Chapter 78: Emberlight Academy

Far from the House of Memory, across a continent that had only just healed, stood a gleaming structure carved from black glass and gold sunstone.

Emberlight Academy.

It had once trained divine agents. Now it trained everyone.

Hybrids. Humans. Spirits. Forgotten. Redeemed.

And it was buzzing with one name:

Liss Hoshino.

Some feared her. Some worshiped her. Some wanted to be her.

And one girl wanted to surpass her.

Her name was Nyori Vael, a half-elf void tactician with tattoos that bled ink when she lied. She stood at the dueling arena, watching a holo-recording of Liss erasing a god.

"Impressive," Nyori muttered. "But she's not the only paradox."

Behind her, a group of students gasped as her blade cut clean through a training construct.

"She's our future," a teacher whispered. "Or our replacement."

And the academy clock tolled once.

Marking the day Emberlight entered the story.