It took twenty years.
Twenty years of fear.
Twenty years of whispering councils and secret meetings.
Twenty years of hidden wars fought in shadows.
And then, at last,
the world unveiled its answer to the Seer's prophecy.
The Academy of Heroes.
It was a city unto itself.
White stone towers touched the clouds.
Silver gates stood three stories tall, etched with runes of protection.
Flags bearing the crest of Glory — the ancient Order founded by Arin — flew from every spire.
Built atop the ruins of the old wars,
at the very heart of the world,
the Academy rose like a second sun.
"Here," they said, "we will forge the protectors of tomorrow.
Here, we will train Heroes strong enough to crush any shadow.
Here, we will prevent the rise of the Prince of Darkness."
Children from every nation were sent to its gates.
Born with strange talents.
Born with strange powers.
Born with strange destinies.
They came with hope in their eyes.
Dreams in their hearts.
Swords on their backs.
The Academy offered everything.
Training in sword and magic.
Lessons in history and politics.
Oaths to defend the peace at any cost.
The first generation was hailed as the Golden Class.
They marched in silver armor.
They sang songs of light and glory.
And for a time…
it worked.
Crime fell.
The borders held.
The world basked in peace once again.
But underneath the banners and songs…
the cage was closing.
For every child admitted into the Academy,
five more were rejected.
Labeled "too unstable."
"Too dangerous."
"Too unknown."
Those children?
Vanish.
Sent away.
Locked behind unseen walls.
Forgotten.
And sometimes…
those who entered the Academy did not leave the same.
Because fear is a poison.
It seeps into training.
It hardens hearts.
It twists dreams into weapons.
The brightest students learned not only how to protect.
They learned how to destroy.
Not just monsters.
Not just darkness.
Each other.
The Academy of Heroes was not just a school.
It was a crucible.
A furnace.
A place where legends were forged —
and monsters too.
The leaders called it a necessity.
The priests called it a blessing.
The people called it salvation.
And somewhere deep beneath the lowest dungeons of the Academy,
forgotten by architects and kings,
an ancient seed stirred.
A breath of shadow.
A heartbeat of darkness.
Because cages do not kill monsters.
They feed them.
They teach them.
They make them stronger.
And the children born in the new world?
They would not remember the boy who died to save it.
They would not remember the girl who gave her soul to protect it.
They would only remember the lie.
Light good.
Darkness bad.
Heroes save.
Monsters destroy.
Simple.
Clean.
False.
The world sharpened its swords.
Built its walls.
Trained its future.
And unknowingly…
trained its downfall.