That's why

"Leah?!"

When Leah entered the room and saw Amos, her eyes widened in astonishment.

"A-Amos? What are you doing here?"

Amos calmed down a bit, still visibly shaken."I… I'm not really sure either..."

Anna coughed, interrupting them, and gestured for Leah to take a seat. Leah obeyed and sat next to Amos, visibly confused by the situation. Unlike Amos, she had no idea what was going on.

"Do you know anything about this meeting?"

Amos looked at Leah, his face filled with questions and confusion.

"I can only guess, but to keep it simple, everyone in this room is… special."

Leah frowned slightly, clearly thrown off by the word.

"Special?" she muttered under her breath.

Before either of them could continue, Anna clapped her hands to regain everyone's attention.

"Good evening everyone. I'm Anna, president of the student council, though I'm sure you all already know that. The five of us here have been chosen for a very specific task—one of immense importance.To save this world, from something."

Amos's expression twisted into one of disbelief and confusion. He glanced around; Leah looked just as stunned as him. Lucas and Yoan, on the other hand, didn't seem surprised. It was as if they'd expected something like this.

Anna continued,"From now on, it's not my role to explain further, but his."

She gestured toward a space next to her. A silver-white portal opened there, and from it stepped an imposing figure—an almost militaristic man with blonde hair, pale skin, and empty eyes.

The sight made Amos think immediately of Cloack—the two were eerily similar. Leah, however, was completely stunned. Unlike the others, she clearly wasn't used to these supernatural occurrences.

As the man fully emerged from the portal, it closed behind him. Then he spoke in a calm but commanding voice.

"Apologies for the delay, vessels. Before anything else, let me confirm everyone's presence."

He turned toward Lucas."The Heir of Strength."

Then toward Yoan."The Heir of War."

Then Anna."The Heir of Grace."

Finally, he turned to Leah and bowed with a noble reverence, like one would to royalty.

"Princess Leah Lifesteel, Heir of Life."

Leah froze. Her eyes widened at the name 'Lifesteel,' and the word 'Princess' left her even more confused. Amos and the others turned to look at her, stunned. Even Yoan, usually calm, muttered aloud.

"Princess…?"

The man looked at Amos, visibly surprised to see him. Then he turned toward Anna, his tone now cold and stern.

"Who is this human? This meeting was supposed to be private—only for the vessels."

Anna, confused but composed, responded carefully."His energy is similar to the vessels'. I assumed he was one."

The man narrowed his eyes, as if something had just occurred to him.

"This can't be… Except for the princess and this human, I appeared to all of you when your powers awakened. I told you, Anna. There are only four vessels. This human cannot be one."

Anna lowered her gaze, ashamed of her mistake."I…"

Amos stared silently, thoughts flooding his mind.

"Except for Leah and me, they all met this guy after their awakening… I don't get it. Cloack called me a vessel, and he was the one who unsealed my powers… Why does he call Leah a princess? Even if she were an orphaned princess, she would've inherited a throne. And as far as I know, there's no royal family named Lifesteel anywhere in the world…"

The man turned back to Amos.

"You, human, are y—"

But before he could finish, a dark portal opened behind Amos. Cloack stepped out of it calmly.

Everyone in the room froze. A wave of fear rippled through the room. Allay, the man, stepped back instinctively—not out of fear, but out of disbelief.

"Cloack?! What are you doing here…? Don't tell me…"

Cloack smiled faintly."It's been a while, Allay. And yes. This human is—"

He paused for a second, letting the silence hang heavily in the air."—the Heir of the Void."

A look of absolute shock spread across Allay's face.

"Impossible! Vyran died in the First War! He couldn't have passed on his power!"

Cloack chuckled, though it didn't reach his eyes.

"Contrary to what you think, he succeeded—right at the moment of his death."

Allay stepped back, still stunned.

"That means… this human has had his powers since birth… Do you realize how dangerous that is? They could have detected and eliminated him!"

Cloack remained calm.

"His powers were sealed until the Heir of Strength here nearly killed him. I had no choice but to unseal them so he could defend himself."

Allay clenched his teeth."Then they must be degraded. Sealed for so long, they've surely weakened. He probably couldn't even knock out the weakest psychic."

Cloack said nothing, because Allay had a point.

The group remained silent. Shocked. Processing. Only Lucas, who had been looking at Amos with disdain, now gazed at him with renewed superiority, like he was beneath him.

Amos didn't even glance at Lucas. He stood up and took a step toward Allay, his expression cold.

"If you think I'm so weak… how about we find out? You and me, one on one."

His presence grew heavy—crushing. Everyone felt it. His eyes, hollow and distant, stared into Allay's without flinching. But Allay wasn't fazed. He released his own presence, even more intense than Amos's, nearly overwhelming the others.

"You don't know who you're challenging, inferior. I don't believe you could even touch the Representative of War."

Amos didn't back down. If anything, he looked more confident. Cloack watched in silence, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Accept it, Allay. You won't regret it."

Allay shot Cloack a suspicious look, then clicked his tongue.

"Tsk. Fine. Let's do this somewhere more open."

The five students and the two entities relocated to the academy courtyard, bathed in silver moonlight.

Amos and Allay stood at opposite ends, a safe distance apart. Allay, arrogant and relaxed, didn't even raise his guard.

"If you can land a hit on me, human, I'll let you join us for the events to come. If not, Cloack will remove your powers. Begin whenever you're ready."

The moment he finished his sentence, Amos launched forward with a speed invisible to the naked eye, leaving behind a trail of darkness. His fist was aimed squarely at Allay's face.

Startled, Allay barely dodged in time, retreating. Then, summoning a blade in his right hand, he charged at Amos.

Amos, already back in balance, enveloped Allay's sword with a shadowy field and shattered it. The upper half of the blade broke cleanly, though the bottom half remained. Allay dashed at Amos, aiming for his throat with what remained of the blade.

Amos responded instantly, materializing a mass forming a black sword with even darker flames into his own hand and blocking the attack. As their weapons clashed, Allay saw Amos's face clearly for the first time.

Those eyes—black, empty, marked with smoky veins trailing down his face—

Allay recoiled instinctively."The Eyes of Vyran…" he whispered.

Regaining composure, he attacked again, faster this time, summoning a second sword in his other hand. He spun mid-air to amplify his strike, but when he looked again—Amos was gone.

A thick fog of darkness that Amos had left behind him when he disapeared obscured his view.

"Where is he?!"

Allay tensed, preparing for a counterattack. He felt a presence behind him and turned.

"You won't get me th—"

Too late.

Amos was already there, his fist accelerating at an unimaginable speed, propelled by a dense black aura. His eyes were merciless, and the marks on his face had grown darker and more intricate.

Just before the blow landed, Amos stopped. The shockwave from his strike dissipated the fog completely.

Allay fell to the ground, stunned, not understanding why Amos had stopped.

Amos dropped to one knee, then coughed up blood. The dark energy around him faded, the marks retreating.

"At least… I didn't pass out this time…"

Everyone stood frozen. No one understood why Amos hadn't finished the blow—except Leah.

She rushed toward him, catching him in her arms.

"Amos! Are you okay?! Is it like last time?!"

Amos responded weakly, blood still dripping from his mouth.

"Don't worry. I just… can't use this power for too long..."

Leah wiped the blood from his lips with her hand, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Stop talking. You'll make it worse."

Cloack appeared beside them.

"He's pushed himself too far. his power seem to work differently from vyran's."

Their conversation was cut short by Anna, her tone urgent.

"We need to go. Your little duel has woken up the entire academy. Let's leave before they arrive."

Allay stood, trying to salvage his pride after the humiliation.

"She's right… It's time to take them there."

Cloack nodded silently. Amos, Leah, and Anna exchanged confused glances, not understanding what they meant.

Allay signaled to Lucas and Yoan, who had stayed in the background as spectators. They approached, still shaken by the intensity of the fight.

As they gathered, Allay opened the same portal he had used to enter.

One by one, they stepped through. Leah, supporting Amos with his arm over her shoulder, was the last to enter with him.

End of the chapter 8