Cassian grimaced, rubbing the back of his neck. "It slipped our minds amidst the chaos, but… yes, something else occurred."

Alistair's expression remained calm. But his eyes sharpened ever so slightly.

"What happened?" he asked gently.

Roderick's tone lowered; even his battle-hardened voice carried unease. "The city museum was breached."

Isabel's eyes narrowed. "The museum?"

"Yes," Cassian continued, his voice tightening. "A small statue, more like a model was stolen."

Isabel exchanged a glance with Alistair.

"A model of what?" Alistair asked.

Cassian swallowed hard.

"A creature," he said. "A small carved statue of… something ancient. We never classified it. It was discovered decades ago during an excavation near the Whispering Abyss. Scholars once believed it to be a depiction of a mythic beast. But it was just a model. Nothing else."

Roderick added, his voice grim, continuing, "The masked men targeted it specifically. They ignored everything more valuable than that statue in the museum—or even the entire city. They broke the case, stole the statue, and vanished."

Alistair's warm golden eyes darkened slightly.

Isabel's silver ones flashed with a cold glint. "…So they weren't here just to cause destruction," she whispered. "They had an objective."

Alistair nodded. "And they succeeded."

The evening wind howled softly through the broken streets, as if carrying the implications outward into the darkening horizon.

The attack…

The portals…

The disappearance of the mysterious small statue.

The ambush at Greenveil Forest…

Their enemies weren't acting randomly.

They were moving with purpose.

And now…

They had something dangerous in their hands.

"You two, leave us alone for a while," Isabel told Cassian and Roderick.

They didn't question it. The figures before them were among the strongest individuals in the entire world.

They left immediately.

Now, Alistair and Isabel were alone.

"It must have been five years… since we last met," Isabel said. "It's a long time...well, for others it might be. For people like us, it's not that long. You still look so young, even though you're a grandfather now."

Alistair chuckled. "Maybe that's true. You don't look much different from the day when I used to study at the Academy. The same as before, Headmistress Isabel."

Even when Alistair was a student at Arcadia Academy, the headmistress or rather, the principal was Isabel. That academy literally belonged to her. She was its owner. Her real age? No one knew.

Isabel smiled nostalgically. "Yeah. I saw you grow stronger. You were just a kid back then. Now your granddaughter is studying in my academy. To think my academy would ever have another monster like you… her talent is not much less than yours."

At that moment, a prideful expression appeared on his face. "I know that. My little girl is amazing."

Then he shook her head and asked, "How long are you going to be head of the academy? Any thoughts of retiring?"

At her question, Isabel thought for a while and folded her hands beneath her heavy chest. "I am still young, boy. You want me to retire so early?"

Alistair had no response to that. Even though he wanted to comment that she shouldn't call herself young—that she was old and should accept that fact. He didn't want to feel her wrath. Though he was clearly stronger than her, he respected her. She was older than him. He couldn't fight back if she decided to beat him and scold him.

It was funny how, despite being a grandfather, Alistair was actually much younger compared to Isabel.

"Hah, that aside," he said. "What do you think about this situation? Any idea who might be behind this?" He asked with serious eyes.

Isabel remained silent for a few seconds before replying. "I do have an idea… who might have attacked the academy airship. But whether they are from the same side as the ones behind this city's fall… I can't guarantee that."

Alistair rubbed his neck while listening to her. "Who are they?"

"The Order of Avasthāna. Well, I'm not one hundred percent sure… but I do think the ones who attacked the students during dungeon practice were none other than them. So it's most likely them who ambushed the students today as well. Though we don't have any traces of that organization since the last Era."

"An ancient organization, huh… that will be dangerous. We don't have a single clue about them… nor their goal," Alistair spoke, but was interrupted by Isabel.

"Oh, by the way. During the ambush on the airship… the enemies were particularly targeting your granddaughter, Seraphina."

His eyes sharpened the moment he heard that. Anger surged inside him. His fist clenched—but it lasted only a few seconds as he calmed down immediately. He didn't let it consume him. He knew perfectly well how to control his emotions.

"Now that's new… I guess I need to look into them. Try to find anything I can about them."

"Actually, I wanted to request the same thing," Isabel said. "Look into them… see if you can get any information about the Order of Avasthāna. Even if it means visiting the Abyssal Continent—Nerathis. I mean, only you can visit those kingdoms. No one from the human, elf, or beast continents would dare to step there. Only you can go and come back safely."

She was not bluffing.

The man standing before her was the strongest being in the entire world. Not just among humans, but among all races. He stood at the very pinnacle of existence.

She still remembered the day he defeated a mythical dragon. Not a legend. Not a fragment. A real mythical dragon. A being capable of destroying entire continents… brought down in just a few minutes.

Even she could not defeat a dragon. Even if multiple Mythborn fought together, they would never stand a chance against such a creature. And yet, he had done it alone.

Because of that, many including her believed that Alistair had broken through the seventh rank. That he had reached a realm no one else had ever touched. But Alistair never admitted it.

He always dismissed such claims with the same gentle expression, saying he was still a Mythborn—nothing more. And that, somehow, made him even more terrifying.

"I will look into this organization. There's no way I'll let them go after trying to target my princess," he said, smiling.

Not a kind smile.

But one that sent shivers down the spine.

"Cough… anyway… do you think it's starting now? Are these signs of that?" Isabel asked. Her expression grew more serious than ever. Her silver eyes sharpened.

She had been thinking about this for a long time. Since the first attack on the academy. But was it true? If this was really related to that… then it was a terrifying danger for the entire world.

Alistair sighed. "If you're talking about that prophecy… then it might be true. It's the Fifth Era… so it could be. It's been more than a thousand years since this era started, the most peaceful era compared to the others. But it won't last for long… hah."

"I've already started gathering more information," Isabel said. "Spreading my people all over the continent to collect reports of any strange incidents."

Alistair nodded slowly, the playful edge fading completely from his expression.

"Yes," he said, his voice calm but heavy. "You should meet Her Majesty. If what we're suspecting is true, this is no longer something the Academy or even a single nation can handle alone."

Isabel exhaled softly.

"I was planning to," she replied. "But I wanted confirmation first. If I walk into the Imperial Palace speaking of prophecies and ancient organizations without solid threads to connect them, the court will dismiss it as paranoia."

Alistair's golden eyes narrowed slightly.

"They won't dismiss it. Did you forget the Empress is my niece? As far as I know her, she won't dismiss something like this… especially if it's coming from you."

Isabel glanced at him, then gave a small, knowing smile.

"I guess so," she said. "I was also thinking of speaking only to Celestia. No advisors or high officers from her court."

He chuckled quietly. "Yeah, that might be good. Those fools don't tend to believe in anything without proof… unless we force them to. Well, if I accompany you, they won't question you."

"Yeah, yeah. Who would go against my strongest student?" she said with a tired sigh.

They fell silent for a moment, the distant sounds of rebuilding echoing faintly through the ruined city. Hammering, shouts, the quiet sobs of those who had lost too much.

Isabel broke the silence first.

"If this truly is the beginning," she said, "then we need to prepare the next generation. Not just Arcadia students—every academy, every gifted child across Valmoria and beyond."

Alistair nodded. "The Fifth Era has been peaceful for too long. People have grown complacent. They've forgotten what it means to face extinction-level threats."

His gaze drifted toward the horizon.

"The Order of Avasthāna has always been very secretive. Even in past eras, their movements were mysterious. No one knew what their goal was. If they're resurfacing now, then something they've been waiting for… is close."

Isabel's fingers curled slightly beneath her cloak.

"The sealed calamities," she said quietly. "The Abyssal gates. The sleeping relics. It could be anything."

She looked back at him. "And that stolen statue."

"Yes," Alistair replied. "That concerns me the most. Those kinds of things are always dangerous. They're keys. Anchors. Or markers."

"Exactly," Isabel agreed. "And the Whispering Abyss is not a place scholars excavate lightly. Whatever that model represents… it might represent something terrible… maybe a deity."

Alistair's expression hardened.

"Then our priorities are clear," he said. "You secure the political front. I'll handle the shadows."

He raised a hand slightly. "I'll investigate the Order of Avasthāna directly. Nerathis, if I must. Old records, forgotten contracts, sealed ruins—anything tied to them."

Isabel nodded. "Meanwhile, I'll reinforce Arcadia's defenses. Expand surveillance. And…" she paused briefly, "…keep certain students under closer watch. And discuss this with important figures."

"Let's go and check information about that model—its images," Isabel decided.

"You should go and check it. Send its information to me later. For now, I'll go and check on Seraphina," he replied. Isabel nodded in understanding.

She could guess he must be very worried about her after hearing she was specifically targeted… or perhaps from the moment he first heard the first-year airship had been ambushed.

"See you later, Alistair. We will meet soon." Saying that, Isabel disappeared into the air.

Alistair didn't move for a while. His golden eyes gazed at the shimmering sea. The waves made a peaceful sound, and his soft hair moved with the cold breeze of the late evening.

"Hah…" he murmured softly.

"It seems the wheel of fate has finally begun to turn....seem like its beginning."

[End of Volume 1: The Beginning]

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[Author's Note: Finally I completed first volume! I never thought I can ever wrote this much. But I was able to complete at least first volume. Anyway I will upload next volume chapters from tomorrow.]

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