Morwen reached into a drawer and pulled out a small vial filled with a murky liquid.
"This drug has been tested to elevate the tier of a monster, at least according to Vladimir." He held the vial up to the screen, showcasing it to Bennett.
"If you administer it to the main boss monster of the exam, it should boost its rank to a B ."
Bennett's eyes hovered over it as he examined the vial.
"He'll be one of the few students with the potential to last till the end. I'll make sure to execute this without being seen."
"Good," Morwen said with a satisfied smile on his lips.
"I'll have it delivered to you soon. Keep in touch."
"Got it, boss."
With a curt nod, Bennett ended the call and his image faded from the screen.
The room fell silent once more, the only sound the soft whirring of the air conditioning and the faint echo of Cyran's unsettling laughter.
Cyran's disembodied voice filled the room, its usual playful lilt replaced with urgency.
"Is it our ti for making moves, Morwen?"
Morwen exhaled a plu of smoke, his face obscured in the hazy cloud.
"Not for ," he replied, his tone asured. "But if you wish to act, then by all ans."
Cyran's doll-like vessel nodded, a chilling smile etched onto its porcelain face.
"Then it'd be best for to do what I do best."
Morwen took another drag of his cigarette, his eyes narrowed in contemplation.
"To lure and kidnap him, you an?"
"Correct," Cyran's voice chid, the smile widening on the doll's face.
"And I know just the person."
A photograph materialized from the doll's pocket, hovering in the air before them.
It depicted a young woman with flowing blonde hair and piercing blue eyes.
"The lady of England," he said, his voice deepening. "I will finish what I started..."
A sudden chill filled the room.
For the first ti, Cyran sounded utterly serious.
"Alice Elizabeth..." he repeated.
Flick!
From his pocket, he pulled out a delicate pocket watch, its face adorned with a picture of an unknown family.
Cyran, a young boy with the sa piercing blue eyes, stood beside a woman with a warm smile.
His mother, perhaps?
A flicker of sadness crossed his face, quickly replaced by the cold determination that had beco his trademark.
He snapped the watch shut, tucking it back into his pocket.
It was ti to move.
***
[Alice's POV]
RING!...RING!...RING!...
"Uwaah..."
I groaned, stretching out of bed.
It had been days since the practice exam, but I couldn't get it out of my head.
The explosion, Louise's attack, the way Rel... saved .
The mory sent a shiver down my spine.
I felt as if I had been working so hard that I had forgotten what it felt like to relax.
Every ti I witnessed Rel do sothing extraordinary, my mind eased... I didn't know how to describe it.
I was drawn to him, his quiet strength, his unexpected kindness. Everything about him was so intriguing.
As I tied my hair into my usual bun, I glanced at the photo of the exam rankings hanging on my wall. Second place. A constant reminder of my recent defeat. But it also served as motivation.
I had a reason to keep pushing myself, to strive for perfection.
To make sure I'd be ready for the day I returned to my country, as soone born to lead and avenge.
To think that what happened a few days ago brought it all back... But now, it's been so long since I've allowed those mories to surface.
I thought I had buried those worries, and deed them unfit for soone like .
For I carried a great burden, a responsibility to those who lived back in my holand.
But recently, it had all co back...
From the very mont, I had seen the building ablaze... I, Alice, rembered that day.
That day when that man ruined everything.
The mask... no, the face... If only I had morized what he had looked like back then.
Then just maybe... I could have saved my father.
Although the past cannot ever be changed, I hope that one day I'll restore my family's honour and finally hunt down the very man who took my father's life.
I don't know what my father did to incur his wrath, but I know he did it out of pure hatred.
My father always said, "The eyes... the eyes don't lie."
And that man's eyes... they were filled with pure evil.
It was as if he was born with it, a darkness that consud him from within.
That day, I lost everything.
My family, my ho, my innocence.
But I gained sothing too: a burning desire for revenge, a vow to never let anyone else experience the pain and loss I had endured.
shake!
I shook my head, trying to dispel all the bad thoughts of the past.
A glance in the mirror assured my hair was neatly tucked into its usual bun, not a strand out of place.
"The earlier I am, the better..."
I murmured to myself, grabbing my laptop and handbag. No ti for breakfast today; I needed to get to class early.
Studying was my top priority as of now and training was a close second.
But I also hoped to catch Rel on the off chance he'd be heading to class early.
He was usually a sleepyhead, always running late.
Ever since I'd been placed in Class 1-A, I had been trying to track his study habits after the day he beat in a quiz.
But he was frustratingly elusive.
It seed like every ti I saw him, he was doing anything but studying.
Even when he did go to the library, he'd spend his ti reading novels from the fantasy section.
I felt like he was playing so kind of elaborate trick on .
But maybe there was sothing to learn in those books after all.
So I started reading them too... and honestly, I might have found a new hobby for myself.
But that's a story for another ti.
Leaving the first-year female dorm room, I made my way towards the Central Pinnacle building.
As I rounded a corner, I nearly bumped into soone. It was Rel, his face pale and his eyes shadowed with exhaustion. He looked like he'd barely slept a wink.
I couldn't help but feel worried...
Had he been up all night studying?
Or was sothing else troubling him?
"Rel?" I asked softly, "Are you okay?"
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