Skyler trudged into the building where his dorm room was, a sullen expression on his face. His eyes were blank, his steps heavy.
"What am I supposed to do now...? With Max gone, his team is bound to fall apart. They never liked each other to begin with—they only got together because of him."
He rubbed his forehead. His mood lifted only when he spotted Riruru. She was with Charles and Isaac, sitting at a dining table.
It seemed they had come down to the ground floor to grab something to eat.
Without hesitation, he rushed over and buried his face against her cool skin.
"Riruru, I messed up!"
She blinked, momentarily taken aback by the sudden warmth of his embrace. Then, she nuzzled her head against his neck in a comforting gesture—going so far as to try slipping into his shirt through the collar.
He stopped her—they were in public. She hissed in protest but reluctantly retreated, settling for climbing onto his shoulder. Her voice was calm as it echoed in his mind.
’What got messed up?’
Skyler ran his hand through his hair.
’Every single thing!’
Isaac and Charles, who had been watching the exchange, quietly glanced at each other—unsure whether to speak up or stay silent.
In the end, they both chose silence.
Only to choke on their food when Skyler suddenly dropped a bombshell on them.
"Guys, let’s enter the Battle Royal."
Charles patted Isaac’s back, coughing himself as he stared at Skyler in shock.
"Come again?"
Skyler’s face hardened with solemnity.
"Let’s enter the Battle Royal. I can’t handle this mess alone. I need you both to come with me and help out. After all, friends are supposed to suffer together."
Charles stopped Isaac, whose expression was full of question marks, from speaking.
Unlike Isaac, Charles had known Skyler far longer—and he knew one thing for sure: no matter how crazy his friend might be, he’d never suggest something this absurd, this damn crazy, without a solid reason!
Something had definitely happened.
Something big.
His dark eyes narrowed at Skyler, who quickly avoided his scrutinizing gaze.
"You’d better start explaining. Does this have anything to do with why you suddenly disappeared after the sky cracked and that strange female voice echoed everywhere?"
Isaac glanced at Charles, then at Skyler.
Both of them had turned too serious.
So, he held his tongue.
Skyler let out a sigh, the usual glint of playfulness gone from his eyes.
"It’s because our planet is in danger."
He clasped his hands tightly and placed them on the table, staring at the duo—fully aware that the eyes of the students sitting around them were fixed on him, and that the entire floor had fallen into silence.
"The voice that echoed spoke of many things—and it was no joke. All I can say is that very soon, something far worse than a calamity will descend. We won’t be able to do anything, let alone protect ourselves."
He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the sound of falling utensils around him sink in—each one a reaction to his words.
"That’s why I want us to grow stronger—at the very least, to help. The Battle Royale is dangerous, but it’s the perfect place to get stronger. I have spoken to the Queen. She’s aware. The adults will likely begin preparing for what’s coming, but I doubt they will tell the public—probably to maintain peace."
Charles tapped his finger on the table. He was noticeably calmer than everyone else who had heard Skyler and was shaken. The other students didn’t fully believe him—but Skyler was a prince, someone with access to information far beyond their reach. That had to mean his words were legit, right?
Eldoria was in danger.
Something big was coming. All because they now had an unknown Divine Being!
Skyler leaned back in his chair.
"I don’t want us to stand by, powerless. So, let’s get stronger. It’s the only thing we can do—aside from telling others to prepare. I want to protect this planet and its people."
The silence on the floor was finally broken when Isaac pulled out his phone and dialed his father’s number. His voice was serious as he held the phone to his ear and spoke.
"Hi, Dad. I am entering the Battle Royal. I need as many rogue Lights as possible to join me—for support. Also... please start preparing. A calamity is about to arrive."
Skyler’s eyebrow twitched as he watched Isaac end the call and rise to his feet, even as his dad’s shocked coughs echoed from the other end. He then turned to them.
"I am heading out to prepare. Unlike you two, I still have to clear the first level. See you on the second level—soon."
Charles quickly grabbed Isaac’s arm.
"Wait! Hold on! I get that I’ll go with him, because even if I don’t want to, he’ll drag me along anyway. But why are you doing what he said so... so easily?"
Isaac didn’t even hesitate.
"Gut feeling. It’s never wrong."
Charles let go of his arm. Well... Isaac did have a pretty sharp gut instinct. They had won a ton of money betting on Skyler—all because Isaac had insisted he’d return.
Skyler slammed his hand on the table, a wide grin spreading across his face. He’d secured himself a personal potion maker—an amazing one at that! Now there was no need for him to ever waste his points on any type of potion from the system shop!
"That’s my friend!"
Charles deadpanned.
"I feel like we’re going to suffer because of you. I just don’t want to die early—so you’d better have a plan behind this crazy idea of entering the Battle Royal to get stronger."
He stood up and walked off to prepare as well. There were many things he needed to gather—starting with essentials. After him, the other students began to scatter too.
Skyler watched them leave, then turned to the couple in charge of student meals and requested something light to eat. He had deliberately spoken loudly while talking to Charles and Isaac, ensuring that everyone nearby could hear—and spread—his words. He even noticed a student recording him.
This should be enough to at least alert the academy—and the parents of the students studying here. Many of them came from big families, so the news would spread quickly among the powerful Lights, especially with anxiety already high after the sky cracked.
The Queen seemed to already have some understanding of what was unfolding, so the royals and the government would likely start making preparations behind the scenes.
They might even reach out to the other continents to form an alliance. After all, no one would be foolish enough to ignore the female voice that declared they were now part of the true war of the Divine.
Still, even if they chose not to inform the public, his words could carry the message far—especially with his face so well-known after everything he had done. Hopefully, no one would just brush it off as a hoax.