Arnold remained standing there, his breathing heavy from running.

His dark blue hair swayed with the cold wind brushing through the forest.

"He–He's gone…" he muttered.

It had happened so instantly. It wasn't even a few minutes since they started to follow the man… and now both of them had vanished. No clue where to. No trace to follow.

He ran his hand through his dark hair.

"Hah…" He exhaled.

Just then, he heard footsteps approaching from behind.

He turned back to see Professor Adelia coming toward him.

His body tensed for a moment. Just a brief instinctive reaction. Before his eyes turned serious again.

Adelia stopped in front of him. Her yellow eyes scanned the surroundings beside him, sharp and focused… but he could sense something else beneath them. Fear. Tight, quiet fear.

"Where is Amon? What about the masked man?" she asked calmly. But Arnold could hear the faint tremor hidden under her voice. A teacher shouldn't sound like that and that made it worse.

He bit his lower lip and sighed.

"He… Amon… he's gone… with– with the masked man." His eyes met Adelia's. A pang of guilt twisted inside him. He had thrown Amon at the enemy.

Because of that, Amon entered the portal. Not knowing where it led.

He had seen Amon thrust his sword into the enemy's back… so the assassin was probably dead. But they didn't know where that portal had taken them both.

Adelia narrowed her eyes, then frowned deeply. "What? What do you mean?"

Arnold began explaining everything. How they chased the man. How he grabbed the artifact. How he opened the teleportation gate. How Arnold threw Amon in that direction. And how Amon was pulled into the portal with the masked man.

After recounting everything.

Adelia fell silent.

Her expression was unreadable… but her eyes, usually bright and composed, now seemed dimmer.

Something was twisting inside her chest fear, anger, helplessness. She forced her face to stay still, but Arnold saw a flicker crack through.

He didn't know what she was truly feeling, and he didn't dare ask.

Adelia closed her eyes. Breathed. Then opened them again. She was Professor. She can't act here like this.

"...For now… let's go back. We should return to the airship. We will search for him once everything is settled and we are safe."

She turned and began walking.

Arnold didn't say anything and followed her quietly.

He couldn't see her expression from behind.

But he could tell. Her shoulders were stiff. Her footsteps were harsher.

---

Adelia and Arnold ran through the forest, their steps urgent, leaves snapping beneath their feet.

The smell of burnt wood and mana residue still lingered in the air.

When they reached the clearing, Seraphina, Eliana, Marcus, and Aisha were gathered together. Some sitting, some leaning against trees, all exhausted but alive.

The moment Seraphina saw Professor Adelia, she straightened sharply. "Professor! Are we retreating?"

Adelia didn't waste a second. "Yes. We're going back to the airship—now."

Her voice was calm, but the tension behind it was unmistakable.

Seraphina caught it instantly. Her golden eyes widened just a fraction. Adelia never sounded strained unless something was very, very wrong.

Aisha blinked in confusion. "What happened? Where's Amon? And that masked bastard?"

Arnold's steps slowed.

All eyes turned to him.

He swallowed, throat dry. His fists tightened at his sides, as if he was holding himself together by force.

"…Amon is… gone."

Eliana's pointy ears twitched sharply. "Gone? What do you mean gone?"

Marcus frowned, stepping closer. "Did something happen while we were healing?"

Arnold took a deep breath.

Then another.

Then he spoke.

"We chased the masked man. He wasn't dead. He took some artifact from Lynira's body and tried to escape… he opened a teleport portal."

His voice cracked slightly, but he continued.

"I–I tried to throw Amon toward him so he could stop him. Amon thrust his sword into the guy's back, but… they both fell through the portal. It closed instantly."

Silence.

A heavy, suffocating silence.

Aisha's eyes widened. "He… what? He went inside the portal?"

Arnold nodded, jaw tightening. "I didn't think....I didn't know it would close like that. I thought Amon would pull back or—or I could grab him but—"

His voice dropped. "…He vanished."

Seraphina's golden lashes trembled. Her fingers tightened so hard around her sword that her knuckles turned white.

Her lips pressed into a thin line.

She didn't speak. She couldn't. Amon had just been standing with them. She saw him standing away there. Smiling and talking with Arnold.

And in minutes, he was gone. Something cold twisted inside her chest, a strange and unwelcome ache she wasn't prepared for.

Eliana covered her mouth, disbelief across her face. "A-Amon is… actually… gone? Teleported somewhere we don't know?"

She was shocked.

The boy who had killed Lynira just moments ago… simply vanished. No trace. No clue.

Marcus cursed under his breath. "Damn it." He gritted his teeth. Despite always acting distant from Amon… irritation and worry burst behind his eyes.

Adelia stepped forward.

Her presence alone forced everyone to steady themselves.

"We will find him," she said firmly. But her voice trembled just a little. Her fingers were curled into fists. She hid it well.

"But not here. Not like this. We still have to get back to the Academy safe."

Her voice sharpened.

"Everyone is injured. The forest is unstable. Reinforcements might arrive. First—we return to the airship. We regroup. Then we plan."

Seraphina nodded slowly. "Yes… that's the only choice."

Her voice was unusually dull. Her usual calm was shaken. Beneath it, her eyes revealed something else deep worry. A fear she wasn't used to feeling.

Marcus lifted Eliana to her feet. Aisha stood beside Arnold, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"It's not your fault," she said softly.

Arnold didn't respond.

But his eyes stayed fixed on the place he had last seen Amon, guilt simmering beneath the surface… but something else as well. Something deeper.

Adelia turned.

"Move."

They began running.

Branches whipped past them. The forest grew brighter as they neared the clearing where the airship was anchored.

Students from other groups were already being gathered some unconscious, some bleeding, all shaken. Many hooded figures lay dead on the ground.

Staff members stood guard with weapons.

As they joined the flow of students heading up the ramp, the atmosphere was heavy. Everyone sensed something had gone wrong.

Arnold finally exhaled deeply.

"…Amon," he muttered under his breath.

He didn't know where the portal had taken him.

He didn't know if Amon was alive. Or whether he could survive wherever he was now.

But one thing he knew. He had done what he needed to do.

---

Adelia moved to the other side, where Aria, Asher, and Cristina had been fighting Alaric.

The moment she saw the scenery.

Her eyes widened in shock. She sprinted toward them.

The forest trees were cut, charred, and broken from the battle.

Smoke rising, spiderweb cracks all over the ground. Huge pits formed here and there. And there lay her three friends.

Battered. Heavily injured. Barely conscious.

"What?!" She dashed toward them in panic. Her voice cracked as she dropped beside them. She checked the surroundings.

There was no Alaric present anymore. But that wasn't important now.

Not compared to the blood covering her friends.

---

[A/N: Next few chapters will not be from Amon's side. They will be focus on others.]

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