Moments ter, the dragon of light slowly faded.

  The glowing body dissolved into drifting fragments that scattered across the sky before disappearing entirely.

  Rin stood on the field below, breathing heavily. Her index finger, middle finger, and thumb were raised, the other fingers curled downward — the hand sign she had used to summon the dragon from beneath the earth.

  Her chest rose and fell as she struggled to steady her breathing.

  Across the clearing, Izan leaned against a tree, gasping for air. His lungs burned from exhaustion, and his body trembled slightly from pushing his soul-transfer ability far beyond its safe limit.

  Above them, Sayaka fell from the sky.

  She nded lightly on the ground as if the entire battle had been nothing more than a warm-up.

  The moment she touched down, Yurei appeared beside her in a flicker of movement.

  For the first time since they had known her, Yurei looked completely energetic.

  She cpped enthusiastically.

  "That was a crazy performance!" she ughed. "You guys completely messed up the woods behind us."

  She pointed past the metal gates at the edge of the training field.

  Several trees in the forest beyond were split clean in half, while others had been shattered by the combined shockwaves of Rin's attacks and the overwhelming pressure of Sayaka's aura, with only a few smaller impacts showing where Izan's power had struck during the battle.

  Sayaka looked over her shoulder and sighed.

  "…We might've overdone it."

  She chuckled quietly.

  Then she gnced back at the exhausted pair.

  A faint smirk crossed her face.

  "It's getting te," she said. "We should all go eat and get ready for tomorrow. Last day before the weekend."

  Rin and Izan barely managed to walk.

  Their bodies felt heavy after the battle, but Sayaka and Yurei didn't help them.

  That was part of their training too.

  Learning to stay on their feet after a fight.

  Slowly, the group made their way toward the cafeteria.

  The dining hall was still open, though most students had already left.

  A few groups remained, whispering excitedly.

  Rumors had already begun spreading through the academy.

  Some students cimed they had seen hundreds of Izans fighting in the sky.

  Others talked about the massive dragon of light rising over the woods.

  Some described the enormous bow and arrow, and others the gigantic hammer Rin had summoned earlier.

  When Rin and Izan finally sat down with their food trays, both of them released a deep sigh of relief.

  Neither of them even started eating.

  Instead, they simply rested their heads on the table.

  Too tired to move.

  Yurei chuckled softly.

  Sayaka ughed as well.

  Then Sayaka spoke calmly.

  "Izan, from now on you'll train with Yurei."

  She gnced at Rin.

  "And I'll continue training Rin."

  Izan zily nodded without lifting his head.

  "Okay…"

  At that moment, another voice appeared behind them.

  "You two had some fun earlier, didn't you?"

  They looked up.

  Valeria stood beside the table.

  Sayaka nodded.

  Valeria slid into the seat next to Yurei, deliberately bumping her shoulder to make room.

  Yurei groaned zily as she scooted over.

  "You know," Valeria continued, "you guys messed up a good portion of the forest."

  Sayaka's eyes widened.

  She had completely forgotten.

  "Well…" Sayaka said awkwardly, "we'll help repair the damage."

  Valeria waved her hand dismissively.

  "Don't worry about it. Honestly, it's refreshing to see students capable of causing that much destruction."

  She stood again.

  Then her expression grew slightly more serious.

  "Sayaka. Yurei."

  "I need to talk with you two privately."

  Sayaka nodded immediately.

  Yurei rolled her eyes.

  Valeria turned to leave.

  Then suddenly paused.

  "Oh — I almost forgot."

  She looked back at Rin and Izan.

  "Good work today."

  A proud smile crossed her face.

  Both of them nodded weakly before flopping their heads back onto the table.

  After dinner, Sayaka brought the two exhausted students back to the dorms.

  She made sure they followed their usual nightly routine.

  Shower.

  Brush their teeth.

  Prepare for bed.

  Once everything was finished, Rin climbed into bed.

  Sayaka stayed beside her until she fell asleep.

  Only when Rin's breathing became slow and steady did Sayaka quietly create a clone to remain beside the bed.

  The clone y down in her pce.

  Then Sayaka slipped quietly out of the room.

  She stopped briefly outside Izan's door and peeked inside.

  He was already asleep.

  Satisfied, she quietly left.

  But a few seconds ter—

  Izan slowly opened one eye.

  "…Luneth."

  He whispered the name softly.

  Then he truly fell asleep.

  Darkness surrounded him.

  Then the world shifted.

  Izan opened his eyes.

  He was no longer in his dorm room.

  Instead, he stood inside a massive throne room.

  The castle looked exactly like the one from his previous dream.

  The walls shimmered with deep gaxy-blue and soft purple light, the colors drifting across the stone like distant stars floating through space.

  The throne itself glowed with the same cosmic mixture of purple, blue, and bck, faint sparks of starlight embedded within it.

  Seated upon the throne was the witch, Luneth, while her maid stood quietly beside the throne at her side.

  A smirk spread across her face.

  "You're back so soon."

  Izan nodded.

  "I need to ask you something."

  "What does Valeria want to talk about with Yurei and Sayaka?"

  Luneth chuckled.

  "You think I can read the future or something?"

  Izan gred slightly.

  "You said you're the greatest witch of all time."

  "So you should be able to."

  Luneth blinked.

  For a moment she actually forgot what she had cimed earlier.

  Then her expression shifted back to seriousness.

  "What they're discussing will be revealed soon."

  "It's nothing important."

  She leaned forward slightly on her throne.

  "Why are you so eager to know?"

  Izan crossed his arms.

  "I have a feeling it has something to do with the war."

  "That's all."

  "And even if it'll be revealed soon… why not just tell me now?"

  His tone grew slightly demanding.

  Luneth's smirk widened.

  "You're getting bold with me."

  She lifted her wand.

  With a small motion—

  Izan's body suddenly dropped to his knees.

  He hadn't moved on purpose.

  His body had simply obeyed her magic.

  For a moment, surprise fshed across his face.

  But he hid it quickly, gring up at her.

  "You need to learn patience," Luneth said calmly.

  "I'm not your teacher."

  "So I won't discipline you."

  She twirled her wand zily.

  "But if you're truly that eager…"

  Her smile widened.

  "…then perhaps I will tell you."

  Izan looked confused, but nodded.

  Luneth leaned back against her throne.

  "Some sves escaped from the War Nation."

  "They're currently heading toward the Water Nation."

  "And both the War Nation and Justice Nation are chasing them."

  Her smirk returned.

  Izan's expression softened slightly.

  "Then why aren't they telling us?"

  "That's important information, right?"

  Luneth ughed softly.

  "Because you two are still children."

  "There's no reason to inform children about a few runaway sves."

  Izan gred at her, annoyed.

  Luneth tilted her head, resting her chin on her hand as she studied him.

  Those eyes…

  She smiled teasingly.

  "Those eyes of yours will become very common in the future."

  Her smile widened slightly.

  "…Just far worse."

  Izan let out a slow breath, his chest rising and falling as he tried to calm the uneasy feeling inside him.

  "…Will the war be won?" he asked quietly.

  Behind Luneth, her maid suddenly appeared holding a silver tray. Two delicate teacups rested on it, steam curling gently into the air.

  She offered one to Luneth.

  Luneth accepted it calmly and took a small sip, her mismatched eyes drifting slightly as if she were thinking.

  For a moment, she said nothing.

  Then she answered.

  "It won't be won," she said calmly.

  "But it won't be lost either."

  "That's all I'll say."

  Relief slipped from Izan's chest as he exhaled and nodded slightly.

  But the answer didn't fully satisfy him.

  "What does that mean?" he asked.

  Luneth finished her tea.

  The cup simply vanished from her hand as if it had never existed.

  She leaned back slightly on her throne.

  "All I can say…"

  A smirk appeared on her face.

  "…is that it's fifty–fifty."

  While Izan spoke with Luneth inside a dream, reality continued moving forward.

  Inside the academy's principal's office,Sayaka and Yurei sat across from Valeria as she finished expining the situation about the escaped sves.

  "Everyone else has already been informed," she said calmly.

  "I'll send members of the Shadow Council around the Water Nation to search for them."

  She folded her hands together.

  "And I'll have Drex working with Sylvia to help locate them as well."

  Sayaka remained quiet for a moment.

  Then she narrowed her eyes slightly.

  "…Your pn isn't just to defend the Water Nation."

  She looked directly at Valeria.

  "You're trying to save the people from the Mizukage Cn too, aren't you?"

  Valeria nodded.

  Yurei groaned quietly in her chair, already realizing what that meant.

  More work.

  Valeria continued calmly.

  "Soon I'll contact the commander of the military who chose to stay and fight."

  She leaned back slightly in her chair.

  "And I'll be leaving."

  "Aurelia will be in charge until I return."

  She shrugged lightly.

  "Should take about a week."

  Sayaka tilted her head slightly.

  "What about the high school?" she asked. "Have you contacted the principal there?"

  Valeria nodded.

  "We'll meet once the military commander is ready."

  Sayaka hesitated before asking another question.

  "…When will you tell the children about the war?"

  Valeria shifted slightly in her seat.

  "I'll try after my meeting with the commander."

  She paused.

  "Until then, keep everything secret."

  "We need to figure out how to expin it without terrifying them."

  Sayaka nodded in agreement.

  The conversation soon came to an end, and the night quietly passed over the academy.

  The next morning, Izan woke with a sharp pain twisting in his stomach.

  His body and soul still hadn't fully recovered from yesterday's fight.

  The strain from his soul-transfer ability lingered deep inside him.

  Now he sat in homeroom.

  Rin had her head resting on the desk beside him, still half-asleep.

  Meanwhile, Izan's small cat pyed happily with his feet beneath the table.

  Izan ignored it while reading a thick book and writing notes carefully.

  The subject today was Dominions.

  According to the book, a Dominion wasn't simply releasing all of your power at once.

  A person could actually possess multiple Dominions, depending on how many abilities they had truly mastered.

  For example—

  If someone mastered an elemental power, that alone could form a Dominion.

  But if that same person also mastered another skill—such as swordsmanship, firearms, or even pure hand-to-hand combat—that could become another Dominion entirely.

  Even one's own body could become a Dominion if mastered fully.

  Izan flipped the page and began copying another passage into his notebook.

  The text was a quote from the God of Peace.

  "A Dominion is not simply the power of a god, nor is it gained by mastering strength alone."

  "To create a Dominion, one must understand the true meaning behind their power."

  "And the true meaning of a Dominion… is home."

  "It is the power that accepts you completely."

  "And it is the moment when God acknowledges that power."

  Izan paused for a moment while reading the next part.

  Even if someone mastered their ability perfectly…

  God still had to accept that power.

  Without that acknowledgment, a Dominion could not exist.

  According to history, the only beings capable of using Dominion were:

  The Ten Mortal Gods.

  And Luneth.

  Even the strongest people in the world had failed to obtain it.

  Not because they cked strength…

  But because their power had not been accepted.

  And according to the records, the reason for that acceptance remained unknown.

  It wasn't something religious.

  You didn't have to believe in God.

  The texts expined that God understood people who didn't believe in a creator.

  Faith had nothing to do with it.

  Dominion was something deeper.

  Something beyond simple belief.

  Dominion was understanding the true meaning of life… and the reason you exist on this earth in the first pce.