He couldn't let that happen.
William lunged, the shrieking blade of wind aimed straight for Elion's throat.
Elion didn't think.
Didn't plan.
He didn't even analyze.
His body moved purely on instinct.
He inhaled.
Hoooo.
His fist cocked back.
—then shot forward like a cannon.
BAM!
CRUNCH.
His knuckles collided squarely with William's face.
The wind blade shattered with a violent burst of air, scattering harmlessly as William's body snapped backward, lifted off the ground like a rag doll.
Blood sprayed from his shattered nose in the same instant his body flew across the courtyard...
—and crashed into the academy's decorative pond with a tremendous SPLASH.
Time slowed for Elion.
Because just as his punch connected—
A blur of movement flashed at the edge of his vision.
Fast. Silent. Controlled.
Someone was coming.
He turned his head just in time to see her land lightly on the stone tiles a few steps to his left.
A beautiful young woman, who looked no older than seventeen, touched down with the elegance of a falling petal.
Her long dark hair swayed behind her small, lithe frame as she steadied herself, boots barely making a sound.
Her eyes, sharp, bright, and framed by long lashes, widened slightly as she stared at Elion.
A spark of mild shock.
As if she'd leapt in to stop something…
…and he had finished it before she arrived.
Elion's fist was still extended.
The pond still rippled violently from William's crash.
And she stood there, looking at him with a stunned, unreadable expression.
The courtyard erupted behind them.
...
Celeste Chronos walked the upper balcony with her hands tucked behind her back, boots tapping against polished stone.
Of all the punishments in the academy, babysitting the first-years' floor was the worst.
And of course, she had been paired with her.
Liora.
Celeste flicked an irritated look at the girl beside her.
Liora was talking, no, yapping, as always.
"…and then his hand slid around my waist—oh my gods, Celeste, you should've seen his face—"
Celeste tuned her out.
How can someone talk this much? About boys, no less.
She exhaled slowly through her nose, praying for patience.
"And THEN—"
A sudden rumble of noise drifted up from below.
Celeste stopped.
Liora blinked and looked over the railing.
A commotion.
The courtyard below was circling around something.
They both leaned forward.
Six boys were rushing a single figure, an extremely good-looking first-year by the looks of him.
"Tch. First years being first years," Liora said casually. "That guy is cooked."
"Six against one," Celeste muttered, unimpressed. "A bunch of cowards."
"Should we intervene?"
"No," Celeste replied without hesitation. "They aren't using mana. Let it slide."
"But it's six against one..."
But what happened next made her voice die in her throat.
The lone boy moved, and Celeste's sharp eyes widened.
That wasn't the kind of movement you would see from a first-year.
In a blur, the six guys collapsed one after another, limbs tangling, bodies skidding across stone.
All in seconds.
The handsome first year remained standing, calm, collected, not even breathing hard.
"W-what…?" Liora stammered beside her, eyes huge.
Celeste kept her expression controlled, mostly.
A small crack in her calm betrayed her shock.
"I didn't even see properly—" Liora squeaked.
Before they could comment again, the six idiots scrambled up with renewed fury and charged him again.
And again, again, the result was the same.
Six bodies hit the floor.
Harder this time.
"He's strong." Celeste's eyes narrowed. "Too strong for a first-year."
"I KNOW RIGHT!?" Liora nearly squealed, gripping the railing. She was practically vibrating. "He's so fast! Did you see that!? Wait—no, I DIDN'T see that!"
Celeste ignored her. Her focus was locked on the lone boy. His stance. His breathing. His awareness.
Intriguing...
But what happened next made her stomach drop.
William, the ringleader of the six, lunged forward again.
This time, reckless and wild, mana surged around him.
Wind coiled into a forming spell, sharp and unstable.
Celeste reacted immediately.
"Idiot," she hissed under her breath. "You dare cast a spell on academy grounds..."
Lightning coiled around her legs.
Woosh.
The world blurred as she shot off the balcony.
But the instant her boots hit the courtyard...
The wind spell was never released.
William was already airborne, face smashed, body crashing into the pond.
Celeste froze mid-step, stunned.
The good-looking guy had punched him.
Cleanly. Efficiently. Brutally.
And he had done it faster than she could arrive.
For the third time, William Dawncrest lay on the ground.
Her eyes snapped to the lone boy who delivered the blow, standing there casually.
What the…!?
....
Elion stared at the gorgeous girl who had just landed beside him, no, drifted down like a falling shadow, and his eyes widened despite himself.
Raven-black, midnight hair flowed behind her, so dark it seemed to swallow sunlight rather than reflect it.
Her skin… pale didn't begin to describe it.
Porcelain? Moonlit snow? Did she even have blood in her veins? Her features were doll-like, delicate, almost unreal.
And her lips, deep crimson, as though painted with fresh wine.
Or… blood?
Petite, small enough that she looked younger than half his classmates, yet the dark blue trim on her uniform confirmed it: a second year.
So she was a year older than him and any of his classmates.
Her mouth hung open for a heartbeat, the same shocked question lingering there that every spectator in the courtyard must be thinking right now.
When she inhaled sharply, Elion caught sight of something unmistakable: two sharp, elegant canines glinting between her lips.
A… vampire?
Well, that explained her ghastly beauty.
And the inhuman speed.
Elion's mind raced.
She's fast—faster than William by a mile.
And she thought she needed to step in?
But William was already unconscious, drifting facedown in the pond like a stunned frog.
Elion exhaled, chest rising and falling as the courtyard erupted into noise behind him.
The vampire girl's red eyes flicked from him to William and back again in pure disbelief.
Elion became acutely aware of how closely she was staring at him.
He gave the pale girl the most charming smile he could muster, lifting a hand in an easy little wave.
"Hello."
For half a heartbeat, she simply blinked at him.
Then her expression pinched, subtle, but definitely there.
A faint frown of disgust.