They stepped out of the portal and onto the academy’s smooth floor.

The change in the air was instant and refreshing. No fog. No toxic bite.

Students stumbled out in clusters, blinking against the bright indoor lights. Some collapsed on the spot. Others laughed so hard they cried.

Medics rushed in from the side corridors. The injured students got pulled aside first. One girl had a deep cut from a claw on her arm. There was also a boy who could hardly walk on his left leg.

Renna stretched her arms overhead until her shoulders popped.

"Finally, real ground. It’s stable and fog-free. I could kiss this floor. I won’t, but I could."

Emric adjusted his glasses, keeping a close eye on the medical response. "The response time is forty-seven seconds," he noted. "That’s good enough. The academy’s emergency procedures is clearly well-built."

Lyra slid her spear onto her back and turned to Holden.

"You’re not hurt," she said. It wasn’t a question.

"Never was."

She studied him for a moment. That knowing look again.

"I have an errand to run," Holden said.

Lyra tilted her head slightly.

"An errand. In the middle of post-exam processing. Right after you moved faster than anyone I’ve ever seen."

"Guess I’m just ambitious."

A small smile started to form on her lips. She didn’t press him for more information, letting the topic go.

"We’ll debrief tomorrow then. Renna will want details. Emric will want data. I’ll want the truth eventually, but I can be patient."

"That’s very noble of you."

"I thought so."

She turned and walked toward the medics to help direct traffic. Emric followed, already pulling out a small notebook to document the team’s performance metrics.

Renna jogged backward to keep pace while facing Holden.

"Hey! Tomorrow! You, me, Emric, Lyra, food place! You’re telling us everything! I’m not letting this go! The way you just blurred and then twelve hounds were dead? That’s going to live in my head rent-free until you explain it!"

"Tomorrow, Renna."

"Promise?"

"Sure."

She pointed at him with both index fingers.

"Promise locked in! No backing out! I will find you!"

She spun around and bounced off after the others, already chattering at Emric about something unrelated.

Holden watched them go for a second.

Then he turned and walked the other way.

Instructor Vespera’s office was in the east wing of the administrative building. The hallways got quieter the deeper he went.

He found her door at the end of a dead-end corridor. A small nameplate that just said VESPERA in sharp silver letters.

He knocked twice.

"Enter."

He entered the office and found it mostly empty. There were no decorations or windows, only a black desk and two chairs. The only color in the entire room came from a faint purple glow emanating from Vespera’s chest, visible through her dark uniform.

She sat behind the desk with her fingers steepled. Her hair was pulled back tight.

Then she blinked.

Holden closed the door behind him. The lock clicked into place on its own, a small mechanism responding to her authority.

He reached into his pack and pulled out the box that held the flower.

It was beautiful, with glowing petals. The light it gave off was soft and constant, moving with a rhythm that made it feel alive.

He crossed the room and set it on her desk.

"We had a deal."

Vespera looked at the flower.

Then she looked at him.

Her gaze moved over his jacket. No tears. No blood. No bandages. His posture was relaxed. He looked like he’d just come back from a casual walk, not three days in one of the most lethal environments on the continent.

"I didn’t expect to see you back in one piece," she admitted. Her voice had a new tone. It wasn’t friendly, but she was finally treating him like he was important. "I anticipated injuries. Severe ones. Perhaps a need for emergency extraction."

"Sorry to disappoint."

"You are not sorry. And it is not a disappointment."

She went to take the Lotus, and her hand trembled slightly.

She picked it up carefully, cradling it like something infinitely precious.

Then she pressed it against her chest, directly over the purple glow.

The effect was immediate.

The purple light flared bright, then began to shift. The cracked edges of the glow smoothed out. The erratic pulsing steadied into a calm, rhythmic beat. The color itself changed, fading from angry purple to a soft, healthy blue.

Vespera closed her eyes.

She lowered her shoulders slightly as she relaxed. The constant tension she carried in her body finally eased for the first time.

She breathed in.

The blue glow stabilized beneath her uniform. The cracked star-core near her heart had finally stopped dying.

For a long moment, the room was silent.

Then her eyes opened.

She looked much more heartless now. The hint of pain that had been in her eyes for years had vanished. Instead, she had a look that was as scary as the fog outside the ruins.

Her Rank 4 aura flared.

The pressure in the room suddenly became so intense. The desk groaned. The chairs scraped backward an inch on their own. The air itself felt like it gained weight, pressing down on everything with crushing intent.

Holden didn’t move.

Vespera held the aura for three seconds. Then she pulled it back. It was like she was putting a dangerous weapon away so no one could see it.

She set the spent Lotus stem down and turned to the terminal built into the top of her desk. Her fingers moved across the surface with quick, precise taps.

"I am a woman of my word, Voss. You delivered what I needed. I will deliver what I promised."

The terminal projected a holographic document into the air between them. It had the official academy seal. and registration form with fields already filled in.

"Instructor Vespera, Rank 4, hereby registers Holden Voss as personal disciple under the Academic Protection Statute, Article Seven."

She tapped the screen one final time.

"Done."

The document flashed gold and vanished into the academy’s records.

"To put it simply," Vespera said, leaning back in her chair, "you’re now untouchable. Any move made against you or your sister is officially considered an attack on me. The Valcrest family can’t lay a finger on you anymore. If they try, the law gives me the right to use lethal force. And believe me, I’ve been looking for a reason to settle the score with the Valcrests for a long time."

"Good to know."

"You don’t seem surprised."

"I don’t make deals I haven’t already verified."

She almost smiled. It might have been approval.

"Now. The additional compensation."

She stood and walked to the far wall. Her fingers pressed against a section of black stone that looked identical to every other section. A hidden panel slid open, revealing a small vault door. She pressed her palm to it. A scanner ran a thin red line across her skin.

Clunk.

The vault door swung open.

Inside was a chest. This one was heavy and built with military-level quality. It had ornate gold edges and the academy’s war symbol stamped right onto the lid. It looked like it belonged in a general’s quarters, not a student’s hands.

Vespera lifted it out and set it on the desk in front of him.

"Military Gold Chest. Sourced from the academy’s private reserve. Contents are yours to use as you see fit."

Holden picked it up. Whatever was inside had real weight to it.

"Appreciated."

"Do not waste it."

"I don’t waste anything."

He turned toward the door.

"Voss."

He stopped but didn’t turn around.

"You killed something back in those ruins," Vespera said, her voice low and certain. She spoke with complete confidence, as if she already had the proof. "It was something far beyond your level. The magical residue on you isn’t what I’d expect to see from someone who just fought basic hounds."

Holden paused for a moment.

"Must be the fog playing tricks."

He opened the door and stepped into the hallway.

Behind him, Vespera’s cold voice followed.

"I look forward to finding out what you really are, Voss."

The door clicked shut.

Holden walked through the corridors with the chest tucked under his arm. The administrative wing was empty this time of day.

He pulled up his status panel to confirm everything was in order.

┌──────[ Profile ]──────┐

│ [Name]: Holden Voss

│ [Fighter Rank]: Rank 1 (8-Star)

│ [KP Balance]: 3,090

│ [Multiplier]: 1,000x

│ [KP Booster]: 2x Active

└─────────────────────────┘

He picked up his pace.

The front door of the warded house was exactly as he’d left it.