What… the hell was that?
That wasn't a person.
I stumbled backward, putting distance between me and the hole.
Heart racing. Knife trembling in my grip.
I braced myself. For the next attack. For a monster to crawl through. For something.
But nothing came.
Not yet.
Then—
CRASH!
The sound of breaking glass echoed through the building.
From the next room, through the wall. As if something had leapt through the window.
And then… silence.
The kind of silence that was too thick. Too deliberate.
Like the world itself was holding its breath.
I stayed there for several seconds, staring at the hole in the wall, blood dripping slowly from the jagged edge, soaking into the carpet.
I was still alive.
"Fucking hell....."
My heart still beating like drums, my body completely drenched in sweat, I sat on the cot.
My legs felt like they were made of lead.
Every breath I took rasped through my sore throat, raw from the pressure of those inhuman hands.
My mind reeled, trying to make sense of it, but there was no logical conclusion.
. . .
"I should report it first."
***
The Imperial Knights' Academy is the best one in the Empire of Sylvanna.
And, arguably one of the finest in the entirity of the world, considering the other kingdoms' institutions.
But because of it's long running history of teaching nobles' children only, even if there were some debates of accepting talented commoners at large, very few commoners attend this academy, mostly scouted by the professors based on their exceptional talent.
As a matter of fact, there are Elven and Dwarves' kingdoms too, and they also have similar concept of academies.
This web novel story put a lot of emphasis on that part alone, the politics and interactions among the 3 major races of this world.
Apart from humans, elves, and dwarves, there are other races like beastmen tribes, the mermaid tribe, etc.
And all of them have a common enemy of demons, like any other story.
Anyway, the academy I am attending is at least one of the best in the entire world, as mentioned in the story.
So, the students must be exceptional in their respects too.
Talking about the class arrangements, there are 4 years of schooling in this academy, from which, in the first two years, you have to study both combat with weapons and magic.
In the subsequent years, you can choose one of the majors they have like, swordsmanship, archery, elemental magic advanced, magic research, etc.
Then, at the end of those 4 years, you can either choose to be an official working for the Empire, by appearing for another exam, or else you can join the Imperial Knights' Association, actively eliminating threats of demons in the empire.
That was the complete pathway for any student joining the academy, written in the story's initial chapters.
I have read till the end of the first event, so I have some basic idea of how this world works.
And, the class division exam is what it revolves around.
There is a total of 200 students from the entire Empire enrolled in this academy, both nobles and commoners included.
All of them have to take the class division exam, and based on the scores, and the professors' evaluation, they will be placed in 4 different classes, 50 students in each class.
As I was organizing my thoughts, the buzz around me suddenly stopped.
I was inside the classroom, large enough to hold 200 students at once.
Seated at almost the back of the classroom, I was simultaneously observing the students.
They had already formed their own small groups, or should I say factions, since they all are from noble families.
But, no one seemed to be talking about the last night's incident.
Or perhaps they didn't even know about it.
Anyway, as the buzzing stopped, I noticed a woman wearing a perfectly tailored suit, entering from the entrance door.
She had long black hair, tied in a ponytail style, tall stature, a perfectly curved body, with balanced amount of fire power around her chest.
Her face was unimaginably fair.
Well, that's to be expected, considering this is a fictional web novel story, where all the characters are beautiful in appearance.
The unique feature about her would definitely be the visible large scar around the center of her forehead.
She moved graciously, her steps loud enough to silence the entire classroom.
At the podium, she stood and glanced around the classroom, and smirked a bit.
It was the kind of smirk, that meant she was mocking each and every one of us.
"Well, let me introduce myself first. Myself Valerys de Cresent, your homeroom teacher, and course coordinator, for this year."
Then she moved out of the podium and stood at the front of the class board.
"As you all are new here, there will be orientation or foundation classes conducted for the next 5 days. Various elementary topics will be covered, including an interactive session, where you will be given the chance to ask questions and debate on answers."
She paused for a second there, before continuing to speak.
"After the foundation course is over, the class division exam will take place. The exact contents of the exam will be disclosed on that day itself."
Valerys de Cresent's eyes swept across the room again, but there was no warmth in them.
She had the look of someone who'd seen too much, killed too often, and regretted neither.
Her gaze lingered just a second longer on a few students—probably the ones she already knew were trouble.
Or talented. Or both.
Then her eyes locked onto me.
Just for a moment.
But it was enough to tell me she knew something.
She tilted her head slightly, as if curious, then turned her back and snapped her fingers.
A few sheets of parchment fluttered into the air before zipping across the room, propelled by subtle wind magic, and landed on each student's desk.
"The schedule for your foundation classes," she said, brushing imaginary dust off her sleeves.
"Attendance is mandatory. If you miss even a single session without a formal reason, you forfeit your eligibility for the division exam."
Then before leaving, as if remembering something, she returned to the podium, and continued to speak.
"Also, I forgot to say before, but two of your classmates have gone missing from their dorms. It is reported in the notice board. So if anyone knows about them, report immediately."
Then again, she took a glance at the whole class as if scanning something.
"Well, that's all. Stay safe, my students."
As soon as she left, indistinct murmurs spread around the entire classroom.
I guess, most of the students were unaware of that incident.
As she said, two students were missing.
One male and one female, from yesterday night's incident.
I heard they just found the cut piece of the hand in my room, and lots of blood.
There was not a trace of anything else in that room, nor in my room.
Well, keeping aside that fact, I have greater problems to deal with now.
I will leave that matter to the academy officials.
Then, I suddenly felt someone was behind me, as I heard someone calling my name.
"Dorian."
I turned backwards, to find the source being a beautiful girl.
She must have known Dorian, but I don't know her at all.
At this point I am not even surprised anymore.
"What is it?", I asked without thinking much.
"We need to talk."
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Author's Note :
Please comment down your thoughts on the chapter.
Also, if you like the story, add it to your library.
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