The principal’s announcement had told them what was happening. Three days later, Selene told them why.

She locked Room 3-C’s doors, activated the privacy wards that made the walls go opaque, and stood at the front with a look that said this conversation would not leave the room.

"What I’m about to share is Caelan-approved but Alliance-classified," she said. "You do not repeat it outside this room. Not to family, not to friends outside this group, not in messages. Clear?"

Seven nods. Even Yuelan, who usually had something to say about being told what to do, just nodded.

— • —

"The Crimson Serpent Sect is not a local organization," Selene began. "They operate across national borders and, according to Alliance intelligence, across planes. They are connected to something called the Void Star Alliance — a larger coalition that exists beyond Edius in the Boundless Ocean of Planes."

The room went very still. Across planes. That was a sentence that changed the size of the threat from "criminal organization" to something much bigger.

"Their interests on Edius appear to involve rare cultivation resources, high-value bloodline targets, and strategic disruption of planetary defense infrastructure," Selene continued. "In practical terms, that means they want three things: rare materials from our corruption zones, access to powerful cultivators — especially ones with unusual bloodlines — and anything that weakens Edius’s ability to survive the Fifth Trial."

She let that sit for a moment.

"Seven Bloodline Plant Lords in one location qualifies as a high-value bloodline target. That’s why they were watching this school." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

— • —

Iris spoke first. "What’s their likely approach?" Her voice was calm and analytical, as if she were discussing a formation drill instead of a sect that operated between dimensions.

"Three scenarios the Alliance considers most probable," Selene said. "First: Targeted kidnapping. They grab one or more of you for study, leverage, or worse. This is their most common approach with high-value targets on other operations."

"Second: Assassination. If they can’t take you, they deny you to the Alliance. Kill the BPLs before they grow into threats."

"Third: Infiltration. Place agents near the school who build trust and access over time, then act when defenses are down."

Cassian raised his hand slowly. "Which one are we expecting?"

"We’re preparing for all three. But the surveillance pattern your classmate identified" — she didn’t look at Ren, which he appreciated — "is most consistent with the first. Kidnapping requires detailed knowledge of the target’s location, schedule, and defensive coverage. That’s what perimeter recon gives you."

— • —

The group processed it differently.

Kaelen leaned forward in his chair, his cold composure focused into something sharper. He wasn’t scared. Ren could see that clearly. Kaelen Voss had grown up in a noble house where political threats and family enemies were background noise. This wasn’t new to him — it was just bigger than what he was used to. His jaw was set in the way that meant he was already thinking about how to fight back.

Yuelan cracked her knuckles. "How strong are they?"

"Their field operatives range from Stage 3 to Stage 5," Selene said. "The ones running recon were likely Stage 3 or 4 — fast, concealment-trained, built for stealth rather than combat. But if they send an assault team, expect at least one Stage 5. Tier 2."

The room absorbed that number. Tier 2. Stage 5 meant World Creation — a cultivator with an internal domain, 5,000 to 50,000 tons of force, and the ability to fight at a level that made everything in this room look like children. Even Selene, at Peak Stage 4, was below that threshold.

"The Alliance security team includes three Tier 2 operatives," Selene added. "And the principal has arranged additional support that I am not authorized to discuss. We are not unprotected. But protection has limits, and those limits are what I need you to train for."

— • —

Iris had her notebook open. "If they send a team, what’s the tactical picture? Stealth approach through the corruption zones, breach the wards, extract the target, and retreat before the Alliance response arrives?"

Selene looked at her with something close to approval. "That’s the most likely model. The corruption zones provide energy cover for approach. The wards are strong but not unbreachable against a prepared Tier 2 operator. The response window — the time between breach and Alliance reinforcement arriving in force — is approximately four to seven minutes."

"So we need to survive four to seven minutes," Ren said.

Selene looked at him. "Yes. If they get through, if the guards are engaged, if everything goes wrong at once — the seven of you need to hold together for four to seven minutes until reinforcement arrives. That is the scenario we train for starting today."

Ren ran the math. Four minutes against Stage 3-4 operatives was manageable with the group’s current ability. Four minutes against a Stage 5 was a different conversation entirely. A single Stage 5 cultivator could flatten every student in this room in about thirty seconds without breaking a sweat. Their only advantage would be numbers, coordination, and the wards buying them time.

’Four minutes,’ he thought. ’We train until four minutes feels like nothing.’

— • —

Lin Yueying spoke for the first time. "The Crimson Serpent is distinct from the Crimson Empire."

It wasn’t a question. It was a clarification, delivered with the quiet precision of someone who understood that names mattered and confusion between them could be dangerous. Yuelan — who was from the Crimson Empire — looked at Yueying with sharp gratitude.

"Completely distinct," Selene confirmed. "The Crimson Empire is a sovereign nation. The Crimson Serpent Sect is an infiltrating organization connected to off-world interests. They share a word in their names. That’s the only connection."

Yuelan relaxed slightly. Not much, but enough that Ren noticed.

— • —

After the briefing, the group filed out of Room 3-C in silence. Nobody joked. Nobody argued. They walked through the corridor together, the same tight formation they had learned in the corruption zone, and nobody needed to be told to do it.

Cassian fell into step beside Ren. "Four to seven minutes," he said quietly.

"Yeah."

"Against people who might be Tier 2."

"Yeah."

Cassian was quiet for a few steps. Then he said, "We’ve survived worse odds. The Hollowroot Realm was supposed to kill you. The Burrowing Maw was supposed to kill me. And here we are, walking down a corridor complaining about it."

Ren almost smiled. "We’re not complaining."

"No," Cassian said. "We’re not."

They walked out into the afternoon sun. The Alliance guards were at their posts. The wards hummed. Somewhere beyond the corruption zones, an organization that spanned planes was deciding when and how to come for seven teenagers who hadn’t asked to be valuable.

Kaia pulsed in Ren’s chest. Alert. Warm. The quiet readiness of something that had survived a dead realm, a corruption zone, and the integration of two laws — and was not afraid of what came next.