One day had passed since the arena fell.
The air still smelled of blood and burnt magic.
Higher authorities from Elarion had arrived. They walked through the ruins, their faces grim. They saw the half-rotten bodies of the demon followers. They saw the crushed, unrecognizable remains of Zagan's host.
They knew one thing for certain. The future was not safe.
In the academy's main hall, Headmistress Liliana zel Verdros sat at a long table. She was a vampire, mature and beautiful, with eyes that had seen empires rise and fall.
She was questioning the survivors.
Kaelen, Seraphina, and Elvara sat before her, their bodies still bruised, their expressions haunted.
They told her everything. The demons coming for Kaelen. The betrayal of Selvara, a demon hiding among them. The arrival of a far greater threat, demons in human form.
They told her how Azrael had lost control, how the sheer pressure of his power had become so immense that they had been forced to run for their lives.
