All Chapters of Luna At Alpha Academy: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

The boat pulls away, leaving me and forty-nine others standing at Starting Point B. Two more groups have been dropped at different locations across the island. In seven days, we’re all supposed to work our way toward the center, where the high-level monsters wait. The further in you go, the more dangerous—and the more rewarding—it gets. We’re all wearing the academy’s black hunting gear, light enough to move in, strong enough to keep a blade from gutting you. Boots built for silent ground. Supply bags slung over our shoulders, compressed with enough food, tools, and equipment to last the week… if you use them right. Faces around me vary—sweat beading at temples, grins that are too wide to be anything but nerves, and few wear grim, silent expressions—the kind that comes from knowing exactly how bad things can get. My heart pounds steady but hard. I can do this… I think. Then I remember Professor Sloane’s words—I will beat you within an inch of your life if you don’t come back with g

ELDON’S POV‘Eldora, wake up. It’s night time.’ Ezra’s voice brushes against my mind, his presence a light pressure against my arm that rouses me from half-dreams.I blink once, then push myself upright from the rough bark of the tree I’d been leaning on. My joints crack faintly. “I’m up.” The words drag out in a low yawn.‘Get ready. You need to climb the leaderboard tonight. We’ve already lost hours waiting for darkness.’“That couldn’t be helped,” I murmur, rolling my shoulders. “Orcs would spot me from a mile away if I’d moved in daylight.” My hands are already working—closing the small iron pins I’d set in a rough circle, the faint tang of iron still clinging to my fingertips. Those pins had masked my scent and kept stray monsters at bay while I slept.Earlier, I’d walked the edges of this territory, mapping the orcs’ paths in my head. Ezra’s sharp senses had caught the hidden device before I had—a Beast Lure, buried shallow in the soil here.Orcs have big frames, green skin, tho

Only when I’m sure I’m far enough from that thing do I stop running. My legs feel like jelly, so I drop to one knee, dragging in sharp breaths that scrape my throat. Ezra’s voice comes soft and steady, “Easy now… you’re safe. Just breathe with me, alright?” I feel the light tap of his hand on my head—gentle, almost like he’s brushing away the fear. “In… and out… nice and slow.” I match my breaths to his rhythm, each inhale settling my heartbeat a little more. “That’s it. Good.” His hand lingers for a moment before pulling away, as if making sure I’m not about to collapse again. I glance up at him, floating there like some celestial guardian… and then I burst out laughing. “Ezra, why are you a triangle?” “Why?” The triangle spins lazily in the air. “Don’t you think triangles are ‘hot’?” “It’s a weird shape for you,” I tease, settling down on the ground. “You’ll have to get used to it. I’d rather not be called a ball again.” My eyes narrow, then widen in realization. “

“What do you mean by that?” Director Mercy is already on her feet, her sharp gaze fixed on the man. “It’s exactly as I said,” he replies, his tone grave. “I cross-checked again and again, but the result never changed. The heat signature is off the charts. That should only be possible if the seal has been broken.” Mercy’s expression hardens. “Is Aithon fully awake yet? We should still have time before that happens.” “At this rate…” the man swallows, his eyes flicking to the giant map on the screen, “I’d say we have two days. At most.” A tense silence follows before Mercy snaps, “How could we have missed this?!” He shifts uneasily, adjusting the brim of his cap. “Because of the extra magic circle discovered by the security team a few days ago. At first glance, it looked like a standard protection circle—its spell composition matched the others. But on closer inspection, the truth was clear. It wasn’t meant to protect. It was meant to block Aithon’s heat signature from being detect

When I slipped into her mind, even if just for that fleeting moment before she cast me out, I was overwhelmed by fragments of her thoughts. “Ezra?” My voice is tight. “You caught her at the one instant her defenses dropped,” he explains calmly. “She doesn’t seem the type to falter, but with the kind of doom that is brewing… it’s no surprise her mental wall cracked.” I run a hand over my face. “What did I hear? It was too much all at once.” “Look up,” Ezra instructs. “Do you see the dome?” “I do.” My breath hitches. “The dome… it’s visible.” “Yes.” My mind flashes back to when we first arrived. “It wasn’t there before. What happened?” “I noticed the change too,” Ezra admits, “but you were too focused on hunting. Since day two, it’s been growing clearer.” “What does that mean?” His voice hardens. “It means exactly what you heard from Sloane’s mind. The dome has been hijacked. They can’t reach you. The Alphas are trapped. Aithon is stirring. The monsters are driving you all inw