"Show them this."
Tamasya extended her hand and placed a lustrous token into Will’s palm.
The surface of the token shimmered faintly, runes engraved along its edges reacting subtly to his presence.
The material was unfamiliar, neither metal nor crystal, but something far more refined, as though it had been forged to exist outside ordinary classifications.
She looked at him steadily as she did so. There were no long speeches, no drawn-out instructions. Just a quiet expectation, backed by confidence.
"All the best," she added.
The carriage had already come to a halt at the grand entrance of the World Academy. The area was crowded beyond anything Will had expected.
Thousands of figures moved through massive gates that floated several meters above the ground, their surfaces etched with ancient formations that pulsed rhythmically.
Races from every corner of the Aris continent had gathered here. Humans, beast kin, elves, demons in sealed forms, dragon kin, and countless others filled the space with chaotic energy.
Will stepped down from the carriage slowly, the weight of the moment settling into his shoulders.
The air felt different here, dense in mana, and the bright unhindered sunlight immediately nourished and rejuvenated him. He could feel countless gazes sweeping across the area, some curious, some predatory, while some were indifferent.
Will adjusted his posture, secured the token, and began walking toward the academy gates.
From within the carriage, Tamasya watched his retreating figure. Her eyes followed him closely as he blended into the crowd, his presence slowly swallowed by the sheer scale of the gathering.
A feeling she did not like bloomed quietly in her chest.
Possessiveness.
" He just returned from the abyss," she murmured under her breath. "And now he is entering the academy."
Her fingers curled slightly against the fabric of her robe as a sigh escaped her lips. The desire to remain at his side surged inside her, the feeling was unbidden, sharp and uncomfortable.
She had lived for centuries without such attachments, yet now she found herself struggling to let him walk away so easily.
Her gaze dropped to the small parchment she held in her hand.
"To think he really infiltrated the imperial capital of the Holy Sun Empire, " she said softly, disbelief and pride mixing in her tone.
"I had already told you," Shadow’s voice echoed calmly beside her, unseen but present, "that he has far more secrets than he lets on."
Tamasya did not reply. She simply continued watching the direction Will had gone, committing the image of his back to her memory before it disappeared entirely.
Once Will had fully entered the academy premises, Tamasya turned her attention back to the carriage.
She met the gaze of the driver, the strange humanoid with metallic wings and a pristine white mask and nodded once.
The driver tightened the reins around the unicorns’ harnesses. The creatures neighed softly as their hooves lifted from the ground, and the carriage ascended smoothly into the sky.
The floating island of the academy shrank beneath them as they rose higher and higher.
After several minutes of ascent, the carriage slowed and came to a halt directly in front of a thick layer of clouds hovering above the island like a ceiling.
Tamasya stepped down.
She reached out and touched the cloud gently. It felt solid beneath her fingers and a cool sensation was felt stabling her emotional state.
After sensing something imperceptible, she stepped forward and walked directly onto the air, her figure passed into the cloud layer and vanished from sight.
Tamasya emerged into a small, secluded garden bathed in soft light. The ground was covered in lush green grass that shimmered faintly with runic patterns woven into its blades.
Exotic flowers bloomed in vibrant colors, their petals pulsing with subtle magical resonance. Even the air here felt refined, purified to an extraordinary degree.
At the center of the garden sat a woman on a white cushioned chair, calmly sipping tea from a pristine porcelain cup while looking at a broadcast of the academy.
She was a dragon kin woman, her presence was as much imposing as tamasya herself.
Pure white curved horns adorned her head, while ancient black tattoos traced intricate patterns along the sides of her face. Her eyes were sharp, ancient, and unfathomably deep.
World Academy’s Head Principal.
Andrea.
"Have you properly said your goodbyes to your disciple?" Andrea asked without looking up, her voice steady and authoritative.
Tamasya scoffed lightly. "Why would I need to? I will be living with him in his dorm."
Andrea nearly choked on her tea.
She turned slowly, staring at Tamasya with disbelief written plainly across her face. "Seriously?" her expression seemed to say, even before the words left her mouth. "You are actually going to do that?"
Ignoring the reaction entirely, Tamasya walked over and seated herself beside Andrea. She poured herself a cup of tea without ceremony, her movements were casual as though this was her own space.
" Anyway," Tamasya said, taking a sip, "I made contact with Anne."
Andrea froze.
Her cup paused midair. "The Pope didn’t stop you?"
A smile bloomed across Tamasya’s face, bright and unapologetic. "My disciple did."
Andrea stared at her, utterly dumbfounded. "Your disciple again? Who the hell is he? First, he frees you from the Prison of Gods. Now you are telling me he infiltrated the Holy Sun Empire?"
"not just that, he also went inside the abyssal node and came back in one piece"
Tamasya’s expression shifted into one of unmistakable smugness.
Before Andrea could continue with the shocking discovery, realization struck her like a hammer.
"Wait," she said sharply. "How many days ago did he go to the holy Sun Empire?"
"Three days ago," Tamasya replied. "Why?"
Andrea’s face darkened.
"Three days ago," she repeated slowly. "The demonic cults attacked the imperial palace of Holy Sun. Light God’s legacy statues were destroyed. Soldiers were turned into abominations.
The entire church’s forces have been mobilized, now they are after the demonic cults."
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Color drained from Tamasya’s face.
"Tell me, Tamasya," Andrea said gravely. "Is your disciple colluding with demons?"
Tamasya shook her head instantly. " No. Shadow says he is clean. And elements do not lie. "
At the mention of Shadow, Andrea’s gaze softened slightly. Still, a trace of suspicion lingered.
"After this is over," Tamasya said firmly, "I am going to have a serious talk with him."
Andrea chuckled quietly. "Let’s see how well your disciple performs in this tournament."
Before either of them could continue, the space rippled violently.
A third presence arrived.
A delicate woman clad in flowing eastern robes appeared, her attire was elegant and serene. And her aura was immense, rivaling both Tamasya and Andrea, yet it carried a gentler undertone.
Yue Qinglan.
The Divine Seer of Riverdale.
Andrea clicked her tongue. "I can’t believe they call you an ancestor in Riverdale. You dress like a teenager."
Ignoring the mockery entirely, Tamasya rushed forward and wrapped Yue in a tight embrace.
"I missed you so much, Yue," she said.
Yue returned the hug with a soft smile. "I missed you too, Tamasya. You can’t imagine how excited I was to meet you again."
While the three friends were having a reunion, far below, within the sprawling domain of the World Academy, the trials were about to begin.