Three days had passed since the incident in the Whispering Grove Dungeon, and Aeris felt his life changing drastically. Every step he took in the academy corridors was followed by whispers, looks of awe mixed with fear, and most disturbingly—the growing presence of Seraphina.
"Aeris!" a familiar voice called from behind him. he turned to see Marcus, one of the students he had saved in the dungeon, running toward him with a beaming face.
"Thank you again," Marcus said breathlessly. "If it weren't for you, I would have... well, you know."
Aeris smiled awkwardly. "It's okay. Anyone would have done the same thing."
"No," Marcus shook his head vigorously. "What you did... was amazing. Controlling a level 89 Ancient Basilisk? Not even the best Master Tamer in the kingdom could do that!"
The praise made Aeris uncomfortable. The more people praised her, the more likely it was that someone would suspect something.
[SYSTEM ALERT: Multiple surveillance attempts detected]
[RECOMMENDATION: Maintain low profile]
"Marcus," a cold voice suddenly interrupted. Seraphina emerged from behind a pillar, her violet eyes glaring at the student. "You're too loud."
Marcus immediately paled and took a step back. Ever since Seraphina's declaration in the dungeon, most of the students were afraid to approach Aeris for too long or too intimately.
"S-seraphina, I just—"
"Just what?" Seraphina stepped forward, a dark aura beginning to flow from her body. "Just trying to get close to Aeris? Just trying to get his attention?"
"Seraphina, enough," Aeris tugged on the girl's arm. "Marcus was just saying thank you."
Seraphina's gaze softened as she looked at Aeris, but her violet eyes still glinted dangerously as she glanced at Marcus. "Alright. But remember," she told Marcus, "Aeris has someone to protect him. So don't get too... close."
Marcus nodded quickly and walked away with hasty steps.
"You don't have to do that," Aeris said quietly.
"Of course it's necessary." Seraphina turned to face her, her hand possessively touching Aeris' arm. "You're too kind. Too approachable. Someone has to protect you from those who want to take advantage of you."
"But-"
"No buts." Seraphina smiled, but her smile didn't reach her eyes. "You're mine, remember? And I'm very serious about that."
In the faculty room, Professor Aldric was sitting with Professor Helena, the academy coordinator, discussing the report of the dungeon incident.
"Aeris' taming ability is simply unbelievable," Professor Aldric shook his head in disbelief. "I've been teaching for twenty years, but I've never seen anything like this."
Professor Helena read the report with a frown. "A level 89 Ancient Basilisk... and he controlled it with just one command? No ritual? No preparation?"
"Not only that. he controlled all the monsters in the dungeon at once. Mass taming like that... it's almost like..."
"Like the abilities of Ancient Tamers from the ancient era," Professor Helena finished. "But that's impossible. Their bloodline went extinct hundreds of years ago."
Professor Aldric nodded. "What's even stranger is that Aeris' taming ability has always been mediocre. Suddenly in the last few weeks, he's changed drastically."
"Hmm." Professor Helena stared at Aeris' photo in the student file. "Maybe we need to investigate further. There are some parties who have started asking about this student."
"Which party?"
"The Guild Association. And..." Professor Helena hesitated for a moment, "...there are rumors that the Royal Mage Tower is also interested."
Meanwhile, in the academy library, Elena was poring over a pile of ancient books on taming magic. Leon sat across from her, occasionally helping her look up references.
"None," Elena sighed in frustration. "There are no taming techniques in any literature that could explain what Aeris did."
"Maybe he's just naturally talented?" Leon suggested.
"Leon, you saw for yourself. That's no ordinary talent." Elena looked at him seriously. "What he did in the dungeon... it was almost like magic from an ancient era. An era where there were Tamers who could communicate directly with Ancient Beasts."
Leon fell silent. He too felt that there was something strange about Aeris's transformation, but he couldn't explain what.
"And there's something else that's bothering me," Elena continued. "Every time I try to read Aeris' aura, something gets in the way. Like there's... a very powerful barrier or protection spell."
"Protection spell? Who would put that up?"
"I don't know. But one thing is for sure, Aeris is hiding something big."
On the other side of the academy, Aeris was sitting alone in the back garden, trying to calm his mind. Ever since the dungeon incident, the system had been giving him warnings about various parties starting to notice him.
[SURVEILLANCE REPORT UPDATED]
[ROYAL MAGE TOWER: High Interest Level]
[GUILD ASSOCIATION: Investigation Initiated]
[DEMON FACTION: Multiple Agents Deployed]
[RECOMMENDATION: Consider relocation or identity change]
"Relocation?" Aeris muttered under his breath. "How? I'm already involved with everyone here."
[ANALYSIS: Emotional attachments detected]
[PRIMARY CONCERNS: Leon, Elena, Seraphina]
[WARNING: Seraphina's obsession creates additional complications]
As if summoned by the system, Seraphina suddenly appeared from behind a large tree.
"I knew you'd be here," she said, sitting very close to Aeris. "You always come here when you're thinking about something."
"How did you—"
"I watched you." Seraphina smiled, her hand moving to grasp Aeris's. "Every day. Every time. I know all your habits."
Aeris felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. "Seraphina, that's... that's a little scary."
"Scary?" Seraphina tilted her head, her expression innocent but her violet eyes glinting strangely. "Why? I did it because I cared. Because I wanted to protect you."
"But that's not the way—"
"Aeris," Seraphina interrupted, her grip on Aeris's hand tightening. "You still don't get it, do you? What I feel for you... it's not just a simple attraction."
Her violet eyes stared straight into Aeris's with an intensity that made it impossible for Aeris to blink.
"I'm obsessed with you. Completely. Completely." Her voice dropped to a whisper, filled with emotion. "You're the only one who can calm my heart. The only one who can fill the emptiness inside me."
Aeris tried to pull her hand away, but Seraphina's grip was too strong. "Seraphina, listen—"
"No." Seraphina's eyes began to fill with tears, but her obsessive glint grew more intense. "I won't hear no. I can't. Because without you... I'll go back to being empty. Back to being a monster."
[CRITICAL ALERT: Seraphina's mental state deteriorating]
[YANDERE LEVEL: EXTREME]
[POTENTIAL FOR VIOLENCE: HIGH]
Aeris sensed real danger from the girl before him. This was no longer the predictable villainess from the novels. This was someone who was truly mentally unstable.
"Seraphina," Aeris said in an attempt to be calm, "I'm not going anywhere. But you have to understand that—"
"Promise?" Seraphina interrupted, her eyes sparkling with hope. "You promise you won't leave me?"
Aeris paused. he knew that saying 'yes' would complicate things, but saying 'no' could trigger an even more dangerous reaction.
"I... I wasn't planning on leaving," he finally said, choosing his words carefully.
Seraphina smiled widely, a beautiful but terrifying smile. "Good. Because if you try to leave..."
her voice dropped to a cold whisper, "I'll do whatever it takes to get you back. Anything."
Suddenly, footsteps approached. Leon and Elena emerged from the main corridor, their faces a mixture of relief and worry at the sight of Aeris.
"Aeris, we've been looking for you," Leon said. "There's something we need to talk about."
Seraphina stood up, her eyes instantly turning cold and menacing. "You're interrupting our private moment."
"This is important," Elena said firmly, unfazed by Seraphina's intimidating aura. "About the incident in the dungeon. There are many who are beginning to question Aeris' abilities."
Aeris felt his chest tighten. "Which party?"
"Royal Mage Tower, Guild Association..." Leon looked at him seriously. "And there are rumors of a formal investigation."
[SYSTEM ALERT: Situation escalating rapidly]
[MULTIPLE FACTIONS CONVERGING]
[ESTIMATED TIME BEFORE EXPOSURE: 48-72 HOURS]
"Investigation?" Seraphina stood up straight, her dark aura flowing out. "Who would dare investigate what's mine?"
"Seraphina, this is serious," Elena said. "If they find something unusual about Aeris—"
"They won't find anything," Seraphina interrupted in a dangerous voice. "Because I'll make sure they don't have the chance to."
Leon and Elena exchanged worried glances. They were beginning to realize that Seraphina's obsession had gone beyond normal.
"What do you mean?" Leon asked cautiously.
Seraphina smiled, but it wasn't warm. "What I mean is... anyone who tries to harm or threaten Aeris will face me. And you know what happens to people who cross my path."
The atmosphere suddenly became very tense. Elena and Leon took a step back, feeling the real threat from the dark aura that Seraphina was radiating.
Aeris stood up hastily. "Seraphina, don't—"
"Don't what?" Seraphina turned to her with flashing eyes. "Don't protect you? Don't ensure your safety? Aeris, you still don't understand. I will do ANYTHING to keep you with me."
She looked at Leon and Elena with a menacing glare. "And if that means getting rid of people who could jeopardize our happiness... then I will do it gladly."
[EMERGENCY PROTOCOL ACTIVATED]
[MULTIPLE THREATS DETECTED]
[SERAPHINA: IMMEDIATE DANGER]
[EXTERNAL FORCES: INVESTIGATION IMMINENT]
[RECOMMENDATION: EMERGENCY EVACUATION REQUIRED]
Aeris felt the situation was completely out of control. Seraphina had entered extreme yandere territory, investigations from various parties were approaching, and the system was warning of danger from all directions.
Worst of all, he saw a glint in Seraphina's eyes that told him that the girl was serious about her threat.
Out of sight, a dark-clad figure lowered his magic binoculars after observing the entire conversation. He smiled faintly before disappearing into the shadows.
"How interesting," he whispered. "It seems our target is about to make a very... entertaining decision."