The marble amphitheater felt unusually quiet that morning.
Students from Class A stood in neat rows beneath the towering stone arches, but the usual noise was missing. Conversations were softer, and laughter was almost nonexistent. Ever since the academy lockdown, everyone seed more cautious, as though they were afraid another alarm might suddenly begin screaming across the campus.
Lina stood near the back of the formation, her hands locked behind her back.
Not because she was relaxed, but because she was terrified.
Every movent felt dangerous.
The wooden practice cup she had accidentally crushed during breakfast was still fresh in her mory. The cracked floorboard in her room. The shattered pillows.
Strength: 24.
The number haunted her.
She flexed her fingers slightly and imdiately stopped.
What if she accidentally broke sothing?
What if she accidentally broke soone?
Her eyes drifted toward the empty carry bag beside her, the spot where Qhuin normally rested against her hip, since arriving at Aurelius Academy, she felt completely alone.
Snowy was still unconscious, the realization made her stomach twist.
Then a sudden movent caught her attention.
Marcus.
The noble boy looked awful, his face was pale, with dark circles hanging beneath his eyes.
Instead of standing proudly with the confidence of a noble heir, he kept glancing toward the ceiling every few seconds, like he was searching for sothing. Looking closely she found that his beast wasn’t with him.
Marcus swallowed hard, his fingers trembled slightly. Several students noticed.
Whispers imdiately began spreading through the formation.
"What’s wrong with him?"
"He looks sick."
"Did sothing happen?"
"I heard his cousin still hasn’t recovered from the cave incident."
Marcus pretended not to hear them. Unfortunately, his attempt only made him look even more suspicious.
The massive iron doors at the front of the amphitheater exploded open.
BANG.
The sound echoed through the hall, making every student jump. The whispers died instantly.
Professor Valerius stepped inside, his long black cloak moved behind him as he walked.
The heavy sound of his boots striking marble echoed across the chamber, and his golden eyes swept across the rows of students.
The temperature inside the room seed to drop several degrees.
Lina felt her heartbeat quicken, sothing was wrong.
Valerius stopped, his gaze settled on a single student.
Marcus.
The noble boy froze and for several seconds nobody spoke. Then Valerius’s voice broke the silence.
"Student Marcus."
Marcus visibly flinched.
"Y-Yes, Professor?"
"Step out of formation."
The color drained from Marcus’s face. Several students exchanged confused looks.
Marcus forced out a nervous laugh.
"M-?"
Valerius didn’t answer, He just continued staring and the pressure alone was enough.
Marcus slowly stepped forward, his legs looked unsteady.
The professor’s expression never changed.
"You and your contracted beast are required for a secondary security debriefing regarding the ravine incident."
Marcus’s mouth opened, then closed seed hesitant to say sothing
"My..my eagle isn’t here, Professor."
Nobody missed the panic in his voice.
"It never returned from the stable."
Valerius took a step forward.
"I am aware."
The simple reply hit Marcus harder than a physical blow, Lina felt her stomach drop.
He knows.
The thought appeared instantly, he knows sothing. Marcus apparently reached the sa conclusion.
Sweat appeared on his forehead.
"I-I haven’t done anything wrong."
No response.
"Professor, I swear—"
Still nothing.
Valerius walked forward, and each step seed heavier than the last.
Students near the front instinctively moved backward. Marcus looked ready to collapse, and the professor stopped directly in front of him.
Then he grabbed the noble boy’s arm, the kind of grip that made resistance aningless.
Marcus let out a startled sound.
"Professor!"
"Move."
The single word ended the conversation, Valerius turned toward the exit.
Marcus stumbled after him.
The amphitheater remained silent as the pair disappeared through the massive doors.
A mont later—
BOOM.
The doors slamd shut, then the entire class erupted.
"What happened?"
"Why did they take him?"
"Was he involved with the lockdown?"
"I heard the guards searched his dorm yesterday."
"No way."
"Do you think he’s getting expelled?"
Lina barely heard any of it, her hands had tightened around the fabric of her skirt.
If Marcus broke under questioning...
If Valerius learned about the eagle...
If the eagle sohow led him back to her room...
Her thoughts spiraled, and a cheerful voice interrupted them.
"Now then!"
Everyone turned. Assistant Professor Elizabeth stood near the central stage.
The bright smile on her face looked completely out of place after Valerius’s departure.
She clapped her hands together.
"Since Professor Valerius is busy today, I’ll be supervising our lesson instead!"
Several students visibly relaxed. Elizabeth laughed softly.
"Co on, everyone. You all look like you’re attending a funeral."
A few nervous chuckles broke out, and the tension eased slightly.
Then Elizabeth began walking through the rows. Her movents looked casual.
Yet sohow Lina felt her heartbeat increase with every step. The professor continued smiling.
Then she stopped directly beside her.
"Oh!"
Elizabeth’s eyes widened dramatically.
"Lina, sweetie."
Lina nearly jumped.
"Y-Yes, Professor?"
The woman’s smile grew brighter.
"Where’s Snowy today?"
Lina’s throat imdiately tightened.
"I brought him so sugar-clover treats this morning." Elizabeth held up a small paper bag.
"They’re his favorite."
Lina forced herself to breathe."Snowy isn’t feeling well."
The words ca out more quickly than she intended.
Elizabeth blinked.
"Oh?"
"He was frightened by the alarms during the lockdown."
That part wasn’t even a lie.
"He’s resting in my room."
The professor’s expression softened.
"Aww."
She placed a hand against her chest.
"The poor little thing."
Lina forced a smile.
"Y-Yeah."
"You should take good care of him."
"I will."
Elizabeth gently patted her shoulder. "Make sure he gets plenty of rest."
Then she walked away.
The mont her back turned, Lina released a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.
The rest of the day felt endless.
History, Combat theory, and Mana synchronization.
Tactical formations.
Lina rembered almost none of it, every minute her thoughts returned to the sa place.
Her room and the sleeping bunny.
The hours crawled forward, finally, the last bell rang.
Students flooded from the classrooms.
Lina didn’t wait.
She ran, through hallways, across staircases, passing confused students.
By the ti she reached the High Pyramid dormitory, she was breathing hard.
Reaching her dorm room, she tried to open the door, but her key slipped from her fingers.
Picking it up she carefully inserted it and the door unlocked.
She rushed inside, the room was quiet, and she imdiately turned toward the bed.
Qhuin was still there.
Relief washed through her, then she noticed the changes. Dark red particles floated around his body, just enough to notice.
The cocoon surrounding him looked thicker than before. The tips of his ears had also changed. White fur was slowly being swallowed by patches of midnight-black shadow.
The sight sent a chill through her.
A glowing screen suddenly appeared above the bed.
Lina froze, as words ford across the blue surface.
[System Notification]
[Evolution Progress: 99%]
[Target Race Identified]
[Shadow-Vampire Lord Hare]
[Evolution Completion: 00:05]
Lina stared, as the countdown began.
00:04
The cocoon pulsed, the particles surrounding Qhuin brightened.
00:03
The shadows beneath the bed stretched across the floor.
00:02
Cracks begin to appear on the cocoon’s surface
00:01
She could see sothing was moving inside, as though it was waking up..
Lina took a slow step backward, then the tir reached zero. For one heartbeat, everything beca silent.
Then—
BOOM!
A violent wave of crimson energy exploded from the bed. The vanity mirror shattered instantly.
Glass fragnts flew across the room, and books crashed from the shelves.
The curtains snapped wildly against the windows.
Lina threw both arms over her face.
The entire room trembled. A deep crimson light flooded the bedroom.
The cocoon burst apart.
Thousands of glowing particles scattered into the air like burning embers.
A silhouette slowly rose from the center of the storm.
The floating screen flashed one final ti.
[Evolution Complete]
The crimson light intensified, Lina slowly lowered her arms, and her breathing stopped.
Inside the sea of crimson particles, sothing opened its eyes.
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