The walls of Avalon Academy rose like a citadel of dreams.
Aurora stood at the base of the hill, her white dress stirring in the mountain winds as she gazed upward. Towers of silverstone pierced the clouds, their spires etched with runes that shimmered faintly under the sun. Floating crystal lanterns drifted lazily between the structures, scattering rainbow light across the courtyard below.
It was more than an academy—it was a city of knowledge and power.
The greatest mages, warriors, and scholars of every continent sent their best and brightest here. Or so the system had told her.
Aurora took a slow breath, her hands tightening at her sides. "So this… is where I'm supposed to hide."
The system chimed softly.
[Correction: Not hide. Observe. Grow. Adapt.]
[Reminder: Reincarnated entities registered in Avalon's student body.]
She pressed her lips together. The Demon Lord reborn. The Hero reborn. Both walking these halls, unaware that their paths are already marked by fate.
The thought made her stomach twist.
Clutching her satchel, she passed under the carved arch of the gate. Students bustled through the courtyard—noble sons with polished swords, beastkin girls with twitching ears, elves in green-trimmed robes. And yet, Aurora noticed the gaps immediately.
A human sneered when an elf passed too close. A demon boy's tail flicked as two beastkin muttered insults at his back. The academy was vast, but the walls between races had followed them here.
Aurora's steps slowed. Even in a place built for unity, they divide themselves… no different than the kingdoms outside.
Her attention was caught by the announcement board near the central fountain. Students clustered around, chattering excitedly.
Aurora leaned closer.
[Avalon Academy's Annual Initiation Event – The Hunt]
First-years are to prove themselves in the Forest of Fangs. Teams will be formed. Points awarded based on monster subjugation. Top scorers will receive the Crest of Merit.
Her stomach dropped. A hunting game.
The system chimed immediately.
[Note: Opportunity. Combat data acquisition possible. Exposure risk minimal if host limits output.]
Aurora bit her lip. She remembered the dome's shadows, the way the air had twisted. What if the forest they were sent into wasn't safe?
Still, she nodded faintly. "I don't have a choice, do I?"
The system hesitated, then answered gently.
[Choice exists. But mission progression requires integration with peers.]
Her eyes lingered on the students laughing, jostling, boasting about who would bring back the biggest kill. For them, this was a game. For her, it would be survival.
She stepped back from the board, her shadow long across the polished stones.
Silvia's face flashed across her mind, smiling mischievously in the firelight of the Demon Lord's castle.
Aurora shook her head. "No attachments. No mistakes."
The system's chime lingered in the air, faint and almost regretful.
[Affirmation: That is the safest path.]
And so, beneath the shimmering towers of Avalon, Aurora's new life began—its beauty hiding cracks deep enough to swallow gods.