The next morning, Twilight Academy awoke to silence.
Not the peaceful kind—but the thick, heavy silence that clings after a storm.
Guards rushed through the outer corridor. Teachers sealed off the eastern practice fields. Students whispered.
On the outer wall, a corpse hung.
Eyes gouged, limbs twisted, the man bore the emblem of the Qi Clan—a minor noble family. Slashed into his chest: "One less spy."
Han Li stood calmly before the body, arms crossed. Vice Headmaster Xu Tian stormed toward him.
"Han Li! Your class—your antics—are destabilizing everything!"
Han Li raised an eyebrow. "He wasn't my student."
"But someone sent this message for your eyes."
Behind him, the students of Class D arrived, drawn by the commotion.
Mei Lian's eyes widened. "That's… my cousin!"
Lian Xue narrowed her eyes. "Qi Clan was always ambitious. They likely sent him to infiltrate our ranks."
Bai Zhen looked at Han Li. "You knew this would happen?"
Han Li nodded. "The stronger we grow, the more they fear us. And fear makes them stupid."
Xu Tian hissed. "The Elders demand answers. This... this is warfare! Internal!"
Han Li replied coolly, "Then tell them to choose: coddle the dying nobles, or prepare for a world where power—not bloodline—decides everything."
That night, the Council convened in secrecy. Some demanded Han Li's dismissal. Others feared him too much.
And in the shadows of the deep forest, a monstrous figure stirred.
The Sky-Eater lifted its head, sensing something.
"Noisy... insects," it rumbled.
A pair of glowing eyes peered at the beast.
"Soon," whispered a voice colder than death. "Not yet."
For now, the beast would slumber.
But the true villain... was finally awake.