Two days had passed since the deaths.
The academy had canceled all combat classes and closed off several zones near the cliff for investigation. Drones buzzed overhead, scanning mana residue. Elite scouts from the Frost family worked silently, pulling fragments of evidence no one else could've even sensed.
Max moved through the halls like a ghost.
He had expected a surge of guilt—but what came instead was paranoia.
Every glance felt like a threat. Every whisper sounded like suspicion. The Frost family wasn't wasting time. They were interrogating students now, starting with Jack and Elara's closest acquaintances.
So far, Max hadn't been called.
But it was only a matter of time.
---
Meanwhile, in the Frost family's temporary command center—set up in the academy's old northern library—Julius sat with arms crossed, reviewing the mana scan reports on a holographic display.
"Still nothing unusual," Lena reported. "The elemental traces confirm heavy water and fire usage—but they overlap with Jack and Elara's known affinities."
"No signs of external magic?" Julius asked.
She hesitated. "There's… one anomaly."
A new screen appeared: a small data window showing an unstable mana signature. Wild, chaotic, and fluctuating between all four basic elements—something that shouldn't have been possible from a student.
"It's faint," Lena continued, "but it appears to be residue of lightning… wind… even darkness. None of those align with Jack or Elara."
Julius's silver eyes narrowed. "Trace it."
"We're trying. The signature is mixed and unstable. It doesn't match any student record."
Julius leaned forward. "Then someone is hiding their true power."
---
Max sat in the training yard, sparring half-heartedly with a wooden dummy. He threw a slow punch and watched it bounce off the reinforced wood.
In his mind, his system screen hovered:
[Current Level: 6]
[All Elements Unlocked]
[Stealth Aura: Passive — Elemental Fluctuation Hidden]
The stealth aura had activated on its own the night he killed Jack and Elara, hiding the elemental energy he emitted. But now, even with that, the Frost family was sniffing too close.
I need to grow stronger, he thought. Fast.
If he could gain a few more levels, maybe unlock a new skill, he might stand a chance if things spiraled. He had to act normal, stay quiet, keep training…
"Max," a voice called.
He froze.
Turning, he saw a pair of soldiers waiting by the edge of the yard. Frost insignias glittered on their shoulder plates.
"You're requested for questioning," one of them said.
Max nodded slowly, heart pounding.
---
Ten minutes later, he was seated in a cold, dimly lit room. Across from him, Lena reviewed a crystal tablet.
"You were a classmate of Jack Frost and Elara Rugpt, yes?" she asked.
"Yes," Max said calmly.
"Did you speak to them the night before their deaths?"
Max blinked. "No. We… weren't close."
Lena didn't flinch. "Where were you that night?"
"In my dorm," he answered. "Alone. I studied for the elemental theory exam."
Lena raised an eyebrow. "Any witnesses?"
Max shook his head. "No."
She leaned back, expression unreadable. "We detected a trace of unstable mana not matching Jack or Elara. Know anything about that?"
Max looked her in the eyes, channeling every drop of fear and truth he could fake. "No. I barely have any mana at all. I awakened with a green talent. No elements."
She stared at him for a long moment.
Then, slowly, she stood. "You can go."
---
Outside the room, Lena found Julius waiting.
"He's clean," she said, voice uncertain. "At least… by all scans."
Julius didn't respond right away.
But deep inside, something gnawed at him. A gut instinct. One born from decades of war, of seeing traitors and monsters in human skin.
"Keep watching him," Julius said. "There's something off about that boy."
---
Back in his dorm, Max sat on his bed, drenched in sweat, breathing hard.
He had survived the first round.
But the noose was tightening.
---