She looked at the eager Young Master sitting in the middle of the classroom. His hands gripped the front of his seat as he rocked the chair, curiosity plastered across his face—yet there was tension in his grip, a quiet hint of restrained anger.
"In order to answer your questions…"
She paused briefly before continuing.
"Yes, it does.
Because your grandfather's… very overpowered allies are visiting.
Because nothing is broken—you are being monitored during this overview.
No one can control your grandfather, so he will appear when he wishes.
You will never find out.
I also teach Combat, Stealth, and Medical.
When you place within the top eight of the test.
—!_!— W-where did you hear that from? … It is unconfirmed.
Yes.
Maybe.
No.
Unsure. It depends on what she is already capable of. She is likely more powerful than you, considering she has survived this long."
SLAM
The chair hit the ground as he stood up smoothly and stepped forward.
His head remained lowered—so low that even with night vision, she couldn't see his face.
Sigh…
He slowly lifted his head.
A calm smile rested on his lips, eyes closed as he spoke.
"I know… but those were on my mind when you asked for questions—you didn't specify." He tilted his head slightly. "If I place in the top three… will I get a secondary prize of my choosing?"
He spoke casually, but beneath it, he suppressed the surge of bloodlust that had risen when he learned he couldn't go save her.
"If… you get into the top three, then yes—I will grant you a second prize." The teacher paused, a flicker of curiosity crossing her expression. "Though… I am curious…"
She gestured lightly with her hand.
"Do you not… know what you males are compared to us females?"
"?_?"
He lost his composure completely.
For a brief moment—about 2.7 seconds—his mind went blank before snapping back as the question echoed in his thoughts.
He tried to recall if he had ever been taught that subject.
Nothing.
And judging by her reaction… it was something important.
"Never mind," she said dismissively.
She pressed her hand to her forehead, pushing back a few loose strands of hair as she tilted her head toward the ceiling.
"You will learn in time what it means to have a 'sister'… or a 'fiancée.' And the dangers that come with being a Sworn Master. But for now… that is all the time we have."
He bowed at the waist, his dominant hand clenched in a fist over his heart, before turning and walking out of the room toward his first class of the day.
The moment he left—
She turned and sat down in her rolling chair behind the desk, exhaling slowly.
Her demeanor shifted.
Colder. Darker. More… natural.
"Show yourself. I know you're there."
The mass of darkness in the room shifted.
It moved to the door—sealing it shut—before condensing inward. Shades of black distorted and shimmered, faint traces of white flickering within.
A silhouette formed.
Broad shoulders. Towering—over seven feet tall.
Six arms.
Three of them bore the same glowing design along one side of its torso.
An eerie voice—like something dragged from the deepest abyss—spoke, shaking her to her core.
"We… f…nd… her… but… s…ome…thing… is… wrong…"
Unparalleled dread flooded her body.
Its presence pulsed with anger, its aura crushing the room. She dropped to her knees, cold sweat running down her skin as the pressure bore into her.
Then—
It noticed.
The pressure eased.
It exhaled… and she could breathe again.
"Tell… your… boss… two… hundred… seventy-six… years… search… for… bio… sig…n…"
And then—
It vanished.
The moment it disappeared, the lights flickered back on, illuminating the room.
She didn't hesitate.
Bending her knees, she blinked—vanishing from the room and reappearing outside atop the mountain peak.
Below her, volcanic smoke and heat waves distorted the landscape.
She found a carved indentation and sat, letting her feet hang over the edge.
Then she dropped.
Sliding down a carved path along the side of the deepest, most ancient active volcano—one that had never fully erupted.
Passing through a narrow distortion, she felt the intense heat surge around her as she entered the boundary that existed at the very surface of the lava.
It rippled and shifted… as if the world itself were breathing.
She landed hard on solidified, pure obsidian.
Immediately, she scrambled forward as if standing still would burn her alive, rushing toward where the Counselors were usually located.
"…Do I smell burnt flesh? …Oh well. This is more important than a scratch."