Returning to Thornfield Academy after his audience with the King felt like entering a different world. What had previously seemed familiar and safe now felt fraught with potential threats and hidden dangers. Aeris walked through the academy corridors with heightened awareness, noticing every detail he had previously considered normal.
[PARANOIA MODE: ACTIVATED]
[TRUST LEVEL: SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED]
[OBSERVATION SKILLS: ENHANCED]
"Aeris," Seraphina said in a low voice as they passed a group of students chatting, "we need to talk. Privately."
Leon nodded in grim agreement. "There are things we need to discuss before departure."
The three of them headed to an abandoned classroom in the academy's old wing—a rarely used place that was perfect for private conversations. As the door closed behind them, the atmosphere immediately became tense with unspoken concerns.
"Okay," Aeris said, casting a basic privacy ward, "what's really going on? And don't tell me everything's fine because clearly it's not."
Seraphina paced in front of the windows, her ruby eyes reflecting the afternoon light with terrifying intensity. "Valemont family intelligence network... we've been monitoring unusual activities for weeks. But what we discovered today confirms our worst fears."
"What do you mean?" Leon asked, hand instinctively moving to the sword handle.
"The spy network the King mentioned," Seraphina turned with a deadly serious expression, "it's not just infiltrating institutions. They're specifically targeting people close to you, Aeris."
[ALERT: PERSONAL TARGETING CONFIRMED]
[THREAT LEVEL: IMMEDIATE AND PERSONAL]
"Me?" Aeris felt a cold chill run down his spine. "Why? Before the royal summons, I was basically a nobody in academy politics."
"Exactly," Seraphina said with a bitter smile. "You're a nobody who suddenly became important. Which makes people wonder why."
Leon frowned in confusion. "But Aeris hasn't done anything extraordinary. he's just... good at avoiding trouble."
"And that's the problem," Seraphina explained with growing urgency. "You're too good at avoiding trouble. Too lucky with timing. Too perceptive for someone who's supposedly average."
[SYSTEM ALERT: COVER IDENTITY COMPROMISED]
[RECOMMENDATION: IMMEDIATE COUNTER-MEASURES]
Aeris realized with a sinking feeling that his system-assisted "luck" and "intuition" were attracting the wrong kind of attention. People were starting to notice patterns in his behavior that were inconsistent with the image he was trying to maintain.
"There's more," Seraphina continued, pulling out a small crystal from her pocket. "This is the surveillance device I found in your dormitory yesterday."
"WHAT?" Leon exploded with anger. "Someone's been spying on Aeris?"
"Not just spying," Seraphina said grimly. "This is magical surveillance specifically designed to detect system anomalies."
[CRITICAL THREAT: SYSTEM DETECTION IMMINENT]
[EMERGENCY PROTOCOLS: ACTIVATING]
Aeris stared at the crystal with growing horror. "System anomalies? You mean..."
"You mean," Seraphina stepped closer in a protective stance, "someone suspects you have abilities or knowledge you shouldn't have. And they're trying to prove it."
"But who?" Leon demanded. "Who would want to—"
A knock on the door interrupted their conversation. All three froze, then Aeris carefully approached to peek through the keyhole.
Professor Blackwood stood outside with an unreadable expression. But more concerning—he wasn't alone. There were two figures in dark robes standing in the shadows behind him.
"Students," the Professor called out in a voice carrying a hint of magical compulsion, "I know you're in there. Please open the door."
[DANGER: MAGICAL COMPULSION DETECTED]
[RESISTANCE: ACTIVATED]
[ESCAPE ROUTES: ANALYZING]
Aeris gestured frantically to Seraphina and Leon to stay quiet. There was something very wrong with this situation. Professor Blackwood never used magical compulsion for normal academy business.
"Perhaps," one of the robed figures said in a cold, calculating voice, "they require more... direct persuasion."
Dark energy began to seep under the door crack, and Aeris realized with terror that whoever these people were, they were not academy staff.
"Window," he whispered urgently to her companions.
Seraphina was already moving, opening the window with careful precision while Leon prepared a defensive position. But when Aeris looked outside, he saw more robed figures positioning themselves in the courtyard below.
"Trapped," Leon muttered with grim realization.
[COMBAT SCENARIO: UNAVOIDABLE]
[TEAM COORDINATION: ESSENTIAL]
[SYSTEM ASSISTANCE: LIMITED DUE TO DETECTION RISK]
"Not trapped," Seraphina corrected with a dangerous smile. "Cornered. And cornered Valemont is the most dangerous Valemont."
Ruby light began emanating from her eyes, and Aeris felt the familiar chill of her transformation beginning. But this is different from before—more controlled, more focused, more terrifying.
"Seraphina," he whispered with concern, "are you sure about this?"
"I'm sure," she replied in a voice that echoed with otherworldly resonance, "that I won't let anyone hurt you."
[SERAPHINA VALEMONT: PROTECTIVE INSTINCTS FULLY ACTIVATED]
[POWER LEVEL: UNKNOWN BUT EXTREME]
[OBSESSION LEVEL: CRITICAL]
The door exploded inward with a blast of dark energy, and Professor Blackwood stepped inside with eyes glowing with unnatural light. Behind him, robed figures moved with synchronized precision indicating advanced training.
"Mr. Draemor," Professor said in a voice that no longer sounded human, "you've been very difficult to locate. But now we can conclude our business."
"Business?" Aeris asked, stalling for time while Seraphina and Leon prepared for combat.
"You possess knowledge that doesn't belong to you," one of the robed figures said. "Knowledge about future events, strategic information, and system capabilities that should not exist in this reality."
[SYSTEM EXPOSURE: CONFIRMED]
[IDENTITY COMPROMISE: CRITICAL]
[SURVIVAL CHANCES: CALCULATING...]
"I don't know what you're talking about," Aeris replied, but he knew his bluff wasn't convincing.
"Don't you?" Professor Blackwood smiled coldly. "Ability to predict outcomes, knowledge about people's secrets, and most interesting—ability to influence probability itself."
"Enough talk," Leon declared with heroic determination, drawing sword which immediately blazed with holy light. "Whoever you are, you're threatening academy students. And that's something I cannot allow."
Combat erupted with sudden violence. Leon charged forward with a sword that cut through dark energy, while Seraphina unleashed power that made air itself scream with supernatural force.
Aeris found himself in the center of a magical battle that far exceeded anything he experienced before. Spells flew through the air with deadly precision, furniture exploded into splinters, and walls cracked under the pressure of conflicting magical forces.
[COMBAT ANALYSIS: TEAM DISADVANTAGED]
[ENEMIES: PROFESSIONAL ASSASSINS/SPIES]
[SYSTEM ASSISTANCE: MINIMAL TO AVOID DETECTION]
"Behind you!" Seraphina screamed, and Aeris dove to the side just as a dark blade passed through space where her head had been.
But as he rolled to safety, something unexpected happened. His hand brushed against scattered books from destroyed shelves, and suddenly he felt a surge of information flowing through the system interface.
[ACCIDENTAL DISCOVERY: INTELLIGENCE NETWORK REVEALED]
[HIDDEN DOCUMENTS: ACCESSED]
[SPY NETWORK: COMPLETE MAPPING]
Visions flashed through his mind—secret meetings at academy shadows, coded messages passed through routine interactions, and most shocking of all—identities of multiple academy staff members working for enemy agents.
"Professor Blackwood," Aeris called out amidst the chaos of battle, "or should I say... Agent Mordecai of the Shadowlands Intelligence Division?"
Professor froze mid-spell, expression shifting from confidence to shock. "Impossible. How do you—"
"Know about Operation Nightfall?" Aeris continued, information flowing through his mind thanks to the system's accidental access to hidden intelligence files. "About infiltration plans targeting academy students with strategic value? About assassination orders for anyone who might expose your network?"
[LUCKY BREAK SYSTEM: INTELLIGENCE COUP]
[SPY NETWORK: FULLY EXPOSED]
[TACTICAL ADVANTAGE: ACHIEVED]
"Kill him!" robed figure screamed. "Kill him now before he reveals more!"
But Seraphina's transformation reached a new level, and suddenly the room was filled with power that made reality itself bend. Ruby light exploded outward, and when it faded, all enemy agents were frozen in crystal-like energy constructs.
"Nobody," Seraphina said in a voice that resonated with otherworldly authority, "threatens what belongs to me."
[SERAPHINA VALEMONT: POWER AWAKENING COMPLETE]
[THREAT LEVEL: REALITY-ALTERING]
[OBSESSION MANIFESTATION: TERRITORIAL PROTECTION]
Silence fell over destroyed classroom, broken only by labored breathing from all participants. Leon stared at Seraphina with a mixture of awe and concern, while Aeris processed the implications of what just happened.
"Seraphina," he said carefully, "what exactly are you?"
Ruby eyes turned to him with an intensity that made him step back. "I'm someone who loves you enough to rewrite reality itself to keep you safe."
[REVELATION: SERAPHINA'S TRUE NATURE PARTIALLY REVEALED]
[OBSESSION LEVEL: BEYOND MEASUREMENT]
[REALITY MANIPULATION: CONFIRMED]
"We need to report this," Leon said, trying to return to normal procedures. "Academy authorities must know about spy networks."
"Academy authorities," Aeris replied grimly, "including some people who are probably part of the spy network. We can't trust anyone."
"Except each other," Seraphina added with a smile that was both reassuring and terrifying.
Aeris looked at frozen enemies, destroyed classroom, and his two companions who were clearly hiding significant secrets from him. The upcoming mission suddenly becomes infinitely more complicated.
"Three days," he murmured, remembering King's timeline. "We have three days to figure out who to trust, how to identify remaining spies, and how to complete the diplomatic mission without getting killed."
"And," Seraphina added in a voice that carried a promise of violence, "how to make sure anyone who threatens you regrets it permanently."