been watching her friends play from the sidelines, a quiet observer.

  She blinked at him. “…Are you supposed to be here? This is the girls’ dorm.”

  Valerius tilted his head. “Am I not supposed to be?”

  “No,” she said flatly.

  “Well…” He shrugged with a half-smile. “I was invited.”

  Her eyes narrowed as she studied his skin and black-and-green hair. “…Wait. You wouldn’t happen to be related to Ziraiah, would you?”

  “She’s my little sis.”

  The girl raised a brow, glancing at his smaller frame. “…Little? She’s bigger than you.”

  “It’s temporary,” Valerius said smoothly.

  Her gaze softened, caught by the glow of his hair. “You have really nice hair. It’s like… green flames. Did you dye it?”

  “Awe, thanks. You’ve got pretty cool glasses. They suit you.”

  The girl touched the frames shyly. “…You really think so?”

  “Yeah,” Valerius said, turning to her with a calm grin. “I’m Lerius. I bet a name that goes with glasses like those must be something elegant.”

  She giggled, cheeks pink. “…I’m Sarah.”

  “Looks like I was right.” His smirk widened. “So, Sarah… why aren’t you playing with the others?”

  “I’m not a fan of sports,” she admitted.

  Just then, a ball shot straight toward her face—fast.

  Valerius’s hand shot out, catching it inches from her nose. He tossed it casually back to the court. “Careful there.”

  Gasps came from the players.

  “Who’s that?”

  “Black and green hair… green eyes… he must be related to Ziraiah!”

  Sarah exhaled shakily. “…You’ve got amazing reflexes.”

  Valerius was already walking away. “Well, Sarah. Nice meeting you.”

  She blinked once—he was gone.

  ---

  Pungence’s House – The Cage

  The estate was silent, save for the faint crackle of wards around the reinforced cage. Inside, Mr. Baby sat cross-legged, smirking lazily, his eyes half-lidded.

  Andrea sat opposite him, papers in her hand, her tone cold and cutting.

  “Why did you steal that woman’s baby?”

  Mr. Baby’s grin widened, teeth flashing. His words rolled smooth, thick with accent.

  “Dem was gon’ sacrifice di pickney to one of dem gods. Wha’ yuh expect mi fi do, sit back an’ clap?”

  Andrea’s glare hardened. “You expect me to believe that?”

  He leaned back against the bars, spreading his hands.

  “Believe wha’ yuh waan, gyal. Mi nuh owe yuh no explanation.”

  Andrea snapped the paper open. “I did some digging. As a baby in the womb, your mother was cursed—that explains your… condition. Then a year ago, you became one of the young Catastrophes. I suppose that was when you found your Seed.”

  Mr. Baby’s eyes narrowed, but the smirk stayed. “Yuh mouth busy, but mi ears bored.”

  Andrea flipped another page. “Since then you’ve caused two kingdoms to go to war. Kidnapped the children of five hundred nobles for ransom—enough money to buy a kingdom. Stole the Redasia royal heirloom. Stole the highest-grade potion formula. The list doesn’t end.”

  Her lips curled mockingly. “And here it says you’ve got an addiction to breasts. What’s the matter? Did your mother not breastfeed you?”

  For the first time, his grin twitched. His voice dropped low, thick with edge.

  “Careful, gyal. Yuh tongue sharp, but mi patience dull.”

  Andrea pushed her chair closer, hands gripping the bars. Her tone sharpened like steel.

  “With crimes like these, you’ve earned either life in Striker’s Hell… or the death penalty. Once Pungence resumes duty, your fate is sealed.”

  Mr. Baby’s eyes gleamed. His patois deepened, words like a growl.

  “Den why yuh here, hm? Yuh playin’ judge, jury… or yuh got somet’ing yuh want from mi?”

  Andrea’s smile widened. “I heard you stole the secret to the location of the grimoire of one of the Primordial Witches.”

  His gaze snapped to her, grin fading to something sharper.

  “…An’ how yuh know dat?”

  Andrea leaned closer, eyes glinting. “I can help you avoid your miserable end… if you do one thing for me.”

  Mr. Baby rose, padding to the bars. His grin spread slow, cruel.

  “…Mi ears open, woman. Talk. Mi listenin’.”

  ---

  Evening at Pungence’s Estate

  The living room was dim, firelight flickering across the stone walls. Pungence sat with his massive frame slouched into the couch, arms folded. Andrea sat across from him, her legs crossed, her eyes unwavering.

  “I want you to let the baby go,” Andrea said firmly.

  Pungence’s head turned slowly, his gaze narrowing. “…What?”

  Andrea didn’t flinch. “He knows where the Primordial Witch’s grimoire is.”

  Pungence rose to his full height, towering, his shadow stretching across the wall. “You want me to let a criminal walk free? Just like that?”

  “Yes.”

  His voice thundered. “Andrea… do you even hear yourself?”

  She stood now too, fists clenched at her sides. “Bumble will target them again. He won’t stop. He nearly killed them last time, Pungence. As they are now, they can’t even defend themselves from him.”

  Pungence turned away, striding toward the tall window. Moonlight silvered the sharp lines of his face. Andrea followed, stopping behind him.

  Her voice cracked with emotion. “Please. I love these kids. I don’t want them to die. Why are you still working for those monsters? What did they do to you? Did they threaten you?”

  His shoulders tensed, but his voice was steady, low.

  “I work for them because I have to.”

  Andrea’s eyes flashed. “That Judge must have sent you—”

  “No,” Pungence cut her off sharply. “He’s… different.”

  “They’re all the same, Pungence!” Andrea’s voice rose, her hands trembling. “All of them. And if we don’t prepare these kids, they’ll be slaughtered. We need to make sure they can protect themselves.”

  Pungence’s gaze stayed on the night beyond the glass. “It is said that grimoire is written in the Ancient Language. What makes you think they could even read it?”

  Andrea stepped forward, her voice softer, insistent. “Weren’t you the one who told me Gozay said they could?”

  Pungence’s eyes narrowed faintly. “…Oh. Must’ve slipped my mind.”

  “With that baby’s help, they could find the grimoire,” Andrea pressed.

  “You want to hand that much power to children?” His tone was heavy, almost disbelieving.

  Andrea moved in front of him, meeting his gaze head-on. “You saw it yourself on that island. Eryndor alone could wipe this entire city off the map. But he never once cast a dangerous spell here. That’s why no one knew how powerful they were. They have restraint. We can trust them.”

  For the first time, a faint smile tugged at Pungence’s lips. “Their mother trained them well…”

  ---

  To Be Continued…