The early morning sun filtered through the tall windows of Heilong Dominion Academy, casting long streaks of light across the polished floors. Lin Yuexin entered the training hall, her movements calm but deliberate. Today felt different—heavier, charged with an invisible energy that seemed to thrumming just beneath her skin. Her heartbeat quickened, not from fear, but from an intuition she couldn't yet fully name.
The hall was alive with the usual morning chaos of Alpha students stretching, sparring, and practicing their marks. The air pulsed with controlled power, subtle yet tangible. Yuexin's steps slowed instinctively, her senses suddenly acute. She could feel the faint vibrations of energy radiating from every student in the room.
She paused near the center, taking a deep breath. Suppressants hummed faintly beneath her skin, maintaining a delicate balance, restraining something potent that she had barely begun to understand. Her father's legacy, his dormant strength, stirred within her, responding to the energy around her. And for the first time, she felt it clearly—her blood reacting to the presence of Alphas.
The reaction was subtle at first. A faint warmth in her veins, a pulse that synchronized with the marks of the nearest Alpha. Yuexin's pulse quickened. She had read about Alpha instincts, reactions, and marks, but never had she experienced this firsthand. Her body responded instinctively, muscles tensing, suppressants straining, energy humming through her like a living current.
Zhenyu appeared almost instantly, dark presence emanating from the far side of the hall. His eyes fell on her, and a faint pulse of recognition, surprise, and… something else flickered in his gaze. He took a deliberate step forward, sensing the subtle disturbance in the energy around Yuexin.
"Something's happening," he muttered softly, voice low and controlled, eyes scanning her posture, her pulse, the subtle tremors beneath her skin.
Yuexin swallowed hard, trying to maintain composure. She had not intended to reveal anything yet, but the reaction had begun, unavoidable and raw. Her father's power, the dormant strength within her blood, was waking, responding to the marks around her.
Whispers began almost immediately among the students, subtle shifts in their stance, quiet gasps, eyes darting toward Yuexin. She felt the scrutiny like a weight pressing on her chest. Xu Meilin's sharp voice cut through the murmurs.
"What is… happening to her?" she hissed, narrowing her eyes. "She's… reacting to the marks?"
Yuexin's pulse surged. She could feel the room bending slightly to her awareness—the marks of every Alpha resonating faintly, their power brushing against her own in a delicate but potent rhythm. Some flinched, others stepped back, sensing a subtle force radiating from her that they could not name.
Yichen appeared then, moving casually toward the center, smirk curling his lips. Yet even his playful demeanor faltered slightly as he sensed the subtle pulse of energy emanating from Yuexin. He stopped a few steps away, tilting his head, observing her carefully.
"Interesting," he murmured under his breath. "She's… stronger than I thought."
Yuexin's eyes widened slightly, heart hammering, as she realized that even without trying, the energy of her blood was asserting itself. Her father's legacy was not dormant anymore—it was responding to the environment, the marks, and the Alphas surrounding her.
Zhenyu's gaze hardened, dark and focused. He stepped closer, hand brushing subtly against her shoulder in a grounding gesture. "Focus," he murmured, low and commanding. "Don't let it overwhelm you."
Yuexin took a deep breath, closing her eyes briefly. She could feel the surge of energy, the subtle pull of every mark around her, and she forced herself to center, to guide the reaction instead of letting it spiral. Her fingers twitched slightly, suppressants buzzing faintly, and the energy began to respond to her intent, subtle waves of influence rippling outward.
The reactions among the students were immediate. Some stepped back instinctively, eyes wide, sensing something beyond comprehension. Others whispered furiously, sharing glimpses of observation and speculation. Meilin's expression darkened, eyes narrowed in alarm and frustration.
"She's… controlling it," Meilin hissed. "How is a human… how—"
Yuexin's pulse remained steady, though her breath hitched slightly. She felt every subtle shift in the hall, every adjustment in posture, every instinctive reaction. Her father's blood pulsed, alive with awareness, and she realized for the first time that she was no longer merely surviving among Alphas—she was asserting presence, commanding attention, and influencing the environment simply by being.
Zhenyu's hand tightened slightly on her shoulder, grounding her further. "Good," he murmured. "Control it. Feel it. Learn it."
Yuexin opened her eyes slowly, and for the first time, she saw the reaction in Zhenyu. His usually unreadable gaze flickered with something new—recognition, caution, and awe. She could see it in the faint pulse of his dragon mark, subtle yet undeniable.
Across the hall, Yichen's smirk returned, though it was tinged with curiosity and concern. He tilted his head, observing Yuexin with renewed attention, realizing that the game he had thought he understood was shifting in ways he had not anticipated.
"Lin Yuexin," Li Haoran's voice echoed suddenly, authoritative and calm. The older professor stepped into the hall, eyes sharp and assessing. "Your blood… it reacts. Your father's legacy is present. This is the first time I've seen it manifest so openly."
Yuexin's pulse surged, a mix of awe and apprehension. "I didn't—"
"You didn't have to," Li Haoran interrupted softly. "It's in your blood. It responds naturally to the marks around you, the power in the room. You cannot hide it forever."
Meilin's voice cut through, sharp and incredulous. "This isn't… possible. She's a human. She shouldn't—"
"She's not just a human," Zhenyu interjected, voice low, controlled, yet carrying the weight of claim. "And that is exactly why this is dangerous. She has the potential to disrupt everything here if left unchecked. If you challenge her… you will feel it."
The hall went silent, students sensing the weight of his words, understanding that the energy around Yuexin was no longer trivial, no longer subtle. It was potent, alive, and undeniable.
Yuexin's chest tightened as the realization settled in. Her father's blood, the power she had inherited, was alive in her. The marks, the Alphas, the rivalries—they were all now interacting with something she could neither fully understand nor ignore. She felt both fear and exhilaration, knowing that her place in the Academy had just shifted dramatically.
Her hands trembled slightly, suppressants buzzing faintly beneath her skin. She looked at Zhenyu, eyes meeting his steady, commanding gaze, and felt a surge of reassurance. Then, from the corner of her vision, Yichen's eyes glimmered with interest and challenge.
The game had changed. She was no longer merely a student trying to survive—she was a force, a legacy, and the center of attention for all those who recognized power when they saw it.
By the end of the session, Yuexin's control had strengthened. The subtle waves of influence from her blood receded slightly, but the effect on the room remained. Students whispered, glanced, and observed her with a new level of wariness and curiosity. Xu Meilin's smirk had vanished, replaced by a flicker of unease.
Zhenyu's presence remained near, protective and grounding, while Yichen's playful gaze lingered, assessing, calculating. Yuexin felt the invisible shift—her father's power was awake within her, and nothing at the Academy would ever be the same.
She left the hall quietly, pulse steadying, though her mind raced. The blood in her veins was no longer dormant. It had awakened, responding to the world around her. And she knew, without doubt, that this awakening would change everything.