Night fell like a guillotine.
One moment, there was twilight. The next, absolute darkness.
The fog thickened. It wasn't natural fog. It carried Aether. It muffled sound. It hid movement.
Kael crouched on a rocky ledge. Ten meters above the ground. Hidden by vines.
He hadn't lit a fire. Fire was a beacon. It said: Here I am. Come eat me.
Instead, he relied on [Child of Shadows].
The darkness wasn't his enemy. It was his cloak. He could see the heat signatures of animals. The faint glow of Aether in plants. The world was monochrome, but clear.
Movement, he noted.
Below him, a clearing opened up. Three students stood back-to-back. Silver robes. House Ironveil.
They were surrounded.
Four wolves. No. Not wolves.
Shadow Fangs. Feral Beasts. Rank 2. Eyes glowing red. Saliva dripping with corrosive acid.
"Stay close!" one student shouted. He held a metal shield. It shimmered with a defensive barrier.
Weak, Kael analyzed. Barrier will fail in three minutes.
The wolves circled. They didn't rush. They waited. Testing the defenses. Looking for gaps.
Smart, Kael thought. Too smart.
Feral Beasts were animals. They acted on hunger. Rage. Instinct.
These wolves acted like soldiers.
One wolf feinted left. The student with the shield moved to block.
Instantly, the alpha wolf struck from the right.
Clang.
Teeth met metal. Sparks flew. The barrier flickered. Cracks formed.
"We can't hold!" another student screamed. "Where are the proctors?"
No proctors, Kael thought. This is a survival test.
If they die, they die.
But...
Kael watched the alpha wolf. It wore something around its neck. A collar. Black metal. Pulsing faintly.
Collars aren't natural.
Someone put that there.
Someone is controlling them.
The barrier shattered.
The students screamed. The wolves lunged.
Kael moved.
He didn't jump down. He didn't draw his weapon.
He picked up a loose stone. Heavy. Sharp.
He channelled Aether into his arm. Not fire. Just kinetic force.
Calculate.
Wind speed: Zero. Distance: Fifteen meters. Target: The tree branch above the alpha wolf.
He threw.
The stone flew silently. It struck the branch.
Crack.
The branch snapped. Fell.
It landed directly on the alpha wolf's head. Not enough to kill. Enough to stun.
The wolf yelped. Stumbled. Lost its rhythm.
The other wolves paused. Confused. Their hierarchy was disrupted.
"Run!" Kael whispered. Not aloud. Just a hope.
The Ironveil students didn't hesitate. They saw the opening. They sprinted into the fog.
The wolves recovered. Snarled. But the prey was gone.
The alpha wolf shook its head. Looked around. Its red eyes scanned the darkness.
It looked up.
Directly at Kael's ledge.
Kael didn't move. He suppressed his breathing. Suppressed his heat. Suppressed his Aether.
Can it see me?
The wolf stared for five seconds. Then sniffed the air.
It turned away. Led the pack into the trees.
Kael waited. One minute. Two.
He exhaled.
Controlled beasts, he thought. Collars. Coordination.
This isn't a test anymore.
It's a cull.
He climbed down from the ledge. Landed silently.
He walked toward where the wolves had been. Found the spot where the branch fell.
Something glinted in the dirt.
Kael crouched. Picked it up.
A shard of metal. From the collar. It had fallen when the branch hit.
He examined it under the moonlight.
Engraved on the metal was a symbol.
A black sun.
Black Dominion.
Kael's blood ran cold.
They're here.
Inside the academy.
During the test.
He closed his fist around the metal shard. It dug into his palm.
Mother was right.
The enemies aren't outside.
They're in the walls.
He looked into the darkness. The forest seemed to lean closer. Watching.
Kael turned. Walked deeper into the shadows.
Let them hunt, he thought.
I know how to kill hunters.
ns216.73.216.175da2
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