The academy bell rang sharply, echoing through the halls not long after Kaine's final words. It marked the end of the day, and soon students from all departments began to spill into the corridors—some chatting animatedly, others dragging their feet, each headed toward their own destination.
Liam and Charlotte walked side by side through the crowd. Charlotte carried herself with her usual confident stride, hands in her pockets, eyes forward. Liam, on the other hand, moved with a strange kind of stillness—his steps silent, posture relaxed, yet his eyes scanned every student they passed.
More specifically, he was focused on finding the faintest scent a hybrid in the sea of bodies.
However, he got nothing.
Charlotte noticed. She glanced sideways, noting how alert he remained, his expression unreadable, his gaze flicking toward everyone who came within arm's reach. She didn't know what he was doing exactly—didn't realize he was scent-tracking—but she assumed it was lingering paranoia from the test.
Then a thought struck her.
"Hey, Liam," she said, voice low and smooth.
He didn't look at her. "Yeah?"
She hesitated a beat before speaking. "When Kaine was talking about Biant's story… you didn't even flinch."
He still didn't look at her, and his pace didn't change.
"I mean, I get it—you're the brooding type. You barely react to anything. But not even a flicker when we heard he tortured people alive? Three hundred bodies? People being dissected conscious, some still breathing when they were found…"
Her voice remained even. Not emotional. Just curious, matter-of-fact.
"You're telling me that didn't hit you? Not even a little?"
Liam walked a few more steps in silence before finally replying, his tone flat but not cold—just real.
"There's no use getting emotional over something I had no part in," he said. "Back then, I was probably running around barefoot, climbing trees, or getting into fights for stupid reasons. I didn't know a thing about monsters like him, and even if I did, I couldn't have done anything."
He finally glanced at her, just briefly. "What's the point of feeling bad about horrors that happened when you were a kid, or worse—things you had no power to stop?"
Charlotte studied his face, looking for any hint of conflict, regret, even the smallest twitch of discomfort.
"I'm not heartless," he added, returning his gaze forward. "I just can't bring myself to wasting energy on ghosts I didn't summon."
She arched a brow, lips curling faintly in thought. "Huh. That's… practical."
Liam gave a half-shrug. "Practical keeps you alive."
Charlotte looked ahead too, quiet for a beat. Then, casually, "Still... it's kinda creepy how you didn't even blink."
"Maybe," Liam replied. "Or maybe I just know there's worse out there than some dead doctor."
A silence fell between them again—comfortable, thoughtful—as they kept walking down the corridor, the crowd thinning around them.
Then Charlotte smirked. "Next time, try faking some humanity, just for variety."
They continued walking at a brisk pace until Charlotte's eyes caught a familiar figure approaching from the opposite end of the corridor—Sheila. Walking beside her was a woman who bore a striking resemblance to her, though her hair was a deeper, silvery-white shade. She wasn't in academy uniform either; instead, she wore the prestigious knight's attire—crisp, high-collared armor lined with navy trim and a flowing cloak clasped at the shoulder. It was Lady Ember, the academy's top instructor for Ice-affinity users.
Surprisingly, unlike her usual reserved demeanor in public, Ember looked genuinely relaxed—animated even—as she chatted with Sheila. Her laughter and gestures were light and unrestrained, a stark contrast to the shy figure most students were used to.
"Hey, Sheila," Charlotte called out as the two groups neared.
Sheila perked up at the sound of her name and turned toward them with a small smile. "Oh—Charlotte, Liam."
She paused in front of them, her companion coming to a graceful stop beside her.
"Lady Ember, these are my friends—Liam and Charlotte," she introduced politely.
"Nice to meet you both," Ember said, her voice smooth and warm, her smile effortlessly radiant.
"Nice to meet you, too," Charlotte replied with a respectful nod.
"Likewise," Liam added calmly.
"Heading to the dorms?" Sheila asked, her tone casual.
"Not me," Charlotte answered. "I was actually heading to the cafeteria. I don't know about him." She jerked her thumb toward Liam with a small grin. "Wanna come with?"
"I'd love to, but I have something I—" Sheila began, only to be interrupted by Ember.
"Don't worry about that, Sheila," Ember said with a pleasant firmness. "We can handle it another time. Go on with your friends."
"But you said it was urg—"
"I'm giving you an order, Princess," Ember said with a wink and a soft smile. "It can wait."
Sheila hesitated for a second, then nodded. "Alright."
"Good," Ember said, stepping past them with a nod. "You kids enjoy yourselves."
"Have a nice evening!" Charlotte called after her, waving as she watched her walk off. Then she leaned closer to Sheila and whispered with a grin, "Damn… she's even more beautiful up close."
"I know, right?" Sheila said, laughing under her breath. "Anyway, let's go. I'm actually starving."
The two girls turned and began walking, only to realize Liam hadn't moved.
Sheila paused and looked over her shoulder. "You're not coming?" she asked gently.
Liam blinked, as though pulled from a distant thought, then met her gaze. "No, go ahead. I think I left something back in class. I'll catch up later."
He turned without another word and walked away, his steps calm and unhurried.
Charlotte watched him go with an amused sigh. "Yeah… I expected that."
"Same," Sheila agreed. "But if he said he'll join us, he probably will."
And with that, the girls continued down the hall together, their footsteps fading into the steady buzz of academy life.
Meanwhile, Liam moved swiftly through the corridor, his pace quickening the moment Charlotte and Sheila disappeared from sight.
'That scent I caught off her just now... she's one of them,' he thought, suppressing both his presence and myst as he navigated the hallways like a shadow.
When he got close enough to Lady Ember, even for just a breath, he picked up the scent he'd been searching for all day—the unmistakable trace of demonic blood. A hybrid.
'Why the hell would someone like her be tainted with demon blood?' The thought made his chest tighten. He didn't want to believe it. From what little he knew of Ember—mainly from distant announcements and her rare public appearances—she seemed almost angelic. Kind, composed, the type who wouldn't harm a fly. But that image was crumbling fast.
He was now moving with purpose, eyes sharp, steps silent, his instincts screaming for answers. He normally wouldn't go this far—wouldn't follow someone of her level out of mere suspicion—but something was off.
Moments after she passed him earlier, he caught a flash in her smile. Just a flicker. That pleasant expression had momentarily twisted into something colder. Annoyed. Maybe even... disgusted.
That glimpse was enough to set off alarms in Liam's mind.
I need to know. And I hope it doesn't kill me...' he admitted inwardly. He didn't stand a chance against someone like Ember, not in a straight fight—especially if she really did carry demon blood in her veins.
Still, he pressed on.
His eyes activated Shadow Sight, following the residual threads of myst left in her wake as they shimmered faintly against the hallway.
He rounded a corner—and immediately froze.
There she was. Ember. Standing beside someone else—Gordon. They were locked in quiet conversation.
Liam didn't hesitate.
Before either of them could notice the approaching presence, he used Shadow Passage, vanishing into a brief distortion of space and emerging silently behind a large pillar several meters away.
Concealed in the shadows, he steadied his breath, peering around the stone edge.
'This is not a good place to hide,' he thought with every sense on high alert.