Kalden looked back at the others. "You all will report to the Discipline Hall tomorrow morning. Two weeks of mana restriction — and one week of campus suspension. During that time, you’ll assist in academy maintenance, including the repair of this field."

Lucas’s eyes flickered with disbelief. "Maintenance work?"

Kalden’s tone turned icy. "Do you have a problem?"

"...No, Professor."

"Good."

Kalden turned to Ethan and his group last. "And you. You claim you weren’t involved, but standing idle while your classmates tear each other apart is the same as being guilty."

Ethan took a small step forward. "Professor, with respect—"

Kalden’s glare silenced him instantly.

"You are third years. That means you are role models for every student in this academy. You should have protected your juniors, not watched them fall. You will share their punishment."

Ethan’s friends looked down, muttering under their breath.

Ethan only nodded, his jaw tightening. "Understood, Professor."

"Let this be your lesson. Power without discipline is destruction. Pride without restraint is a downfall."

He turned toward the remaining students around the field. "As for the rest of you— disperse.

This isn’t a show. Go back to Ground One for the events."

The spectators quickly scattered, whispering among themselves.

"Did you see Lucas’s face?"

"Professor Kalden was furious..."

"Mana cuffs for two weeks—that’s harsh!"

The murmurs faded as the crowd dispersed.

Lucas stood silently.

Elysia watched him. Jin stood beside her, fists clenched, still angry but powerless to change anything.

Professor Kalden gave them one final look. "Reflect on your actions. I’ll expect all of you at the Discipline Hall by sunrise."

And with that, he turned and walked away.

Elysia glanced at Jin. "Two weeks..."

Jin exhaled heavily. "Could’ve been worse."

Lena crossed her arms, muttering under her breath, "This is going to be annoying."

Lucas didn’t speak. His jaw was tight, eyes fixed on the ground where his blade had cracked the stone.

Ethan, meanwhile, stared at his sealed wrists, frustration boiling quietly beneath his calm exterior.

The training field was finally silent.

Most students had already left, whispering rumors as they went, but a few figures remained behind — Jin, Elysia, Lena, Ethan, and Lucas.

Their wrists still glowed faintly with golden mana cuffs, a reminder of their punishment.

The wind blew across the scorched ground, carrying the faint smell of burned stone.

Jin sighed deeply, breaking the silence.

"But we have a rescue mission coming up in two days," he said, his tone filled with frustration.

"What are we supposed to do now? We can’t use mana at all."

Elysia nodded slowly, brushing a lock of hair from her face. "I know. If the cuffs stay on, we won’t be able to activate any support spells or even defense enchantments."

"I guess we should request Professor Sylvia for that. She might understand."

Jin looked up, hopeful. "That’s right. Maybe she can talk to Professor Kalden for us. He respects her."

Lena crossed her arms. "You two sound like you’re planning to escape your punishment."

Jin glanced at her. "It’s not about escaping. There are lives depending on that mission. We’re supposed to escort the villagers to the ruins."

Lena shrugged. "That’s not my problem. We all got punished, and you’ll serve it like the rest of us."

Then she looked directly at Jin and Elysia, her eyes narrowing slightly. "But we’re not done... remember that."

Elysia. "What do you mean?"

Lena smirked faintly, turning her gaze toward the cracked ground. "Once this punishment ends, we’ll settle what started here today. Properly."

"Seriously?" Jin said. "You still want to fight?"

Lena tilted her head slightly. "Not fight. Just finish what was interrupted."

Ethan and Lucas, who had remained quiet all this time, nodded in agreement.

"Yeah," Ethan said lowly. "It’s not over yet."

Lucas’s eyes glinted faintly. "A fight’s meaningless unless it’s finished."

Elysia exhaled, shaking her head. "You people never learn."

"Maybe," Lena said, smirking. "But learning’s not our style."

The four third years turned and began walking away.

Elysia stood still for a long moment.

"They’re still treating this like some kind of pride contest." Jin said.

Elysia nodded quietly. "And we’ll have to deal with it again... eventually."

Meanwhile, on Ground One.

Far away from the noise, Kael had already left the scene.

He walked through the quiet stone path leading to his dormitory, his expression thoughtful and tired.

Kael’s steps were slow, his mind elsewhere.

When he reached his dorm room, he quietly shut the door behind him.

On his desk lay the magic book that Selena had given him — the one that contained about elemental fusion of magic.

Kael sat down slowly, running his fingers across the worn cover.

"Selena said this book could help me use magic..."

He opened the book. Strange symbols glowed faintly on the pages — runes that shifted and flickered.

"Let’s see if this actually works," Kael said.

From his drawer, he took out a small black pouch.

Inside were seventeen demon cores — small, dark orbs pulsing faintly with a crimson hue.

Each one represented the essence of a demon he had slain in the lower fields outside Elaris.

He placed them carefully on the table, their light casting eerie reflections across the room.

Kael took a deep breath, stretching his hand out. "Alright... focus."

He began to chant softly, reading from the book’s first incantation.

"By the bond of shadow and flame... awaken and obey. Core of the fallen, merge into strength..."

The demon cores started vibrating lightly.

For a moment, Kael smiled. It seemed to be working.

He could feel faint energy swirling around his palm.

But then—

Crack!

One of the cores began shaking violently.

"What the—?"

The next second, a pulse of red light burst from the table.

BOOM!

The explosion wasn’t large, but it was enough to knock Kael backward against the wall.

Several more cores began cracking, the energy inside them becoming unstable.

Kael quickly threw his arms up to shield his face. "Wait, stop! Damn it!"

One by one, the demon cores detonated in small bursts — pop, pop, pop! — until smoke filled the entire room.

When the chaos finally stopped, Kael coughed through the dust, waving his hand in front of his face.

The air smelled of sulfur and burnt mana.

He looked at the destroyed table — all seventeen cores were shattered, their energy gone.

"What the hell," Kael muttered, rubbing his forehead. "It’ll take me years to learn this at this rate."

He sat down heavily, frustrated.

His hair was messy, and his sleeves were scorched from the mana backlash.

"I don’t get it," he murmured. "The book’s instructions were clear. Why can’t I stabilize the core fusion?"

He looked at his hand — faint traces of dark energy still flickered around his fingers before fading away completely.

"I guess... I’m not ready yet."

He closed the book and leaned back against the wall, staring blankly at the ceiling.