The first light of dawn slowly crept across the academy grounds, painting the towering walls of Aurelius Academy in pale shades of gold and silver. Most students were still asleep, unaware of the silent war that had unfolded during the night. Near the outer gates of the academy, however, two figures remained standing beneath the fading moonlight. The cold morning wind swept across the stone courtyard, causing black cloaks and white robes to flutter gently.

Professor Valerius stood beside the massive gate archway. His posture was as straight as ever, and his expression remained unreadable. Several hours had passed since the chase through the forest sector, yet they had found nothing. No fleeing suspect. No hidden trail. No lingering mana signature. Only a dead rat and a carefully staged distraction.

Beside him, Elizabeth rested one hand against Aurelion’s neck. The griffin shifted its golden wings and released a low rumble as if equally displeased by the night’s results. Unlike her usual cheerful self, Elizabeth showed none of her bright smiles. The playful teacher persona had vanished completely.

For a while, neither of them spoke.

Eventually, Elizabeth broke the silence.

"It was deliberate."

Her voice was calm, but there was a sharp edge beneath it.

"The dead rat. The noise in the forest. Every part of it was planned."

Valerius said nothing, and Elizabeth folded her arms and looked toward the distant tree line.

"Most creatures flee when cornered. Most criminals panic when hunters arrive, whatever killed that vampire did neither, it calmly redirected us away from the true location."

The executioner finally spoke. "The feeding pattern was identical."

Elizabeth glanced toward him.

"The boar?"

Valerius nodded.

"The corpse on the balcony and the Gore-Boar from the ravine displayed the same extraction method—the blood was completely drained."

The memory replayed inside, everything pointed toward the same predator.

The same hidden presence is operating somewhere inside the academy.

Elizabeth slowly exhaled.

"What worries me isn’t the kill."

Valerius looked at her. "It’s the intelligence behind it."

She paused.

"It knew how to lure us away."

The wind passed between them, neither professor liked that conclusion.

A beast could be powerful, and a monster could be dangerous. But something intelligent enough to manipulate both of them at once posed an entirely different problem.

Eventually, Elizabeth placed a hand on Aurelion’s saddle.

"I should report this."

Valerius remained silent.

She offered him a small smile. To anyone watching, it would have looked perfectly normal, like the kind history teacher preparing to start another school day.

"Try not to frighten the students too much today, Professor."

Valerius gave no response, and Elizabeth expected nothing else.

With a single graceful movement, she mounted the griffin.

Aurelion spread its enormous wings. Moments later, the beast launched itself into the sky.

The powerful gust nearly scattered dust across the courtyard.

Valerius watched until both griffin and rider disappeared into the clouds.

The instant they vanished from sight, Elizabeth’s smile disappeared.

Her face hardened, the warmth drained from her eyes.

The information she carried was far too important to delay.

The academy believed a rogue vampire might be hiding within its walls.

The Solar Purifiers would see the situation differently— a rogue vampire was not capable of hunting other vampires this efficiently.

A rogue vampire was not capable of draining noble bloodlines and disappearing without leaving a trail.

A rogue vampire certainly wasn’t capable of manipulating both her and Valerius simultaneously.

Something stronger existed inside the academy.

The realization settled heavily in her mind, and the Purifiers needed to know. Immediately.

Back on the academy grounds, Valerius remained standing alone. Students were beginning to appear in the distance as morning approached, but he paid them no attention.

Instead, his gaze shifted toward the towering structures of the High Pyramid district.

His thoughts returned to a single detail.

The eagle, during the final moments of the chase, had seen it. Although briefly, a dark silhouette moving through the fog.

Marcus’s Wind Eagle.

At first, it seemed insignificant, but now it refused to leave his thoughts.

Valerius slowly replayed the past week’s events. Marcus had been humiliated during the placement examination.

Marcus had witnessed the incident in the ravine.

Marcus’s cousin had participated in the confrontation involving Lina.

The cousin now displayed obvious signs of psychological trauma.

And somehow Marcus’s contracted beast appeared near the exact location of a vampire execution.

Too many coincidences, and Valerius disliked coincidences.

In his experience, coincidences usually concealed truths that people were trying very hard to hide.

The professor’s fingers tapped once against the hilt of his sword.

A quiet metallic sound echoed in the morning air.

’The investigation had reached a dead end. That meant it was time to change methods, Marcus would be questioned.’

His beast would be examined, and if necessary, the academy’s holding cells would be used.

The decision settled into place without emotion.

Valerius turned and began walking back toward the academy.

Meanwhile, inside the High Pyramid dormitories, a very different battle was taking place.

Lina stood beside her bed, staring helplessly at the sleeping rabbit lying on top of her blanket. The room felt unusually quiet.

For the first time since meeting Qhuin, she was completely alone, no sarcastic comments and no commands.

No voice inside her head criticizing her every mistake.

The silence felt wrong.

A wave of anxiety tightened inside her chest.

Qhuin remained motionless, the small rabbit’s body radiated heat like a furnace.

Every few minutes, faint crimson particles drifted beneath his white fur before disappearing again.

The sight was disturbing. Lina had spent most of the night checking whether he was still breathing.

Only the slow rise and fall of his chest prevented her from panicking completely.

A translucent blue screen floated above him.

She had already read it dozens of times, yet she found herself reading it again.

[Evolution Progress: 14%

Remaining Duration: 22 Hours 40 Minutes]

Lina swallowed, the final line scared her more than anything else.

Professor Valerius, if she missed class, there was a real chance he would personally investigate.

The thought alone made her stomach twist. Then she looked back toward the bed.

"What am I supposed to do?"

The rabbit didn’t answer, the realization hit her all over again.

She was going to have to survive today by herself.

Slowly, Lina sat down beside the bed, the morning bell rang across the academy.

Its sound echoed through the High Pyramid sector. Students were already leaving their rooms.

Classes would begin soon, yet Lina couldn’t bring herself to move. She looked at Qhuin’s sleeping form.

Then she looked at the floating system notification.

Then back at the rabbit, a few days ago she had been an ordinary village girl worried about entrance exams.

Now she possessed enough physical strength to shatter weapons accidentally and a terrifying professor suspected something was wrong.

A hidden vampire conspiracy seemed to exist somewhere inside the capital, and the only person who understood any of it was currently unconscious.

The bell rang again, louder this time.

Lina closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Eventually, she stood up to take her bath, then carefully adjusted her uniform.

Packed her books, and clipped her carry bag onto her shoulder.

For several seconds she simply stared at the bed.

Then she gently pulled the blanket over Qhuin’s sleeping body.

The rabbit didn’t move.

"Please don’t die," she whispered.

The silence lingered.

Finally, Lina turned toward the door, her hand settled on the handle, and beyond it waited classes.

Valerius and the tournament and whatever consequences came next.

Taking one final breath, Lina opened the door and stepped into the corridor alone.

For the first time since entering Aurelius Academy, she would have to face the day without her rabbit by her side.