Behind the red door

Gary continued to scream words of nonsense. Monk quickly went up to see if something was wrong. The way Gary was acting, it seemed like he was being attacked.

"Gary, wake up, wake up!" Monk shouted.

The others had now all gotten out of their beds and could see Gary wriggling around, tossing and turning.

"I don't know what's wrong with him," Monk said, visibly worried.

Sylvia quickly started giving out commands.

"Ian, bring Gary down here. You're the only one strong enough to hold him still—I think I can help."

Ian did as he was told. He went up and grabbed Gary by both sides. Gary was still struggling as if trying to break free, but it was useless. As Ian placed Gary on the floor, Dan came over and held down his feet while Ian held his shoulders.

Sylvia then placed her hands on Gary's forehead. A few moments later, he began to calm down, slowly falling back into a deep sleep.

"What was that?" Dan asked.

"It's something they taught us in the medical club. It's used to soothe patients who are in pain."

Ian went to put Gary back in bed while everyone else returned to their own, except for Monk. Monk looked troubled as he walked up to Ray.

"You need to talk to him. He seems to be getting worse."

"I will. Don't worry," Ray assured him.

While everyone was focused on helping Gary, Ray activated his dragon eyes. He was afraid that Gary might have been infected by the shadow plague, but there didn't seem to be anything wrong with his aura.

When morning came, everyone seemed sluggish—everyone except for Gary. Stretching and yawning, he said, "Oh, I haven't slept like that in ages. That was so good."

Then he noticed the expressions of those around him. They were all frowning at him.

"Huh? Did I do something?"

Monk glanced at Ray and mouthed the words, You need to talk to him now.

Monk was right. Although Gary felt fine now and had returned to his usual self, no one knew if his nightmares would stop.

"Hey, Gary, do you mind if we talk?" Ray asked.

Gary looked stunned.

"Did you just ask me to talk to you? Ray, are you feeling okay?"

"I think I'm the one who should be asking you that."

While the others went down to breakfast, Ray and Gary walked outside the campus. Ray told him what had happened last night. Gary was surprised—he hadn't realized he had been talking in his sleep.

He glanced around, waiting until a couple of passing students disappeared around a corner.

"Ray, you know that big red door they showed us? The one that leads below the school? I know it's forbidden, but I think we should go down there and have a look."

"If they catch us, we'll be kicked out of Avrion. Are you sure about this?"

"I've been having strange dreams about it—like something behind that door is calling to me."

"Why didn't you tell anyone about these dreams? What about the master knights?"

"I don't need to tell the knights everything. This is about me. But... I'm afraid something might happen to me down there. I need your help."

Gary's eyes were filled with sadness. It was as if he was begging Ray.

"Even if I told the knights, they would never let me go down there. That place is full of criminals."

Ray hesitated. If they got caught, they would both be expelled. He still had a lot to learn at the academy. But something about Gary's words stuck with him.

For one, his dragon eyes had been unable to see past the red door. He couldn't sense anything beyond or below the academy.

Were the criminals so dangerous that they had to be hidden? Or was there an even bigger secret the academy was keeping? And perhaps Gary was the first person to sense it?

"I'll think about it," Ray finally said.

Gary's face brightened a bit. Those words seemed to give him hope.

As the day went on, Ray attended his training at the martial arts hall. They were now focusing on fighting techniques while using Ki to enhance their bodies. But when Ray gathered his Ki, something strange happened.

It was no longer difficult to control the size as before. He could easily gather twice as much as he once could. It flowed gently through his body, no longer causing him pain.

He concluded that this must be the effect of the crystals and his evolution. It felt as if he had been given a completely new body. If he had to guess where his strength currently stood, it was likely on par with the old man's—just below that of the master knights.

While training, Ray deliberately kept his Ki level the same as before. He wanted to keep this a secret. If the knights found out, they would surely suspect that he was the prophecy child.

He wanted to test his strength, and he knew the perfect opponent—Harry. The last time they fought, Harry had completely humiliated him. Unfortunately, third-year students were often sent on missions, so the only chance to face him would be at the yearly school tournament.

By the end of the day, Ray decided he would give Gary his answer tomorrow. There was simply too much risk for him at the moment.

As he closed his eyes and fell asleep, a bright white light appeared in his vision.

It was a dream.

A glowing white orb floated in an endless black void. He slowly moved toward it, as if drawn to it.

Then the orb whispered, "I will share my secrets."

Suddenly, his body was flung backward. The white orb grew smaller in the distance. He reached out his hand to grab it, but then a massive red door slammed down, blocking his path.

It was the same door from Avrion Academy.