A blonde tattooed woman sat down on a metal chair and placed a tray of food.

She looked around—with worry behind her eyes, and felt more at ease to see other students around, also eating. It seemed like she chose to be in a crowded place on purpose. Her hazel eyes turned to the treelines on the other side.

Nature is the best remedy for the mind, and it seemed that was really true.

Agnes slowly drifted into a pleasant trance.

Caer Darrow Academy has one of the best open cafeterias facing the well-maintained forest.

And right now, she is really glad to be in this academy.

It had been more than a month since the Blood Rite.

More than a month passed from the realization that Lion was dead. Killed in the Blood Rite.

Professor Richard’s death reached her ears—and that made her incredibly paranoid, knowing the person who vouched for Lion. It was not her task to keep Lion safe during the Blood Rite, but even so, she couldn’t help but worry.

She expected someone pay her a visit.

But it had been quiet in the last month.

One that felt unnerving the longer it remained; Agnes was going crazy from the worry.

Even her eyes now have bags under them from the lack of sleep.

Just then, something tapped her on the shoulder.

Agnes flinched hard, causing the legs of the metal chair to graze against the floor.

Everyone glanced at her in reflex.

"Whoa... What’s wrong with you?" A student raised his hands, not expecting to spark such a fierce reaction from Agnes—when all he did was tap her on the shoulder. Like he sometimes did. "Something in your mind?"

"Piss off," Agnes flicked her hand. "I’m not in the mood for your bullshit."

"Then what about tonight? Are you going to be in the mood for bullshitting in my room?"

"I’ll shit on your face, how about that?"

"Don’t tempt me with a fun time."

"Gross."

The student laughed and walked away, deciding not to interrupt Agnes any further.

A minute later, another student with towering stature arrived. He went to sit across from her and placed down his tray—with a dull clatter. One could see the same tiredness and worry in the student’s eyes.

And like Agnes, he didn’t touch his food.

Just stared at it, trapped in the same hollow state of mind.

"Thomas..." Agnes whispered, seeing that he, too—was restless with the situation they were in right now. "Be a man and assure me or something. Do something. I really need some good reassuring words."

"What do you want me to do?" Thomas’ shoulders slumped. "Contact him first?"

"Yes! I can’t even close my eyes in peace!"

"You know that he doesn’t want to be disturbed. And if it makes it better, I also can’t sleep."

"Some man you are..."

Agnes rolled her eyes—and looked back at the tree line again, wanting nothing more than to distract her mind until the next class started. She inhaled deeply, and when she was about to exhale, the air stopped inside her lungs.

Her pupils trembled, and her body instinctively locked.

Something was staring at her.

A pair of glowing royal brown eyes that peeked from behind a tree—staring straight at her.

Instinctively, Agnes reached for Thomas’ hand and squeezed tightly.

"She’s here..." She whispered loudly. "She’s here!"

Just as she turned to look at Thomas, she was greeted by him, who also seemed to be stricken with fear. But he wasn’t staring at the treeline. No. He was staring at something—or someone right behind her.

Her blood runs cold when something grabs her shoulders.

A pair of hands descended upon her from behind—long black fingernails trailing down until their tips brushed the skin right below her collarbones. Agnes swallowed her, her throat tight, as those nails tapped her flesh once, twice, in a slow, menacing rhythm.

Then, the figure behind her moved.

She walked around the table and seated herself in the chair directly to the right.

Agnes and Thomas didn’t dare to look at this woman in the eyes.

Just seconds ago, she had been watching from beyond the treeline, a distant silhouette peering through the bark. There are at least five hundred yards between them. Then, in the space of a single breath, she suddenly appeared a foot away.

As though the distance between them had simply folded.

And that alone made it clear there’s a disparity in strength between them and this woman.

A devastating disparity.

"Still eating?" the woman asked while eying the untouched tray of food.

Both Agnes and Thomas shook their heads.

Any answer other than that would only be asking for trouble.

"Good," She stood up and walked into the cafeteria building. "Follow me."

Not even wasting a single second, the duo followed the woman inside and to the second floor. They were brought into a room. A small office. The woman turned around to face them and sat on the edge of the desk.

Not a moment was wasted—the duo followed the woman inside and up the narrow staircase to the second floor. Along the way, students noticed them but paid no heed. Both were led to a small office.

Just a desk, a chair, and the shadows pooling in the corners.

The woman eased onto the desk’s edge and simply looked at them.

She wasn’t wearing a mask, so the sharp features of her face were visible, but they gave away nothing. Not even a trace of emotion. Sweat beaded at Agnes’ temple. Thomas’ hands grew damn. "Do you know why I’m here?"

Her eyes moved to Thomas, held for a second, then slid to Agnes. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"Do you even know who I am?"

"Y-Yes..." Thomas found his voice and nodded. "I don’t know who you are exactly, but I am certain of the person who sent you. Is this about Lion?"

"Hmm," the woman nodded. "A Supernal with the bloodline of Chimera with more than five Divine Locks, being an Angel is a rare thing. Lion is... a rare thing. He wanted Lion. But now, Lion is dead. Dead prematurely because of a Lesser Angel."

Agnes and Thomas exchanged a look.

Both of them remembered the student who ascended to the summit last.

Back then, they suspected the student to be the one responsible, but this confirmed it.

"Witnesses said the Lesser Angel has the ability to devour other Supernals, but he’s a Supernal of Moros, so it’s far more likely—he destroyed them instead. Devouring isn’t Moros’ nature," the woman explained with surprising detail. "Even so, Lion’s essence should remain inside that Lesser Angel. Salvageable. At least... he said it would be."

Her eyes flicked between them.

This was the reason he came here to meet with these two.

"For that, he wants the two of you to hunt that rascal down. Kill him and bring his corpse."

Agnes and Thomas paused for a second, wrapping their minds around what was happening, and eventually nodded their heads. Killing the Lesser Angel shouldn’t be hard for them. After all, they have a few years of experience advantage as seniors.

Only now did they realize why it took more than a month for the woman to come.

Right after the Blood Rite, new Blooded Angels have things to do.

Mainly preparing themselves to fight their very first Star Beast, which would be the hardest battle yet since they arrived on Cloud Colony Alpha, by solidifying their powers, if Thomas and Agnes remember correctly, the new Blooded Angels were sent into secluded training.

And it took about a month.

Killing the Lesser Angel during this period is impossible.

It would only be suicide to try to kill someone within the academy’s territory.

Now, he was supposed to be out already.

And the task of killing him became significantly easier because of that.

Seeing the determination behind their eyes, the woman’s lips curled a little.

But it doesn’t feel enough.

At least not for her standard.

"Right now, the Lesser Angel is pressed by the approaching weekly quota. His only choice to get the mana ores he needed is to go to the two newly assigned clouds. There are Awakened Monsters—and Star Beasts there," the woman’s eyes flickered with malice. "Should be easy enough for the two of you to take him out there.

"But remember, keep a low profile. Don’t implicate him." She added with a warning tone.

One that made Agnes and Thomas nod repeatedly in understanding.

Professor Richard must’ve caused trouble from his attempt to help Lion win the Blood Rite, so the person behind the woman doesn’t want more eyes on him. It would be a problem if the unwanted factions got involved.

"Professor Richard is dead now because he failed to do what needed to be done." The woman pushed herself off the desk and rose to her full height. Then, in a blur of motion, she was standing between them, so close they could feel the chill radiating from her skin. "If you two fail, the next time we meet will be your end."

Pssh...!

The sound of something steaming resounded.

It started faintly, but gradually picked up.

Agnes and Thomas suddenly dropped, their knees cracking against the floor in unison.

Cold sweat burst from their skin, soaking through their clothes.

The woman didn’t strike them. She only pressed one black fingernail gently against each of their stomachs, and this happened. Just a single touch dropped them to the floor, and then came the pain.

Agnes doubled over, a groan clawed up her throat.

It started as a burn, like a smoldering coal pressed against her skin, but the pain grew.

Her fingers clenched her shirt, yanking the fabric up to her chest before she looked at her belly. Above her navel, where the nail had rested, a black spot had bloomed. Gnarly at the edges, weeping a sweet, rotting stench that filled her nostrils and turned her stomach.

The veins around it were already darkening, spreading grey tendrils outward.

Rapidly, the burn became a stab.

Like a white-hot blade buried in her gut.

She gasped, couldn’t scream. All she could do was grit her teeth and try to repel the hostile mana that was spreading through her body with her own. Beside her, Thomas had also curled onto his side.

His huge frame was reduced to a trembling mound.

Just a few seconds of the pain made his face bone-pale, lips peeled back, and breaths heavier.

Thomas clutched his stomach, fingers digging into the flesh as if he could tear the pain out.

But he couldn’t.

"Remember the pain," the woman said, watching them silently. Despite their whimpers, her eyes didn’t seem to change. "Brand it into your mind. Know that if you fail, your families are going to experience that pain. If Supernals crumbled as you crumbled like this, think about what it’d do to them."

Once she said that, she left, leaving the two sniffling and whimpering on the floor.