Benjamin's first sensation upon waking was warmth—an unnatural, radiant warmth that seeped into his skin. His body felt like lead, his limbs unresponsive. For a moment, he wasn't sure if he was still in the dungeon, if Malachros's artifact had truly escaped, or if the fight had ever even happened.
Then the world around him became clearer. Soft sheets cradled his aching body. The scent of medicinal herbs and sterilized linen filled his nostrils. Faint voices murmured beyond his consciousness, and somewhere outside, birdsong drifted in through an open window.
But his mind wasn't ready to return.
---
The dream took him elsewhere—somewhere far beyond the Academy, beyond Khial, perhaps beyond anything he had ever known. The sky was vast, yet not of stars. It pulsed, alive, like a great celestial river flowing across infinity. Ethereal figures drifted within it—vague at first, mere shadows of light and motion, yet instinct told Benjamin that these were them—the Itharim.
He strained to see their forms, but they constantly shifted, impossible to grasp. They moved with purpose, but also without urgency, their existence woven into the fabric of something greater. Then, among them, something familiar—a shape less radiant but unmistakable.
A figure smaller than the others, gazing at him with golden-silver eyes.
Atty?
Benjamin reached out, his fingers barely brushing against the luminous creature before the scene shattered.
---
He woke with a sharp gasp, his body jerking upright in bed. The dream faded rapidly, like ink washing off a page, leaving only the residue of something important—something real.
"Well, look who's still breathing!"
Benjamin turned groggily, blinking as his vision adjusted to the medical ward's light. Standing at the foot of his bed, grinning like a man who had been waiting way too long for this moment, was Yu.
Yu hadn't changed—and yet, he had. He still had that broad, boyish face full of humor, but his presence felt different. His uniform sat more comfortably on him, and the slight pudginess that once defined him had hardened into something stronger. His hands bore small callouses, and his usually carefree stance had an edge of discipline.
"You're looking at me weird," Yu noted, raising an eyebrow. "Did you die in there or something?"
Benjamin exhaled, shaking his head as he ran a hand through his tangled black hair. "I wish I had died. Then maybe my everything wouldn't hurt right now."
Yu laughed, slapping his knee. "Oh, buddy, welcome back to the world of the living. We were placing bets on whether you'd wake up in one piece or drooling like a vegetable. You barely made me win that one."
Benjamin let out a dry chuckle. "Glad to be of service."
But before he could ask more, the door creaked open, and a stern-looking Sage entered the room. "Benjamin is awake?"
Yu sighed dramatically. "Yeah, yeah, he's alive. Guess that means I have to live with him for the next few years now. What a shame."
The Sage ignored him, nodding to Benjamin. "The Chief Sage has requested your presence immediately. He wishes to hear your report."
Yu whistled. "Straight to the big leagues, huh? Must be important."
Benjamin's stomach twisted. The Chief Sage. He had barely been in the Academy for a week before the dungeon swallowed him. Now he was being summoned by its leader?
Still, he nodded. "Alright. Let's get this over with."
---
The Chief Sage's office was unlike anything Benjamin expected.
It wasn't grand. It wasn't filled with towering bookshelves or floating artifacts of immense power.
It was simple.
A single large wooden desk sat at the center, an old woven rug covering the stone floor. A few scrolls were stacked neatly in a corner, a cup of tea steaming beside them. It was the kind of room one would expect from a tired scholar, not one of the most powerful figures in the continent.
And yet, the man sitting behind the desk radiated something Benjamin couldn't define. Power, yes, but not overwhelming. Authority, but not arrogance.
Chief Sage Ra'us the Vagrant was old, but not fragile. His long red hair and beard were streaked with silver, and his sharp amber eyes seemed to see through Benjamin even before he had spoken a word.
"Sit," Ra'us said, voice low but firm.
Benjamin obeyed, his body still aching from his injuries.
"You have returned from a dungeon none have ever seen before," Ra'us continued, eyes never leaving Benjamin. "You were the last to awaken. The others returned from their trials within a day. You were gone for three."
Benjamin's fingers curled slightly. Three days?
"Tell me everything," the Chief Sage said.
Benjamin swallowed. He could feel Ra'us's presence pressing against him—not in a threatening way, but like a weight making it impossible to lie.
So he told him.
About the dungeon. About the ruins and murals. About the hexahedron, the corrupted Tyrans, and Malachros.
He hid only one truth: that he was not from Khial.
Ra'us listened without interrupting. When Benjamin finished, silence filled the room.
Then, the Chief Sage stood, walking around his desk until he was standing just behind Benjamin.
Benjamin felt something brush against his soul.
The Chief Sage placed a hand lightly on his shoulder—just for a moment.
And in that moment, Benjamin felt seen. As if Ra'us was looking not at his flesh, not even at his mind, but something deeper.
Then the touch vanished, and Ra'us exhaled softly. "You have changed," he murmured. "Your attunement to the Law of Life has deepened. And yet…"
He frowned. "It feels… unfamiliar. As though it is no longer purely of Khial."
Benjamin stiffened but said nothing.
Ra'us studied him for a long moment before stepping back. "It is not dangerous. At least, not yet."
Benjamin hesitated, then asked the question burning in his mind: "The Itharim. Do you know of them?"
Ra'us's brow furrowed. "That name means nothing to me."
Benjamin's heart sank slightly.
"The records of Khial speak of the Maker," Ra'us continued, "and there are many stories of powerful entities of light and darkness. But nothing specific to the name you mention."
Benjamin considered pressing further, but something in the Chief Sage's tone made him stop.
"Focus on your training," Ra'us said. "Leave this Malachros matter to me for now. If this entity has returned, the Academy will handle it."
Benjamin wanted to argue. It won't stop. I know that much. But he simply nodded.
Ra'us studied him one last time before speaking again.
"And your… bird?"
Benjamin blinked. "Atty? Where—?"
"The veterinary wing," Ra'us said. "Your birdy little friend is recovering well."
---
Benjamin walked through the Academy's halls with a mixture of exhaustion and nervousness. When he reached the veterinary ward, his heart nearly stopped.
In a small, quiet corner of the room, curled up in a nest of soft blankets, was Atty.
Only… it wasn't Atty.
Not the little black Attush he had once known.
Instead, resting peacefully, its breathing slow and steady, was a tiny white gryphon.
Benjamin inhaled sharply. His hands gripped the doorframe.
"Atty…?"
The small creature's ears twitched. Then, groggily, it opened its eyes.
They weren't golden anymore.
They were deep emerald, flecked with silver.
Benjamin barely breathed. His chest tightened with something dangerously close to hope.
The small gryphon blinked sleepily, then let out a soft, familiar-sounding chirp.
Benjamin smiled.
He didn't know if this was still Atty.
But in that moment, it didn't matter.