Chapter 206: Hunt Has Begun
The day of the hunt had finally arrived. The academy grounds buzzed with a mixture of excitement and tension as students gathered in the main square, waiting for the official start. Each group of students stood firm, assembled by year.
Among the crowd of first-years stood Adeline and Theresa, their contrasting demeanours setting them apart.
Adeline stood tall and composed, her gaze sharp and focused. Months of preparation had led to this moment, and she was ready. Her confidence wasn’t born from arrogance but from the hard-earned mastery of her powers and her determination to achieve her goals. She had a plan, and she wasn’t going to let anything—or anyone—deter her.
Beside her, Theresa shifted nervously, wringing her hands and glancing around. She didn’t want to be here. The thought of venturing into the hunting grounds, facing monsters, and risking her life terrified her.
It wasn’t her idea to participate, but Lucas had convinced her otherwise. His casual suggestion, cloaked in what she thought was a concern, had planted a seed of insecurity in her. He had said it with such nonchalance, as though it were obvious she should compete.
"Are you really going to sit this out?" Lucas had asked her days before, his tone almost dismissive. "It’s an opportunity to prove yourself."
Theresa couldn’t stand the idea of him looking down on her, or worse, thinking she was weak. His words, though simple, carried a weight she couldn’t shake. Even now, as she stood among her peers, the doubt gnawed at her. She didn’t belong here.
But there was another reason she forced herself to stay: Adeline. Theresa couldn’t explain it, but she felt a strange sense of competition with her.
Adeline had always seemed so self-assured, so untouchable. And then there was Cassian, who, despite Adeline’s cold demeanour, kept hovering around her like a moth drawn to a flame.
In her mind, it was as if the two of them were locked in some silent rivalry. Cassian and Adeline... Lucas and... Her... So were they not counterparts? She could not lose to her, never.
Adeline’s presence only made her insecurities more glaring.