The conference hall remained silent.
The map of Ceduz covered almost the entire table.
Every street.
Every district.
Every known location of Aswang activity.
Marcus stared at the marked areas in silence.
The situation was unlike any mission the academy had faced before.
This was no ordinary expedition.
No simple rescue operation.
No routine extermination.
A town had been consumed from within.
Half of Ceduz had already fallen.
And at the center of it all...
An Ancient Aswang King waited.
Marcus placed a finger on the cathedral district.
"The King."
His voice was quiet.
"How do we prevent it from escaping?"
Captain Rowan, who had remained silent throughout the discussion, finally reached into his coat.
He pulled out a worn leather folder.
The edges were damaged.
The cover was faded from years of use.
But the name written across it was still clear.
Captain Aldren Valen
Marcus' eyes stopped moving.
For a brief moment...
His usual calm expression changed.
Gareth noticed immediately.
"You know that name."
Marcus slowly looked up.
"...The Keeper of Lost Paths."
Eva gave a small smile.
"So the stories reached the North Academy too."
Gareth crossed his arms.
"Not many explorers have earned a title like that."
Rowan nodded.
"Because not many explorers can do what he does."
Marcus opened the folder.
Inside were years of exploration records.
No exaggerated stories.
No impossible claims.
Only mission reports.
Expedition recovered.
Unknown territory mapped.
Mythical threat contained.
Every report carried the same pattern.
He solved problems.
One particular report caught Marcus' attention.
Target successfully contained.
That was all.
No explanation.
No details.
Just a simple result.
Marcus closed the folder.
"His inheritance."
Rowan nodded.
"The Tikbalang Inheritance."
The room became quiet.
Even Gareth's expression became serious.
A Tikbalang.
A creature associated with misleading travelers.
With lost roads.
With people wandering endlessly despite believing they were walking in a straight line.
Marcus looked back at the map.
"The Lost Paths."
"Yes."
Rowan placed a hand over the cathedral district.
"Captain Aldren's inheritance does not create a new world."
"It does not teleport the battlefield somewhere else."
"It does not erase what already exists."
Eva continued.
"It takes the space that already exists..."
"...and separates it."
Juno unfolded another map beside the first.
"The streets remain."
"The buildings remain."
"The terrain remains."
"The weather remains."
"Everything is exactly the same as the moment the inheritance activates."
Marcus studied the map carefully.
"So the battlefield becomes a copy."
"Exactly."
Rowan nodded.
"A perfect replica of the original space."
"But separated from the outside world."
Marcus remained focused on the map.
A perfect replica.
The same battlefield.
The same streets.
The same buildings.
Yet completely separated from everything outside.
"It isn't a barrier."
Rowan nodded.
"Correct."
"A barrier can be broken."
"The Lost Paths do something different."
He pointed toward the roads surrounding the cathedral district.
"They don't stop someone from moving."
"They change where that movement leads."
Juno placed several markers on the map.
"Imagine someone inside the isolated space attempting to leave."
"They walk toward the town entrance."
"They follow the exact road they know."
"They pass the same buildings."
"They recognize every landmark."
"But eventually..."
She moved the marker back to the center of the district.
"They return to where they started."
Gareth frowned.
"So they don't realize they're trapped."
"Not immediately."
Eva answered.
"That is what makes it dangerous."
"The space does not feel unnatural."
"The enemy isn't trapped inside a cage."
"It is trapped inside a world where every path leads back."
Marcus stared at the cathedral.
"A prison made from the battlefield itself."
Rowan gave a slight nod.
"That is why Captain Aldren is the only person we can rely on for this."
"The Ancient Aswang King is intelligent."
"It won't fight until it dies if it knows it can escape."
"It will retreat."
"Rebuild."
"Create another colony."
Marcus' expression hardened.
"And the next town may not be as prepared as Ceduz."
"Exactly."
The room fell silent.
Everyone understood what was at stake.
The purpose of the operation was not simply destroying the Aswangs inside Ceduz.
It was preventing the Ancient King from creating another disaster.
Marcus looked toward Eva.
"Eva will be entering the Lost Paths as well."
Eva nodded.
"Yes."
"I'll accompany Captain Aldren."
Her expression became serious.
"The Lost Paths can contain the King, but containment does not mean victory."
"The King will continue attacking."
"It will try to break Aldren's concentration."
"It will search for weaknesses."
"It will adapt."
Juno added,
"And if Captain Aldren is forced to focus completely on defending himself..."
"...maintaining the Lost Paths becomes much harder."
Marcus understood immediately.
Aldren's inheritance was powerful.
But it wasn't an automatic victory.
The King still had to be fought.
Still had to be restrained.
Still had to be prevented from overwhelming the people inside.
"How long can he maintain it?"
Gareth asked.
Rowan shook his head.
"That depends."
"On the size of the isolated area."
"On the resistance of those inside."
"And on how much pressure the Ancient Aswang King applies."
Marcus looked back at the map.
"So the longer the battle lasts..."
"The more dangerous it becomes."
"Yes."
Eva answered.
"Which is why the battle inside the Lost Paths cannot be allowed to continue forever."
Marcus was silent for several seconds.
Then he asked the question that had been waiting since the beginning.
"When does the operation begin?"
Rowan answered immediately.
"One month from now, at dusk."
Gareth raised an eyebrow.
"Not dawn?"
"No."
Eva looked toward the reports from Ceduz.
"Because daylight is when Aswangs are the most deceptive."
Marcus looked through the witness statements.
Citizens who claimed their neighbors changed overnight.
Families who unknowingly sheltered infected relatives.
Explorers who discovered too late that the person they rescued was already an Aswang.
Juno continued.
"Some Aswang species can imitate humans during the day."
"They can speak like humans."
"Walk like humans."
"Appear completely normal."
"But when night arrives..."
"Their disguises weaken."
"Their true forms emerge."
Marcus nodded slowly.
"So dusk forces them to reveal themselves."
"Yes."
Rowan replied.
"It removes their greatest advantage."
Eva looked at the map.
"At dusk, Ceduz stops being a town of uncertain enemies."
"It becomes a battlefield."
Marcus folded his arms.
"The operation begins when the Aswangs can no longer hide."
"Exactly."
For a moment, everything seemed clear.
The timing.
The strategy.
The containment.
The assault.
But Marcus noticed something.
Rowan had not yet explained everything.
There was still one missing piece.
He looked at the captain.
"You said Captain Aldren and Eva will enter the Lost Paths."
Rowan nodded.
Marcus' eyes narrowed.
"Who else?"
The room became silent.
Rowan reached toward the table.
This time, he did not place a report.
He placed six wooden markers.
Two had names carved into them.
Aldren Valen
Eva
The remaining four were blank.
Marcus stared at them.
"...What are those?"
Rowan looked directly at him.
"The rest of the containment team."
Marcus' eyes moved toward the four empty markers.
"Explorers?"
Rowan was silent.
Then he answered.
"No."
A heavy silence filled the room.
"They're students."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
The silence that followed Rowan's answer felt heavier than before.
Marcus stared at the four blank markers.
Students.
Not explorers.
Not veteran members of the Guild.
Students.
Gareth's expression hardened.
"You're asking academy students to enter the Lost Paths?"
Rowan did not look away.
"Yes."
"With an Ancient Aswang King?"
"Yes."
The answer was simple.
But that made it more difficult to accept.
Marcus slowly leaned forward.
"Explain."
Eva stepped toward the table.
"They aren't being sent there to defeat it."
Her voice was calm.
"But to stall it."
She pointed at the two marked pieces representing herself and Aldren.
"Captain Aldren's role is to maintain the Lost Paths."
"My role is to fight alongside him and assist with controlling the battlefield."
She then pointed toward the four empty markers.
"Their role is different."
"They are the ones who will create openings."
"They will draw the King's attention."
"They will protect one another."
"They will buy every second we need."
Marcus looked at the markers again.
"Against an Ancient Aswang King."
"Yes."
Gareth clenched his fist.
"Even with training..."
"They are still students."
Rowan nodded.
"I know."
"And that is why we aren't choosing ordinary students."
Marcus looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
"The four students assigned to this mission will undergo separate training."
Juno placed another folder on the table.
"This will not be the same training as the rest of the graduating class."
Marcus opened the folder.
The schedule inside was far different from normal academy preparation.
Combat against overwhelming opponents.
Team formations under extreme pressure.
Survival exercises.
Emergency decision-making.
Defensive tactics.
Psychological conditioning.
There was one phrase repeated throughout the document.
Survive. Adapt. Stall.
Marcus read the words carefully.
"They won't be trained to win."
"No."
Eva answered.
"They will be trained to survive long enough for others to win."
The room became quiet again.
Outside the conference hall, the sounds of the academy continued.
Students sparring.
Instructors giving commands.
The ordinary rhythm of training.
None of them knew what was being discussed inside.
Marcus closed the folder.
"Why four?"
Rowan answered.
"Because the operation outside Ceduz requires every explorer available."
He pointed toward the larger map.
"The Northwest Branch will handle evacuation routes."
"The elite teams will eliminate the Aswang forces throughout the town."
"The graduating classes will support the operation and assist wherever they are needed."
"Every person outside the Lost Paths has a role."
Marcus looked back at the six markers.
"And inside..."
"Only six people can handle the King."
Rowan nodded.
"Captain Aldren."
"Eva."
"And four students from the North Academy."
The weight of the decision settled over the room.
Marcus understood now.
The four students were not chosen because they were expendable.
They were chosen because there was no other option.
They needed people capable of adapting.
People who could work together.
People who could remain standing when facing something far beyond their current level.
Gareth looked toward Marcus.
"You'll have to choose carefully."
Marcus remained silent.
His mind was already moving.
Three years of training.
Three years of observing every student.
Their strengths.
Their weaknesses.
Their decisions under pressure.
He knew every student's potential.
But potential alone was not enough.
The four entering the Lost Paths needed something else.
They needed the ability to face fear without letting it control them.
Rowan gathered the remaining documents.
"The operation begins in one month."
"But the four students must be selected now."
Marcus looked up.
"Now?"
"Yes."
Eva nodded.
"Captain Aldren wants enough time to prepare them."
"The training will begin immediately after selection."
"One month."
"That is all they have before entering Ceduz."
Marcus looked at the four empty markers.
Four names.
Four students.
Four people who would stand beside the Keeper of Lost Paths against an Ancient Aswang King.
Finally, he reached out and picked up the markers.
"I'll choose them."
Rowan nodded.
"I knew you would."
Marcus stood from his chair.
"But understand something."
Everyone looked toward him.
"They are not weapons."
"They are students."
His grip tightened around the markers.
"If they are going into that battlefield..."
"...then it is our responsibility to make sure they return."
No one answered.
Because everyone in the room understood the truth.
The Ancient Aswang King was not their only enemy.
The greatest challenge would be preparing four young explorers to stand against something that even experienced veterans feared.
Outside, the sun slowly disappeared beyond the horizon.
The same dusk that would begin Operation Nightfall one month later.
The same darkness where Aswangs would reveal their true forms.
And somewhere inside the North Academy...
Four students were about to have their lives changed forever.