Morning arrived quietly over Aetherial Institute.
The first rays of sunlight spilled across the ancient island academy.
Golden light reflected from countless crystal windows.
Towering spires rose above the morning mist.
Students gradually filled the stone pathways.
Some rushed toward classrooms.
Others carried books beneath their arms while desperately reviewing notes they should have studied the previous night.
The academy had fully awakened.
And so had Kel.
The silver-haired young man walked calmly through the bustling campus.
Unlike most students, he wasn't carrying notes.
Nor was he concerned about upcoming lessons.
His thoughts were elsewhere.
Far away.
Several weeks into the future.
Toward an event nobody knew was approaching.
An event hidden behind ordinary academy life.
Far beneath Scarder Lake—
Seiren's voice appeared.
"You're planning already."
Kel nodded internally.
"Naturally."
"You haven't even confirmed whether events will happen exactly as they did before."
"True."
Kel entered the main academic building.
Students moved around him.
Professors passed through hallways.
The sounds of academy life surrounded him.
"But if I'm wrong, nothing happens."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"If I'm right and I do nothing..."
The sentence remained unfinished.
Seiren sighed.
Because she understood exactly what he meant.
Today—
Kel attended classes as normal.
At least outwardly.
In reality—
He was observing.
Watching.
Analyzing.
The five protagonists of Destiny's first chapter.
The people who should eventually stand at the center of the upcoming catastrophe.
Three boys.
Two girls.
Five future heroes.
Five future monsters.
Five future legends.
And currently—
Five students.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
Kel quietly observed them throughout the day.
One listened carefully during lectures.
Another spent half the class sleeping.
One girl took notes so aggressively that her notebook looked ready for publication.
Another seemed bored by everything.
The final one kept staring out the window.
Watching clouds.
As though completely uninterested in education.
Yet Kel knew better.
Because he remembered.
Every one of them would eventually survive things that should have killed them.
Every one of them would grow into someone extraordinary.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
By the time classes ended—
Kel had gathered enough information.
Not about their strength.
Not about their talents.
About their personalities.
That mattered more.
Far more.
Eventually—
The academy bells rang.
Students immediately flooded from classrooms.
The afternoon had arrived.
Meanwhile—
Kel headed toward Azura Horizon Guild.
The guild building stood proudly near the harbor district.
Sea winds constantly flowed around it.
Guild members moved in and out carrying reports, maps, supplies, and monster materials.
The organization had grown significantly.
Much faster than anyone expected.
Mostly because its Guild Master happened to be a mermaid beloved by both sailors and sea creatures.
Inside—
Seraphine immediately noticed him.
The silver-haired mermaid sat behind a desk.
Several guild reports were spread before her.
Meanwhile Elena sat nearby reviewing financial records.
The brown-haired girl looked exhausted.
Seraphine looked slightly less exhausted.
A remarkable achievement.
The moment Kel entered—
Seraphine smiled.
"Aedon."
Elena looked up.
Then nodded.
"Founder."
Kel greeted both before sitting down.
Then he produced a long list.
A very long list.
Seraphine accepted it.
The smile slowly disappeared.
Then she looked at him.
Then the list.
Then him again.
Then the list.
Her blue eyes narrowed.
"Aedon."
Kel remained calm.
"Yes?"
The mermaid slowly lifted the paper.
"What exactly is this?"
"A list."
"I can see that."
Her voice became flat.
"I was hoping for a more detailed explanation."
Elena leaned forward.
Curiosity visible in her expression.
Meanwhile Seraphine continued reading.
Her confusion only grew.
Rare herbs.
Monster blood.
Alchemy catalysts.
Dungeon crystals.
Purification materials.
Several uncommon magical ingredients.
The list continued.
And continued.
And continued.
Eventually—
She lowered the paper.
"Aedon."
The guild master stared directly at him.
"Why do you need all of this?"
Kel smiled.
The kind of smile that usually meant trouble.
Seraphine immediately recognized it.
The same smile he wore before diving into Leviathan territory.
The same smile he wore before causing paperwork.
Lots of paperwork.
The mermaid sighed.
Deeply.
Very deeply.
"Aedon."
"Yes?"
"You know that every time you make that expression, something ridiculous follows."
Kel looked offended.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Elena immediately looked away.
Because laughing would be dangerous.
Meanwhile Seraphine pointed at the list.
"Why?"
Kel leaned back.
Then answered.
"Just bring them."
Silence.
The mermaid stared.
Long.
Hard.
Very hard.
Unfortunately—
She already knew arguing was pointless.
Because once Aedon decided something—
Convincing him otherwise became nearly impossible.
Eventually—
She sighed again.
"Aedon."
"Yes?"
"If this somehow results in another ancient monster..."
"It won't."
"Another Leviathan King?"
"It won't."
"Another mysterious woman you rescue?"
Kel blinked.
"That seems oddly specific."
Elena immediately covered her face.
The mermaid looked away.
Completely innocent.
Suspiciously innocent.
Several seconds passed.
Then Seraphine finally surrendered.
Turning toward a nearby guild member, she handed over the list.
"Gather everything."
The guild member accepted it.
Then his face gradually lost color.
Because the list was expensive.
Very expensive.
Still—
He nodded and hurried away.
Mission accepted.
Meanwhile Kel stood.
"Thank you."
Seraphine folded her arms.
"I still don't know why you're gathering all this."
"You'll find out eventually."
The answer somehow annoyed her more.
Far away beneath Scarder Lake—
Seiren laughed.
"You're terrible at explaining things."
Kel ignored her.
Then departed.
Leaving behind a confused guild master.
An exhausted vice guild master.
And a very concerned logistics department.
The academy greeted him once more.
Afternoon sunlight illuminated the pathways.
Students filled the grounds.
Some trained.
Some studied.
Some relaxed.
Meanwhile—
Kel spotted a familiar figure.
Karos Thornat.
The descendant of one of the Seven Pillar Houses.
The black-haired young man sat beneath a tree eating something suspiciously unhealthy.
Kel approached.
Karos immediately noticed him.
"Aedon."
Kel nodded.
"Karos."
The noble grinned.
Then tossed another piece of food into his mouth.
"What brings you here?"
Kel sat nearby.
"Question."
Karos immediately pointed upward.
"Dangerous start."
Kel ignored him.
"Where are Lucien and Valeryn?"
The answer arrived instantly.
Because Karos already knew.
Naturally.
"Valeryn is at the training grounds."
No surprise there.
Karos continued.
"Lucien is in his laboratory."
Kel nodded.
Expected.
Then Karos laughed.
"He's trying to improve his mana bombs again."
The black-haired noble shook his head.
"One day he'll accidentally blow himself up."
A brief pause followed.
Then—
"Actually, that's happened three times already."
Kel blinked.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
The conversation continued.
Several minutes passed.
The two discussed classes.
Training.
Academy life.
The previous day's battle.
Karos proved surprisingly easy to talk with.
Unlike most nobles.
He lacked unnecessary formality.
Eventually—
Karos looked toward him.
"You know..."
Kel raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
The noble smiled.
"For someone who keeps claiming to be an ordinary commoner..."
A brief pause followed.
"...you somehow keep ending up around very unusual people."
Kel considered that.
Then nodded.
"Fair."
Karos laughed.
The answer sounded far too sincere.
Finally—
Kel stood.
The conversation had served its purpose.
He now knew exactly where everyone was.
Valeryn.
Training grounds.
Lucien.
Laboratory.
The future heroes.
Academy.
Everything was slowly moving into position.
Like pieces on a chessboard.
Like actors walking onto a stage.
Like fate preparing for its next performance.
Far away beneath Scarder Lake—
Seiren spoke quietly.
"And where are you going now?"
Kel looked toward the distant training fields.
A faint smile appeared.
"To see Valeryn."
The goddess laughed.
"You say that so casually now."
Kel chose not to answer.
Because unfortunately—
She wasn't wrong.
As afternoon sunlight illuminated the ancient academy—
Kel began walking toward the training grounds.
Toward another future legend.
Toward another piece of Destiny's story.
And toward events that were slowly, inevitably beginning to change.