Arios woke slowly. His eyes opened to the dim light slipping through the dorm window. For a moment, he didn't move. His body felt heavy, not in the physical sense, but like his mind had gone through something that reality still hadn't caught up with. His breathing was slow, steady, and he looked at the ceiling as the memories began to surface — the dungeon illusion, the dire wolves, the monsters, the dragon, and finally, the moment when everything shattered and the illusion broke.

He sat up on his bed, pressing his palms against his face. His body wasn't hurt. Not even tired. But the exhaustion in his mind lingered like fog. The moment he saw Instructor Garron standing there when the illusion faded back to reality kept replaying in his head. The smugness in the instructor's eyes. The way he didn't even try to hide it anymore. Arios exhaled sharply and stood up.

The dorm room was quiet. Morning light filled the space, soft and pale. Lucy and Liza were both absent. He figured they must have gone to class or to get something to eat. He checked the time on his tablet — it was late morning already.

He moved toward the sink, washed his face, and looked at himself in the mirror. His reflection looked normal, calm, maybe too calm for someone who had just been thrown into a fabricated nightmare. His eyes still held the faint trace of mana burn from using too much focus in the illusion.

He reached for his jacket and put it on. The same academy uniform jacket, white and trimmed with navy blue. He fastened the front and buttoned the collar. His mind drifted again to the dungeon — how realistic it felt, how the monsters bled, how the air smelled. Even though it was an illusion, everything had been too real.

There was a knock on his door.

Arios turned. The sound wasn't hesitant. It was a quick, firm knock. He walked to the door and opened it. Lucy stood there, holding a tray of food with a scolding look already forming on her face.

"You're finally awake," she said, walking in without waiting for him to invite her. "Do you even know what time it is? You skipped breakfast."

"I was tired," Arios replied, closing the door behind her.

"Tired? That's your excuse for everything lately." Lucy placed the tray down on his desk. "Liza went to talk to the student council about the investigation again. She told me to make sure you eat before you start overthinking whatever's going on in that head of yours."

Arios gave a faint nod and sat on the edge of the bed. Lucy handed him one of the food boxes — rice, vegetables, and some soup. He started eating quietly while she stood nearby with her arms folded.

After a few minutes of silence, Lucy sighed and sat beside him. "You disappeared for almost a whole day. Do you realize how worried we were?"

"I didn't disappear," Arios said. "Instructor Garron called me to his office. That's where it started."

Lucy frowned. "Started?"

He nodded, setting the box aside. "It was a trap. He threw me into an illusion realm. It wasn't an ordinary one — it was designed like a dungeon, filled with monsters. It felt endless. I don't even know how long I was in there. Time worked differently."

Lucy's mouth fell slightly open. "He… trapped you? Why would he—"

"He wanted to get rid of me," Arios interrupted, voice calm but firm. "I've been getting too close to finding out his part in framing Amelia. Chase must have warned him. Garron panicked."

Lucy's expression hardened. She clenched her fists. "That man—"

"It's fine," Arios said. "I got out."

"Got out?" She blinked. "How did you even break an illusion like that? Only high-tier mages can forcibly break illusion barriers!"

Arios looked down at his hands. "It wasn't easy. But I managed."

Lucy stared at him, wanting to ask more but deciding not to. She knew that if he wanted to explain, he would. Instead, she said quietly, "You could have died, Arios."

"I didn't."

"That's not the point." She glared at him, voice shaking slightly. "You take too many risks."

Arios didn't reply. The silence between them stretched until another knock came at the door.

Liza's voice followed. "It's me."

Lucy stood up quickly and opened it. Liza walked in, her expression more serious than usual. She carried a folder under one arm and sat on the chair near the desk.

"You're awake," Liza said to Arios. "Good. We need to talk."

Arios nodded, leaning forward slightly. "What did you find out?"

Liza opened the folder and pulled out a few papers. "I went to the student council office earlier. Thora wanted to move forward with Amelia's disciplinary hearing again, but Damien refused. Said the council still lacks solid evidence. Chase, however, has been quietly spreading more rumors. I overheard two council aides mentioning that Garron submitted another report—this one claiming he had reason to believe Amelia has been manipulating students using forbidden mana techniques."

Lucy's jaw dropped. "That's insane."

Liza nodded. "He's trying to shift the accusation into something more mystical. Harder to disprove because it's based on perception rather than fact."

Arios's face was unreadable. "He's getting desperate. That means my suspicion about him being the real culprit might be right."

"What are you planning to do?" Liza asked.

"I'm going to prove it," Arios said simply. "But first, you two need to stay out of this part."

Lucy shot up instantly. "No. We're not doing that again. You always say that and then end up half-dead somewhere!"

"This isn't about fighting," Arios said. "It's about tracing information. Garron can't cover everything. If he's linked to the false reports, he must have done something sloppy."

Liza leaned back slightly, crossing her legs. "You think he's connected to those old cases you mentioned before?"

"Yes. The ones I found in the library records." Arios looked toward the window. "The timelines match. There was an instructor with a similar name who got expelled from multiple academies about five years ago. The records were wiped from our system, but physical copies remained. If Garron really is that man, it explains how Chase found him — someone desperate to stay hidden would do anything for protection."

Lucy looked confused but curious. "You think Chase blackmailed him?"

"Something like that," Arios replied. "Or offered him cover in exchange for helping frame Amelia."

Lucy and Liza exchanged glances.

After a moment, Lucy asked, "Then what do we do now?"

"Right now?" Arios said quietly. "We plan."

He stood and walked toward his desk, pulling out his notebook. He flipped through pages filled with notes and rough sketches. The notes contained names, times, and references — Garron, Chase, Regulus, even the dates tied to the reports against Amelia.

Liza leaned forward, interested. "You've been keeping all this?"

"I like to keep track of details," Arios said simply.

Lucy sat cross-legged on the bed. "So you're basically planning another investigation again."

Arios nodded. "I can't expose him outright without solid proof. I need a connection between him and Chase."

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "How are you even going to get that?"

Arios hesitated. "By baiting him."

Liza frowned. "You mean… making him think you're backing off?"

Arios nodded again. "Exactly. He already thinks the illusion worked, that I'm shaken. I can use that. He'll relax, and then he'll slip."

Lucy didn't like the sound of that, but she didn't argue. "You better not get trapped again."

"I won't," Arios said.

Liza leaned back. "You better not. We're running out of excuses to give the dorm supervisor about your 'long naps.'"

That made Lucy snort slightly despite the tension.

"Anyway," Liza continued, "I'll keep watching the council communications board. They post meeting notices there before anything becomes public. If they plan to summon Amelia again, we'll know ahead of time."

Arios nodded. "Good. That gives us time."

The room fell quiet again. The late morning light was brighter now, falling across the floor. Arios looked at the two girls — Lucy with her worried expression, Liza pretending not to show her concern but clearly just as tense.

He leaned back slightly, exhaling. "I'm fine. Really."

Lucy looked unconvinced. "You just came back from an illusion-dungeon. That's not fine."

Liza smirked a little. "At least you're alive. That's progress."

"I'm serious," Lucy said.

Arios nodded once. "I know. And I appreciate it."

There was a knock on the door again. This time it was softer, rhythmic. All three looked toward it. Arios stood, walked over, and opened it slightly. It was a dorm messenger student holding an envelope.

"Message for Arios Pureheart," the student said.

Arios took it, thanked the student, and closed the door. He looked down at the seal. It wasn't the academy administration's symbol. It was the student council's.

He opened it carefully. Inside was a short letter.

> *Student Council Notification: An official follow-up session regarding Instructor Amelia is scheduled within 72 hours. Attendance optional for relevant students. Signed — Damien R. Valen, Council President.*

Arios folded the paper slowly and placed it on the desk.

Lucy noticed his expression. "What is it?"

"The council's moving again," Arios said. "Three days."

Liza groaned. "So much for a break."

Arios didn't respond. He was thinking already — about Garron, about Chase, about how all of this was building toward something larger.

He finally said, "This might be our last chance to turn things around."

Lucy leaned forward. "Then we'll do it."

Arios looked at her, then at Liza. "I'll handle Garron. You two watch the council movements. If anything strange happens — anyone meeting Chase or his friends — note it."

Liza nodded. "Got it."

Lucy crossed her arms. "And what about you?"

"I'm going to visit Amelia later," Arios said. "She deserves to know what happened."

Lucy didn't like that, but she didn't stop him either. She knew that whatever he was planning, it was already too late to talk him out of it.

They spent the rest of the morning quietly planning, trading small details and theories. By afternoon, Lucy and Liza went to get lunch, leaving Arios alone again.

When the door closed behind them, he sat back on his bed, hands folded. He looked at the envelope again on the desk, its neat handwriting now feeling like a warning more than an invitation.

He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes for a moment. The dragon's roar from the illusion still echoed faintly in his mind — the sound of something unreal that still felt too real. He wasn't sure if that was meant to scare him or test him, but whichever it was, it had failed.

After a while, he stood, grabbed his coat, and left the dorm. The halls were quieter than usual, students moving in pairs or small groups. Whispers followed him as he passed — people had probably heard rumors already. That didn't bother him. He had more important things to deal with.

When he reached the academy's outer walkway, he stopped for a second, looking at the sky. The sun was already descending, its light stretching across the campus roofs. He thought of Amelia — the way she looked at him when she cried, the way she tried to stay strong even when everything fell apart. He clenched his fists slightly.

He was going to end this.

For her.

And for himself.

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