Morning came quietly.
Too quietly.
Arix sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the sunlight coming through the window.
He was still thinking about the dream.
Those two red eyes.
That strange dark-red energy.
And the feeling that whatever had surrounded him— had been protecting him.
Arix shook his head.
“It was just a dream.” He climbed down from his bed and walked toward the window.
The village was already awake.
But nobody seemed happy.
Groups of villagers stood outside their homes, whispering.
Adventurers moved quickly through the streets.
Guards were stationed near the northern road.
Arix opened the window.
“Did you hear?” Arix leaned closer.
“Yeah.” “They confirmed the rank.” “What is it?” A villager lowered his voice.
“B+ Rank Alter Tear wave.” Arix blinked.
“B+?” Another villager nodded.
“They’re saying it’s worse than yesterday.” Arix’s curiosity immediately took over.
He ran downstairs.
“Dad!” His father turned from the table.
“Morning, Arix.” “What is B+?” His father paused.
“B+?” Arix nodded rapidly.
“Everyone is talking about it!” His father exchanged a glance with Arix’s mother.
Then he crouched beside him.
“You’re six, Arix.” “I know.” “So I’ll only explain the basics.” Arix nodded.
His father took a piece of paper and wrote: F → E → D → C → B → A → S Arix stared at the letters.
“What are those?” “Ranks.” “Like levels?” “Something like that.” His father pointed toward the beginning.
“F is one of the lowest classifications.” Then he moved his finger upward.
“As the rank increases, the expected power and danger increase.” Arix pointed at B.
“And B?” “B-rank is already very powerful compared to ordinary adventurers.” “And B+?” His father tapped the paper.
“B+ means something has surpassed the usual B-rank range.” Arix’s eyes widened.
“So it’s almost A?” “That’s one way of looking at it.” Arix thought for a moment.
“Then what’s an Alter Tear?” His father became slightly more serious.
“An Alter Tear is a phenomenon where the boundary between places becomes distorted.” “Like another dimension?” “Sometimes.” “And monsters come out?” “They can.” Arix nodded.
“So a B+ Alter Tear wave means…” “A very dangerous event.” His father looked toward the northern forest.
“Not every creature in the wave has to be B+.” Arix tilted his head.
“Then why call the wave B+?” “Because the overall threat is classified that way.” Arix slowly understood.
“So it’s about the whole thing.” “Exactly.” Arix then remembered something.
“What about The Star?” His father smiled faintly.
“They’re a B-rank Covenant Tear team.” Arix tilted his head.
“What is a Covenant Tear team?” “A group of adventurers who fight together under a registered Covenant.” “So The Star is B-rank?” “The team is.” “Are they stronger than a normal B-rank?” His father laughed.
“That depends.” “On what?” “Abilities.
Experience.
Teamwork.
Equipment.
Compatibility.” Arix frowned.
“Then why use ranks?” “Because people need a basic way to understand how dangerous something is.” Arix looked at the paper again.
F.
E.
D.
C.
B.
A.
S.
There seemed to be much more behind those letters than he understood.
He pointed toward the higher end.
“What comes after S?” His father smiled.
“You don’t need to know that yet.” “Why?” “Because you’re six.” Arix puffed his cheeks.
“I can learn!” “I know.” His father patted his head.
“But there’s a lot more to the system than those letters.” Arix’s eyes widened.
“There’s more?” Before his father could answer— “Don’t start teaching him everything.” Mira’s voice came from the doorway.
Arix turned.
The Star had arrived.
Kael stood behind her, followed by Renn and Lena.
Arix immediately ran over.
“Mira!
What’s after S?” Mira smiled.
“You really want to know?” “Yes!” She crouched down.
“For now, just stick to the basics.” Arix frowned.
“But—” “You can learn more if you start going to the academy.” Arix froze.
“Academy?” Kael chuckled.
“Once you’re seven, you can enter.” “Seven?” “Yep.” Mira nodded.
“Academy begins when you’re seven and continues until you turn seventeen.” Arix’s eyes suddenly became enormous.
He looked at his fingers.
Then counted.
One.
Two.
Three.
His face lit up.
“WAIT!” Everyone looked at him.
Arix practically jumped.
“YAY!” His parents stared.
“What?” “My birthday is only in three days!” Renn burst out laughing.
Kael smiled.
Lena covered her mouth.
Even Mira couldn’t hide her amusement.
“You really remembered that.” “Of course!” Arix grinned.
“I’ll be seven!” He looked toward the academy they had just mentioned as if it were the greatest place in the world.
“I’m going to learn everything!” Kael shook his head.
“Everything?” “Everything!” Mira smiled.
“Then you’d better study hard.” Arix nodded seriously.
“I will.” For a moment— the threat outside seemed far away.
The village almost felt normal again.
Almost.
— Far north— the ancient wall stood beneath the dark forest.
But something had changed.
The crack was no longer merely a fracture.
A tiny section of the seal had separated.
Not enough for something to pass through.
Not enough for the barrier to collapse.
But enough for the darkness behind it to become visible.
Blackness pressed against the narrow opening.
Hissssss…
Dark essence leaked through.
The surrounding stone trembled.
The opening widened by the smallest amount.
Then— CRACK.
The wall resisted.
The darkness stopped.
For a moment, it seemed as though the seal would break.
Then the ancient energy surged.
The opening narrowed again.
Still sealed.
Barely.
The figure stood before it.
His blackish-white fur looked almost like strands of pale hair against the darkness.
His crimson eyes, surrounded by that faint blackish tint, watched the tiny opening.
He remained completely still.
The dark essence touched him again.
It crawled over his body.
Tried to erode him.
But once again— it couldn’t.
And it didn’t seem to want to.
The figure raised his hand.
Dark energy gathered around his palm.
The tiny opening began closing.
But this time— it resisted.
His eyes narrowed.
“So you’re already pushing this hard…” He looked deeper into the darkness.
Something moved behind the seal.
Something that had been waiting.
The figure’s expression became serious.
He pressed his hand harder against the wall.
The seal trembled.
The opening narrowed.
Then stopped.
A tiny black gap remained.
Just barely there.
Not open.
Not closed.
Waiting.
— Back in the village— Arix was still talking excitedly about his birthday.
“I’ll be seven!” His mother smiled.
“Yes, we heard you.” “Then I’ll be able to start learning magic properly!” “Maybe.” “And swordsmanship!” “Maybe.” “And Alter Tears!” His father laughed.
“Definitely not by yourself.” Arix pouted.
“I’ll be careful.” Renn leaned toward Kael.
“He’s going to be trouble.” Kael smiled.
“Probably.” Mira looked toward the northern forest.
Her smile disappeared.
She could still sense it.
That dark energy.
The same energy she’d encountered in the aftermath of the Empire’s invasions.
Only now— it was much closer.
And much stronger.
She quietly tightened her grip around her staff.
Something was changing.
The village didn’t know it yet.
Arix certainly didn’t.
They were thinking about his birthday.
About the academy.
About the future.
But deep beneath the northern forest— the seal was struggling.
And somewhere beyond that tiny opening— something was waiting.
Three days.
That was all that remained.