The next morning arrived quietly beneath pale sunlight spilling through the windows of the chapel. Dust floated softly through the air while Ezrina sat near the old wooden table fixing the strap around one of her training gloves. The chapel remained unusually silent. No heavy paws lazily dragging across the floor. No silver fur occupying half the blankets. No annoyed growling whenever she moved too much in the morning.

Ezrina tied the strap tightly afterward before standing up casually. Then without thinking, she reached toward the side of the table and placed an extra piece of cooked meat onto another plate automatically.

Silence.

Her hand paused briefly afterward. A small frown crossed her face.

“…Right.”

Yet after several quiet seconds, she still left the food there anyway. Ezrina grabbed her academy bag afterward and stepped outside beneath the cool morning air. The forest path toward Moonveil Academy had already become familiar by now. Students filled the roads ahead while conversations and laughter echoed through the trees. Some greeted her casually now. Others still stared curiously at the wolfless girl walking through one of the most prestigious academies among werewolves as though she belonged there naturally. And somehow, Ezrina carried herself with enough confidence that eventually most people simply accepted it.

By afternoon, the academy training grounds buzzed loudly beneath the metallic sounds of clashing weapons. Students sparred aggressively across different sections while instructors observed from elevated platforms. Ezrina stood among them calmly with a sword resting loosely within her grip. Her movements remained sharp. Controlled. Clean enough that even experienced students hesitated underestimating her anymore.

The moment an opponent lunged toward her, Ezrina stepped aside smoothly before twisting the sword from his grip in one clean movement. The wooden blade hit the ground loudly. Several nearby students groaned immediately afterward.

“Again?”

“She made it look easy…”

Ezrina handed the sword back casually. Yet strangely, her attention drifted repeatedly afterward. Twice, instructors had to repeat commands toward her during training formations. And during sparring, her gaze unconsciously flickered toward the academy entrance more often than necessary. At one point, a sword nearly struck her shoulder because she reacted a second too late.

The instructor frowned instantly.

“Distracted?”

Ezrina blinked briefly afterward before straightening immediately.

“No sir.”

The answer came far too quickly.

By evening, the academy grounds slowly emptied beneath golden sunlight. Ezrina moved through the day normally afterward. Attended lectures. Answered questions. Ignored unnecessary comments. Everything continued exactly the same. Yet strangely, small habits kept betraying her. During lunch, she absentmindedly saved the best piece of meat toward the edge of her tray. Later, while leaving the academy gates, she stopped briefly near a butcher shop while staring thoughtfully at fresh deer meat displayed outside.

“…Can wolves eat this much daily?” she muttered absentmindedly. The butcher blinked at her strangely. Ezrina immediately walked away afterward with a deeply offended expression.

Meanwhile, far beyond the academy territories, cold northern winds swept across a distant town hidden near the borderlands. The atmosphere there felt entirely different. Quieter. Older. The streets were lined with weathered stone buildings while wary eyes followed strangers carefully from behind market stalls. And among those unfamiliar streets, a tall black-haired man walked silently beneath the evening sky. Blue eyes partially hidden beneath dark bangs. Sharp features unreadable.

The moment he entered the town, something shifted. Conversations slowed subtly. Several wolves instinctively stepped aside without understanding why. A merchant dropped his gaze immediately after making accidental eye contact. Even the air itself felt tense strangely around him. Not because he displayed aggression. But because something about his presence felt wrong. Too heavy. Too controlled. Like standing near something dangerous pretending to remain civilized.

Aries continued walking calmly through the streets without reacting to the stares around him. Eventually he stopped before an old building hidden near the edge of town. Weathered walls. Dim lantern light. A faded symbol carved above the entrance. For several quiet moments, he simply stood there staring at the door. Then finally, he stepped inside. And somewhere far behind him, the uneasy whispers across the town quietly began spreading.

To be continued~