The night air was thick with tension. Min Hee stood at the edge of a rooftop, overlooking the bustling city below. Lanterns illuminated the streets of the capital, casting long shadows that flickered like ghosts of the past. But her eyes weren't on the city.
They were on the man standing beside her.
Elvin.
A former rival, a powerful magician, and now—possibly—a reluctant ally.
"You're telling me the Classers are planning something big?" Min Hee asked, her voice calm but laced with suspicion.
Elvin nodded. "They've been moving in the shadows for years, eliminating corrupt officials one by one. But recently, their movements have changed. They're no longer just assassins."
Min Hee narrowed her eyes. "Then what are they?"
Elvin turned to face her, his golden eyes reflecting the city lights. "Revolutionaries."
The Rise of the Classers
Min Hee knew of the Classers—an underground organization that had been causing ripples across the continent. They targeted corrupt nobles, powerful officials, and warlords who exploited the weak. But what she hadn't realized was how much they had grown.
Elvin continued, "Leywin didn't just disappear, Min Hee. He became something greater. Something… dangerous."
Min Hee's heart clenched at the mention of his name.
"I don't believe that," she said. "Leywin has always fought for justice."
Elvin sighed. "That may be true, but justice and vengeance are two sides of the same coin. The Classers have gone from executing the corrupt to dismantling the entire power structure of the kingdom."
Min Hee's breath caught.
She had spent years fighting to protect the kingdom, enduring the horrors of war to maintain order. If what Elvin said was true, then Leywin wasn't just killing criminals anymore.
He was tearing down everything she had fought to protect.
"Elvin," she said, voice steady, "where is he?"
Elvin hesitated. "You don't find Leywin, Min Hee. He finds you."
Min Hee clenched her fists.
Then I'll make him find me.
A City on Edge
The capital was restless. Whispers of the Classers filled the air, their name spoken in fear and admiration alike.
Min Hee walked through the streets in disguise, her cloak concealing the insignia of the Magic Force. Nichole trailed beside her, keeping an eye on their surroundings.
"They say a single Classer can bring down an entire noble house," Nichole murmured.
Min Hee scoffed. "That's an exaggeration."
"Is it?" Nichole arched a brow. "Leywin took down your entire household in one night."
Min Hee flinched.
She hated that he was right.
She had spent years hating Leywin for what he had done. But after learning the truth—after discovering the horrors her father had committed—her hatred had turned to something else.
Something she wasn't ready to face.
Not yet.
"We find their base," she said. "Then we make them talk."
Nichole smirked. "I like this plan already."
The Classers' Headquarters
Finding the Classers was supposed to be impossible.
They had no official base, no records, no identifiable members. They were ghosts. Legends.
But Min Hee knew one thing for certain—Leywin was watching her.
And so, she gave him a reason to come to her.
It started with a single name—Lord Veric, a noble suspected of hoarding weapons for an underground slave trade.
Min Hee led the attack herself, storming Veric's estate and exposing his crimes to the public. She left no room for secrecy, no space for the kingdom to sweep it under the rug.
And sure enough… the Classers came.
They came in the dead of night, moving like shadows.
Min Hee had expected assassins. What she found instead was something far more organized.
They weren't just a group of rogue magicians.
They were an army.
An army of commoners.
Soldiers. Merchants. Orphans. Healers.
People who had been cast aside by the kingdom.
People who had suffered under corrupt rulers.
People who had nothing to lose.
And at their center… stood Leywin.
Face to Face
Min Hee felt her breath hitch as she finally saw him again.
Leywin stood atop the ruined remains of Veric's estate, the black cloak of the Classers draped over his shoulders. His silver hair caught the moonlight, his golden eyes unreadable.
He looked… different.
Stronger. Sharper.
Colder.
But it was still him.
Her rival. Her friend.
The man she had once loved.
"Min Hee," he said, his voice calm.
She clenched her fists. "You finally decided to show yourself."
Leywin tilted his head. "You made quite the spectacle. Hard to ignore."
Min Hee took a step forward. "Is that what it takes to get your attention now? Destroying noble houses?"
Leywin's expression didn't change. "They weren't noble."
"Neither was my father," she shot back. "And yet you refused to tell me the truth."
For the first time, something flickered in Leywin's eyes.
Guilt.
Regret.
"Min Hee," he said, softer now. "I—"
But before he could finish, Elvin appeared behind him, his face dark with warning.
"We have company."
Min Hee's senses flared.
The air crackled with magic.
A second later, the streets erupted in chaos.
The Magic Force had arrived.
A Battle Between Ideals
Spells exploded through the night as the Magic Force clashed with the Classers.
Fire met ice. Lightning clashed with wind.
Min Hee barely had time to react before a group of soldiers charged toward her. She dodged their attacks effortlessly, her magic surging as she deflected their spells.
But her eyes never left Leywin.
He stood at the center of the battlefield, unmoving.
Watching.
"Is this what you wanted, Leywin?" Min Hee yelled over the chaos. "War?"
Leywin sighed. "War was already here. You just refused to see it."
Min Hee grit her teeth. "Then let's end it."
She raised her hands, magic swirling around her.
Leywin did the same.
And as their spells collided, the world trembled.