Now that the group was inside the room, they could hear their hearts beating form the excitement. Even Bliss who was usually calm and focused felt different. Everyone apart of Ray's group would be experiencing the assessment for the first time, all apart from Van and Kaito.

  The two of them stood by each other's side and just looked at each other.

  "Were you like that your first time?" Kaito asked.

  Then a thought of him and Amy going in together last time appeared. Back then Van was so happy being surrounded by his friends.

  "Yeah, I guess so."

  Just then though while Ray was patiently waiting for everything to start. He could feel a pair of daggers staring into his back. When he turned around, he could see Professor Springett standing right behind him with a little girl.

  "Hello, nice to meet you." The little girl said.

  The little girl had shiny pink hair, something Ray hadn't seen before in Roland. But that was when Max recognised who it was right away.

  "Aren't you the prince…" Before max could finish his words, Springett had placed her hand over his mouth.

  "Not a word of this too anyone, do you understand?" Max slowly nodded his head and she removed her hand.

  Max had recognised the girl as the princess of the Cryterian Kingdom, named Norah Sine. She was instantly recognisable from her pink her, something that only the royalty of that kingdom had.

  Suddenly, at the same time, Springett and Ray felt a strange feeling in the room. At the same time, there were several others as well. Including Blake and Flynn.

  Springett then pulled Norah closer to her and drew her sword.

  That's when in the centre of the magic circle just underneath the crystal, A True infected had appeared.

  "What is that?"

  "isn't that a True infected?"

  "You mean it's part of the shadow, how did it manage to sneak inside?"

  "Maybe it's part of the assessment?"

  All eyes in the room were now focused on one thing, the True infected stood in the middle. Although the man stood still the shadows surrounding his body did not. Moving, swirling around as if they were alive.

  It was one of the most powerful minions of the shadow.

  "Van!" Ray shouted, "And the rest of you, whatever you do don't separate from me."

  If Ray remembered correctly last time. The shadow had no clue of Ray's existence in the academy but it did know about Van and it might just be after him.

  The True infected then lifted his arm and with it, the magic circle underneath his feat started to glow. From the circle, shadows started to appear.

  "Why are the shadow making such a bold move and Inside the academy at that!" Ray thought, "Is Van even more important to them than I first thought."

  "Quickly let's get out here!" The students said as they tried to run out of the entrance from which they came.

  But then the True infected lifted his hand and at the same time, a wall of black shadows appeared covering the entrance. The students closest to the entrance were suddenly grabbed by the shadows and pulled into the wall.

  Their screams were heard for a brief moment and then never again after.

  "What do we do, we can't leave now?"

  "It looks like the only way is to defeat that man." The young professor Flynn said.

  He stood forward and suddenly the aura around his body started to change. A faint light glow could be seen surrounding his body.

  "Breakthrough!" Flynn shouted.

  A burst of energy left his body and his hair was now floating in constant motion as magic had surrounded and entered his body.

  "Oh did the professor just Breakthrough?"

  "I've never seen a mage do that before, I can feel the magic coming off him from here."

  Even Ray who was standing quite a distance away from Flynn was able to feel the magic surrounding Flynn's body.

  "So that's a breakthrough." If there was one major difference between the upper class and the middle-class it was this. You weren't considered a real mage until you were able to break through and looking at Flynn, Ray felt like he knew why.

  "Here, take her," Springett said as she pushed Norah over to Ray. "You guys get out of here."

  "But how are we men to get out, there's that huge shadow wall blocking the only entrance!" Max cried.

  Springett didn't give an answer but simply looked at Ray. It didn't matter what her suspicions of Ray were but she felt like he was on their side and right now she needed his help.

  "I can give it a try," Ray replied.

  As Ray walked up to the wall, he was busy thinking about what to do. With the professors there it seemed like they were powerful enough to deal with a true infected. Especially with two of them and after witnessing the Breakthrough Ray was hopeful.

  The problem was the teleportation circle. It had already started its activation and would take some time before it would fully activate and when it did it would teleport all the students to who knows where but it definitely wasn't going to be a regular hunting ground.

  Then a loud scream was heard.

  "Springett I need help!" Flynn shouted. "You know my abilities aren't really suited for combat." He said running towards Springett and the others.

  The true infected was right on Flynn's tail-chasing after him. Springett drew out her sword and sliced the shadows face.

  Success.

  Or so she thought. The shadows reshifted and just reformed the face once again. Then the shadow continued to move forward and floated right past Springett and the others, when it was close enough it lifted its hand and from its palm releasing a dark energy ball.

  The attack wasn't aimed at Ray or any of the Professors though. The ball was heading straight for Van.

  ****

  Special thanks to KINGDOM, ancientwatcher, Itz_Osas_Billions, Fenrir2040,?Doodlebug, for the gifts they really help me continue working hard.