Rekto looked at Felix with an unreadable expression, his sharp gaze lingering on him for a moment longer than necessary.
"So," he said at last, his voice filled with a sharp edge, "you intend to give them a slap on the wrist and let them walk away?"
It was not a question. It was a warning. The implication was clear. If Felix mishandled this like he did before, Rekto would step in and deal with the students himself.
"The Headmaster ordered you to come with me to oversee this matter," Rekto continued. "But I see no reason for that. As the academy warden, this falls under my authority."
Felix let out a soft laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Heheh. The last time you punished a student, Rekto, you put him in bed for a full week."
That single line made all five students stiff.
Sevran swallowed hard without realizing it.
"That," Felix went on calmly, "is exactly why the Headmaster asked me to handle this instead." He smiled, but there was a firmness beneath it. "Come on. You can't be that harsh on first-years. Third- or fourth-years, maybe. But now? It's too early for them. They still don't understand this academy."
Rekto fell silent, his gaze turned toward the students. The tension stretched.
Then he scoffed.
"Very well," he said. "Consider this your warning."
Without another word, he lifted a hand. The air cracked open once more, distortion folding inward as he stepped through and vanished.
The pressure disappeared with him.
Felix exhaled loudly and looked at the five of them with a wry smile. "Phew… that was intense. You kids are lucky the Headmaster told me to tag along with that guy."
The girl named Leon folded her arms and lifted her chin.
"So?" she asked coolly. "What are you going to do about this?"
Her companion leaned closer, eyes sharp with interest. "Yes. We're waiting."
Felix glanced at the two of them, his smile unchanged.
"For you two, this ends here. You may leave," he said lightly.
Dominic froze. Sevran turned sharply toward Felix with disbelief written across his face. Even the girl with the black-and-white hair stiffened and her eyes narrowed dangerously.
Leon's lips curled upward at once. She let out a soft laugh.
"I told you," she said, casting a sideways glance at the other three. "There was never going to be real punishment for us."
Her friend snickered openly. "Try not to get into trouble next time. Oh—wait. That only applies to commoners."
They brushed past Felix without another word and left the hall with light and unhurried footsteps.
The door closed.
Silence followed for a couple of seconds.
"That's not fair," the black-and-white-haired girl said flatly. She looked straight at Felix, her posture rigid, her eyes sharp as if showing that she was not afraid of him. "They started it."
Felix met her gaze calmly. "I know I know."
Sevran clenched his fists. "Then why let them go?"
Felix raised a hand.
"Relax. I promise you this." His smile turned faintly serious. "The three of you will get a far better result than they ever will."
Sevran blinked. "How?"
"Instead of punishment," Felix said, "you'll receive an advanced lesson. One of the most useful lessons this academy has to offer."
Dominic frowned. "What kind of lesson?"
Felix's eyes gleamed. "We're going into the Labyrinth together."
Sevran sucked in a breath. "The Labyrinth?" His eyes widened. "Isn't that dangerous for first-years?"
"It is," Felix admitted easily. "If you go alone." He waved a hand. "But with me? You'll be fine. Come on."
He turned and began walking.
They followed, passing through descending corridors that twisted deeper beneath the academy.
The air grew cooler. Formation lights pulsed along the walls as the path sloped downward into a vast underground complex.
At last, they entered a long straight corridor.
They saw something massive lay ahead that made them shocked.
Three heads lifted slowly. Black scales gleamed like obsidian, ridged and thick. Rows of teeth clicked softly as the creature shifted its weight.
All three students shuddered instinctively.
"This," Felix said cheerfully, "is Jon."
The creature grunted and its tails scraped against the stone.
"Jon is a flesh-eating lizard that is capable of spitting large quantities of corrosive acid. But he's mostly nice," Felix continued.
Sevran stared at the beast, then exploded. "How in the damnation is a giant acid-spitting flesh-eater supposed to be nice?!"
"Heheh," Felix chuckled, glancing back at their pale faces. "As long as you don't annoy him, he's very polite."
Jon's three heads shifted slightly, eyes tracking them with unsettling focus.
"But," Felix added casually, "you do need a password to pass this entrance. If someone tries to force their way in without it, Jon will melt them first. Then eat what's left."
He tilted his head upward. "Right, Jon?"
The massive lizard let out a low, rumbling grunt, thick saliva sizzling faintly as it dripped onto the stone.
Felix nodded, satisfied. Then he leaned closer to the creature and muttered a string of sounds that made no sense at all. The words twisted oddly in the air, carrying a faint pressure.
Jon moved after that.
With a sudden burst of motion the creature leapt upward, claws biting into the stone as it clung to the ceiling.
Its massive body folded there like a shadow, the three heads watching silently from above.
"Come on," Felix said, already walking forward.
Dominic followed, with Sevran and the black-and-white-haired girl close behind.
None of them could stop themselves from glancing upward as they passed beneath Jon. They were expecting Jon to drop from the ceiling or snatch them at any moment.
The scrape of stone above made their skin crawl.
Their pace quickened unconsciously.
Felix stopped before an obsidian door etched with deep grooves. He placed his palm against it.
The stone shuddered.
The door split apart into four segments, sliding open with a grinding sound. Even colder air spilled out from within.
They stepped through.
Beyond it lay a long corridor carved from ancient stone, its walls covered in faded symbols and layered formations.
Dominic slowed his steps and looked around. The place felt familiar to him.
He had been in the Labyrinth before, albeit unintentionally. The memory stirred uncomfortably. His heartbeat picked up as echoes of that encounter surfaced. He still remembered the aged voice and the green hand reaching out from the dark.
He clenched his fingers lightly, grounding himself.
Felix glanced back. "Stay close and follow my steps exactly."
Then he turned and led them deeper into the corridor.
—