The fifth day of the Blood Moon Festival began earlier than most would have liked.
By dawn, the students of Trinity Eden Academy were already being roused from their beds, so dragging their feet while others tried in vain to fix their hair before stepping outside.
A lavish breakfast awaited them in the grand dining hall—a vast place lined with gleaming chandeliers and long oak tables capable of seating every student in the academy. The air was filled with the scent of freshly baked bread, sizzling at, and sweet fruit preserves—all prepared by the finest cooks of Ravenia.
It should have been a peaceful morning.
It wasn’t.
"Damn, I didn’t get a single hour of sleep," Victor grumbled, yawning so wide it looked painful as he shuffled beside John.
"Why’s that?" A low, irritated growl from behind them asked. "Too busy thinking about all the girls you tricked, you bastard?"
The voice belonged to Rodolf, who was already scowling before breakfast had even started.
Victor turned to glare at him. "It’s your fault, dumbass! You don’t snore—you growl in your sleep. Tell him, John!"
John didn’t answer. His silence said more than words could, though the faint twitch in his jaw made it obvious he agreed. If it weren’t for the fact that fighting during the Festival events could land them in trouble, John probably would’ve punched Rodolf just to shut him up.
Rodolf folded his arms. "A trash like you doesn’t deserve to sleep."
"What?!" Victor frowned, bewildered. "What the hell did I even do to you?"
"Roda," John was the one replying..
Victor blinked, looking over at him. "What?"
John gave him a stern look. "He’s pissed because you started dating Roda. His niece."
Understanding dawned on Victor’s face imdiately.
Ah. That explained the anger.
Rodolf just snorted, confirming it. His expression said everything: he wasn’t joking.
"Co on, man..." Victor sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "You know I love Roda. You can’t really hold that against ."
"Screw that! I’ll never accept it!" Rodolf shouted..
There was sothing raw in his tone—not just anger, but protectiveness. Ever since losing the Roda of the First Tiline, Rodolf had grown fiercely attached to the one before him now. He wasn’t about to let her be hurt again, no matter the cost.
Victor held up his hands. "Look, I get it. You’re overprotective—I’ve been there. I was the sa when Alicia got engaged to Adrian, and he turned out to be a total asshole. If Percy ever ends up with soone like that, I’ll do the sa thing you’re doing. Still... if she had to end up with soone, I’d rather it be Amael."
John’s expression darkened hearing that.
As if Edward’s endless ’gigolo aura’ wasn’t enough, now others were helping expand his harem too. Alicia, of all people—a Hidden Heroine, one of the key figures from the Third Ga. John didn’t even know how to react anymore.
Before the tension could rise further, a voice interrupted them.
Speaking of her...
"What are you arguing about this early?"
They turned to see Roda herself, standing before them with her arms crossed, her bright yellow eyes narrowing at her uncle. It was obvious she’d caught the last part of the argunt.
Rodolf’s mouth twitched. "Roda... huh, it’s nothing. Co on, let’s go eat."
But Roda wasn’t buying it. She glanced at Victor, then smiled faintly. "I’ll eat with Victor today."
Without waiting for permission, she took Victor’s arm and started leading him away, leaving Rodolf frozen in place.
"..."
Rodolf’s expression crumpled. It was as if his heart had been shattered right there in the middle of the hall.
John watched him in quiet pity. The sight reminded him too much of himself—of the bitter ache he felt whenever he saw Edward and Layla together, laughing like the rest of the world didn’t exist.
"You’ll get used to it," John said quietly, glancing at Rodolf.
It wasn’t in his nature to offer comfort but seeing Rodolf standing there, watching his niece walk away with a broken expression, even John felt compelled to say sothing. The words ca out blunt, but honest.
He knew what it was like to carry that kind of sting.
Heartache had a way of humbling even the strongest n.
Thankfully, John had Alia now. She was the one person who could keep his emotions steady, the gentle warmth that balanced out his cold exterior. Rodolf, in his own way, had Cylien, though their situation was... far from simple.
John couldn’t imagine the Elves of Eryon Plaidor—proud, ancient, and notoriously traditional agreeing to let their princess marry a werewolf, even if that werewolf happened to be a prince. For now, no one spoke openly about it. Rodolf and Cylien didn’t hide their relationship, but everyone around them seed to pretend it didn’t exist.
And if it ever ca down to Aerinwyn, the eldest sister and Heir of the throne... John already knew what her verdict would be. She would never allow her delicate, graceful little sister to marry soone she considered a savage, no matter his royal status.
"Hey," Rodolf muttered suddenly, pulling John out of his thoughts. His hands were shoved into his pockets as he scanned the corridor. "Where’s that moron?"
John blinked. "What moron?"
"Nyr," Rodolf said with a sigh. "Where is he?"
"Haven’t seen him."
Rodolf frowned, ears twitching in irritation. "Shouldn’t he be here by now? We were supposed to talk now, right? The ga’s basically over—since Edward can’t be the final antagonist, nothing bad’s gonna happen... right?"
There was a hopeful tone in his voice, but John didn’t answer right away.
Things were looking calm, at least on the surface. Lazarus was imprisoned, and Edward Falkrona—who should have been the main antagonist—no longer existed in that role.
Everything seed stable, almost too stable.
And yet, deep in his chest, there was that uneasy tug. A quiet whisper that sothing wasn’t quite right.
"Cyril," John said at last. "He’s still around."
Rodolf snorted, brushing the na off with a grin. "What, that guy? He’s just so mid-tier villain who eventually gets his ass kicked by Victor, isn’t he?"
John gave a small, humorless smile. He wished it were that simple.
He could still rember Cyril’s face when they t in the capital—that polite, almost disarmingly warm smile. There was sothing off about it, sothing that made John’s instincts scream danger.
"Just don’t drop your guard around him," John warned.
Rodolf stretched lazily. "Yeah, yeah. What about Earth, then?"
"I’ll deal with him if he tries anything," John said, his expression darkening.
A new voice chid in before Rodolf could reply.
"Deal with who, exactly, John?"
John froze mid-step.
In front of him stood Alia, arms crossed, pout already forming on her lips.
"I hope you’re not talking about another woman," she said, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.
John sighed. "Do you really take for Edward?"
Rodolf burst out laughing. "Ah! That guy still hasn’t changed when it cos to won, huh? If anything, it got worse after Ephera dragged him out of his shell. Should have let him where he was."
"Ephera?" Alia tilted her head, curiosity flickering in her eyes. "Who’s that?"
"You better not know about her," Rodolf said quickly.
"That’s rude, Rodolf," Cylien said with a reprimanding tone.
She had also arrived, her long silver hair glimring faintly in the morning light as she approached.
"Oh—Cylien," Rodolf stamred, scratching the back of his neck as his cheeks reddened in embarrassnt. "You’re here already? You’ll be late, you know."
"That’s our line!" Alia shot back. "We ca because you two were taking too long."
Before John could reply, Alia looped her arm through his and started dragging him along toward the hall.
"Co on, before breakfast gets cold."
Behind them, Cylien smiled softly at Rodolf. "Rodolf?" She called gently.
Rodolf sighed, cheeks still pink as he trailed after her. "Yeah, yeah, I’m coming..."
...
...
After breakfast, the day officially began for the students of Trinity Eden Academy.
Once again, they were divided into smaller groups—a thod the instructors claid was to ’facilitate learning and exploration’, though everyone knew it was more to keep the massive crowd of prodigies sowhat manageable.
Still, the students drew attention wherever they went. Being from Trinity Eden carried a certain weight; they weren’t just students—they were the elites of Sancta Vedelia, young geniuses who had already beco celebrities in their own right. Everywhere they passed, curious onlookers whispered and pointed, eager to catch even a glimpse of them.
Among them, Roda Moonfang walked with a quiet smile on her face, though the person she wanted to see most wasn’t there. Her group hadn’t been assigned with Victor, unfortunately.
Still, that soft smile refused to fade.
The conversation she’d had with him earlier kept replaying in her mind.
Now ca the hard part: convincing her family.
Being the only princess of the Moonfang House, she was bound by more than just love. Her lineage carried the weight of history—and traditions that didn’t bend easily. Especially not for sothing as scandalous as becoming the second wife of soone.
"I’ll need my brother’s help," she muttered under her breath.
Rodolf, her ever-protective uncle, would never help—that much she knew. Her father, Brian, probably wouldn’t either. And her other uncle, Jefer... just thinking about talking to him made her stomach twist with nerves.
That left only one person who might actually listen.
Her eldest brother—Percy.
"Oh..."
Her thoughts were interrupted when she looked up—and froze.
"Elder brother?" She blurted out. "You’re not in my group, are you?"
Percy Moonfang stood there, with a calm expression.
"There’s sothing we need to talk about," he said.
Roda blinked, curiosity replacing her earlier nervousness. Her group had already started moving on, but she didn’t hesitate. After a brief glance toward them, she turned and followed Percy.
It was also the occasion to ask him to support her when she would speak to her grandmother.
***
anwhile, John walked alongside his own group, trailing a few steps behind as they made their way through the crowded plaza. Their destination was a monunt dedicated to one of the kingdom’s greatest legends—Victor Quinn Raven, the Hero who had slain Behemoth centuries ago.
The monunt was enormous, carved from pristine white stone that shimred faintly under the morning sun. Around it, many animated projections replayed scenes of the ancient battle, his companions shouting words of courage, the monstrous Behemoth roaring as it fell.
Students gathered in awe, murmuring at the lifelike spectacle.
To John, though, it all felt like noise.
He stood silently in front of the statue, hands in his pockets. To anyone passing by, he might’ve looked like he was admiring it—but in truth, his thoughts were elsewhere.
"I didn’t take you for soone who appreciates statues," a voice said suddenly.
"...!"
The voice ca from beside him. A figure stood there, cloaked in a dark hoodie with the hood drawn low. Even so, John recognized him instantly.
He turned his head slightly, his cold gaze narrowing as he t the man’s half-hidden smile.
"You..."
"Long ti no see, John."
***
"Long ti no see, John."
It felt like an eternity since I hadn’t seen him but it was only two weeks. Regardless, he hadn’t changed much.
John’s face went hard. "What... just—" He narrowed his eyes at .
"How’ve things been with you and Alia? You two finally had your first ti, or what?" I asked.
"I’m going to kill you, Edward."
"I was only wondering if my future brother-in-law was still a virgin," I shrugged.
John snorted and looked away. Then he asked the question that had been boiling under his skin for the last two weeks. "Where the hell did you disappear to?"
"Too long to explain."
He glared. I ignored it. There was too much to say, and too little ti.
"I see that I missed a lot while I was away," I said, regretfully. Part of wanted to be there when Lazarus Raven was dragged off to prison; I would have liked to see that fall in person.
"We’re close to the end, you know that at least," John reminded .
"I know." I nodded once.
"She’s getting married in two days," John said, then reminding of Celeste’s marriage with Cyril.
"..."
"...And you’re just going to let her?" John asked . "Let Cyril have her?"
I watched the crowd: students pointing at the projections, laughing at so spectacle.
"Cyril’s preparing sothing," I said. "I don’t know what yet. If he’s hiding it, it isn’t in the castle itself. Try to snoop around where he ets people—but be careful."
"Why not just beat the answers out of him?" John asked bluntly.
Because I’m getting banished in two days, I thought. Because making scenes now would only get thrown out of Sancta Vedelia before I could see the last act with my own eyes. "If I act suspicious, the Heads will toss sooner. I don’t want to risk being exiled before the final day. And even if we beat him senseless, he probably wouldn’t talk. He’s not that kind of idiot."
Rodolf snorted from sowhere behind us. "He looks pretty confident, though."
"Like all villains right before they get their asses handed to them," I said. There was a tiredness in my voice I couldn’t quite hide.
Then sothing more honest bubbled up. "John—there’s a real possibility we don’t make it out of this. If I die—tell Layla I love her. Tell her I’m sorry I couldn’t keep my promise."
He stared at for a long beat.
"Do it yourself," he snapped at as expected.
I laughed a bit. Still, I knew I could trust him to say it if the worst happened.
"Are you hiding anything else?" John asked suddenly.
"A lot," I nodded. "I’ll tell you when the Ga ends."
He nudged. "Won’t take long."
I sighed then.
"It’s felt like an eternity since that ship dropped us here," I said, thinking back.
"After that stupid king shoved us into this ss, nothing had been straightforward," John snorted.
"You really pushed Walter back then huh? You sure you thought I’d kill him?" I asked, amused.
"Yeah. I would have done the sa," John said.
My thoughts drifted to Elona for a mont, and my smile faltered. Since then, everything had changed. So things for the better, so for worse.
"Stay on your guard," I told him, turning to go.
"Is that it?" John asked.
"What else do you want? I was supposed to be the Main Antagonist. That’s not happening anymore—everything’s in the dark. You’re the one closest to Cyril, so keep your eyes peeled."
"What are you doing until then?" He asked.
"I’m still a student." I shrugged it off with a faint smile. "So I’ll see around."
John’s gaze slipped to my arm and his expression shifted. "Good luck with that," he said, and then he turned away.
I followed his eyes and looked down.
A thorny vine curled around my forearm, its tiny barbs digging into skin.
Fuck.
Before I could do sothing, it yanked back with brutal force.
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