✦ The Walk Among Beasts
The air outside the testing hall was thick with mana and chatter. Students streamed through the corridors in flowing uniforms of black and silver, their crests gleaming faintly with family sigils and elemental marks. The world here felt alive — every footstep echoed with power, and every glance carried pride.
Asura walked among them with his hands tucked casually in his pockets, the faint hum of his suppressed aura keeping him perfectly unremarkable. Mirage Veil pulsed quietly around him like invisible mist.
The corridors opened into the grand central atrium — a sprawling plaza of floating walkways, luminous bridges, and wide courtyards lit by hanging mana lanterns. Students of every imaginable race crossed paths beneath its vaulted canopy.
A pair of Vampires in elegant coats whispered by the fountain, pale faces faintly illuminated by the blood-red water. A group of Dark Elves debated over spell matrices near the mana towers, their silver tattoos glowing faintly with each gesture. Overhead, Beastkin students with tails and wings darted through aerial rings, laughing.
Asura's eyes widened slightly. "Whoa…"
It was like walking through a dream of myth and color — the kind of world he'd only read about in his old life's stories.
"This place is insane," he murmured under his breath, a grin tugging at his lips.
He turned a corner and stopped dead in his tracks.
A tall student with swept-back silver horns and faintly shimmering scales stood ahead, speaking to a few others. His eyes were slitted like a serpent's, golden and sharp — unmistakably draconic.
Asura's eyes lit up. "No way… you're from the Dragon Race, right!?"
The dragon boy blinked, clearly not expecting to be approached by a stranger with that much enthusiasm. "Uh… yes?"
"That's awesome!" Asura said, practically beaming. "This is my first time meeting someone from the dragon race!"
The other students blinked — one of them, a dark-haired demon girl with crimson pupils, raised a brow. "Of course it is. You're part of the demon race, aren't you? Our races don't exactly host tea parties outside the academy."
The dragon boy gave a small smirk. "She's right. Our people prefer to meet on battlefields, not campuses."
Asura scratched the back of his head, grinning awkwardly. "Guess that explains the tension, huh?"
"More like centuries of 'mutual respect through attempted murder,'" the demon girl replied dryly.
He laughed quietly. "Wow. That's… comforting."
The dragon student extended his hand with a smirk. "Rhazor Drakorth. Third prince of the Northern Sky Dominion."
Asura took his hand with an easy grin. "Asura Satomi. Just… Asura."
The moment their palms met, a faint flicker of mana passed between them — like two storm fronts briefly touching. Asura's golden eyes flashed for an instant.
[ Appraisal Activated ]
Name: Rhazor Drakorth
Race: Dragonkin (Highblood)
Rank: A
Affinities: Fire
Notable Trait: Draconic Core Resonance – allows temporary flight and elemental transmutation.
Title: "The Scaled Flame of Drakorth."
Asura's grin widened slightly. Strong.
Rhazor blinked. "What?"
"Nothing," Asura said quickly, dropping his hand. "Just admiring the craftsmanship."
"...What craftsmanship?"
"Never mind."
The demon girl rolled her eyes. "He's weird."
"Yeah," Rhazor said, chuckling. "But not boring."
Asura glanced around again, soaking in every detail — the soaring halls, the mix of languages, the strange beauty of unity balanced on rivalry.
"This place…" he said softly, almost to himself. "It's alive."
Rhazor nodded. "Welcome to Obsidian Fang Academy — where every student is either a genius, a noble, or a maniac trying to survive them."
Asura grinned, eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Sounds like my kind of place."
✦ The Tour of Titans
Rhazor's grin widened as they stepped out onto the open terrace. "Alright, Demon boy, ready to see how real monsters get educated?"
Before Asura could answer, Rhazor kicked off the ground — the air around him folding with a low boom of compressed mana. He shot upward in a graceful arc, coat snapping behind him, his silver-tinted horns catching the light.
Asura blinked, momentarily surprised as the dragon prince lifted off the terrace, hovering effortlessly above the stone."Already showing off?"
Rhazor smirked down at him. "Flight's mandatory for upper courses. Dragons just skip the training phase."He shrugged. "Though the rules say we can't manifest wings on campus. Apparently that counts as transforming."
He rolled his eyes. "Stupid rule. As if anyone's going to mistake me for a wyvern."
Asura chuckled. "So no wings allowed. Got it."
Rhazor gestured lazily toward the open air. "Come on, then — unless you'd rather take the stairs like a first-year."
A faint ripple of mana stirred as Asura stepped forward — and lifted smoothly into the air beside him, posture relaxed, hands tucked in his pockets.
Rhazor glanced over, unimpressed. "Huh. You've got decent control for a newcomer."
"Basic drills," Asura replied lightly. "I'm still working on the landings."
Rhazor snorted. "Figures. Everyone who survives here learns to fly eventually."
Asura grinned. "Guess I'm just speeding up the inevitable."
They rose higher, drifting over the sprawling academy complex — a world suspended in twilight. Floating bridges arced between obsidian towers, mana lamps glowed like stars, and vast courtyards shimmered with runes.
Rhazor pointed toward the horizon. "You see all this? Obsidian Fang Academy isn't just a school — it's the heart of Elys Noctis' balance. We're here to forge order out of chaos."
He began listing the academy's sacred mission, each word sounding rehearsed but proud:
"We educate powerful, intelligent monsters from across all eight kingdoms.
We refine combat, magical, and leadership skills.
We unite nobles from different races — at least while they're in school.
We identify future leaders, generals, and champions of the Demon Realm.
And…" He glanced sideways. "We tame potential threats by giving them discipline and purpose."
Asura raised an eyebrow. "So… the school's half classroom, half containment unit?"
Rhazor smirked. "Exactly. But it works. Wild beasts can't enroll here — only monsters with sentience, mana control, or noble blood. Keeps the place civilized. Mostly."
They banked around the central spire. From above, the quadrants spread out like a giant sigil.
"Student body's a mess of races," Rhazor continued. "Demons, Dragons — obviously — Vampires, Dark Elves, Beastkin, Orcs, Ogres, Hobgoblins, Dwarves, and the occasional Hybrid."
Asura's golden eyes widened slightly. "That many?"
"Yeah. Nobles get priority — heirs of royal houses, military clans, or whatever bloodline politics demand. Commoners get in if they're talented or survive the entrance trials. Then you've got special students — prodigies or freaks of nature with too much mana to ignore."
"Guess which category I'm in," Asura muttered.
Rhazor shot him a look. "I'd say all three."
They glided over the northern spire, where flashes of fire and lightning burst below. "Combat Department," Rhazor said. "Weapon Mastery, Elemental Combat, Beast Form Control, and Advanced Tactics. Mostly noise and broken floors."
He gestured toward the eastern towers, glowing in soft azure. "Magic Department — Elemental, Shadow, Blood, Spirit, Enchantments, Summoning, the whole scholarly circus."
To the south sprawled a half-wild training ground ringed by forests. "Hybrid Disciplines — magic combat integration, strategic warfare, dungeon hunts, and inter-race drills."
Finally, the highest black-and-gold tower loomed ahead. "And the Leadership Division — where nobles learn diplomacy, royal politics, and how to smile while plotting each other's downfall."
Asura snorted. "Sounds exhausting."
"You get used to the scheming," Rhazor said dryly. "Or you don't — and die in a duel."
They touched down atop a hovering platform overlooking the campus. Below, dozens of arenas and halls spread out like a miniature kingdom.
Rhazor leaned on the railing. "The facilities are built to keep us competitive. There's the Grand Arena of Fang for duels and tournaments, the Mana Tower for research, the Obsidian Forest Grounds for live-monster training, and the Sky Halls — dorms ranked by status."
He pointed at a monumental hallway lined with glowing banners. "That's the Hall of Lineage. Every noble bloodline's immortalized there. Try not to trip in front of a statue — it'll make tomorrow's gossip cycle."
Asura smirked. "No pressure."
Rhazor's tone lowered, just a little more serious. "And over there, beyond that barrier — the Shadow Gate. Restricted zone. Only elite students or S-rank instructors can enter. Rumor says it connects directly to an ancient dungeon."
Asura's eyes gleamed. "So that's where I'm going first."
"Don't," Rhazor said flatly. "Rule number one — breaking into restricted zones gets you killed. Or worse, expelled."
He began ticking off the rest of the rules on his claws.
"No killing students. Duels only with consent. Magic's fine in training areas. Nobles can challenge commoners freely — and commoners can challenge nobles if they're suicidal. Break a rule, and you face a combat trial."
Asura tilted his head. "Sounds fair."
"It's not," Rhazor said. "But it keeps the peace."
The two stood there for a while, the crimson twilight glinting off the academy spires around them. Mana flowed through the air like a living current — beautiful, dangerous, infinite.
Finally, Asura broke the silence with a grin. "So this is what civilization looks like when monsters build it."
Rhazor chuckled, shaking his head. "Welcome to Obsidian Fang Academy, Asura Satomi — where legends either rise… or get eaten."
Asura's smile widened, golden eyes reflecting the twilight horizon.
"Can't wait to see which one I'll be."
✦ The Sky Halls
By the time the last bell rang across the twilight sky, the Obsidian Fang Academy had begun to glow like a living constellation. Mana lights flickered along the bridges, painting streaks of crimson and silver across the towers that pierced the eternal dusk of Elys Noctis.
Rhazor guided Asura across one of the aerial walkways, the glassy path humming faintly beneath their boots. "Dorms are split by rank and race," he explained. "The higher the floor, the higher your bloodline or contribution score."
Asura tilted his head. "So… nobles at the top, commoners at the bottom?"
"Pretty much," Rhazor said. "If you're born royal, you get your own suite with a view of the mana sea. Everyone else shares halls. Don't worry though — even the regular dorms are better than what half the noble brats deserve."
They passed through the open archway of the Sky Halls, where glowing runes spiraled up the walls like climbing stars. Demons, elves, beastkin, and orcs crowded the common area, each species blending mana and manners with varying success.
The air buzzed with noise — a vampire elegantly arguing about curfews, two ogres arm-wrestling on a levitating table, and a trio of dark elves quietly enchanting tea to stay warm. It was chaos wrapped in elegance.
Asura's eyes darted from one scene to the next, curious and amused. "It's like a festival and a battlefield had a kid."
Rhazor smirked. "You'll get used to it. Just don't touch the Beastkin's tails. Or tails in general."
"Noted."
They finally stopped before a sleek, rune-lined door halfway up the dorm tower. "Here's yours," Rhazor said, tapping the control sigil. The door slid open with a whisper of magic.
Asura stepped inside and blinked.
It wasn't enormous like the noble suites Rhazor described, but it was undeniably beautiful.
A polished obsidian floor reflected the crimson glow from the wall lanterns. The bed was wide and soft, draped in black silk. A mana crystal pulsed softly in the corner, keeping the air cool and fragrant with twilight mist.
A single arched window overlooked the lower courtyards — not the best view, but enough to see the moonlight threading across the floating bridges.
Asura took a slow breath, a grin forming. "Not bad for a 'B-rank.'"
Rhazor leaned against the doorway. "See? Told you it wasn't terrible. You're lucky — commoner floors don't even get window seals."
"Comforting," Asura said dryly, setting his bag down by the bed.
Rhazor chuckled. "You'll settle in fast. Just stay out of trouble — the Headmaster's eyes are everywhere."
Asura's smile didn't falter, but something glinted behind his golden eyes. "Yeah. I noticed."
"Good. Then get some rest." Rhazor turned to leave. "Tomorrow, the fun begins."
The door clicked shut behind him. Silence followed — broken only by the hum of mana through the room's runes.
Asura exhaled, falling back onto the bed, arms crossed behind his head. "A normal dorm room, huh?"
He looked toward the window where the twin moons of Elys Noctis hung over the horizon, pale light spilling through the glass.
"Guess if I told them who I really was," he mused aloud, "they'd give me a private suite with a fountain, a library, and probably three servants tripping over themselves to polish my boots."
He paused, smirking.
"...But then everyone would start kissing up to me. Ugh. Boring."
The mana light flickered, casting his reflection on the ceiling — golden eyes, white hair, and that faint, mischievous grin that never quite went away.
"Yeah," he whispered to himself. "This is better."
Somewhere above, unseen, a single floating eye crystal flickered to life — the Headmaster's scrying ward still watching.
Azelar's voice drifted faintly from his office far across the academy.
"Enjoy your stay, boy. Let's see how long that veil of yours lasts."
Asura rolled over, grinning at the ceiling as if he'd heard. "As long as it's fun."
The room dimmed into a soft red glow. Outside, the academy lights shimmered like stars — and the True Demon Lord slept in a borrowed bed, perfectly content to play "average" for now.