Next day — 4 a.m.

A loud, broken alarm screamed through the building."Popopopopo… pooooo!"

Vivi groaned, half-burying her face in her pillow. "Ouch, what a weird sound…" she mumbled.

Room 7 — small, quiet, and messy — held five kids: Vivi, Nova, Auren, Dax, and Nyra. Three beds, one sofa, and one lazy ceiling fan that spun half-heartedly in the dim light. Auren was asleep beside Dax, their blankets tangled; Nova had claimed the sofa, half curled into it; and Vivi and Nyra each had a bed to themselves.

The weird alarm didn't spare anyone. All five woke up almost at the same instant — blinking, groaning, faces still heavy with sleep.

From the central ground below, a booming voice echoed through a speaker fixed to the balcony wall.

"Listen, kids! Time to wake up!" The voice was strong and deep. "Come to the ground in thirty minutes! Freshen yourselves now!"

It repeated thrice, each time a little louder.

"Whoa, whoa, please stop!" Nyra yelled, throwing her pillow toward the speaker in frustration.

Auren sat up on the bed, rubbing his eyes but smiling widely. "So it's time for training," he said, his tone filled with excitement. "My first time… I'm excited — really excited! Will Master Lyrax teach me?"

Dax, still half-asleep, yawned and stretched his arms. "No, he's the king, buddy," he said with a lazy grin. "Master Tororo will be training us."

Auren's eyes gleamed. "Tororo… the martial arts teacher?"

"Yeah," Dax replied, pulling himself out of bed. "Old man with white robes and crazy strength. Don't make him angry — he once broke a wall with a sneeze."

Auren laughed, throwing off his blanket. "Then I'd better not make him laugh either."

The five of them began moving — sleepy, clumsy, but somehow full of that early-morning energy only dreamers have before a hard day begins.

Everyone gathered on the ground of Hollow Mountain.

As we all know, Hollow Mountain is huge — a city within a shell of stone and wind. And there, standing near the center, was a man — round, cheerful-looking, yet mysterious — Ostava. With a simple snap of his fingers, the ground trembled.

Boom.

In an instant, five circular arenas rose from the stone floor, perfectly shaped and lined in a row.

"Room 5 to Room 10 — you'll go to Arena 2! Room 1 to Room 10 — Arena 1!" Ostava's deep voice echoed, dividing the students with practiced rhythm.

A semi-cold wind swept across Hollow Mountain, as it always did — carrying a sharp freshness that touched every face. Each arena stood open from above, the morning sky bleeding through thin mist. Huge red carpets stretched across the ground, and tilted walls decorated with painted flowers surrounded them, softening the harsh stone with color.

Auren, Vivi, and Nova stood still for a moment — stunned. For them, it was the first time seeing something like this up close.

Nova stood beside Auren, silent. Auren nudged his shoulder and whispered with a grin, "Isn't it cool?"

Nova barely nodded. He still looked lost in thought, caught somewhere between recovery and confusion.

Meanwhile, Dax's gaze kept drifting toward Maira, no matter how much he tried to control it. She stood across the arena, hair tied up, her pink ponytail moving gently in the wind.

And then — someone entered the arena.

He wore tiger-striped robes and carried a long red staff. His body looked carved by training — strong, perfectly built, every muscle moving with calm precision. A long mustache curved along his face, and his head was completely bald.

But what truly froze everyone was his eyes — pure yellow, like polished glass, no pupils at all. They gleamed under the morning light like two suns.

Auren, Vivi, and Nova stared — wide-eyed and silent.

Vivi leaned closer to Auren, whispering sharply into his ear, "Auren… listen, Auren. Don't you think—he's like a vampire of the day? Look at those eyes!"

Auren turned to her, his tone half-annoyed, half-disbelieving. "Are you mad? Be quiet. There's no such thing as a vampire… and if there was, there sure wouldn't be a morning one."

Vivi pouted, whispering back, "Still… those eyes don't look human to me."

Auren said nothing more, but as he turned his gaze back to the man with the yellow eyes — Bosco Lama — a small, uneasy thought sparked at the back of his mind.

"I can create one," Nova said suddenly, his voice calm and vacant, as if he wasn't even part of the moment. "The morning vampire."

Auren turned his head toward him, a grin tugging at the corner of his lips. "So you do have a voice. Interesting."

Before anyone could respond, a deep shout echoed through the arena.

"Kids! Stop murmuring!"

The voice carried authority — sharp, commanding, like thunder wrapped in discipline. It was Bosco Lama.

He stood tall at the center of the arena, his yellow eyes glowing faintly under the misty morning light. "Where is Auren Ryuki?" he asked, his tone steady, piercing.

Vivi quickly grabbed Auren's hand and raised it high. "Here!" she blurted.

Bosco's head turned sharply. "Oh, so you are Auren," he said. "Come here."

Auren walked forward through the ring of students. Twenty-four kids stood around him, their eyes following his every step. The cold wind brushed against his face as he stopped in front of Bosco.

Bosco placed the red staff gently on Auren's shoulder. "So, you're the one who raged war on the Ramuza… and vanished them," he said slowly. His tone was no longer loud — it was calm, but heavy enough to make the air tighten.

Then his gaze locked onto Auren's eyes, sharp as a blade. "You think you're strong?"

Auren didn't hesitate. "Not yet," he said, his voice steady. "But I will be. Stronger than anyone."

Bosco tilted his head back, smirking faintly. "Ambitious… huh?"

Before Auren could answer, the ground beneath them shook violently.

The whole plateau trembled, the five arenas vibrating like drums of thunder. Cracks spread through the walls; dust rained from above. The air grew heavy, pressing against their bodies until most of the kids fell to their knees.

"W-what's happening?!" Vivi shouted.

Auren clenched his fists, trying to hold his balance. Around him, the red clouds above Hollow Mountain twisted, darkening into something unnatural — turning crimson, burning with light.

None of them knew what was going on.

But deep inside, every soul on that field felt the same thing —Something had awakened?

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