The headmaster's tower

The silence that followed the system's final notification lasted only a heartbeat before chaos erupted across the courtyard. Students who had frozen moments earlier suddenly burst into frantic whispers, many retreating several steps while others stared at me as though I had transformed into some unimaginable monster. Their eyes were filled with fear, curiosity, and disbelief, and for the first time since arriving at Noctis Academy, I understood what Aunt Mira had meant when she called this place a battlefield disguised as a school. Strength was admired here, but anything unknown was treated as a threat. At that moment, I was undoubtedly the latter. The strange black mist that had surrounded me slowly dissolved into the air, yet the heavy pressure lingering in the courtyard refused to disappear. My knees felt weak, my head throbbed painfully, and every breath left me more exhausted than the last. Before I could gather my thoughts, several professors rushed into the square, their expressions unusually serious. They examined the cracked ground, the frightened students, and finally the four of us. Although no one dared question Lucian, Kael, or Azriel directly, every suspicious glance eventually settled on me. I had not even attended my first class, yet somehow I had become the center of the academy's attention. If there was ever a record for the worst first day in school history, I had probably just broken it.

An elderly man dressed in dark silver robes stepped through the crowd, and the atmosphere shifted almost immediately. Even the professors straightened respectfully as he approached. His long white hair rested neatly behind his shoulders, and despite his advanced age, his sharp golden eyes held the authority of someone accustomed to commanding powerful people. He stopped a few meters away, studying me with calm precision before briefly looking toward Lucian. "Explain," he said simply. Lucian remained silent for several moments before answering. "A mana resonance occurred." The old man's gaze moved to the cracked stone beneath my feet. "A resonance strong enough to fracture enchanted ground?" Kael folded his arms, unusually serious. "None of us expected it." Azriel, who had yet to remove his eyes from me, added quietly, "Neither did she." The Headmaster's expression remained unreadable, but I noticed his eyes narrow almost imperceptibly when they settled on my face again. "Miss Ashbourne," he said. "Would you accompany me to my office?" It sounded polite, yet I knew it was not a request. Refusing the Headmaster on my first day would be the fastest way to get expelled—or worse. I nodded. "Of course." As I stepped forward, I felt dozens of curious eyes following me. Every student present had witnessed the impossible. By sunset, rumors about me would spread through every corner of Noctis Academy.

The walk to the Headmaster's Tower was strangely quiet. The professors remained behind to restore order while only the Headmaster led the way, accompanied by the four Crown Kings. The realization made me increasingly uncomfortable. Why were they following us? Surely the Headmaster didn't need four of the academy's strongest students to escort one frightened first-year. The answer became obvious when I accidentally glanced behind me. Lucian walked with his usual composed expression, though his silver eyes never strayed far from me. Kael looked as though he had dozens of questions but was forcing himself to remain patient. Azriel was impossible to read, his face as calm as still water, yet every instinct told me he was observing far more than anyone else. The last of the four finally appeared as we entered the central tower. He had evidently been summoned during the disturbance, and unlike the others, he wore a gentle smile that immediately eased some of the tension in the room. Golden hair caught the afternoon sunlight streaming through the stained-glass windows, while warm amber eyes regarded everyone with effortless kindness. Orion Solcrest. The Fourth Crown King. If Lucian resembled winter, Kael resembled fire, and Azriel resembled midnight, then Orion looked like the first light after a storm. He stopped beside me and offered a small smile. "You look pale," he said softly. "Are you injured?" There was nothing suspicious about the question. It sounded perfectly normal. Yet the instant our eyes met, a strange warmth spread through my chest, gentle but unmistakable. It wasn't painful like before. It was... comforting. The system immediately appeared. [Warning. Fourth Crown Bond reacting.] I almost sighed aloud. Wonderful. Apparently even looking at these people was becoming hazardous to my health.

The Headmaster finally opened the heavy doors to his office, revealing shelves packed with ancient books and artifacts that radiated powerful magic. He gestured for everyone to enter before quietly sealing the room with several layers of protective barriers. Only then did he turn toward me, his expression losing every trace of polite formality. "Miss Ashbourne," he began, "I have spent more than fifty years overseeing this academy, and today I witnessed something I have never seen before." He folded his hands behind his back and continued, "The four Crown Marks reacted simultaneously to your arrival." My heartbeat quickened. He knew. Maybe not everything, but enough to realize this was no ordinary coincidence. The Headmaster's gaze remained fixed on me as he asked the one question I had been dreading since the moment the system accepted the academy's invitation. "Tell me truthfully..." He paused just long enough for the silence to become unbearable. "What exactly are you?" Before I could answer, the Crown System flashed across my vision with urgent crimson letters. [Emergency Mission Updated.] My blood ran cold as the next line appeared. [Do not reveal your true identity.]