"Zen..." Valeria whispered, her voice dropping to a dangerously quiet pitch. "What are you looking at?" 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"I am looking at a dead man walking," Zen said coldly, handing the terminal directly to her.

Valeria blinked, her glowing red eyes shifting from Zen’s face to the screen. The suffocating, murderous pressure in the room lessened slightly, but she still didn’t drop her guard.

She took the terminal and hit play on the video.

Kaelen’s smug voice filled the quiet bedroom. "We’ll see how long Arclight lasts when the training wheels come off. I’ve got a very special surprise waiting for him."

Valeria’s expression darkened.

The plush white towel around her torso seemed to freeze as her aura shifted from suspicious to pure, unfiltered rage. Her grip on the terminal tightened enough to make the reinforced casing creak.

"This Thorne rat dares to threaten you while you are injured?" Valeria hissed, her fangs slightly extending. "I will go to his dorm right now. I will rip his limbs off and mount his head on the academy gates."

"No, you won’t," Zen commanded softly, reaching out to gently place his hand over hers.

Valeria shuddered at his touch, the anger in her eyes melting into immediate submission. She looked at him, waiting for his next words.

"If you kill a high-profile noble tonight, the Vanguard will lock down the entire district," Zen explained. "The midterm will be canceled entirely. Dean Alaric will use the chaos as an excuse for some stupid decision that would affect everyone... including me. I need to pass this exam, Val. It’s about pride."

Zen tapped the center of his bruised chest, right over his inverted core.

"He embarrassed me today by forcing me to redirect his strike," Zen lied smoothly. "I am going to walk into that zone tomorrow, and I am going to watch him fail his own exam. I want him humiliated legally and publicly."

Valeria stared into his eyes for a long moment. She loved when he acted ruthless. It reminded her so much of the Emperor.

A dark smile finally crept onto her lips. "Fine," she whispered, leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. "You can play your school games tomorrow. But I am coming with you."

Zen raised an eyebrow, playing the part of the confused student perfectly. "Val, it’s a strict three-person squad requirement. How are you going to explain forcing your way onto my team?"

"I will just show my VIP crest like I did yesterday," Valeria purred, crawling up the mattress and wrapping her arms possessively around his waist. "I’m sure Dean Alaric won’t mind bending the rules a bit to expand your specific roster to a four-person squad."

"You are going to put up with Jax and Maya?" Zen asked, genuinely surprised.

"I will grudgingly tolerate your little shield-bearer friend and the terrified healer," Valeria stated with a sigh. "But I am not letting you step into a combat zone with a damaged core without me. I am your shield. Where you go, I go. End of discussion."

Zen let out a quiet sigh. He knew better than to argue when she used that tone.

"Fine. But if you come, you follow my lead. We are supposed to be low-ranking students taking a basic midterm. No fancy Vanguard tech, no flashing your VIP status, and absolutely nothing that draws the Inquisitor’s attention to us. Deal?"

"Always, my love," Valeria promised.

—

The next morning, the atmosphere at the Ares Military Academy was suffocating.

Vanguard transports were parked around the perimeter of the campus. Heavily armed soldiers in black tactical gear stood at every entrance.

The Inquisitor from yesterday was standing on a high observation balcony overlooking the main staging area, his cold eyes scanning the crowds of students.

Zen walked into the staging room, his posture perfectly straight despite the agonizing throbbing in his ribs.

Valeria walked exactly one step behind his right shoulder. She was back in her academy uniform, her thick glasses securely in place, projecting an aura of untouchable wealth.

Dean Alaric stood on a raised platform at the front of the room, sweating profusely under the gaze of the Vanguard Inquisitor above and the presence of someone he couldn’t disregard down below.

"Listen up, First-Years!" Dean Alaric shouted into a magically amplified microphone. "Due to unforeseen security protocols, the Midterm Extraction has been moved up. You will deploy into the artificial mega-dungeon. The facility has been divided into threat sectors based on your rank. You must locate the extraction beacon within your squad’s assigned zone. You have exactly two hours."

Zen spotted Jax waving frantically from the back of the room. Standing next to Jax, looking completely terrified, was Maya.

Zen and Valeria walked over to them.

"Bro, you look pale," Jax whispered as Zen approached. Jax was strapped into heavy, Low E-Rank kinetic armor, holding a massive tower shield.

He paused, looking completely confused as he pointed at Val. "Uh... why is she here? I thought it was supposed to be a three-person squad?"

"Exceptions are made for exceptional families," Val said, giving Jax a chilling, empty smile. "I am the fourth member of this squad. Do not get in my way."

Maya whimpered, gripping her medical staff so tightly her knuckles turned white. She still remembered Valeria’s death threat from a few days ago.

"Maya. Breathe," Zen told the trembling healer. "Just stay behind Jax and conserve your mana. You won’t have to fight."

"Well, well, well. Look at the mutant squad," a mocking voice sneered.

Kaelen Thorne pushed past a group of students, surrounded by his two massive lackeys. Kaelen was wearing high-end, custom-forged B-Rank armor. His wrist was perfectly healed, likely fixed by an expensive private healer overnight.

"An F-Rank cripple, a barely passing shield-bearer, a terrified medic, and the rich transfer girl," Kaelen laughed, shaking his head. "Try not to cry too loud when the monsters show up, Arclight."

Jax stepped forward, gripping his heavy shield. "Back off, Thorne. Didn’t you learn your lesson yesterday?"

Kaelen’s face flushed with anger, but he quickly forced a smirk. "Today isn’t a sparring mat, Jax. There are no instructors to call foul."

Kaelen stepped forward, intentionally bumping his shoulder hard against Jax as he walked past to head toward the elevators.

Zen’s eyes immediately locked onto Jax’s heavy supply backpack.

"System," Zen thought. "Scan Jax’s gear."