FROST
Chapter 79: The Protocol

Chapter 79: The Protocol

The very first thing Silvermist did the moment she stepped out of the simulation mirror was look for East or Cloud.

Her boots clicked sharply as her eyes darted across the crowd, scanning the familiar faces of the two Guardians and fellow apprentices, but there was no trace of either any of them.

Oddly enough, even their professors aren’t around. It seems as though this simulation thing is confidential.

Her heart thudded. Something is indeed wrong, alright!

"Where are they?" she asked Mila and Adeline without preamble the moment she stood in front of them.

"East and Cloud?" Adeline echoed, tilting her head thoughtfully before giving a shrug. "They disappeared moments after the three of you entered."

Silvermist’s eyes narrowed, her gaze sweeping across the gathered apprentices again before landing on the empty platform where Sebastian, West, and Ezekiel had stood earlier. She made a tsk sound in frustration.

"They’re gone too," she muttered, groaning.

"Ahh, they’ve already entered the other simulation entrance," Mila explained when she noticed Silvermist looking for the three. "Apparently, more entrances started opening up after your battle. I think East and Cloud purposely let everyone watch your fight to prove you’re not weak at all."

Silvermist’s lips pressed into a tight line, her brow furrowed in quiet thought. Mila’s explanation made sense—but it wasn’t enough. Not for her.

Yes, maybe East and Cloud wanted to publicly display her strength, to dispel any doubts or rumors after the incident with Gail and her being Frost’s apprentices, because unfortunately, that issue never left her entire being.

How is she so important that they had to waste a grand opportunity on simple reputation management and just for her?! No, not happening. This had layers. Hidden intentions.

And that heartbeat Levi and Cullen felt?

That wasn’t just part of a simulation.

She crossed her arms and stared back at the mirror, which now showed only a faint, shimmering reflection of her own uncertain expression.

"Something’s off," she whispered.

"What is?" Adeline asked, sensing her tension.

"They didn’t just want to show them what I could do," Silvermist said, her voice low, guarded. "They wanted to see how much I could endure. How far my mana could go... and what it might attract."

"Attract?" Mila blinked. "You mean like... that thing that nearly blew up the last arena?"

Silvermist didn’t answer right away. She only stared deeper into the mirror, as if the lingering shadows might whisper answers back to her.

"No," she finally said, her voice quieter now, tinged with something colder. "This wasn’t about showing power. This was a beacon. A lure. They wanted to see what would answer the call and perhaps," she glanced toward Cullen and Levi standing near the closed door. Cullen even tried opening it, but it won’t budge.

"Perhaps what?" Adeline asked.

"Perhaps, Cullen and Levi had to do something about it, too," he muttered. "For some reason, I feel like the simulation is not ready to be used yet. That’s why our battle ended so fast."

Adeline and Mila exchanged a glance, clearly unsettled.

Before they could question her further, the sound of distant murmurs echoed from the far hallway, followed by the soft click of boots approaching.

But it wasn’t East. Nor Cloud.

It was a messenger—one of the robed aides from the central tower. He stopped just before Silvermist and bowed slightly.

"You are to report to the Observatory Chamber," he said. "Immediately."

Silvermist’s shoulders tensed.

"Why?" she asked sharply, eyes narrowing.

The messenger didn’t answer. He merely extended his hand, revealing a folded piece of parchment sealed with East’s personal mark—a stylized crescent imbued with a faintly pulsing line of mana. It shimmered faintly, almost breathing.

Silvermist stared at it for a second, her instincts prickling. She took the note but didn’t open it. Not yet.

To her surprise, the messenger didn’t leave. Instead, he turned away and walked straight toward Cullen and Levi, who stood off to the side, still shaken from the aftermath of their simulation.

They both looked up, caught off guard as he wordlessly presented them with identical sealed notes. Cullen raised a brow, looking down at the parchment as if it might bite him.

Levi shot Silvermist a questioning look. "You got one too?"

Silvermist grimaced. "Don’t talk to me," she mouthed and rolled her eyes away from him. "Apparently. I was hoping it was just a post-simulation diagnosis... but now I’m not so sure," she muttered to Adeline and Mila.

The messenger turned back to her, one hand motioning firmly—beckoning all three of them to follow.

Silvermist could practically feel the weight of her own mana stir with annoyance. She glanced at Adeline and Mila one more time, who were already preparing to enter the second simulation gate.

"I’m sorry," she said, her tone carrying reluctant apology. "Looks like I won’t be able to watch your battles."

Mila shrugged with a lazy grin. "It’s fine. That must be important—go on. You already gave us a whole show earlier anyway."

Adeline simply smiled and nodded, giving Silvermist a reassuring thumbs-up.

Grateful, Silvermist turned—but something caught her eye that she halted.

Her steps halting, drawn toward the towering structure that had risen just outside the simulation entrances which just as the one she, Levi, and Cullen had entered.

That structure hadn’t been there before when they entered. It was massive—a wide, arched steel frame with glowing panels hovering above each simulation entrance.

On those panels—moving images flickered, vivid and disturbingly clear.

Faces. Close-ups.

Of every apprentice still inside.

Their expressions during battle: the fear in their eyes, the grit of their teeth, the exact moment when their resolve cracked—or held strong. One screen showed West mid-strike, eyes blazing with a furious kind of light. It was not the same glow she saw in his eyes back in the Mist Island.

It seems as though he’s being cautious in releasing his magic whatsoever. The others couldn’t see other apprentices’ fears, only their shadows, so no one had any idea what’s going on in their minds.

Meanwhile, another showed an apprentice collapsed on the ground, screaming in a battle against something unseen. The images weren’t just recordings—they were live, moving, reacting in real-time. It was as though someone had planted invisible cameramen inside each nightmare realm, capturing every painful detail for the outside world to watch.

Silvermist’s breath caught.

Every weakness. Every moment of hesitation. Broadcasted.

"They’ve been displaying everything?" Levi asked, appearing beside her. He was frowning too, his jaw clenched tight.

"I don’t like it," Cullen muttered from behind them. "Feels like a game show for people who’ve never been through war. Sounds like Hunger Games to me."

Silvermist nodded slowly. "It’s not just for the instructors. This... this is for the others. Perhaps, they are truly figuring something out."

Her gut twisted. She wasn’t sure if it was fear or fury. Although she already had a feeling about it, she tried her best to push it in the back of her mind.

"Let’s go," she said finally, her voice low but steady. She cast one last look at the simulation screens, heart pounding with the weight of a growing suspicion.

.

.

.

The trek to the Observatory Chamber was silent but tense.

Silvermist walked ahead, her footsteps echoing against the gleaming halls that spiraled toward the heart of the Academy. The chamber was located deep underground, below the training floors—somewhere between the old archives and the sealed ritual vaults. The further they went the colder it becomes, shifting from warm gold to an eerie, clinical blue.

Cullen whistled low under his breath as he stride closer. "Haven’t been down here since... well, never."

"Same," Levi muttered, eyes darting to the smooth walls, the strange glyphs that glowed dimly along the corridor edges. "Though this place felt a lot like the West Wing."

Silvermist didn’t answer. She was too focused. The sealed note in her hand pulsed again—fainter now, as though it knew she was close.

Finally, they reached the doors. A pair of tall obsidian slabs carved with ancient runes stood between two statues of cloaked figures. One statue had its hands raised, palms open to the sky; the other gripped a staff pointed downward.

The messenger stood waiting for them. Without a word, he stepped forward and pressed his hand against the center of the door. The mana seal on his palm glowed—and the doors hissed open with a groan of shifting stone.

The chamber beyond was vast, circular, and oddly quiet. The walls were smooth glass lined with shifting maps of energy currents. High above, mana orbs floated lazily like stars in a private cosmos.

But most importantly—East and Cloud were both there—even Sun. For a moment, Silvermist felt a twinge of pain somewhere. The three Season Guardians are here, only Frost is nowhere to be found.

Cloud stood at a console, his ebony hair tied back, eyes unreadable behind the monocle he’s wearing. East stood beside him with his arms crossed, his expression grave but calm. Meanwhile, Sun sat farther away from them, spacing out. He’s just staring to nowhere in particular.

"You’re here," East said simply. "Good."

"I assume you’re going to explain what all this is, Your Highness Grandmaster, sir?" Silvermist asked without hesitation. A hint of annoyance on her voice that made East’s lips quiver.

Instead of answering right away, East nodded toward the center of the room, grimacing. "Open your letters. All of you."

Silvermist shared a glance with Cullen and Levi before they simultaneously broke the wax seals.

As soon as she unfolded the note, runes activated on the page, glowing faintly before fading. It read:

"You are hereby summoned for observation under the Lira Protocol: Candidate Manifestation Phase. Your participation in the fear simulation has activated a dormant signature. Further testing required."

Silvermist blinked. Her hands clenched around the paper.

"What the hell is the Lira Protocol?" Cullen asked, voice hushed.

"It’s a directive issued by the Grand Circle for tracking and monitoring potential anomalous wielders—those whose mana does not align with the standard magical spectrum," Cloud answered. He didn’t sugarcoat. "In your case, all three of you."

"Because of the simulation?" Levi asked. "You did this on purpose, didn’t you?"

East’s jaw flexed. "We needed to confirm if the resonance patterns we’ve been seeing were accurate. Silvermist’s... signature has been of concern since the very first time she lost control. But the two of you—" he looked at Cullen and Levi, "—your resonance overlapped with hers during the fear simulation. Something reacted when the three of you were inside."

"You’re saying..." Silvermist’s voice was tight, "...that our mana source is... similar?"

East nodded. "Although Levi and Cullen’s are already sparse, there are still traces Theo found which resonated with your mana. It responded as if recognizing something inside you—like a key in a lock."

Levi stepped back slightly. "And what happens now?"

Cloud answered this time. "Now? Now we isolate the signature. We trace its origin, find its source, and determine if it’s a threat—or a relic."

"Relic?" Cullen asked warily.

"There are things older than mana," East said darkly. "And if what we felt in that simulation was truly a heartbeat... then it’s possible something ancient is awakening."

Silvermist felt cold. Not from fear—but from recognition.

Because deep inside her bones... she knew they were right.

Something had awakened.

And it had been waiting for her.

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