Ascension: Rebirth in a World of Powers-Chapter 22 - : The Warning

Night cloaked the academy in an uneasy silence, broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves in the wind. Eren sat at his desk, poring over notes on advanced spellcasting. Despite the day's exhausting training, sleep refused to come, his mind buzzing with thoughts of Darius and the looming confrontation.

A sudden knock at the door shattered his concentration. Eren's head snapped up, his pulse quickening. Visitors at this hour were uncommon, and his instincts immediately screamed caution.

"Who is it?" he called out, his voice low but steady.

"It's me," came Kaelena's voice, though it was tinged with urgency.

Eren crossed the room and opened the door, revealing Kaelena with a crumpled piece of paper clutched tightly in her hand. Her face was pale, her usual composure replaced by an expression of unease.

"You need to see this," she said, stepping inside and shutting the door behind her.

Eren took the note from her, smoothing it out to read the message scrawled in jagged handwriting:

You're playing a dangerous game. Walk away while you still can.

Eren frowned, turning the note over as if hoping for some clue about its origin. "Where did you find this?"

"It was slipped under my door," Kaelena replied, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. "No name, no signature, nothing to trace it."

Eren's jaw tightened. "Do you think it's from Darius?"

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Kaelena shook her head. "It doesn't feel like his style. He's not the type to send warnings—he'd rather make a statement through force. Whoever sent this wanted to stay anonymous."

Eren stared at the note again, his mind racing. The words carried a heavy weight, a mix of threat and concern that left him uneasy.

"What do we do?" Kaelena asked, breaking the silence.

"We don't stop," Eren said firmly. "This is exactly what they want—to scare us into giving up. If anything, it means we're on the right track."

Kaelena nodded, though her worry was evident. "Then we need to be more cautious. If someone's watching us, they could be reporting back to Darius—or worse."

The warning cast a shadow over their next meeting. The group convened in the gymnasium as usual, though the tension was palpable. Kaelena placed the note on the floor in the center of the circle, letting everyone see it for themselves.

"Someone's trying to intimidate us," she said, her voice firm but grim. "We don't know who sent this or what their true intentions are, but we can't afford to let it shake us."

Kain snorted, cracking his knuckles. "Let them come. If they think a piece of paper is going to scare us, they don't know who they're dealing with."

"It's not about fear," Mira said, her sharp gaze fixed on the note. "It's about disruption. If we're distracted or paranoid, we'll make mistakes. That's what they're counting on."

Eren looked around at the group, their faces illuminated by the faint glow of the Shard he carried. "Mira's right. This is a psychological attack, plain and simple. But we've faced worse. This warning doesn't change our mission."

The group murmured their agreement, though the unease lingered.

Determined not to lose momentum, they pressed on with their training. Kaelena ramped up the intensity of their drills, forcing them to adapt to unpredictable scenarios. She introduced new exercises designed to mimic the chaos of real combat, pushing them to the edge of their abilities.

Eren found himself paired with Cyrus, the group's speedster, in a sparring match. Cyrus darted around the room like a blur, forcing Eren to rely on quick reflexes and strategic timing.

"Come on, Eren, you've got to be faster!" Cyrus taunted, grinning as he narrowly avoided a blast of fire.

Eren gritted his teeth, his frustration mounting. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, focusing on the Shard's energy pulsing within him. When he opened them, he felt a surge of clarity.

The next time Cyrus moved, Eren was ready. He anticipated the speedster's path, unleashing a wall of flames that forced Cyrus to halt abruptly. The move earned an impressed whistle from Kain.

"Not bad," Cyrus admitted, brushing off soot from his sleeve. "You're getting the hang of it."

Eren allowed himself a small smile, though his thoughts drifted back to the note. Whoever had sent it clearly didn't know how determined they were.

As the night wore on, the team began to pack up, their energy drained but their spirits high. Kaelena approached Eren as he collected his things, her expression unreadable.

"You were right to push past the warning," she said quietly. "But we need to stay vigilant. Whoever's behind this won't stop at a note."

Eren nodded, his resolve unwavering. "Let them come. We'll be ready."

Kaelena's lips quirked in a faint smile. "That's what I like to hear."

As they stepped out into the cool night air, Eren felt a strange mix of exhaustion and determination. The warning had been unsettling, but it had also strengthened their bond as a team. Together, they were more than a match for whatever lay ahead.

And as the faint glow of the Shard illuminated the path before him, Eren couldn't shake the feeling that their journey was only just beginning.