The crisp morning air swept through the hills of Leeves as the sun rose over the tranquil town. The Thors Branch Campus, nestled against the rolling landscape, buzzed with energy. Students hurried to finish preparations for the long-awaited graduation ceremony, while instructors scrambled to finalize plans. It was a bittersweet moment for Rean Schwarzer, standing at the edge of the campus overlooking the town.

He tightened the scarf around his neck, watching as members of the Class VII worked together to hoist decorations onto the main stage. It had been nearly two years since the campus was established, and now, his students—no, his friends- were on the verge of stepping into the world beyond these walls.

"Hard to believe it's been this long," Rean thought, a faint smile playing on his lips. But the smile faded as a familiar weight settled on his shoulders. The world wasn't at peace yet—not truly. Though the Great Twilight had ended, Crossbell and Liberl were finding their footing, and a nagging sense of unease clung to him.

"Instructor Rean!"

Juna Crawford's cheerful voice broke his thoughts. He turned to see her jogging toward him, her purple hair swaying with every step. Behind her trailed Kurt Vander and Altina Orion, their expressions as distinct as ever—Kurt's calm determination and Altina's quiet curiosity.

"Morning," Rean greeted, smiling despite himself. "How are the preparations coming along?"

"Smooth as they can be, thanks to me," Juna said, puffing out her chest. "But seriously, everything's on track. The ceremony's gonna be perfect."

Kurt crossed his arms. "As long as you don't let your enthusiasm topple any of the decorations."

Juna shot him a mock glare. "You're never gonna let me live that down, are you?"

"Not likely," Altina added, her tone flat but playful. "Instructor Rean, you seem distracted. Is something troubling you?"

Rean hesitated. He'd hoped his students wouldn't notice, but nothing got past them—not anymore. "No, it's nothing. Just reflecting on how much you've all grown."

Juna raised an eyebrow. "You sure that's all it is?"

Before Rean could respond, a voice called out from the direction of the campus building. Towa Herschel, the ever-diligent deputy principal, approached, a clipboard in hand and her usual warm smile lighting up her face.

"Good morning, everyone! Rean, I need your input on a few last-minute details for the ceremony."

"Of course," Rean said, grateful for the distraction. He glanced at his students. "Keep up the good work. I'll check back in later."

Meanwhile, in Crossbell, the morning ho-hum of the typical morning woes of its citizens was suddenly broken when a morning grunting and panting as a young man suddenly looked like he was out of breath and had a crazed expression on his face.

His name was Alex and currently he was running for dear life as he couldn't afford to get caught.

Unfortunately for him, that wouldn't happen as a familiar detective with brown hair and eyes. He was dressed in khaki pants, dark brown boots, and a yellow-orange shirt which is worn behind his signature CSPD blue and white jacket all while wearing a red undershirt.

If you were an ordinary citizen of Crossbell, then of course you would recognize this man. It was Lloyd Bannings, the leader of the Special Support Section of the CSPD (or more commonly referred to as the SSS).

"Alright Alex, just might this easy and surrender yourself," Lloyd said to him as he brought out his tonfas in case got violent. "It doesn't have to end with violence."

However, Alex who was agitated from something, soon brought out a knife threatening Lloyd. "Stay back! I am warning you!"

However, Lloyd was not intimidated easily knocked the knife out of his hands and subdued the man as several blue pills fell out of his pocket as Lloyd handcuffed him.

"Lloyd!"

Lloyd looked up and saw his current partner and girlfriend, Rixia Mao soon leapt down from a building and walked up to him worried about him and hoping he was ok.

"Don't worry about me Rixia, after everyone we have faced, I wouldn't let a common street thug do me in," Lloyd said as he bent down and picked up the blue pills that had dropped from the thug's pocket. "Look at this."

Rixia looked shocked, as she clearly thought that she would have never seen it again. "T-that's… Gnosis. But how?"

"I have heard chatter on the street about Gnosis having survived both the Governor-General's and Supreme Leader's purge on drugs," Lloyd said shrugging. "Though I guess we can say this is official confirmation now."

Rixia soon looked at Lloyd. "We need to tell everyone else about this."

Lloyd agreed as he and Rixia soon went to turn this thug in back at the station.

Back at the branch campus, Towa laid out the plans for the ceremony, but even as she spoke, Rean's mind wandered. A faint unease tugged at him, like an itch he couldn't scratch. He glanced out the window, catching sight of the students below. They laughed and worked together, blissfully unaware of the tension bubbling beneath the surface of Erebonia.

"Rean?"

Towa's voice snapped him back to attention. "Sorry, what was that?"

"You seem distracted," she said gently, setting the clipboard down. "Is something on your mind?"

Rean sighed, leaning back in his chair. "It's probably nothing. I just… can't shake the feeling that something's going to happen."

Towa frowned. "You're not usually one to ignore your instincts. Do you think we should heighten security?"

"Maybe. Just as a precaution."

As if on cue, the door to the lounge burst open, and Major Michael Irving strode in, his usual no-nonsense expression firmly in place.

"We've received a report," he said, his tone clipped. "Unidentified movements near Parm. The local authorities are on edge."

Rean stood, his brow furrowing. "Movements? You think it's anything serious?"

Michael nodded. "Hard to say, but it's better to be safe. I want you and Class VII to investigate. If it's nothing, you'll be back in time for the ceremony."

Rean exchanged a glance with Towa, whose worry mirrored his own. "Understood. I'll gather the team."

As Rean walked out, Towa looked at him worriedly. As she couldn't help but simply think… that this was the calm before the storm.