Chapter 25: The Headmaster’s Gambit
The morning sun burned crimson over the academy’s combat grounds as I stalked through the training fields like a predator marking its territory. My shadow stretched unnaturally long behind me, twisting with restless energy.
[System: Someone’s feeling dramatic today.]
Quiet.
Ahead, near the obsidian dueling platform, Headmaster Evelyn stood surrounded by nobles—each more venomous than the last.
Lady Voxx, Nyx’s mother, her crimson eyes sharp enough to flay skin.
A silver-haired elf with Seraphina’s pointed ears but none of her grace, his face twisted in permanent disdain.
Duke Whitehound, Eren and Noora’s father, his gilded armor gleaming under the sun like a challenge.
I melted into the shadows, close enough to hear.
The Conversation
Lady Voxx spoke first, her voice a blade wrapped in silk. "Evelyn, how could you betray us? That boy humiliated our heirs. I wouldn’t need more than a few seconds to punish him properly."
Evelyn didn’t flinch. "Do you truly believe I fought him with my full strength?"