My room still smelled like her.
Her scent clung to me --soft, warm, infuriatingly calming.
I pulled on my training gear anyway and headed to the hall.
The punching bag swung with every hit, but no matter how hard I struck, my thoughts hit harder.
I'd made my choice.
The Obsidian Group.
If I wanted to know my father's truth, I had to walk into their darkness and earn their trust.
Even if it broke me.
A fist slammed into the bag -- thud!!.
Behind me, Ruan's voice.
"You look different."
I glanced back. "What different?"
He grinned, pointing at my neck. "That different."
Before I could react, Ryuk appeared beside him, smirking.
"Oh damn, someone's been busy."
My hand brushed my collar instinctively. The mark burned like a brand.
"I told you before -- it's the thread," I lied smoothly. "Nothing else."
Ruan laughed. "Yeah, sure, thread. Right."
I ignored them and kept training, each punch sharper, heavier but my mind wasn't on the fight.
Because I felt her.
Serie.
First-year students filled the other side of the hall. She was among them, in uniform, pretending like she didn't feel the same pull.
But she did. I knew she did.
Her lips were swollen.
And all I could think about was how they felt against mine.
She looked away, pretending to focus on her friend-David.
My jaw tightened.
She was helping him adjust his stance.
My fist hit the bag again, loud enough to echo.
Then Professor Leo arrived, clipboard in hand.
He made a few announcements, then stopped in front of me.
"For Kael Alanto, level-up trials will be decided directly by the Hall itself. You're beyond standard testing. Let the University's core magic judge your worth."
He moved on before I could answer, leaving whispers behind him.
Fine....Let the Hall decide.
But then he addressed the first-years and I froze.
"Next week's test will involve partial beast manifestation. Everyone must show their first form."
Beast form.
Serie hadn't manifested hers yet.
My chest tightened.
I told myself I didn't care but my heart disagreed.
She gave me peace, and I'd promised to protect her. Even if that promise had started as a lie.
---
After training, I showered, changed into my uniform, and walked toward the academic block.
The air felt heavy with leftover adrenaline.
My phone buzzed.
Serie: "When are we training?"
Me: "Thanks."
Serie: "For what?"
Me: "Last night."
Serie: "It benefited both of us, so it's okay."
I didn't reply.
Did she really believe that?
That it was just benefit?
I sighed and shoved the phone in my pocket. My head was chaos.
And then it hit that tug.
Sharp. Immediate.
The thread burned against my skin.
Something was wrong.
I didn't think.
Didn't care who saw.
I followed the pull through corridors, past students until I reached the first-year wing.
Women's washroom.
I kicked the door open.
Erina's laughter hit me first .. sharp, cruel. Her friend beside her, smirking.
And there ...
Serie, choking, her hands around her own throat, eyes wide with terror.
Her powerless body gasping for air.
Erina's illusion power.
I'd seen it before she could trap the mind, make the victim destroy themselves.
Serie didn't have a mental shield yet.
My vision blurred red.
Before I could even move, my shadow had already left me smoke, speed, and fury.
It wrapped around Serie's collapsing body, pulling her out of the illusion.
Gasps erupted around us as my shadow carried her to me.
Her limp body landed in my arms — skin cold, eyes empty.
Erina shouted something .... I didn't hear her.
Didn't care.
"Serie," I whispered, shaking her gently. "Open your eyes."
Nothing.
My chest felt like it was tearing open. I could feel her fading through the thread ...her heartbeat, slipping.
I didn't think.
Didn't care.
I pressed my lips to hers.
The moment our mouths met, the bond flared.
Golden and black light exploded around us, swirling like fire and shadow colliding.
Her body jerked the air around us crackled.
She gasped.
Her eyes flew open.
And then...
She cried.
Not from pain.
From something deeper.
Her hands clutched my shirt, trembling. I pulled her close, one hand on the back of her head, the other on her spine.
"You're okay," I murmured, though my own voice shook.
"You're fine now."
Her sobs quieted.
Erina said something -- a sneer, an insult but I didn't even look at her.
Right now, all I cared about was the girl in my arms.
The one who shouldn't have made it.
The one who somehow always did.
Serie finally pulled back, her eyes glossy, her voice soft.
"Sorry… and… thank you."
I said nothing.
Just nodded once.
She stood, still trembling, brushed her skirt, and turned toward the classroom.
I let her go , watching her disappear through the door, feeling every emotion she tried to hide.
Fear....Shame.... Sadness...
And something else....
When she saw me, she felt safe.
And that's what broke me.
Because a monster like me doesn't deserve to be anyone's safe place.
But she saw one anyway.
Maybe it was the bond.
Maybe it was something worse.
And I knew ... when that thread finally broke , it wasn't just thread power that would disappear.
It would be something else also ...
Rumors spread faster than wildfire in HLA.
Within 2min, every phone was buzzing ..
"Kael kissed the weakling."
Screenshots. Replays. Edits.
The whole university had seen it.
I didn't care.
But when Mr. Walter's name flashed across my comm -- missed calls -- I knew the storm was coming...
Ruan looked up from his phone, grinning. "Damn, you're trending again, lover boy."
Ryuk snorted.
"Half the girls are crying, half are trying to be your 'weakling.' Nice balance."
I just glared. "Drop it."
Ruan whistled. "Better go before the Judgment Head burns your wings off."
He wasn't wrong.
----
When I entered Walter's office, the air itself turned cold.
Serie was already there
pale, silent, hands clenched so tightly her knuckles were white.
Her heartbeat trembled through the bond -- fast, scared.
Walter didn't speak for a while. He just stared at us ... at me .. the way a vulture studies the dying.
"Close the door, Kael," he said at last.
I did.
He rose slowly, his black coat dragging across the marble.
"You've disappointed me, boy. I thought you had discipline. Control.
But you've proven me wrong."
He paced once, then slammed his palm against the desk.
"Do you even realize what you've done? The entire Academy is talking! The Council has already seen it! You... tainting your bloodline for this bitch ?"
My jaw tightened. "Don't call her that."
His eyes flickered red. "Don't you dare correct me."
He turned toward Serie, voice dropping into a venomous whisper.
"You. Look at me."
She did, barely.
"You're half-human, aren't you?
You think you belong here?
You think pity from him changes what you are? The law is clear - dragons don't mix with filth."
"Enough!" I barked.
Shadows pulsed through the room, rattling the walls.
Walter's lips curled.
"Watch your tone. You're standing before the man who decides who lives under this roof."
He took a slow step closer to me.
"Do you even know why you exist, Kael? Because I allowed it. I saved your name when your father ruined it."
My fists clenched. "My father wasn't a traitor."
Walter's expression turned to ice. "He was and if you're not careful, you'll follow him to the same pyre."
Then his tone shifted coldly casual, like he was discussing a contract.
"From now on, you'll forget this nonsense. You'll be paired with Erina, as planned."
That made my blood burn. "I never wanted Erina."
"Don't lie to yourself, Kael. She's dragon blood ,my blood... perfect for your line. Strong, trained, raised for this. You will not defy the council's match."
"I said...." I stepped closer, voice low but shaking with rage,
"...I never wanted her. I never chose her. And I never will."
Walter's smirk widened.
"Then you'll regret it. Because If you refuse to claim her, I will ensure you have no choice...
Do you understand me?"
Serie flinched beside me, whispering,
"Sir, please… it's not what you think. Nothing serious between us. It was just a mistake."
Walter's gaze slid back to her, cold amusement in his eyes.
"Good. So the weakling has some sense after all. Smart girl ...! know your place. Let him have his fun, then walk away quietly before you burn."
Something in me soured.
Whether it was her words or the way Walter's eyes slid over her like a judge looking for dirt, I couldn't tell.
My throat tightened.
I wanted to tear the room open and throw his words at the walls.
He leaned forward, mocking interest.
"By the way what kind of beast form did your biological mother have?"
His tone was casual, curious, but the room chilled at the hint.
Serie blinked, shaking.
"I… I don't know. She died when I was born. All I know is she had green eyes..like mine." Her voice broke on the last word.
For a flicker of a second, Walter's expression changed something like fear or recognition crossed his face, then he flattened it into a smile that had teeth.
Cruel.
Precise.
"Kael," he said softly, too softly,
"this is simple. Finish it. One night, one mistake...end it...Move on..."
My anger hit like an electric shock, hot and immediate.
Serie's voice shook. ..
"It'll end, sir. Don't worry. He'll go back to Erina."
My gut twisted like something was tearing inside.
Walter chuckled, satisfied.
"See? Even she knows where she belongs..."
Then, leaning close to me: "Remember ,dragons keep their blood clean.."
The words hit like a curse.
I didn't answer.
If I did, I'd rip his throat out.
Serie left first ... quiet, head down, but I could feel her trembling through the bond.
I stayed where I was until the door closed and the light in the room felt like a trap.
The cold taste of Walter's warning sat at the back of my throat.
Bloody moon next month, the calendar in his office said.
The word spun in my head like an omen.
He'd ordered me to end it.
To pretend.
To obey.
But the truth Walter didn't know .... the truth that sat like poison under my ribs ....was that I couldn't pretend anymore.
And if Walter thought a simple command could erase what had already burned into me, he was very, very wrong.
I turned at the door
"And if I disobey?"
Walter smiled, cruel and calm.
"Then I'll make sure she screams your name before I kill her."
The shadows flickered behind me ...
wanting to strike, to burn...
But I forced them down.
If I moved now, I'd lose everything.
So I walked away.
Outside, the corridor buzzed with whispers,
I ignored them all.
Because beneath the noise, one truth echoed in my chest....
This wasn't about bloodlines anymore.
It was war.
And this time,
I wasn't sure which side I was on....