Chapter 93: Scars of Battle
The Vanguard had won.
But victory came at a price.
As the teleportation circle flared to life, the ruins of Nyx faded behind them—a battlefield left in smoldering ruins, the echoes of their battle against Xelthar's horrors still lingering in the depths of the Forbidden Zone.
And then—
The cold marble floors of Eldoria Academy met their feet.
They had returned home.
But they weren't unscathed.
The moment they arrived, healers and academy staff rushed forward.
Bloodied, battered, and barely standing, the Vanguard didn't resist as the medics began tending to their wounds.
Kael felt a sharp sting as one of the healers pressed glowing hands against his ribs, sealing the cracked bones together with gentle pulses of mana.
He exhaled.
It felt like hell.
But he'd had worse.
Lucian groaned as a healer forced him to sit down, his burned shoulder glowing as golden energy mended the scorched flesh. "I swear if I see one more mana beast in the next month, I'm setting it on fire immediately."
Evelyne grunted as another healer worked on her bruised knuckles. "Same."
Selene, despite deep gashes along her arms, sat silently as the healers worked. Her silver eyes flickered toward the others, calculating, watching.
Mira, still grimacing from a cut along her ribs, crossed her arms. "We should've killed that agent when we had the chance."
Cassian smirked from his bed, his chest wrapped in fresh bandages. "We would've, if Kael didn't let him stab him first."
Kael glared. "Shut up, Cassian."
Cassian grinned.
Darius, lying back on his cot, muttered, "I vote we all sleep for a week."
Rael, staring blankly at his bandaged arms, nodded. "Agreed."
For once, no one argued.
Hours passed.
The healers did their work, sealing wounds, mending broken bones, and purging exhaustion with mana-infused elixirs.
But even with the pain fading—the weight of what had happened did not.
Kael sat near the edge of the infirmary, staring at his hands.
The fight against the Calamity-Class Beast. The Xelthar agent's words. The mutated monsters still growing beneath the ruins.
He clenched his fists.
They had survived—but they weren't strong enough.
Not yet.
A hand landed on his shoulder.
He looked up—Rheon.
His brother's violet eyes studied him carefully.
"You did well," Rheon said.
Kael sighed. "It didn't feel like it."
"You think too much," Rheon muttered. "We came back alive. That's enough."
Kael looked at him. "Is it?"
Rheon's smirk faded slightly.
But he didn't answer.
Because they both knew the truth.
This wasn't over.
Not even close.
The next morning, despite their wounds, the Vanguard was summoned.
The moment they stepped into the Great Hall, Headmaster Varian Eldoria stood waiting, his golden gaze unreadable.
The room was silent.
Then—
"You succeeded," Varian said. "But what you found in Nyx was worse than we imagined."
He gestured, and a **holographic projection flickered to life—**showing the underground lab beneath Nyx, the mana pods still glowing.
Mira's fists clenched. "So some of them are still alive."
"Not some," Varian said, his voice cold. "Thousands."
Silence.
Selene's expression hardened. "Then Xelthar wasn't experimenting to control mana beasts."
Varian nodded. "No. They were breeding them."
Cassian scoffed. "Perfect. So we killed one, and they've got a hundred more waiting."
Darius exhaled sharply. "How the hell are we supposed to stop them?"
Varian's gaze sharpened.
"By getting stronger."
He stepped forward.
"You fought well," he said. "But if you had faced a full army of Xelthar's creations, you would have died."
Kael stiffened.
They all did.
Because the truth was undeniable.
They weren't strong enough.
Not yet.
Varian turned to them, his golden eyes piercing.
"So now, we prepare."
The Vanguard stood in silence.
Because they knew—
This war was just beginning.
And they had no choice but to win.