the aftermath

Burying the students was heartbreaking for them all. Even though they didn't know the fallen personally, they couldn't help but imagine their own friends lying in those graves—or themselves. The thought alone made their minds race.

Mr. Sable stepped up to the long row of graves, turning to face the remaining survivors.

"After some calculation, I am sorry to say that we lost 147 students and 18 teachers," he said solemnly. "Let us pray and give them a moment of silence."

He turned back to face the graves, clapped his hands together, and began to pray. All the students and teachers followed.

"May the souls of the fallen rest in peace. Though we did not all know them, they were part of our academy—our home. Let their courage, their dreams, never be forgotten. Grant us the strength to carry on in their memory, to protect each other, and to stand against the darkness ahead. Amen."

After Sable finished his prayer, everyone echoed a quiet "Amen."

Team B, now mixed with members from other teams, began making their way to the rendezvous point, which was still far ahead. They hadn't traveled far from the site of the battle before deciding to rest on one of the large tree branches hanging across a slope. Students and teachers had naturally separated into smaller groups, many sticking to their closest friends.

Riven, Jordan, Wren, Harkel, Leo, and Tessa sat around a small campfire that Tessa had lit. None of them spoke—not even through their telepathic link. The silence was heavier than usual, a quiet weighted with grief and confusion.

Nico approached them.

"Oh, you guys have your own flame? How'd you light it?" she asked. But after seeing their unreadable expressions, she quickly backed off. "Never mind. I'll go chill with my group."

She walked away, leaving the group in silence again.

"It's most likely that this situation isn't over," Riven finally said, breaking the silence through the telepathic link.

"What? Ashley, Xander, and that other wolf are dead. Shouldn't it be over?" Tessa asked.

"No, it isn't. Before the yellow-eyed one died, he—"

Before Riven could finish his thought, Nico returned, this time with her group of five.

"Hello, everyone," Nico said politely. "Since we're the strongest out of the students, I think it's best if we share something important—something we got from Luka. Can we sit?"

Everyone nodded or gave small gestures of approval.

"Okay, so we talked to the teachers. They're not going to tell the rest of the students—probably so no one panics. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't know. Luka?"

Nico signaled for Luka to speak.

Luka stepped forward. "When I was separated, I ran into a red-eyed wolf. I'm pretty sure one of the teachers saved me… but they didn't make it."

As Luka finished, Nico looked around at their faces. There were no shocked expressions—just quiet understanding.

"You already knew… didn't you?" Nico asked.

Everyone nodded.

"Before you got here, I was about to explain," Riven said. Nico's group looked confused; to them, the group had just been sitting in silence.

"Before the yellow-eyed werewolf died, it said one last thing: 'Kael will avenge us.' That told me there was most likely another werewolf involved."

"I knew as well," Jordan added, raising his hand. "During… I guess you'd call it a therapy session with Ashley, she said something that stuck with me. She said she didn't have a choice. That he wanted them to kill us so there'd be no witnesses. The way she moved, the way she spoke—it felt like there was someone even more powerful than the three we fought."

That final line sent a shiver through the group—everyone except Joey.

"So wait…" Skye asked. "If there's another werewolf more powerful than all three of them, why hasn't he—or she—shown up yet?"

"Probably because they already completed whatever goal they had," Jude answered.

"Which is what exactly?" Tessa asked.

"To use the portal and escape," Riven said simply.

"But if they used a portal, wouldn't they just end up back at the academy?" Kira asked.

"Maybe. But this other werewolf could have hacked the portal—redirected it," Jordan replied.

"Most likely to Earth," Riven theorized, "or wherever the main four families are."

"Why would they go after the four families?" Skye asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Ashley told me more about what happened to her—and I guess to all of them," Riven continued. "The Broken Veil tricked them into thinking they'd become Forced Evolvers… but it was a lie. That's how they ended up as wolves. So if this werewolf escaped, my best guess is…"

"For revenge," Nico finished.

"If he can hack a teleporter," Wren added, "then he's no fool. He's not gonna just charge in and attack the Broken Veil. He's going to build an army."

"We should tell the teachers," Jude said. "They can contact the academy, who can warn the Ascension Group or even the four families themselves."

But some people hesitated.

"Why are you guys hesitating?" Jude pushed.

"Because," Riven said aloud, "truthfully, I feel like… he should get revenge."

Some looked at him like he was crazy. Others quietly agreed.

"Are you insane?" Jude said, nearly shouting. "If that wolf guy builds an army, the Broken Veil might use it as an excuse to wipe out even more Evolvers!"

"Maybe," Riven said calmly. "But if we tell the teachers, and they tell the Academy, and they tell the Ascension Group, it'll probably get swept under the rug. Like nothing ever happened. And let's be real—every time the Ascension Group has tried to take down the Broken Veil, they've failed. The Broken Veil just gets stronger. And let's not pretend it'll be easy to hide an eight-foot-tall wolf-man, plus I think sable already know."

He leaned back, preparing to rest. But before he could close his eyes, Jude spoke again.

"Fine. We won't tell the teachers. But we should at least stand guard. Just in case the wolf is still here."

"She makes a good point," Nico added. "Who's to say the wolf actually used the portal? What if it's just waiting nearby?"

Riven stood up and activated his True Awakening. He doubted the wolf was nearby—his system would've given him a quest if it was—but not everyone had access to the same system he did.

Eyes closed, he began moving around the tree perimeter. The three other boys—Jordan, Harkel, and Joey —understood what he was doing. They activated their own Awakening forms and moved through other trees, their senses sharpened to their limits.

The True Awakening did more than enhance power. It heightened their senses, instincts, and perception. After thirty minutes of scouting, they all regrouped by the makeshift campfire.

"Nothing," Riven said. "There's no one near us. No wolves. No beasts."

"So just rest easy," he added. "We went through a lot today. Let's call it a night."

Riven laid back down, and one by one, the rest followed, settling into an uneasy sleep.

⸻

The Next Day

No one really knew if it was morning. Even though Joey had managed to blast away most of the gray clouds, they'd simply reformed into a dense mass. Everyone woke up based on the rhythm of their bodies, not the sky.

Mr. Sable addressed the group.

"Now students, here's today's plan. We need to hunt beasts. Yes, I know yesterday was tragic—but most of us are running on pure energy. That won't last long. The rendezvous point isn't too far ahead, but if we're going to run into any more beasts, we need full stomachs."

A student raised a hand. "Mr. Sable… is eating beast meat even safe?"

"No. Not if you don't cook it properly. You could die," Sable said. "Luckily, we have a Master Chef right here." He pointed at himself.

"And here," Leo added, raising his hand.

"Okay, fine. Two Master Chefs. You happy now, kid?" Sable rolled his eyes playfully. "Let's keep moving."

Riven told Leo to activate his Mute Evolution—he didn't want any unwanted attention from nearby beasts until they were ready to hunt.

A big grey wolf with red eyes landed in what seemed to be a desert, the wolf had a big smile on its face like one of its lifelong goals was acquired.

The wolf had 39 men in front of him kneeling.

"What would you like us to do first, sir?" one of them came up now and asked the big wolf.

"Hmm, first, we need units, so why don't we sell these armors of yours? You won't be needing it," the wolf said to the man.

"If you don't mind me asking, sir, if we do sell all our armor, what will we do then?" the man asked nervously. He was scared that him asking too many questions would get him killed, but the wolf just answered him.

"We'll get a lab. I can tell that my form has way more advantages that I'm not using, so we'll get a lab and run some experiments," the wolf answered back truthfully.

"OK, one last thing. There's something that's been on my mind. What is your name?"

"My name? The name's Kael. But 'sir' is nice," Kael said as he started to walk in a direction. "Now follow me. We will change this world."

"Yes, sir Kael," all the men said as they followed him.