Chapter 1

I didn’t go to my chamber.

Instead, I walked straight to the High Warden’s tower, the heavy leather coat of my official Academy uniform rustling against my legs. With every step, the spirit stone in my hand grew colder, its faint pink glow flickering like a candle drowning in its own wax. Ten years of feeding it my soul power, ten years of trying to bridge the chasm between an emerging hero of the academy and a common snow bunny—all evaporating into ash.

Inside the Warden’s office, the old lion beastman didn't even look up from his ledgers when I placed the dim stone on his mahogany desk.

"You're early, Adria," Warden Vane said, his deep voice rumbling through the room. "The decade seal doesn't dissolve until three days later."

"I'm not here to ask for an extension, Warden," I said, my voice steady—a sound so foreign to my own ears that even Vane paused, lifting his sharp, golden eyes to meet mine. "I'm here to file the final severance paperwork."

Vane leaned back, his clawed fingers intertwining. "Severance? Ares is on the verge of claiming the Head's seat. If you pull out now, you forfeit your Academy rank. You'll return to the outer territories as a rogue mage."

"I know."

"He brought the Fox girl into the inner sanctum today, didn't he?" Vane sighed, a rare flicker of pity passing over his scarred face. "He thinks because you're a bunny, your spirit channel is too fragile to support his ascension. The Council is already preparing to sanction a secondary soul-tether with her."

"They don't need to," I replied, pulling a silver signet ring off my right index finger and setting it beside the dying stone. "They can have the primary one."

Vane stared at me for a long moment before drawing a dark parchment from his desk drawer. "Sign at the bottom. Three days later, when the pact snaps, it won't be pleasant for him, Adria. A broken bond—even an unacknowledged one—leaves a scar on the spirit realm."

"He won't feel a thing," I said softly, signing my name in bold, black ink. "He never opened his side of the bond anyway."

The Academy offers two types of pact between mages and beasts, one for eternity and one temporary that has to be renewed every ten years.

Since our compatibility test results got more than ninety percent, we were certain to form an eternal pact. But I requested Warden Vane to offer me only a temporary pact. It was because I wanted to win Ares’s heart before bonding with him for eternity.

I never thought that day would come, and instead one day I would be eager to sever whatever bond I had with him.

Back in the training ward, Ares stood in the center of the ring, his dark aura flaring with violent, crackling energy. Beside him, Molly—the fox beastwoman—was laughing, her three fiery orange tails fanning out in perfect sync with his mana flow.

"Look at that line of sight!" one of the elite guards marveled from the sidelines. "With Lady Molly's amplification, Lord Ares will hit SS-class by the end of the month! It's a miracle he managed to hold back his potential for ten years tied to that useless rabbit."

"Where is Adria?" another chimed in. "Usually she's standing near the weapon racks holding his towel and cooling potions."

Ares paused his strike, wiping sweat from his brow. His eyes flicked unconsciously toward the shadowed archway where I usually sat. It was empty. A strange, minute prickle flared at the back of his neck, but he brushed it off, turning back to Molly.

"Again," Ares commanded, his voice arrogant and booming. "Molly, channel your flame into my right vanguard."

"Of course, Ares," Molly cooed, stepping closer, her hand resting over his heart. "Together, we're unstoppable.”

The mana rose and then suddenly dimmed as someone yelled my name, “Adria, where have you been? Ares is freaking hot. Why are you not carrying his towel?”

I had been returning to my chamber when I bumped into my batch mates. My gaze met Ares, who seemed to be scanning me.

I turned to look back at the person who just questioned me as I replied, “He no longer needs me. He already has someone to take care of him.”

With that, I turned to leave. But before I could leave, a pair of strong arms grabbed me from behind, making me turn back.

I turned back only to find Ares staring at me with a pair of dark eyes. “What did you just say?”