⚔️ Chapter 28
"Sometimes the curse isn't in the blood... it's in the attention of something far older."
📍 Location: Sinjai Academy — Medical Wing
Anshi lay unconscious on the recovery bed, her pulse steady but her spirit weak.
The attack at the dungeon had taken its toll.Even now, her dreams were filled with flashing red sigils… and one face — Aeren's, standing in darkness, glowing eyes and strange markings behind him.
Meanwhile, Aeren sat outside her room, silent.
"They don't remember what I did," he thought."They don't even know what I'm becoming."
His hand trembled. Not from fear.From the pull of something inside.His mind was sharper than ever. His hearing more precise. His thoughts ran faster than he could control.
"Power is awakening.""But not alone."
📢 Academy Announcement
The intercom crackled across the academy campus:
"Attention all first-year students. A new threat has been identified. The academy has authorized a Level 3 lockdown. Until further notice, outside excursions are suspended."
Inside the instructors' chamber, Instructor Varik stood tense.
"Three students went missing last night. All of them… had unusual birthmarks like the one on Aeren.""Are you saying—?""Yes. The Mark Collector has started hunting."
🩸 Mysterious Murders Begin
Across Zeraphis Region, strange killings were being reported. The bodies weren't mangled or burned — but drained of color, as if their very soul was torn from them.
The victims?
Young Seekers with unidentified bloodlines.
None of them were past Bronze Tier.
🕵️♂️ Aeren's Growing Awareness
Aeren began noticing strange things.
Shadows moving when no one was there.
Echoes that spoke in riddles.
The ability to "see" someone's thoughts before they said them.
Symbols forming in the corners of his vision.
"Something is looking through me," he whispered."I'm not just awakening. I'm being watched."
🌑 First Encounter: The Collector Arrives
It happened during training hour.
Class 1 was out on the field.Suddenly, the sky turned violet-black. All magic sensors shut down. Communications failed.
A cloaked figure with a jagged mask appeared in the center of the field. Its voice wasn't heard — it was felt inside everyone's head.
"Give me the one with the sigil."
Students screamed. Teachers rushed out — but were thrown back by invisible force.
Aeren felt it.A pulse pulling at his chest.
Anshi, just barely recovered, rushed to his side.
"It's after you," she said."Then let it come," Aeren replied.
🌀 The Fight No One Saw Clearly
The Mark Collector moved like a shadow — appearing behind and in front within seconds.
But Aeren moved differently now.
His body didn't respond with speed — it responded with intent. Every attack of the Collector was predicted, seen in Aeren's mind like a chessboard five moves ahead.
He didn't block — he simply wasn't there when the attack came.
But something changed...
Aeren's eyes glowed.His left hand lit up with sigils.Time around him slowed.
"I can see… all of him," Aeren whispered."He's afraid of me."
Aeren grabbed the Collector by the chest and whispered:
"Tell your master… I'm not ready. But I will be."
He unleashed a blast of unknown power that shattered the Collector's mask.
But inside… there was no face.Only a void.
🧬 Aftermath and New Suspicion
The instructors reached the scene. The Collector had vanished.Aeren collapsed. Blood ran from his nose, ears, and eyes.
When he woke up…
There were 3 more sigils marked onto his back.
"Every time I use this power… I get closer to whatever's waiting behind those gates," he whispered.
Meanwhile, in a hidden chamber of the academy, Instructor Varik spoke to someone via crystal orb:
"The boy is more than a Seeker. He's something else.Perhaps even… the Heir of the Folded Clock."
🔮 Chapter 29 Preview:
"The Folded Clock and the Seven Sigils"
The academy uncovers ancient scriptures linking Aeren's marks to a mythical entity — the Clocked Sovereign. Meanwhile, a spy is revealed within the academy walls… and another student is marked for death.