Alden walked out of the small networking event. It had barely been five minutes since he entered.

But in his defence, the message only said he had to come, not how long he had to stay.

Still, that woman from earlier lingered in his thoughts.

Her presence had felt… too familiar. Almost like something deep within him had recognized her.

Which made no sense. He had barely met any Beastmen besides Cipher and Vanyaa.

Wait a minute—

Is she somehow related to them?

That could explain it.

Because of that weird artifact, Vanyaa was technically his subordinate. Maybe that connection had reacted to the woman's presence.

Maybe.

Well, who cares?

Still… that girl's ability was dangerous.

He didn't know exactly how it worked but from what he had seen, she could somehow slip between dimensions, disappearing and reappearing at will or maybe with some conditions.

Not that it mattered.

He could've avoided her strike easily if he wanted to.

The only reason he hadn't was simple: revealing too much power too early was boring.

For once, he wanted to play the role of a proper background character—blend in, stay low-key, have some fun with it.

That way, when the time came to reveal his power, it would be that much more satisfying.

What did they call that again?

Uhh, right…

Face-slapping.

It was a childish thought but for someone the universe seemed determined to kill with exhaustion, entertaining a few childish ideas once in a while was probably healthy.

And more importantly… Lately, Alden had felt it.

Something inside him was changing.

He was becoming more rational.

More controlled and less impulsive.

A change that was undeniably useful…

…but emotionally, not something welcomed.

The change was natural, not something caused by any outside force. But still… Alden wanted to rebel against it. And maybe this childish act — this need to play pretend for a while — was his way of resisting that change.

—

Rexica's gaze lingered on the door through which the crimson-eyed human had vanished.

Her hands trembled slightly.

The image of those eyes replayed in her mind — calm, cold, emotionless— and her instincts screamed.

When she had seen him raise his hand toward the young master she was sworn to protect, something deep within her had warned her.

That boy's face had shown nothing.

No anger, malice or intent.

And that, more than anything, had terrified her.

So she had acted, using her special ability, striking with everything she had. Power strong enough to make even some Master-Rank individuals break a sweat.

And yet… the boy had walked away with nothing more than a faint graze on his finger.

The truth settled heavily in her chest.

That boy wasn't human.

He was a monster.

But something else terrified her more.

How is that monster only Rank 3 of his academy?

—

Within the same hall, a short distance away, a girl stood staring at the spot where Alden had been just moments ago.

Her eyes practically sparkled with excitement.

Anna or as Alden knew her, Skullcrusher, had been sent to the networking event as her academy's representative.

She had accepted without hesitation, even though she hated crowds.

Only for one reason: to see her self-proclaimed rival.

And after witnessing what had just happened… she sure as hell wasn't disappointed.

Alden was exactly the same as when she had first fought him in the Black Market.

Calm, unshakable and terrifyingly strong.

If anything, his strength had only grown since then.

But so had hers.

She tugged at the sleeves of the tall boy beside her.

Ryou— her shadow.

His violet eyes were as dull as always as if he didn't care about anything but beyond that was a sharpness Anna never saw.

His violet eyes were as dull as ever, flat and unreadable.

But behind that calm emptiness, there was a sharpness Anna had never learned to notice, something cold and dangerous that never quite reached the surface.

Or maybe he deliberately hid it from her.

"Ryou…" she whispered, still watching the spot where Alden had stood moments ago. "What did you think of him?"

Ryou's expression remained as neutral as ever. But for the briefest moment, a small twitch crossed his violet eyes.

"He is strong, young miss," Ryou said at last, his voice low and serious.

Even for him, someone at the Intermediate Expert Rank, chills had run down his spine the moment that boy had looked at the girl who had sliced his finger.

He hadn't released any aura or shown a trace of power.

But there was something…

Something that flickered behind his crimson eyes for an instant.

Something Ryou recognized and it made his blood run cold.

But with those chills came another feeling…

One he hadn't experienced for a long time before.

Excitement.

His pulse quickened, his senses sharpened.

For the first time in years, he felt his blood truly pumping.

"You… you're smiling, Ryou?"

The innocent question from his young miss snapped him back to reality.

His hand moved instinctively to his face, the face that hadn't changed, hadn't moved, since his childhood.

But something was strange now.

His lips… were curved.

I am smiling.

—

Somewhere else within the same room, a small group of elves had gathered, forming a quiet circle around a woman—the princess of the elven empire.

"So," one of the elf boys murmured, glancing toward the doorway Alden had exited through, "he's the brother of Cedric… and the one who defeated Zarien?"

Another elf nodded, his long ears twitching slightly. "Yeah… I think he's the same guy."

An elven girl frowned softly. "He doesn't seem as strong as Cedric described…"

Silence followed until one of the girls looked at the princess. "What did you think, your highness?"

She didn't say any words but her lips curled into a knowing curl as if she had just found something she had been searching her whole life.

So, you're here, huh?

—

Unseen by the world, the threads began to pull tighter.

A girl, carrying light that burns too bright for her own heart.

A prince of beasts, shackled by pride he mistakes for honor.

A shadow who found warmth, now torn between loyalty and thrill.

An elf whose smile hides grief and a name she dares not speak.

And at the center of it all was a crimson-eyed boy who wished only for rest, yet walked a path meant for something far beyond anyone.

The pieces had begun to move.

Old powers stirred.

And the calm before the storm was almost over.

The world was holding its breath.

All that was left… was for someone to make the first move.

—

Meanwhile, unaware of the storm he had brewed just by trying to act like a background character, Alden… simply yawned.

Because of course he did.

While the world conspired, legends stirred and destinies clashed, he was just looking for a quiet place to nap.

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