The academy never truly slept.
At night, the halls whispered.
Candles flickered without wind. Shadows stretched longer than they should. Doors creaked even when locked.
Room 119 stayed still.
Azel sat cross-legged on the floor. Eyes closed. Breathing measured.
He wasn't meditating.
He was listening.
Two sets of footsteps approached. Quiet. Patterned. Controlled. Not students. Trained.
> System alert
Assassination attempt detected
Level gap: Moderate disadvantage
Suggestion: Eliminate first attacker instantly
The doorknob turned.
It didn't creak.
Smart.
But Azel had already moved.
He slid under the desk just as the first figure slipped in. Hooded. Daggers coated in null-ink poison. A second shadow followed. Short sword. Silent boots.
They scanned the room. No sound. No heartbeat.
They thought he was gone.
Wrong calculation.
Azel flipped the chair into the first one's face. It cracked with a sharp thud. Before the second reacted, Azel swept his leg low and kicked her knee inward.
She fell hard.
He grabbed her blade mid-drop. Slashed clean across her exposed throat.
The room was silent again.
The first assassin staggered up. Mask cracked. Bleeding from the lip.
"You shouldn't be this fast"
"I'm not"
Azel stepped forward. His stance casual. But his eyes were locked. Cold.
"You're just too slow to matter"
> Skill activated: Null Script Tier 0
Effect: Erase minor magic barriers within 3 meters
The assassin raised his palm. A glyph appeared.
It fizzled. Failed.
Azel drove the blade through his chest. Twisted.
Done.
> Assassins neutralized
Origin: Unknown faction
Level: Intermediate threats
No ID detected
He cleaned the blade on the bedsheet.
No alarm. No witnesses.
But someone had sent them.
Not to scare.
To kill.
Azel looked at the bodies. Cold logic clicked behind his eyes.
"If they're coming this early... the academy's test has already begun"
He dragged the corpses into the chest.
Sat down.
Closed his eyes.
Slept.