The moment the instructor's profile opened on the screen, Ethan felt something tighten in his chest—not in panic, not in fear, but in the quiet way instincts flare when something doesn't match the usual patterns.
[Instructor ID – Lysara Ardent. Specialty: Applied Power Theory, Interpersonal Energy Training, Celestial Flow Structures. Status: Honor-Level Assignment. Clearance Level: High.]
There was no photo. No linked credentials. No public ranking or archived teaching logs. Just a faceless silhouette framed in gray, and a single line beneath it, cold and to the point:
"Data Hidden by Request of Astralis Board."
He didn't say anything. Just leaned forward a little, elbows resting on the edge of the table, and stared at that simple message for a few seconds longer than he meant to—long enough for it to feel deliberate, like the silence around it was part of the introduction.
