The moon had barely shifted when Zayn stepped back into the shadows of the boy's dormitory.His breath was calm,measured,but his body trembled not from fear but from the raw,unfiltered energy still flooding his veins.
The fragment of Aura Flow buzzed inside him like an untamed current.Slippery.Dangerous.Unstable.
He needed more.
One wasn't enough.
It would never be enough.
[Devourer Core Synchronizing...]
He ignored the message.His eyes drifted toward the academy tower where the elite trained.The top-ranked students were there.Right now.Wasting their bloodline talents on flashy duels and noble pride.
They didn't know someone like him existed yet.
But they would.
Soon.
---
Inside his room,he sat cross-legged on the cold floor,his palm open in front of him.The red thread still lingered not physical,yet present like a heartbeat he could see.
He focused.
[Talent Grid Unlocked]
The air shifted.
A circular pattern etched itself into his mind.A wheel of names,abilities,grades.Most were greyed out except one faintly glowing.
Aura Flow Fragment - Incomplete - Rank E
He could feel how shallow it was.A mere sip of what Magnus had.But it proved something.
He could steal what others were born with.
He could devour what the world told him he wasn't worthy of.
His fingers twitched.
He wanted to test it again.
---
The next morning,word of the incident had already spread.Whispers followed him through every hallway.Even the instructors were quiet around him.
But they didn't confront him.
Not yet.
Zayn liked that.
Let them guess.
Let them wonder.
Keira cornered him behind the library,a place where no one usually wandered except during exams.
"You attacked a noble's son," she said,eyes firm.
Zayn didn't reply.
"You could be expelled.Or worse."
He met her eyes.
"You think I care?"
Keira looked away,but not because she was scared.Because part of her understood.
"You could've killed him."
Zayn paused.
"I didn't."
"And next time?"
He looked at the sky.
"There won't be a next time for Magnus."
Keira stepped closer.
"You're changing."
He smirked.
"I'm evolving."
---
That night,he returned to the practice fields but not to train.He watched the upper-rank students from afar.Each step,each swing,each spark of energy they were all gifts he didn't have.
Yet.
But then he noticed someone else watching too.A girl in a hood.Silver eyes.Golden skin.Lips that looked like they never smiled.
She didn't move,even when he noticed her.
Zayn felt something in the air tighten.
[Unknown Entity Detected]
[Threat Level: Unknown]
[Devour Attempt: Not Recommended]
He turned away first,not out of fear,but out of respect.
That one...was dangerous.
But she would become his target too.
Eventually.
Because this world gave power to the unworthy.
And Zayn?
He was ready to take it all back.