The Ares Domain Central Station was a massive, imposing fortress of steel, concrete, and noise.

Heavy magi-trains, plated in thick tungsten armor designed to survive the brutal monsters in the unmapped zones, hissed loudly as they vented excess steam into the crowded platforms.

Zen adjusted his black duffel bag on his shoulder. The heavy tungsten sword he had used to dismantle the Ward-Breaker was wrapped tightly in canvas and slung securely across his back.

"Stay close to me," Valeria demanded. Her hand gripped his jacket sleeve with bruising, possessive force. "There are too many people here, and I don’t like it. Anyone could bump into you."

"It is a public train station, Val," Zen said calmly, expertly ignoring the crushing pressure of her grip. "People take trains to go places."

"They are breathing our air."

"Let them have a little air."

"I could clear the platform," she offered seriously. Her crimson eyes scanned the bustling crowd, analyzing every single commuter as a potential mortal threat to her beloved Emperor. "Five seconds. No casualties if they run fast enough. Ten seconds if I have to throw them."

"Do not clear the platform," Zen sighed, keeping his tone light and affectionate. "Just go check our bags with the VIP handler at the front. I need to meet someone before we board."

Valeria frowned deeply. Her grip on his sleeve tightened until the fabric creaked. "Who?"

"Jax."

"The rat?" Valeria scoffed, her upper lip curling in disgust. "Why? You do not need to associate with bottom-feeders anymore. You have me, and I have you."

"Because he is my friend, and he almost died yesterday. Give us two minutes."

She glared at him. Her yandere instincts were screaming at the thought of letting him out of her sight for even sixty seconds. She leaned in and kissed his cheek entirely too hard, leaving a faint red mark on his skin.

"Two minutes," Valeria whispered against his ear. "Exactly two. Or I start breaking legs to find you."

Zen watched her march off toward the VIP counter.

The crowd instinctively parted, terrified by the sheer aura of bloodlust and violence rolling off the beautiful, red-haired. Zen turned and walked toward the designated meeting spot behind a row of noisy vending machines.

Jax was leaning nervously against a steel pillar in the shadows. He kept awkwardly shifting his weight, rubbing his stiff left shoulder and wincing every time someone in the crowded station walked too close to him.

"You look like hell," Zen said, stepping into the dim light.

"Look like?" Jax grunted, flashing a strained smile. "I feel like I got hit by a speeding transport cart."

"I am sorry," Zen said, a hint of genuine apology in his voice. "I am the one who told you to hold her back."

"Yeah, well, next time you need someone to wrestle a hurricane, give me a little heads-up," Jax muttered. He instinctively kept his voice down, his eyes darting around the station in panic. "Your terrifying girlfriend sent me flying ten yards just by flexing. My kinetic armor actually cracked, and the healers just gave me a cheap potion and told me to walk it off."

"I am glad you are standing," Zen said genuinely.

"I wouldn’t miss seeing you off," Jax laughed weakly. He glanced nervously toward the VIP platform, lowering his voice even further. "Escaping the academy for an all-expenses-paid luxury trip with your terrifying, absurdly rich girlfriend. I still cannot believe you pulled that off. She looks like she wants to murder the train conductor right now."

"It is a delicate situation," Zen replied, his eyes scanning the upper catwalks. "Which is exactly why I need you to do something for me while I am gone."

"What? Me?" Jax swallowed hard, his eyes widening. "Do what?"

"Kaelen Thorne," Zen said, dropping his voice. "He planted an Aggro-Lure on you during the Midterm just to get revenge on me for what happened in Instrutor Graves’ class." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"I know," Jax whispered, looking terrified. "Everyone in the rumor mill is talking about it. But Kaelen’s family is crazy rich and connected. You aren’t going after him, are you?"

"No. Thorne is an idiot, but his family has serious military influence. I just need you to keep an ear to the ground. You know the academy rumor network better than anyone. Just listen to what the other students are saying. Tell me where he goes off-campus and who he hangs around with."

"I... I can do that," Jax stammered, rubbing the back of his neck. "People talk to me. I’ll just hang around the cafeteria and the lower district forums. I won’t get close to him, I swear. If a guy like that catches me asking questions..."

"He won’t," Zen reassured him calmly. "Just listen to the gossip. That is all."

Jax nodded quickly, but his expression didn’t relax.

He looked nervously around the noisy train station again, his eyes lingering on the heavily armed Vanguard security guards patrolling the upper platforms.

"Speaking of the forums," Jax whispered, leaning closer so only Zen could hear. "Zen, man, we have a massive problem."

"Define massive."

"The Vanguard Inquisitor," Jax said, his voice trembling slightly. "Commander Valerius."

Zen stiffened, but his face stayed perfectly calm. "What about him?"

"He officially locked down the entire Midterm site this morning. The whole sector is quarantined by the military. Nobody goes in, nobody comes out."

"Why? The boss is dead. We cleared the zone."

"That is exactly why," Jax swallowed hard. "According to what I’ve heard, they said Valerius didn’t care about the test in the first place. He was looking for the S-Rank anomaly and he did found traces of ancient magic."

Zen didn’t blink. He kept his expression completely neutral, even as his newly formed Mid E-Rank core pulsed with a sudden spike of adrenaline.

"Ancient magic," Zen repeated evenly.

"Yeah. S-Rank residue. Something older than the Empire itself. They are saying some unregistered, god-level anomaly completely obliterated that D-Rank construct down in the vault."

Jax looked at Zen, his eyes wide with genuine concern for his friend. "They are actively hunting whoever or whatever it is, Zen. Valerius brought in the bloodhounds. They are scanning mana signatures... and footprints!"

"Is that so?"

"Yes! Zen, if they pull you in for questioning, they are going to use psychic detection stones on you! Your core is shattered! If a military-grade stone forces its way into your pathways, it could permanently cripple you!"

"Jax. Breathe." Zen placed a calm, steady hand on his friend’s uninjured shoulder. "I am leaving the district right now for the holidays. They won’t scan me."

"But what if they are waiting when you get back?" Jax panicked. "You need to stay away from the military."

"I will handle it. Plus, I don’t have anything I’m hiding. You just focus on the Thorne rumors. Let me worry about the Inquisitors when I get back."

Jax stared at him, letting out a harsh, shaky breath. "You are way too calm about this."

"It is a strict requirement for surviving this academy."

"Zen!" Valeria’s sharp and impatient voice cut through the station noise.

Zen glanced over his shoulder. Valeria was standing by the VIP boarding ramp, tapping her steel-toed boot against the metal grating. Two station attendants were cowering behind her, terrified to even ask for her ticket.

"You’d better go," Jax noted, taking a quick, cautious step back into the shadows. "Better not keep the lady waiting. She looks like she’s about to start breaking legs."

"Stay safe, Jax. Just message me if Thorne does anything stupid."

"Have a good trip, Zen. Seriously... try not to get killed."

Zen turned and walked back into the light, rejoining Valeria. She immediately grabbed his hand, intertwining her fingers tightly with his.

"What did the rat want?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Just wishing me luck," Zen said.

"You do not need luck. You have me." She pulled him toward the heavy, reinforced steel doors of the magi-train. The interior of the VIP cabin was absurdly luxurious, lined with plush red velvet, gold trim, and private amenities.

"After you," Valeria smiled, her entire demeanor softening the moment she looked at his face.

Zen stepped onto the train.

The moment his boots crossed the threshold, the heavy magi-doors hissed loudly and slammed shut behind them.

The metallic locking mechanisms engaged with a heavy, final thud that sounded entirely too much like a vault door sealing.

Zen walked over to the reinforced window and looked out at the station platform. His expression remained perfectly calm, but inside, his mind was racing through a dozen different survival calculations.

The net was closing.

Valerius was sweeping District 7 for his exact mana signature. Leaving the Ares Domain was his only viable move to survive the week without his shattered cover being completely blown.

[SYSTEM ALERT: MILITARY QUARANTINE INITIATED IN DISTRICT 7.]

[PROBABILITY OF HOSTILE INTERROGATION UPON RETURN: 87.4%]

[CALCULATING ALIBI VIABILITY...]

Zen frowned slightly.

But then, leaving at this time was undeniably suspicious. If Valerius checked the station departure manifests, his name would stick out like a sore thumb.

But he wasn’t fleeing alone.

He glanced over his shoulder. Valeria was currently running her fingers over the plush velvet seats, looking incredibly pleased with herself for securing their absolute privacy.

She was the one who bought the VIP tickets. She was the one who practically dragged him out of the academy for this trip.

The system text shifted rapidly.

[ALIBI VIABILITY RECALCULATED: 99.2% (THE ’HELPLESS VICTIM’ DEFENSE).]

Zen relaxed his shoulders.

If the military brought it up during an interrogation later, he could easily play the helpless card.

He was just a fragile, shattered-core student being dragged on a spontaneous luxury vacation by a beautiful, absurdly rich girl. He could comfortably classify his perfectly timed escape as nothing more than a lucky coincidence.

But as the train’s massive engines suddenly roared to life, violently vibrating the floorboards beneath his boots, Zen felt a cold chill run down his spine.

He was safely escaping Valeria’s military hounds. But this heavily armored train was on a direct, non-stop route completely out of the Ares Domain.

"Are you comfortable?" Valeria asked, stepping up behind him. She wrapped her arms securely around his waist, pressing her cheek against his back. "It is a long ride."

"Very," Zen lied smoothly.

He looked up at the digital display screens mounted in the corner of the cabin.

For a fraction of a second, the standard station timetable vanished. The screen flickered slightly, glowing with a faint, menacing purple light.

He was riding straight into the Omni Domain.

Right into the waiting arms of the Spymaster.