Chapter 47: Chapter 47: The silhouette under the Moonlight
The evening sky above Aurelius Academy was painted in deep shades of violet and silver as students gradually returned to their respective dormitories after another exhausting day of training. The once lively marble pathways slowly emptied, leaving behind only the occasional flicker of mana lamps and the distant cries of nocturnal beasts roaming beyond the academy walls.
Inside Room 402, Lina had barely managed to put her school bag down before Qhuin’s cold voice echoed inside her skull.
"Do not mistake surviving one day for becoming competent, brat. Pick up your sword."
Lina released a defeated groan.
"We just got back..."
"Pick. Up. The sword."
Her shoulders slumped instantly, sometimes she genuinely wondered if this rabbit was secretly a tyrant disguised as a pet.
Without arguing any further, she grabbed the heavy steel broadsword from beside her bed and moved to the center of the room. Her body instinctively entered the familiar rhythm she had practiced every night for weeks now.
Her movements were no longer clumsy, the [Ancient Shadow-Blade Art] was slowly embedding itself into her muscles.
Every slash was smoother and every step quieter.
Her expanding mana channels circulated through her body in elegant waves as her Strength and Agility synchronized with her movements.
Qhuin sat silently atop the windowsill for several minutes, his ruby eyes observing every detail.
’Good, her stance was finally stabilizing and her breathing was controlled.’
For once, she no longer required his constant corrections.
A tiny smile almost appeared on his face, and without a sound, his body slowly melted into the shadow cast by the velvet curtains.
The white fur disappeared first, then his ears, and within seconds, nothing remained except a small ripple of darkness sliding toward the ventilation shaft.
Lina remained completely unaware, still focused on her training.
...
Far away, deep within the lower sectors of Aurelius Academy, another student was returning to her dormitory.
Chloe walked quietly through the dimly lit Class D corridors.
The atmosphere here was vastly different from the luxurious upper tiers.
The walls were older and the mana lamps flickered weakly, the floors creaked beneath every step.
Students here didn’t receive private gardens or expensive furniture.
They received functional ones , Chloe clutched her school bag tightly against her chest.
Beside her, her Frost-Whiskered Otter waddled along obediently.
The little beast occasionally glanced up at her with worried eyes, it could tell she was upset.
Eventually, she arrived at Room D-127 and she unlocked the wooden door and stepped inside.
The room was small and simple compared to Lina’s
A single bed sat against one wall and a tiny study desk occupied another corner, stacked with old textbooks whose pages had been repaired countless times.
Several pieces of thread and sewing needles rested beside a folded uniform she had been mending earlier that week.
There was a tiny wardrobe.
A chair and one window overlooking the academy forest, and that was all.
Chloe slowly sat on the edge of her bed, then she exhaled.
The events from the cafeteria replayed endlessly inside her head.
Marcus attacked Lina with the dagger and his bloodshot eyes that was filled with madness.
The way he had lunged toward Lina without hesitation and her fingers trembled.
"What if..."
She swallowed.
"What if he wasn’t stopped?"
The thought alone made her stomach twist and she pulled her knees toward her chest as her shoulders began shaking.
Then the tears finally came.
"Marcus was right..."
She buried her face in her arms.
"Lina was lucky."
Her voice cracked. "She received that miraculous beast mutation... and now she has the strength to protect herself."
More tears rolled down her cheeks.
"But what about me?"
She laughed bitterly. "If some noble decides tomorrow that my existence is inconvenient... what am I supposed to do?"
She looked toward her tiny companion, the Frost-Whiskered Otter let out a soft whistle before climbing onto the bed and nudging her arm with its wet nose.
It was trying to comfort her, but somehow, that only made her cry harder.
"We’re weak, Bubbles." and she gently stroked its head.
"We’re just too weak."
Her eyes became distant. "Commoners like us are disposable."
"If somebody powerful wants us gone... we disappear."
The room fell silent and the wind outside grew colder.
Then suddenly, Bubbles froze and its body stiffened instantly every single hair along its back stood up.
Chloe blinked.
"Bubbles?"
The otter didn’t move, it just stared at the window.
Chloe turned, following its gaze and her words immediately died in her throat.
Moonlight poured through the glass and sitting calmly upon the windowsill was a tall sleek rabbit with fangs, its long ears were tipped with elegant midnight-black fur, and its crimson eyes burned with intelligence.
The room itself felt colder and heavier, as if air had suddenly become thicker and her instincts screamed at her to run and hide
But she couldn’t and she couldn’t move.
The rabbit tilted its head slightly.
Then a deep, majestic voice echoed directly inside her mind.
"You wept for power."
Chloe’s eyes widened and her breathing stopped.
The rabbit continued.
"You begged fate for salvation and yet fate remained silent."
A chill ran down her spine, then he said something that made her entire body tremble.
"So I came instead."
Her mouth slowly opened.
"...W-What are you?"
The rabbit stared at her for several seconds.
"I have many names."
His ruby eyes glowed brighter. "But none of them concern you."
He hopped gracefully from the windowsill onto her desk, not a single sound escaped his landing.
"You desire strength."
Chloe immediately shook her head.
"N-No..."
The rabbit interrupted her.
"You do."
His voice carried absolute certainty.
"You fear death and you fear being helpless, you fear watching those you cherish become victims, scared of being forgotten."
Every sentence pierced directly into her heart, because every sentence was true.
Her eyes trembled.
"How..."
"How do you know?"
The rabbit simply stared at her.
"I am a predator and I recognize prey when I see it."
Her face turned pale.
Yet strangely...
She wasn’t offended, because she knew he wasn’t insulting her and it was simply stating reality.
She was prey and everyone like her was prey.
The nobles and the faculty and whatever monster was inside this academy, they were all predators.
The rabbit took another step forward. "If someone placed a dagger against your throat tomorrow... would your tears save you?"
She slowly shook her head.
"If someone targeted your friend... would your kindness protect her?"
Her lips trembled.
"No..."
The room became silent, and then he asked one final question.
"If power was offered to you..."
His crimson eyes locked onto hers.
"...Would you possess the courage to seize it?"
Her heart began pounding violently with fear and strangely curiosity and hope
All three emotions collided inside her, as she stared at him.
The mysterious rabbit and the impossible existence. And yet for some reason...
She didn’t feel hatred, she felt tempted. Outside, the wind howled through the academy towers.
Inside Room 402, Lina continued training completely unaware.
And within the shadows of Class D, an ancient monarch sat beneath the moonlight, quietly expanding the invisible empire that would one day shake the entire continent.
The game board was growing larger and the second piece had finally appeared.
