Ruan and Ryuk were already in the classroom when I walked in. Both grinning like idiots.
Ruan leaned back in his chair. "Well, look who's finally not brooding for once."
"Shut up," I muttered, dropping into the seat beside him.
Ryuk smirked. "He probably met her again."
I didn't bother denying it. They'd twist whatever I said anyway.
Before they could push further, the classroom door slammed open.
Professor Mohak--our Modern Mythology instructor...rushed in, breathless, his coat half slipping off his shoulders.
"Kael Alanto!" he barked.
I straightened, confused. "Yes, sir?"
"Why don't you check your damn phone?" he snapped. "Mr. Walter's been trying to reach you for the past hour! Go to his office. Now."
My brows furrowed.
Walter?
That man only called when things went wrong.
"Understood," I said, already on my feet.
As soon as I stepped out, I checked my phone--ten missed calls from Mr. Walter.
Great. Just what I needed.
By the time I reached his office, he was pacing behind his desk. The room smelled like cigar smoke and burning paper.
He didn't even look up. "Kael."
"Sir."
Finally, he faced me. His smile was thin, forced.
"Congratulations on your level advancement. Level ninety-three already… impressive."
I stayed silent. Compliments from him always had a price.
He continued, "We need you. There's a situation."
My gut tightened. "A situation?"
"Yes. You'll be assigned to our special group. It's not… official yet, but we're making an exception. You're not Level 100, but you'll do."
My jaw flexed.
"I wasn't aware exceptions were allowed."
He gave me that patronizing look I hated.
"They are..!..when I decide they are."
I wanted to say something sharp. I didn't.
Walter leaned forward, voice dropping.
"You'll meet someone named Fredric. He'll brief you on what's needed, where to go, and when. It's a classified mission, Kael. You don't speak of it to anyone. Not even your little friends."
He dismissed me with a flick of his hand. "Now go back to class. Pretend this conversation never happened."
I left before my temper snapped.
Outside, the anger simmered just under my skin.
He treated me like his trained hound--command, obey, repeat.
And the worst part? He wasn't wrong.
I wasn't strong enough yet to bite back.
Not yet.
My phone buzzed.
Unknown Number:
: "Fredric here. Meet me at 7 p.m. in the Board Meeting Hall."
So it's real then.
Whatever "special group" meant, it was connected to the Inner Circle.
And the Inner Circle meant answers about my father, his death, the laws that chained us.
Even if my mind wasn't ready, my ambition was.
By the time I returned to class, Professor Mohak had resumed his lecture like nothing happened.
Ruan nudged me.
"What did Walter want?"
Ryuk leaned forward. "You look like someone offered you a noose and called it a gift."
I smirked. "Close enough."
They exchanged glances. "Meaning?"
I just gestured for them to shut it. "Can't tell you. It's classified."
Ruan groaned...
"Every time you say that, something explodes."
"Then stay close," I said, eyes back on the board...
"Might happen sooner than you think."
___
By the time the clock hit 7 p.m., the campus was quieter than usual.
Most students were gone, training grounds empty, the air heavy with the scent of rain and metal.
The Board Meeting Hall was deep inside the administration block--where only professors, high-ranked officers, and the Inner Circle usually walked.
Tonight, I walked there alone.
The door creaked open.
The air inside was colder, darker, filled with the faint hum of mana lines running through the walls.
A long table stretched before me, lined with empty chairs...except one.
I waited.
The silence broke with a sound of heavy boots.
Someone entered through the far door--tall, broad, a man who looked like he'd just come straight from a battlefield.
His clothes were half torn, the stench of blood and ash still clinging to him.
His eyes...amber, feral..met mine like a predator measuring prey.
He stopped a few feet away and spoke, voice low but carrying.
"So. Kael Alanto."
I didn't flinch. "You must be Fredric."
He gave a short, rough laugh.
"Good. You've got manners. I like that. Won't matter much, though."
"Why am I here?" I asked flatly.
He ignored the question and circled me slowly, like inspecting a weapon.
Up close, I could see faint scars running down his neck and arms, his aura thick,too thick for a normal being.
Finally, he stopped in front of me.
"Walter says you're quick. Strong. Controlled."
"Sometimes," I said.
He tilted his head.
"He wasn't wrong. That's good. You'll need to be."
I didn't move. "Why am I here?"
He ignored the question.
"Tell me, Kael… do you know what happens to people who try to reveal the kingdom's secrets?"
My voice was steady. "They disappear."
Fredric's lips curved ... not in amusement, but satisfaction.
"Disappear?"
He chuckled darkly. "That's the soft word. The truth is ..they're erased. Body, name, bloodline gone like dust in wind. And we are the ones who erase them."
His tone turned sharp, final.
"The Obsidian Division...The shadows of the law."
My jaw clenched. "Executioners."
"Exactly."
He stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"We clean the mess when loyalty breaks. We kill those who try to speak forbidden truths."
He pulled a blood-stained folder from his coat and dropped it onto the table. The thud echoed like a heartbeat.
"Someone's trying to break the law. We have information. A traitor -- gathering knowledge about forbidden rites. About the history our kingdom buried."
I felt my pulse tighten.
He noticed.
Fredric's gaze sharpened, voice turning cold.
"You've heard of this before, haven't you?"
I didn't answer.
He smirked faintly. "Of course you have. After all, your father was one of them."
The words hit like a blade to the chest.
For a split second, my vision went white rage clawed at my throat, fire under my skin.
But I kept my face still.
Expression blank. Voice calm.
"You don't know what you're talking about."
Fredric laughed softly, not buying it.
"Oh, I know enough. The Council doesn't erase innocent men, Kael. Remember that."
Inside, every muscle screamed to rip his throat out.
Outside, I stood like stone.
He turned away, throwing his coat over his shoulder.
"When I inform you, you'll be there," he said, voice low but firm. "No excuses. No delays. Whatever you're doing, drop it. Understood?"
He glanced back once, eyes sharp as steel.
"Be late once… and I won't bother calling again."
Then he walked out, leaving the door wide open behind him.
The silence he left behind wasn't silence at all -- it hummed with the echo of everything I didn't say.
The lights flickered, and the bond on my finger pulsed faintly ...Serie must've felt the tension through me....did she?
I exhaled slowly, forcing the anger back down.
"So this is it," I muttered.
"The kingdom's peace… built on blood. And my father died for it."