The students of the elite class left the prestigious shop where they had just purchased their outfits for the Ball of the Dead. Night was slowly falling over Kraków, and the city lit up with thousands of neon lights. Holographic advertisements floated above the streets, casting colorful reflections on the tempered glass sidewalks. Sleek, futuristic skyscrapers towered over historic buildings, creating a striking contrast between modernity and the past.

  The sound of magnetic vehicles gliding along anti-gravity tracks mixed with the voices of pedestrians. The air was filled with the scent of coffee and spices from elegant cafés, where both ordinary citizens and high-ranking nobles engaged in their conversations.

  Jian walked at the front, maintaining his usual unshaken composure. Suddenly, he stopped, turned to the students, and announced, "I made an arrangement with the shop. Your outfits will be delivered directly to the hotel. You don’t have to worry about carrying them now."

  "Finally, some good news," Makoto muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets.

  "Don’t get too excited just yet," Jian added. "Before we head to the hotel, we have one more place to visit."

  Tommy groaned loudly, not even lifting his gaze from his console. "Seriously? But I’m right before a boss fight…"

  Jian shot him a glare that could freeze blood in veins. Tommy instantly fell silent and wordlessly put his console away.

  They moved forward.

  After a few minutes of walking, they were approached by a group of people dressed in pure white outfits. Their clothing bore the symbol of a finger pointing toward the sky.

  One of the young men, tall and smiling, stepped forward. "Greetings, young travelers! I see that you are extraordinary individuals. We would like to invite you to our gathering. The Church of the True God opens its arms to all who seek light and truth."

  Jian didn’t even slow his pace. "We don’t have time for this," he said coldly, walking past them.

  The students followed his example, but Isaac turned to Cornelius. "Do you recognize them?"

  Cornelius narrowed his eyes, observing the group. "No. But this looks like a cult. We should stay away from them."

  "They seemed like nice people," Isaac noted.

  "Appearances can be deceiving," Lucy added as she passed by him.

  They arrived at an entrance that resembled a subway station entrance, but it was too heavily guarded to be one. Two guards in black uniforms stood on either side of a metal door, watching them intently.

  Jian approached one of them and showed a pass. The guard nodded, pressed a panel by the door, and the passage opened.

  They descended a concrete staircase. When they reached a large, brightly lit corridor, a woman in her thirties was already waiting for them. She had dark brown eyes and loosely tied hair, dressed in a women’s suit.

  "Alicia Pajeczak," she introduced herself with a warm smile. "The prince has been expecting you. Follow me."

  They followed her through narrow corridors. This place didn’t resemble an ordinary base—everywhere were strange machines, transparent screens displaying complex data, and people in protective suits conducting mysterious experiments.

  "What is this place?" Anna whispered to Maya.

  Maya shook her head. "I don’t know, I’ve never been to a place like this before."

  They entered a large, sterile room, entirely white. In the center, a dark blue cube floated, pulsating with a gentle glow.

  Alicia approached it and knocked lightly. "Hello, prince? The students have arrived. You didn’t forget about our meeting, did you?"

  A moment of silence.

  Then, a bored voice responded, "I didn’t forget, I was just hoping they wouldn’t show up… Ugh, how troublesome."

  Suddenly, the cube expanded, and a moment later, a young man emerged from within it. Tall, with dark blue eyes that glowed just like the cube.

  Michael, the second prince and the head of the inventors' division.

  (Michael, imagine made by my bro kejlol)

  Cornelius immediately noticed that his weapon was that very cube. It was too perfectly attuned to his aura and eye color.

  Jian bowed slightly. "We have come for the suit fitting."

  Michael let out a heavy sigh. "It’s not about fitting them, because these suits will adjust to your body on their own. They need to be configured with your DNA. Anyway, welcome to the main headquarters of the inventors' division."

  The students were led to another room filled with advanced equipment—glass panels, holograms, and screens displaying biological data.

  In the center were black suits—they looked like a second skin.

  Alicia handed them out to the students.

  "I created these suits in my second year at the academy," Michael began. "They’ve been in use for a year. Other countries want to buy them from us, but I have no intention of selling them."

  He started explaining their functions—pain suppression, injection of substances that stop bleeding, body enhancement, small-caliber bullet resistance…

  "This isn’t just an outfit," he said seriously. "It’s personal armor."

  The students went to change. Meanwhile, Michael glanced at Jian.

  "Have you changed your mind? A year ago, you refused, but I can still give you your own suit."

  Jian smiled slightly. "I don’t need it. I can do all those things myself without the help of technology. Let it go to someone less experienced."

  When the students returned, Makoto frowned. "This doesn’t fit. It’s loose."

  "It will connect with your nervous system within three days," Michael explained. "Then it will fit perfectly."

  Maya raised an eyebrow. "So we have to wear this for three days without taking it off?"

  Michael confirmed.

  Anna groaned. "What about the ball?! Why did we have to put them on right before it?"

  The prince shrugged. "Now is the only time I have for such trivial matters," he replied indifferently.

  In reality, the situation was entirely different. In his mind, Michael cursed. The order had come from above—all elite classes were to receive the suits before the ball. Things were getting more dangerous. Dracula had escaped, and the upcoming Dziady (a traditional Slavic ritual honoring ancestors) could attract something far worse.

  No one knew what would happen that night.

  But he was forbidden from telling them.

  Lucy snorted.

  "You know, great, but how are we supposed to wash or… you know."

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  "The suits are waterproof, so you can wash in them. They also have special openings for excretion," Michael remarked.

  The students clearly showed their dissatisfaction, except for Cornelius, who stood deep in thought.

  A question burned inside him, one that had been eating at him for a long time. Everything that had happened at the cemetery wouldn’t let him rest. The sight of the reanimated corpses, the terrifying laughter of that bloated monster, and then… that strange, pale man.

  Who was he?

  Cornelius didn’t believe in ghosts. He didn’t believe in demons. He didn’t believe in God. He always relied on logic and science. Everything had to have an explanation. And yet…

  He didn’t have one.

  He took a deep breath and approached Michael, who was checking some data on a transparent screen.

  "Excuse me, prince, but can I ask you a question?"

  Michael didn’t even look at him.

  "Fine, but make it quick, I don’t have time."

  "Do you believe in evolution or in God?" Cornelius asked, trying to keep his voice neutral.

  Michael lifted his gaze, his deep blue eyes gleaming slightly. For a moment, he was silent, as if analyzing the question’s meaning.

  "In God," he finally answered.

  Cornelius furrowed his brows.

  "Seriously? I thought you were a scientist."

  Michael smiled slightly, but there was no mockery in his expression.

  "I am. And that’s exactly why I believe in Him."

  Cornelius scoffed, though there was more nervousness in it than amusement.

  "That kind of contradicts itself, don’t you think?"

  Michael shook his head.

  "Science allows us to understand reality, but it doesn’t explain everything." His voice was calm but firm. "I see things that cannot be explained by science. Beings that shouldn’t exist. Phenomena that don’t fit into any theory."

  Cornelius wanted to argue, but the image of Anastasia twisted by the demon was still too fresh.

  Michael looked him straight in the eyes.

  "You can believe in evolution. You can believe that the Awakened are simply the next stage of development. But tell me one thing, Cornelius… If all this is just the result of mutation and natural selection, then where did the Rifts come from? We have evidence that they lead to other dimensions—how do you explain that?"

  Cornelius opened his mouth but had no answer.

  Michael smirked slightly and returned to his work.

  "When you find a rational explanation, let me know."

  Cornelius stood there for a moment, feeling something in his worldview begin to crack.

  "I have one more question. I feel like I’ve met you before. Your aura seems familiar. Haven’t we met before?" he asked.

  "One question, you said. Besides, I’m a prince. You’ve probably seen me plenty of times," Michael replied, shifting his gaze to the screen as if the topic meant nothing to him. "Now get out of here, you’re wasting my time."

  Cornelius didn’t say another word. He left the lab with the others. They headed straight to the hotel. The time until the ball was running out.

  The preparations for the ball weren’t filled with enthusiasm. In the hotel rooms, students tried on their outfits while Maya’s complaints echoed through the hallways.

  "This is a joke," Maya growled, running her hand over her suit. "For the guys, the costume practically disappears under their tuxedos, but we have to wear it under our dresses?"

  "At least you don’t have to worry about someone stabbing you with a knife," Makoto said, adjusting the cuffs of his tailcoat. "You look like an elite assassin. You should like it."

  Maya rolled her eyes, fastening her gown.

  "Great, I’ve always dreamed of looking like a masked vigilante in an evening dress."

  The students prepared as best as they could. When they came down in front of the hotel, a magnetic limousine was already waiting to take them to the ball.

  At this hour, Wawel looked magnificent. The castle's facades were illuminated by golden lanterns that cast a warm glow on the courtyard. Flags bearing the coats of arms of noble families fluttered gently in the wind, and the entire residence was adorned with the symbols of ancient dynasties, creating an atmosphere both majestic and ominous.

  The grand gate leading inside was guarded by sentries dressed in ceremonial uniforms, and in front of the entrance, a crowd of guests had gathered, each looking like a figure pulled from a different era.

  Upon entering the ballroom, the students immediately felt the weight of many gazes on them.

  In Poland, only four schools had the right to train special classes: Rzeszów, Kraków, Warsaw, and Szczecin. Admissions to these academies occurred every four years, never in two schools at the same time. This meant that each class was at a different level of training—and the Rzeszów class was the youngest.

  This was a test.

  The other schools were watching them with scrutinizing gazes, analyzing their posture, their movements, and every little detail of their behavior.

  Jian sighed quietly and turned to his students.

  "I have to leave you for a moment. I have a meeting. In the meantime… don’t disgrace our school."

  With those words, he walked away, leaving the students on their own.

  Jian reached a dark chamber where a round table stood.

  Seated at the table were King Joseph, General Adam Kraski, and Archbishop Matthew.

  Jian bowed before the king and then looked at the exorcist.

  "Father… or rather, commanding Archbishop Matthew. What’s the situation?"

  Matthew never liked flaunting his title, so to the students, he introduced himself simply as a priest. Once a year, he traveled for a week to a town near Kraków to assist with exorcisms at the cemetery. But things had gotten so bad that the king summoned the archbishop to the ball to personally perform the Dziady (a traditional Slavic ritual honoring ancestors).

  Matthew placed his hands on the tabletop.

  "It’s bad. Very bad."

  He began to speak. About how Dracula had been awakened. About how Sister Anastasia had been possessed by a higher demon and had likely betrayed the location of his tomb.

  "Many people wanted to wake him," he continued. "That’s why the Romanian authorities transferred his body to Poland about one hundred and fifty years ago."

  General Kraski intertwined his fingers.

  "In my opinion, this is all connected. The terrorist attack in Rzeszów. The incident with the House of Roses. And now Dracula."

  Matthew nodded.

  "We need to find out what’s happening. And the best way to do that is to ask the dead."

  Matthew confirmed that he had prepared everything so that the right souls would come during the ritual. He had provided the bodies of Sister Anastasia and several people involved in the terrorist attack at the gallery.

  King Joseph looked at Matthew with a grave expression.

  "This year, there will be two Dziady rituals," he announced. "One, as always, for everyone, where random souls will be summoned… and a second one."

  He let his gaze pass over the faces around the table.

  "In a separate chamber, Archbishop Matthew will perform a ritual, trying to summon specific souls."

  A heavy silence fell as they all grasped the weight of the situation.

  "We must be extremely cautious," the king added. "Something terrible is happening. I’ve reinforced the castle’s security more than ever. I hope my concerns are unnecessary…"

  "I’ll pass this information to the others," Jian concluded.

  Meanwhile, in the ballroom, the students felt uneasy.

  The entire hall radiated opulence. Crystal chandeliers cast golden light onto the polished marble floor. Richly decorated columns stretched toward the high ceiling, while ball gowns and elegant tailcoats formed a mosaic of colors, making the whole room look like a grand painting.

  Soft music flowed from the instruments, but the students weren’t quite sure what to do.

  "So, what now?" Makoto muttered, glancing around the room.

  Before anyone could answer, a woman approached Lucy.

  She was dressed in a mask and a beautiful gown, her posture impeccably elegant.

  "You seem familiar," she said with a slight smile.

  Lucy stiffened.

  "Who are you?"

  The woman removed her mask, revealing a familiar face.

  "Marta Kwiecien," she said, looking Lucy straight in the eyes.

  Lucy’s heart pounded.

  She recognized her immediately.

  It was that woman. The Awakened who had erased the memories of all the children from the House of Roses a year ago.

  At that very moment, a man with orange eyes joined them. He appeared to be around fifty years old, with a confident smile and the gaze of someone accustomed to being in control.

  "Marta, when did you schedule the next meeting… Oh, I see you've found someone familiar," he said, extending his hand. "Hello, I’m Igor Kot. Owner of Kot Pharmaceuticals. Nice to meet you."

  Lucy did not shake his hand.

  The man didn’t comment on her reaction, but there was something in his eyes that Lucy could interpret as amusement.

  "I heard about what happened," Marta added. "I’m sorry."

  Lucy narrowed her eyes.

  Her tone was natural. Even polite.

  But… there wasn’t a hint of sympathy in it.

  Something was off.

  And more importantly—how did she know?

  That was supposed to remain strictly confidential.