Chapter 68: Rebel
The front of the academy was packed—students crowding in, their voices filled with anticipation.
Then, two men pulled the door open like royalty was about to enter.
And through it, the Holy Knights stepped in—clad in worn armor and quiet pride, their footsteps heavy with the weight of war still clinging to their shoulders. Their faces were pale, drawn—the kind of look people wore not when they’d won, but when they’d barely made it back. The look of those who didn’t return in triumph... only in survival.
Kael didn’t wait. He couldn’t.
The moment he saw them—his eyes searching, trying to find them in the crowd—his heart surged. His chest tightened. It had been a while since he left... and there were so many things he wanted to say. So many questions he needed to ask—about the mission, about what they’d seen out there.
Then Elias, Lyra, Cassius, Damon, Lilia, and Aria stepped through the entrance—tired, silent, but standing tall. The entire school surrounded them, forming a wall of noise, cheering their return.
But none of them smiled.
They didn’t look like heroes coming home.
They looked like survivors.
Kael ran straight into them.
They froze—eyes wide, stunned like they were seeing a ghost.