Chapter 51: A Ghost at My Side and a Lord Out of Reach
{IRIS}
A week in the academy passed like a quiet blur.
My days fell into a gentle rhythm—morning training for my body, afternoons spent devouring books beneath the great canopy tree, and evenings wrestling with that cursed student manual I still hadn’t managed to finish.
And through all of it, Zephyros remained beside me.
Always silent, always near.
Sometimes he sat beside me, legs stretched out lazily. Other times he drifted above in the branches, half-asleep, half-watching.
He never disturbed me—just existed near me, as though my presence alone was enough to anchor him.
"Only a few more days before classes begin," he sighed one afternoon, watching students bustle across the grounds. "No wonder there are more people now. It will get noisy again."
"It seems so," I murmured, eyes fixed on my book.
"Do you have everything you need?"
I nodded. "Yes."
"Is it truly that fun?" he asked.
I blinked and lifted my gaze—only to find him far closer than I expected, his pale yellow-green eyes studying me with quiet curiosity.
His eyes were hauntingly beautiful.
Uncomfortably so.
"H-huh?"
"That book you’re reading. Is it fun?"
"O–oh." I held it out with a small smile. "Yes. It’s about a stray fox rescued by a human girl. The fox turns out to be a spirit, and they fall in love. But the girl is mortal, so she dies... and he vows to wait for her, even if it takes an eternity. In the end, she’s reincarnated in the modern world and finds him again."
"A love story between a human?" His expression darkened immediately. "What is so good about humans?"
"You dislike humans?"
"Dislike?" He snorted softly. "No. I loathe them."
His voice held such quiet venom that it startled me.
Not dislike—hatred.
Deep and old.
"But... aren’t you human yourself?"
He froze.
Then shrugged, returning to that bored mask. "I am a ghost. Not human."
I wanted to argue. But I swallowed the instinct; I did not want to sour his mood further.
"By the way," he continued, "are you certain you have everything? Clothes? Bags? Shoes? Books?"
"Yeah."
"If you’re short on money, I can give you some. I’m rich. I’ve had centuries to hoard wealth."
"Huh?"
He said it so casually I almost choked.
"Well, you’re on your own, aren’t you? Your pack abandoned you. You don’t have a family either, or anyone else. If the Dean hadn’t found you, you might have been killed."
"Ah... right..." The reminder stung, even now.
"I can give you money, jewelry—anything you want. Truly, I have no use for any of it."
"Hold on—" I raised a hand to stop him. "I’m fine. Really. I have everything I need."
"You’re sure?"
"Yes. The Dean send me allowance every month. You don’t have to give me anything. It would feel... strange."
"Strange?" He tilted his head like a confused cat. "But we are friends. Friends help each other."
"Yes, but..."Friends do not give each other millions, I thought helplessly.
"I don’t truly need money," he added carelessly. "I’m a ghost."
"Yes, but... you might need it someday."
He blinked as if the thought had never occurred to him.
"Well," he said softly, "if you ever need anything—anything at all—do not hesitate to ask me. I will help you."
I smiled a little. "Thank you."
It was nice.
It was nice to have a friend here.
But part of me could not relax around him.
Firstly, because he had frightened me half to death when we first met.
Secondly, because he behaved strangely around me, as though he already knew me from some forgotten lifetime.
And third—
I still could not understand why he wanted to befriend someone like me.
Why me?
What did he see?
The questions pressed against my heart, but I could not ask them.
Because whether I liked it or not...
I was happy he stayed with me. Happy I wasn’t alone in this strange, lonely place.
Even if the ghost beside me was probably far more dangerous.
Later that night, I moved quietly around my small dormitory room, ensuring everything I needed for classes was neatly arranged. My uniform was pressed, my quills sharpened, my books stacked, organized.
The moonlight spilled over the floor like pale silk, and with every small task I completed, my heart beat a little faster.
Tomorrow... my roommate would arrive.
The thought alone made my stomach flutter—half excitement, half dread.
I told myself I should be thrilled. A new face. A stranger from another world. Someone who might become... a friend.
But the truth slithered beneath those hopeful thoughts, cold and merciless.
What if she disliked me on sight?
What if she found me strange? Annoying?
What if she learned the truth—that I could not shift—and treated me as the pack once did?
I paused before the small mirror above the desk. My reflection stared back—pale, uncertain, too fragile for a place as ancient and unforgiving as the Covens of Midnight.
The shadows in the corners of the room stretched longer as my mind spiraled, dark thoughts curling like smoke around my ribs.
What if she bullied me?
What if she told rumors about me?
What if this academy—my last sanctuary—turned against me as well?
A quiet despair crept up my spine.
Then—my phone buzzed.
I jumped, heart lurching violently.
On the screen: Lord Val.
At once, the tension in my shoulders melted. I pressed the device to my ear, and the moment his voice flowed through the line—my breath steadied.
"How are you?" he asked.
"Lord Val..." A soft exhale escaped me, trembling with relief. "I—I’m fine. Truly. How about you and the others? How is Sebastian?"
"Everything is fine." His tone was clipped, businesslike. "By the way, I am here at the school now."
I shot upright, excitement tripping through me like a misbehaving heartbeat.
"L–Lord Val... do you wish to meet?"
The hope in my voice made me wince. I missed him. A familiar companion would be nice.
"No."
The word was sharp, immediate, final.
My shoulders fell as though someone had cut invisible strings.
