Later that evening, the Academy's elite students gathered in the Grand Hall for a formal dinner hosted by the Headmaster. Kaen arrived fashionably late, his usual smirk in place. He wore the Academy uniform, but somehow made it look like royalty's robe.
Zian stood near the buffet table, sipping from a glass of sparkling fruit tonic. Her white hair shimmered under crystal chandeliers, and more than a few heads turned as Kaen approached her.
"You cleaned up nicely," he commented.
"Try not to start a war during dinner," she replied, not looking at him.
Across the room, Mira and Leon were deep in conversation with other students. Mira had taken on more leadership lately, her confidence growing by the day. She glanced at Kaen more often than she probably realized.
Suddenly, a booming voice echoed across the hall. "Let us welcome a special guest tonight."
A woman stepped into the room, draped in red and black. Silver medals decorated her uniform, but it was her crimson eyes that silenced everyone. She radiated authority.
"Lirien Frost," the Headmaster announced. "The youngest and only active SSS-rank hunter in the world."
Kaen's smirk twitched. His gaze locked with hers. Just for a heartbeat, the room vanished. Time slowed. Lirien's eyes narrowed.
Then, just as quickly, she looked away.
"Why is she here?" Zian asked.
"To observe," Kaen answered, still watching her. "And maybe… remember."
As the hall buzzed again with voices, Kaen felt a tug in the shadows. A whisper. A warning.
The world wasn't just shifting. It was preparing.
And Lirien's arrival was the start of something far bigger.