Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye.

  Thanks to the Spirit Class, the school had been spared any further crises. But online, paranormal incidents of every kind cropped up nonstop, growing worse by the day, a thick sense of panic hanging over the entire world.

  “They just can’t get this under control…”

  Though he’d stayed on campus, John had kept a close eye on all the outside news. He wasn’t the least bit surprised—if the crisis were easy to fix, the authorities never would have issued a nationwide alert, let alone poured time and resources into creating the Spirit Class.

  The very existence of the Spirit Class meant the government was building a reserve force, gearing up for a long war against the paranormal.

  One day, John and William met up in the cafeteria. With the Spirit Class having a completely different curriculum from regular classes, the two barely got to see each other anymore.

  “John, I’m heading out on a mission soon.”

  “A mission?”

  John’s face flickered with surprise. “You’re going to take on a paranormal incident?”

  “Yep.”

  Excitement mingled with a flicker of fear and anxiety in William’s eyes. This time, he’d have to face a spirit head-on—and destroy it.

  “Aren’t you still in training? They’re sending you out on field duty this soon?”

  “Things have gotten too desperate…” William lowered his voice. “The brass is short on hands. We have to step up.”

  “I see…”

  John wasn’t shocked in the slightest. He just said, “Be careful.”

  “Whole class is going, and Professor Ron’s leading the team. Nothing’s going to happen.”

  William smiled, then paused, as if remembering something. “Hey, John—heard something off the record. The brass is gonna set up an Intelligence Division or something. You should try to get in. You’d get all the inside info on the paranormal.”

  Bound by a non-disclosure agreement, he couldn’t say any more.

  “Intelligence Division? What’s the entry requirement?”

  John’s ears perked up at that—he was instantly intrigued. The world had shifted, quiet but sure, and in a time like this, timely information was the difference between life and death.

  “No clue. I only heard Professor Ron mention it in passing.”

  “Fair enough.”

  John knew William only knew so much, so he didn’t press the issue. The two went their separate ways soon after.

  A week later, Spirit Class Two returned to campus from their mission—and chaos erupted.

  People had died.

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  What should have been a routine field op had left four students—all with Bound Spirits—dead. Word of the deaths was never supposed to get out, but a few students had been so terrified they’d tried to quit the Spirit Class, and blabbed the news to the whole school.

  Whispers spread like wildfire across campus, and a quiet sense of relief settled over most students. They’d all thought having a Bound Spirit would make them untouchable one day, but they’d never imagined the risk was this high. Turns out, being a professional in this line of work wasn’t nearly as easy as it looked.

  Ron did his best to calm the Spirit Class students, but dozens still chose to quit, paralyzed by fear of death. He didn’t stop them—when lives were on the line, he couldn’t force anyone to stay.

  The government’s Spirit Class offered access to critical intel and resources to grow stronger, sure—but it also meant dangerous missions, the kind that could get you killed. When forced to choose between living and growing stronger, most students chose life without a second thought.

  “Short-sighted…”

  Ron muttered to himself in his office, watching the students file out the door. He’d told them the truth: paranormal incidents were exploding across the globe, and the authorities were stretched thin. Sooner or later, the paranormal would touch every single person’s life—no one could run from it.

  If those students faced a spirit with a Bound Spirit but no real strength to back it up, they wouldn’t just fail to protect their loved ones. They wouldn’t even be able to save themselves.

  In a world like this, the only way to survive was to fight forward, to ride the storm. Running from it all was just a slower way to die.

  “We need to restructure the Spirit Classes.”

  He glanced at his assistant instructor, a flicker of resignation in his eyes. With so many students leaving, the six original Spirit Classes would have to be merged and reorganized.

  The assistant nodded, then asked, “Instructor Ron, are we still launching the Intelligence Division?”

  If even the Spirit-Bound students were quitting out of fear, regular kids would be even more scared to get involved with the paranormal. The Division would be lucky to get any recruits at this rate.

  “Absolutely. And we launch tomorrow.”

  Ron’s gaze was sharp and deep. He muttered to himself, “The Spirit-Bound are scared—but regular folks? They might not be.”

  In that moment, John’s face popped into his mind.

  True to his word, Ron sent out a school-wide announcement the next day: the Intelligence Division was officially opening. The entry requirement was simple—nerve.

  Its only duty? To join the professionals in taking on paranormal incidents. The risk was sky-high, but every mission came with a hefty cash bonus. There were other perks too, ones that made the offer impossible to ignore. For now, it was also the only way regular people could break into this new, uncharted world of the paranormal.

  “Intelligence Division…”

  John sat at his desk, twisting a flier in his hands—its pages detailed the Division’s every detail and benefit.

  Is this because there aren’t enough Spirit-Bound? He thought. Do they need regular people to step up and fill the gap?

  Even without a Bound Spirit, regular people could fight vengeful spirits with things like black dog blood. If he knew that basic trick, the authorities definitely did.

  “Alright, put those fliers away.”

  His homeroom teacher stood at the front of the class, her tone firm. “This is an order from the top, but I’ll say this anyway: your priority is your studies. The Intelligence Division isn’t the right choice for any of you.

  People die there.”

  John’s fingers tightened around the flier, his eyes thoughtful.

  The Division offered cash, perks, a chance to learn everything there was to know about the paranormal—and to take part in real incidents, maybe even consume a vengeful spirit himself. Every single one of those things was critical to him.

  The world was changing too fast to predict. The only thing that would keep him alive, the only foundation to stand on, was his own strength.

  Besides, the only requirement was nerve.

  It was like the Division had been made for him.

  Up until now, John had played it safe, sticking to his normal life, waiting for the right moment to move. But the tide of the times had turned, and the storm was here.

  He was ready to change with it.

  With that thought, John stood up abruptly. He walked straight to the front of the class, the flier in his hand, and stopped at his teacher’s desk.

  “John, what are you doing?!”

  Ms. Wilson already knew the answer, but she still stepped forward, trying to stop him. “The Intelligence Division isn’t a game! People die there, John!”

  “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me over the years.”

  John bowed his head, a small, sincere bow. When he lifted it, his voice was steady and serious.

  “I want to grow stronger, ma’am. More than anything.”