Noah stretched his arms as he walked away from the sparring grounds, his muscles still tingling from the aftermath of the battle. His fight with Seth had shaken the Academy, and the shift in atmosphere was undeniable. He could feel the weight of the stares pressing into his back. Some were filled with curiosity, others with irritation, and a few with something far more dangerous, calculation.
Before, he had been an afterthought, someone expected him to fail and disappear. Now, eyes followed him everywhere. Some were filled with curiosity, others with irritation. But the most dangerous ones were silent, calculating stares from the upper ranks made his skin itch.
The stronger students, those from the Platinum and Diamond Ranks, had remained silent, their expressions unreadable. They were assessing him. Judging him. Deciding whether he was a potential ally or a problem that needed to be crushed before it got out of hand.
Noah had expected this. The moment he had stepped back into the Academy, his presence alone had been an anomaly. His unexpected return, his abilities, and his victory over Seth had only made him stand out more.
That was a problem for later, right now, he had bigger things to worry about. His fusion ability wasn't normal, the Academy's higher-ups knew it, even if they didn't understand it yet. He had seen the way Master Blackwood and the other council members had studied him during his hearing. They sensed something was off and if they decided he was a threat…what would they do?
Noah knew better than to think they would just let him exist and he had no intention of waiting to find out. If he wanted to survive, he needed to understand his powers before someone else did and that meant breaking some few rules. He needed answers and he knew exactly where to get them.
The Royal Beast Academy wasn't just a school; it was a fortress of knowledge, a place where secrets were buried under layers of history. Hidden within its depths was the Forbidden Library, a restricted section that only a select few were allowed to access. It held the kind of information that could make or break a person's future. It was a battleground for hidden factions, the noble students held power not just through their bloodlines but through forbidden techniques and secrets that passed down from the shadows. Noah had seen it firsthand, there were students here whose beasts were unnaturally strong, their contracts deeper than simple bonds. He had seen beasts that shouldn't exist, too intelligent and overwhelming strength . There were whispers of beast tamers who had vanished after gaining strange powers, people who had broken the Academy's unspoken laws and Noah had no intention of being the next name on that list.
He had to find out the truth of his powers but knew that the official records and training manuals were things students were never meant to see and there was only one place that held them… 'The Forbidden Library.' And that was where he believed he would find answers and tonight, he was going to break in.
He waited until the halls were empty before making his move. The Academy enforced a strict curfew for lower-ranked students, but Noah had never been one to follow rules when it came to risking his future. He moved with the ease of someone who belonged in the shadows, slipping past the patrolling instructors and avoiding the watchful eyes the security formations that lined the corridors.
He took a long route, circling around the outer halls and moving through the lesser-used corridors to avoid suspicion. He reached the library's entrance, a massive and ancient door carved from dark ironwood and reinforced with layers of protective runes his eyes widened as he saw words written in red capital bolded letters at the massive door {WARNING! NO ENTRY WITHOUT PERMISSION!} Noah smirked. Warnings were for people who followed rules. he pressed his back against the cold stone wall, listening carefully. For a brief moment, his instincts screamed at him to turn back but then he clenched his jaw and stepped forward, pressing his palm against the door.
Then something growled. A low, deep sound, almost like a whisper carried by the wind. It sent a shiver down his spine, and his body tensed on instinct. He took a slow step back just as the shadows near the entrance shifted.
A figure moved, silent as death, its form blending into the darkness like it had been waiting for him. Then, a pair of glowing crimson eyes snapped open, locking onto him with a predator's gaze. It was the library's guardian.
Noah had expected magical barriers, maybe a few alarm spells, but this? …This was worse.
The beast stepped forward, revealing itself beneath the dim light. Its sleek, panther-like body was unnaturally fluid, almost as if it wasn't entirely solid. Unlike normal creatures, its fur didn't reflect light, it absorbed it, leaving behind only pure darkness. Its claws dripped with something that sizzled as it hit the stone floor, eating away at the surface like acid.
'A Spectral Stalker?' Noah's pulse pounded in his ears. He had read about them before, they are beasts formed entirely from shadow and malice, their bodies existing between the physical and spiritual realms. They were impossible to fight using normal attacks, they slipped through strikes like mist and they were more than capable of tearing apart anything that stood in their way. And now one was standing between him and the answers he needed.
The creature didn't growl again or warn him, it attacked. The beast lunged without hesitation, a blur of black mist and deadly claws. Noah barely had time to react, he twisted his body just as the razor-sharp talons slashed through the air where his chest had been a second ago.
His instincts screamed, He teleported back, Shadow Step activating on reflex but the Spectral Stalker followed. It didn't chase him normally, it vanished into the darkness, disappearing completely before reappearing beside him in an instant, its crimson eyes flashing with cold hunger.
Noah ducked just in time to avoid another strike, the air whistling as the beast's claws cut through empty space. His feet hit the stone floor hard, and he rolled away, his heart pounding.
Fighting here was stupid. If he made too much noise, he'd alert the instructors and there was no way he was talking his way out of this. He had to end it quickly.
The beast lunged again but this time, Noah didn't dodge instead he moved forward. The Spectral Stalker hesitated for a fraction of a second and it was caught off guard by the shift in strategy. Noah's fist shot forward, colliding with its shadowy form only for his attack to phase straight through.
He gritted his teeth. Physical attacks wouldn't work. The beast let out a low hiss, circling him. It was testing him now, playing with its prey.
'Fine. Let's see how you handles this.' Noah exhaled slowly, reaching inward, pulling at the power resting beneath his skin. The shadows around him flickered, shifting unnaturally, responding to his will. His pupils narrowed, glowing faintly as his presence deepened.
The beast paused, as if it could feel his power. Then Noah vanished, this time, he didn't just teleport away, he merged into the darkness itself, becoming one with the shadows.
For the first time, the Spectral Stalker lost sight of him but Noah reappeared behind it. The moment he did, his hand shot forward, his palm pressing against the beast's back. A surge of dark energy pulsed from his fingertips, sinking into the creature's body.
The Spectral stalker let out a strangled snarl, its form flickering violently before it collapsed onto the ground, unmoving.
Noah staggered back as he exhaled sharply. He hadn't killed it, he just disrupted its connection to the shadows long enough to shut it down and knew that it would wake up eventually, but by then, he'd be long gone.
The massive ironwood doors groaned as they swung open, almost as if they had been waiting for him. Inside, the air was thick with dust and something older and heavier. Rows upon rows of towering bookshelves stretched into the dimly lit chamber, their contents were ones hidden from the outside world. This was knowledge the Academy didn't want ordinary students to have.
Noah moved quickly, scanning the shelves. His fingers trailed over worn spines, searching for anything related to beast taming, fusion or evolution. Then he found it, a single book, its cover had faded from time. The title was barely legible, but the moment Noah touched it, a chill ran down his spine. 'The records of Lost Beast Tamers?' He went through it quickly since the entries were brief. It contained only names, dates, and a single line describing their disappearances but there was no explanations and the causes. All of them had gained abilities that defied normal beast taming and all of them had vanished.
Noah swallowed hard, it was clear that he wasn't the first and if that was true… what had happened to the others?
His fingers tightened around the book. Then his eyes caught something else a half-buried chest, hidden behind a stack of discarded scrolls, he hesitated before reaching for it.
The moment he lifted the lid, a faint golden glow illuminated his face, inside, nestled in a bed of silk, was a beast egg.
Noah's pulse quickened it looked like someone had hidden it here. Suddenly a whisper of movement echoed behind him. He snapped the book shut, while his heart pounded.