Chapter 212: The Second Dawn

The failed hostage exchange had left the Imperial Guard with an uncomfortable discovery.

The perpetrators had never intended to honor the agreement.

After spending several days negotiating for the release of three children, they had brought the hostages outside only to demand that the government surrender its prisoner beforehand.

When the Imperial negotiators refused, the children were returned to the school, including one boy who had collapsed while waiting.

The authorities subsequently suspended the prisoner transfer and began preparing additional rescue measures.

However, the incident had also provided an unexpected lead.

One of the children had been carrying an examination sheet, and the Imperial observers had managed to obtain a partial image before the girl was escorted inside. A search of the school’s administrative records revealed several similar documents uploaded after the occupation began.

The questions were strange.

Some concerned ordinary academic subjects, while others asked students to describe their greatest fears, their relationships with their families, and what they would do if someone they loved betrayed them.

Each document included instructions for further assessment if the student failed to meet an unspecified standard.

Ilya had trouble imagining what sort of teacher would consider that an appropriate examination.

Then again, the people responsible had already demonstrated that their understanding of education was rather questionable.

The Imperial investigators were now searching for the source of the documents. Unfortunately, the files contained no useful author information, and the school’s teaching staff denied any involvement.

Professor Antoine had already provided the authorities with everything SkyRune knew about the machinery beneath Saint Aurelia.

For the moment, there was little more they could accomplish without access to the building.

Ilya therefore returned to Holy Trinity to attend his remaining lectures.

He had neglected enough coursework during the investigation, and even an Imperial hostage crisis was unlikely to persuade every professor to overlook missing assignments.

Fortunately, his classmates had been keeping him informed about the lessons he missed.

By late afternoon, he had finished most of his immediate obligations.

That was when Vera Adelheid contacted him.

Her message contained a simple invitation to visit her when he was available.

Ilya found her in one of the academy’s quieter rooms, occupying her usual seat beside the window.

"You’ve been rather difficult to find lately, Ilya."

"I’ve been helping with the situation at Saint Aurelia, Senior. Apparently, joining a research workshop carries responsibilities that weren’t mentioned during recruitment."

"How unfortunate. Have they at least been paying you?"

"With additional work."

"How generous."

Their conversation continued naturally as Ilya explained his recent activities. Vera already knew about the hostage crisis, including the involvement of Antoine’s daughter, although she seemed interested in hearing what had occupied so much of his time.

Ilya avoided discussing confidential details from the investigation.

However, the failed exchange and the unusual examination papers had already become known among several officials and researchers, so he mentioned the general circumstances.

Vera listened with her usual composure.

When he described the questions concerning fear and family relationships, she became particularly attentive.

"An examination, you say?"

"That’s what the documents call it. Apparently, ordinary mathematics wasn’t enough to satisfy the people holding the school hostage."

"How peculiar. And the children are being evaluated according to their answers?"

"That’s what the instructions suggest. We haven’t found the grading criteria."

Vera remained silent for a moment before asking whether the captors had been exposing the students to unusual magical conditions.

Ilya confirmed that the authorities suspected as much.

The professor’s research had already established that machinery installed beneath the school was affecting its environment, and one child had died after developing symptoms consistent with abnormal magical exposure.

Vera’s interest in the matter appeared to deepen.

"Have you ever heard of the Cult of the Second Dawn?"

Ilya searched his memory.

He had encountered plenty of strange names since arriving in this world, but that particular organization was unfamiliar.

"No. Should I have?"

"Preferably not. They were never especially pleasant company."

According to Vera, the Cult of the Second Dawn was a name associated with several obscure research circles that had operated decades earlier. Their members believed that humanity possessed dormant possibilities that ordinary magical education could never uncover.

Some sought methods of improving magical aptitude. Others became interested in the effects of extreme physical and psychological conditions upon human development.

Their theories varied, and many were little more than speculation.

Unfortunately, certain researchers had attempted to test those ideas on living subjects.

"People have always wanted to overcome their limitations," Vera explained. "Most eventually accept that improvement requires time and effort. Others convince themselves that extraordinary results demand extraordinary methods."

"And these people preferred the second approach?"

"Some of them. Enough to attract the attention of the authorities."

Ilya considered the information.

The idea of developing humanity’s hidden potential wasn’t inherently ridiculous. The existence of extraordinary magical phenomena demonstrated that the limits of human ability remained poorly understood.

However, there was an enormous difference between investigating an unfamiliar phenomenon and deliberately harming people in the hope that something remarkable might happen.

The cult’s alleged methods sounded suspiciously similar to what was happening at Saint Aurelia.

"Senior, do you believe they’re responsible?"

"I wouldn’t claim that. But the examinations you described remind me of certain accounts involving their research. You might find something useful if the Imperial investigators recognize the name."

"Where did you hear about them?"

"Old books, mostly. You’d be surprised what people were willing to publish before someone decided their experiments were illegal."

That sounded plausible enough.

Vera possessed extensive knowledge of subjects rarely discussed during ordinary academy lessons. Ilya had long since accepted that asking where she learned every obscure piece of information would occupy more time than actually studying under her.

Still, the timing of her suggestion was interesting.

"Thank you, Senior. I’ll mention it to Professor Antoine."

"Do that. And Ilya, leave the actual confrontation to the Imperial Guard. Your professor needs capable assistance, and I would prefer that my student remain alive long enough to finish his lessons."

"I wasn’t planning to storm the school."

"I’m delighted to hear that. Sensible decisions are becoming fashionable again."

Ilya found that rather unfair.

He had demonstrated remarkable restraint throughout the investigation, especially considering how often circumstances seemed determined to involve him in dangerous affairs.

Nevertheless, Vera’s warning was reasonable.

There were professionals handling the rescue, and his involvement remained useful precisely because he could contribute without entering the occupied building.

Their conversation soon returned to ordinary matters, although Vera made no further mention of the cult.

Ilya departed after thanking her for the information.

By the time he reached SkyRune, Antoine was reviewing another communication from the Imperial investigators.

Ilya waited until the professor finished before explaining what he had learned.

"A senior at the academy mentioned an old organization called the Cult of the Second Dawn. Apparently, some of its researchers believed extreme conditions could awaken unusual magical abilities. She suggested checking whether the name appears in any restricted research cases."

Antoine listened carefully.

"Who told you this?"

"Senior Vera Adelheid. She’s knowledgeable about some rather obscure subjects."

"I see. And she believes the examinations are connected?"

"She said the resemblance was worth investigating. Nothing more."

Antoine appreciated the distinction.

The Imperial authorities had already encountered several misleading leads, and the last thing the rescue command needed was another unsupported theory presented as established fact.

Nevertheless, the name was specific enough to verify.

The professor contacted an Imperial investigator and passed along the information.

The response came sooner than expected.

The Cult of the Second Dawn appeared in several archived investigations involving unauthorized magical research. Most concerned small organizations operating under different names, although a handful of cases mentioned attempts to alter human magical development through prolonged stress.

One case was particularly relevant.

Several researchers had been questioned after conducting experiments involving young subjects, but the investigation collapsed when the principal suspects disappeared.

The records were incomplete.

However, the name provided by Vera was genuine, and the Imperial investigators considered the possible connection worth pursuing.

Antoine requested that they examine the six prisoners named in the hostage-takers’ demands.

If any had previously been associated with those research circles, the investigators might finally establish a connection between the occupation and the cult’s activities.

Ilya remained at SkyRune while the authorities conducted their search.

He didn’t expect an immediate answer.

After all, the relevant cases were decades old, and the perpetrators had evidently taken considerable care to conceal their identities.

However, the investigator contacted Antoine again before the evening ended.

One of the six prisoners had previously been questioned during an investigation involving illegal experiments on magical adaptation.

The case had been dismissed for insufficient evidence.

More importantly, the man’s former associates included several individuals connected to the Cult of the Second Dawn.

Antoine requested the complete investigation file.

The Imperial official agreed to forward the relevant material, but mentioned that the authorities had uncovered another detail during their search.

One of the archived documents contained a description of a procedure called the Second Awakening Assessment.

According to the surviving account, subjects were exposed to progressively harsher conditions while researchers evaluated changes in their physical and psychological responses.

The document described several stages.

The final stage was intended to occur only after the subjects had reached a prescribed level of distress.

Ilya remembered the examination sheets recovered from Saint Aurelia.

The questions about fear, betrayal, and loved ones suddenly seemed far less arbitrary.

Antoine asked whether the archived document explained what happened during the final stage.

The investigator answered that the corresponding pages were missing.

However, the record contained a handwritten warning from one of the officials who had examined the research years earlier.

The procedure had been prohibited because its earlier trials resulted in the deaths of every test subject.

Antoine immediately requested that the information be forwarded to the Imperial rescue commander.

There were still children inside Saint Aurelia, and the perpetrators had already announced that another examination was approaching.

Ilya understood why the professor was suddenly so urgent.

If the captors were following that abandoned procedure, the authorities might have far less time than they believed.

Before the call ended, the investigator delivered one final piece of information.

The surviving document described the final assessment as requiring the subjects to remain together until the procedure was completed.

That evening, the Imperial Guard received a new report from the school.

The hostage-takers had begun moving the children out of their classrooms.

All of them were being taken toward the same part of the building.