The soft yellow glow of the magical desk lamp filled the room with a calming atmosphere, but Maria’s mind was anything but calm.

  Outside, the autumn wind howled against the windows, a sign of the coming winter.

  Maria sat at her desk, frowning at the two open books in front of her.

  The first book was "Zoology of the Cursed Lands". Maria had flipped through hundreds of pages, seeing images of Dire Wolves, Storm Eagles, and venomous reptiles, but there was no trace of a creature resembling that black cat with three tails.

  Nothing... not even a mention. Is it a new species? Or so rare they don't include it in textbooks?

  Frustrated, she closed the zoology book and set it aside.

  I need to go to the library tomorrow. The old archives section. There must be something there.

  She sighed and pulled the second book forward: "Tactics of Alverin's Hundred-Year Wars".

  Tomorrow was the midterm strategy exam. She had to memorize the military tactics of past armies.

  "Wow, Maria! I can't believe you're so calm!"

  Sarah's voice broke the silence. She was lying on her stomach on her bed, kicking her legs in the air and vigorously chewing the end of her pen.

  "I'm dying of stress! Did you hear what tomorrow's exam is? 'War Simulation'! That scary General Gregory is going to be the supervisor. They say he treats students like real soldiers."

  Without lifting her head from the book, Maria said:

  "Stress doesn't help, Sarah. It only makes things worse."

  Sarah rolled over and sat up. Her eyes were wide.

  "Focus? How can I focus when I might get matched against Damian?"

  At the mention of Damian's name, Maria's ears perked up slightly.

  Sarah continued:

  "All the first-years are talking about him. They say he even defeated upperclassmen in private training maneuvers. He's a strategy genius! They say he moves his pieces as if he's reading his opponent's mind."

  Sarah shivered and wrapped the blanket around herself.

  "God, I hope my name doesn't come up against his. If I get matched with him, he'll checkmate me in three seconds and then give me that cold, scary look... Oh no! Even thinking about it gives me goosebumps."

  Maria twirled her pen on the paper.

  Damian... so he's strong in mental warfare too. No surprise. Someone who spoke those words by the memorial wall doesn't have a superficial view of war.

  Maria turned and looked at Sarah.

  "Don't be afraid, Sarah. Damian might be a genius, but he's not invincible. Every fortress has a weak point."

  Sarah asked with surprise:

  "You... aren't you afraid of going up against him?"

  Maria closed the history book. There was a cold glint in her eyes.

  "Fear? No. I prefer to fight the strongest. That way, I find my own weaknesses sooner."

  Sarah shook her head.

  "You're really strange, Maria... but I wish I had your courage."

  "It's not courage, Sarah. Just... habit."

  Maria dimmed the lamp.

  "Go to sleep. We have a long day tomorrow. I have to make a trip to the library before the exam too."

  "Before the exam? Will you have time?"

  "I'll make time."

  Maria lay down, but her mind was awake. Half occupied with Damian and war strategy, and half occupied with that wounded creature waiting in the cold.

  ***

  Autumn at Alverin Academy had taken on a more serious tone. Midterm anxiety was written all over the students’ faces.

  Maria was walking toward the library with an armful of books on "Botany", "Medicinal Properties", and "Zoology of the Cursed Lands". Her mind was still on that small black creature. How was its wound? Had it found food?

  At the turn of the corridor, suddenly someone came rushing from the opposite direction.

  "Oh, sorry!"

  The collision was inevitable. The books slipped from Maria's hands and scattered on the floor.

  Maria sighed. Not out of anger, but out of fatigue.

  Great. Just what I needed.

  She bent down to gather the books. Another pair of hands, with fair and well-groomed skin, reached the books before her.

  "My fault. I was distracted."

  Maria raised her head. It was a familiar face, a boy with shining golden hair and bright blue eyes.

  Prince Arthur Valerion.

  Maria quickly gave a short bow (a habit Master Simon had drilled into her brain).

  "Good morning, Your Highness."

  Arthur had a genuine, warm smile on his lips.

  "Forget the formalities, Maria. This is the Academy, not the palace. Arthur is enough."

  He handed the books to Maria, but his gaze lingered on the title of one of them: "Zoology of the Cursed Lands".

  Arthur's eyebrows went up.

  "You chose an interesting research topic. First-years usually go for 'History of Alverin' or 'Fundamentals of Magic'. Why monsters?"

  Maria took the book and pressed it to her chest.

  "Because past glories don't protect us, Your Highness, but knowing the enemy's teeth does. Master Simon always said the West is still unknown."

  Arthur nodded. His gaze darkened for a moment, as if a burden heavier than his age was on his shoulders.

  "True. My father always says we fear the North (Seragonia), but true terror always comes from where we least expect it."

  Arthur stepped closer. Students passing by looked with surprise. The Crown Prince with the "Mana-less Girl"?

  "Maria... haven't seen you much. After that day at the mana test... we didn't get a chance to talk."

  "I mind my own business, Your Highness. It's safer this way."

  "Safer? Maybe. But lonelier."

  Arthur put his hand on Maria's shoulder.

  "The midterm exam is close. I heard it's going to be a 'War Simulation'. If you need any help, or if you want to team up... I'm here."

  Maria looked into Arthur's hopeful eyes.

  A tempting offer. Teaming up with the Prince means political safety, but at the same time, it means a huge target on my forehead.

  "Thank you, Your Highness. But I’m used to carrying my own burdens."

  Arthur removed his hand, but he wasn't upset. As if he expected it.

  "Alright. But don't forget... even the strongest fortresses have a gate for supplies to enter. If you close every gate, you’ll end up starving."

  The Prince said goodbye respectfully and left.

  Maria watched him go.

  Supplies... an interesting metaphor. But in my world, they poisoned the food too.

  ***

  Maria moved away from the main, well-lit reading hall of the library and entered the narrow corridors of the archives section. This was the realm of silence; a heavy silence where even the sound of breathing echoed.

  The pungent smell of decaying paper, old leather, and centuries-old dust filled her lungs. Tall wooden shelves stretching up to the dark ceiling blocked the light like the walls of a labyrinth. The only source of illumination was floating mana particles drifting down from dim lamps.

  Maria was looking for a book on "Rare Magical Felines" or something similar to get information about that creature. She ran her finger along the spines of thick books.

  I have to figure out what you are... and why you have three tails.

  Suddenly, the creak of a door hinge from the end of the corridor scratched the silence. But as far as Maria could see, there was no door there. Suddenly, one of the shelves at the end of the corridor moved.

  Following that, the sound of heavy boots trying to be silent, but making a jarring noise on the old wooden floorboards, was heard.

  Maria's bodyguard instincts screamed: Hide!

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  She immediately shoved the book she was holding back into its place and hid herself in the dark gap between a large shelf and the wall. She held her breath and lowered her heart rate.

  Two men in gray uniforms and thick leather aprons passed by her shelf. They smelled of chemicals and stale blood.

  "I'm telling you, this is gonna blow up in our faces! It's madness!"

  The first man, whose voice trembled, constantly checked behind him.

  "If the Headmaster or the Royal Guard find out that Master Varon is keeping something like this in the Academy, we'll all get fired!"

  The second man, who was taller, replied with a scornful tone:

  "Shhh! Keep your voice down, idiot. Don't be scared, it's just a cub. Its teeth haven't even fully come in yet."

  "Just a cub?! That's a mutant 'Shadow Stalker'!"

  In the shadows, Maria pricked up her ears. Shadow Stalker?

  The first man continued:

  "I saw its file. Master Varon bought this smuggled from the 'Xenia Black Market'. Do you know the trait of this breed? When it matures, walls and cages mean nothing to it. It can dissolve into shadows and move between them. If it grows up, no one can catch it."

  "That's why the Master wants to dissect it now. The Anatomy class is just an excuse."

  "What about now that it's escaped? What if it bites someone? The whole campus will be quarantined."

  "Don't worry. We'll find it. I set a trap behind the abandoned western building. Right where there are lots of shadows, it probably took shelter there."

  The footsteps moved away and faded into the darkness at the end of the corridor.

  Maria came out of her hiding place. Her body was stiff, but not from fear... from anger.

  Laboratory? Dissection?... So, my guess was right, it wasn't a wild animal, it was a unique magical creature.

  All the puzzle pieces fell into place. That terrified look, that deep wound, and that desperate escape.

  That small creature was a "lab specimen" meant to be sacrificed for a Master's ambition. Someone who had bought it to cut it into pieces to advance his research.

  It ran from death...

  Suddenly, the image of the abandoned warehouse and David's smile came before her eyes.

  "Sorry Senpai... but you're just a burned asset."

  Maria ground her teeth together.

  A deep sense of empathy squeezed her heart. She and that creature were both victims of those who saw them as "expendable" and "tools."

  I won't let them. I won't let them find you, little one. I won't allow an innocent to be sacrificed for someone else's filth again.

  Maria made her decision. A rescue plan formed in her mind.

  She had to reach the western building and find the trap before Master Varon's subordinates.

  But she glanced at her pocket watch.

  Damn it... the midterm exam. If I'm absent, I'll be expelled and can't protect it anymore.

  She had to win on the battlefield first, and then immediately start her own real war in the shadows.

  She handed the books she had with her to the librarian and exited the library with quick, determined steps.

  ***

  The Strategy Hall was different from all other classrooms.

  There were no desks, no windows facing the courtyard. The walls were made of thick gray stone, like a military bunker, and floating crystals suspended from the ceiling, casting a cold light over the hall.

  In the center of the hall stood a massive stone table; twenty meters by twenty meters. Its surface rippled like undulating water, ready to take shape.

  All the first-year students had gathered around the table. In the past weeks, they had theory classes and small maneuvers, but today... today was real war.

  The sound of a cane striking the cobblestones was heard.

  Tap!

  General Gregory, with a face full of scars and a wooden leg, came forward.

  "Listen up, little soldiers!"

  The hall went silent.

  "War isn't just throwing fireballs and swinging swords. War is about brains. It means a decision that keeps a hundred people alive or kills them."

  Command crystals were distributed.

  "Each student receives 30 clay golems. The golems have their own energy and are not dependent on your mana. Any golem that runs out of energy or is destroyed is removed from the battle. Objective: Destroy the opponent's army or capture the flag."

  The draw took place.

  Names appeared on the magical board.

  Arthur Valerion vs... Elizabeth.

  Brook vs... Thomas.

  ...

  And finally, the name that cut the whispers short.

  Maria Alessandra... vs... Damian Von Taurus.

  A heavy murmur rippled through the hall.

  "Oh, she's done for."

  "Damian is a tactical genius. Poor girl."

  Gregory slammed his cane down.

  "Battlefield: 'Phantom Plains'."

  The map formed on the table. A vast plain, a shallow river in the middle, and upstream, two high rocky hills. At both ends of the table were their respective castles. Thick night fog lay like a white curtain on the ground, limiting visibility.

  Maria and Damian stood on opposite sides of the table.

  Their eyes locked for a moment. Both faces were serious.

  Damian's Formation:

  14 Heavy Armored Golems, 8 Fast Knights, 6 Night-Vision Archers with Mana Sensors, and 2 Scouts.

  Classic "Line Breaker" formation. Powerful and direct.

  A few people whispered: "It's over..."

  Maria's Formation:

  Strange and scattered. 16 Light Infantry, 4 Disruptors (Anti-Sensor), 2 Scouts, 4 Trappers, and 4 Fast Infiltrators.

  Unlike Damian's orderly formation, Maria's forces scattered the moment the battle began and vanished into the fog, as if each had a separate mission.

  Damian raised an eyebrow.

  "Spreading forces? Mistake."

  He ordered the advance. His army entered the fog.

  Damian's heavy golems entered the plain like an iron wall. The ground shook beneath their feet.

  But reports reached Damian: "Archers' sensors not working."

  Maria's disruptor units in the fog had blinded the signals.

  Damian frowned.

  "Doesn't matter. Continue the pressure."

  At the same moment, out of everyone's sight, Maria's trapper units went toward the rocky hill.

  They started pushing boulders. The rocks crashed into the river, blocking the water's path.

  The water changed course and flowed toward the plain.

  At first, no one noticed. But a few minutes later...

  The soft ground of the plain turned into a swamp.

  Damian's heavy golems slowed down. Their armor sank into the mud.

  One student said: "The ground is turning a swamp!"

  Damian's eyes sharpened.

  This isn't natural...

  His mind analyzed quickly. His gaze fell on the upstream hills.

  "I got it! Center line retreat! Knights, charge the hills! Open the dam!"

  Maria's breath caught.

  He read my plan...

  If Damian took the hill and opened the water path, his heavy army would be freed and reach the castle directly.

  Maria's light infantry were her only hope.

  Maria grit her teeth.

  "All reserve units, defend the hill! Don't let them pass!"

  On the map, two groups met in the fog. A short, brutal battle on the slippery hills.

  Damian's knights were powerful, but Maria's infantry used the height advantage.

  The hill did not fall. Damian's knights were defeated.

  But... Damian smiled.

  "You spent your reserves too early, Maria. Now who stops my armored forces?"

  Even with the mud, Damian's heavy soldiers (who now faced no obstacles) were slowly but steadily advancing toward Maria's defenseless castle.

  Maria ordered a retreat, but her forces were too far away to arrive in time.

  Damian said with a triumphant smile:

  "Haven't given up yet? There's no way back for you. Now it's just a matter of time."

  Maria squeezed the crystal with a sweaty, trembling palm, her breath heavy, but she tried to keep her appearance calm.

  " We’ll see."

  Just at the moment Damian's soldiers neared the gate of Maria's castle...

  On the opposite flank, Maria's 4 infiltrator units, which had been hidden in the fog the whole time and had bypassed the dry path of the hill, reached Damian's castle.

  Damian just realized. His eyes narrowed.

  "So this was the main plan... you wanted to buy time..."

  He tried to turn his forces back, but the heavy units were stuck in the mud. It was too late.

  Three of the infiltrator units engaged the castle guard; one of them was crushed by the guard. But the fourth infiltrator, while the other two kept the guard busy, pulled down Damian's flag.

  End of Battle.

  The field's light went out.

  A few seconds of absolute silence.

  Then the murmur exploded in the hall.

  "I can't believe it!"

  "Damian lost?!"

  Damian stared at the table. He wasn't angry, nor was he flushed. He was just... thinking deeply.

  On the other side, Maria lowered her hands, which were trembling slightly.

  She had won. But she knew if she had acted just a few minutes later, Damian would have leveled her castle to the ground.

  Damian raised his head. His gaze settled directly on Maria.

  No mockery, no anger. Just recognition.

  Under his breath, so only Maria could hear, he said:

  "A commander who changes the terrain... is more dangerous than one who just attacks."

  Maria looked away and said in her heart:

  Next time... Damian won't repeat his mistake. I won't have an easy win.

  And General Gregory, in silence, gave a faint smile.

  "Finally... we saw a real battle."

  The murmur and excitement of the hall hadn't subsided yet. A few students gathered around the table, reviewing the battle scene on the magical surface.

  "Did you see that swamp? It destroyed him!"

  "Damian didn't expect it at all!"

  "Maria, that was amazing!"

  A few people came toward her, but Maria just gave a short smile. The sound of applause and the crowd's excitement seemed to reach her from behind a thick wall.

  Her mind was elsewhere.

  Now is the time... if I'm late, they'll find it.

  The command crystal was still warm in her hand, but her fingers trembled restlessly on it. The image of the wounded cub, shivering in the dark, didn't leave her for a moment.

  One student said:

  "Hey, Maria! We’re going to celebrate! Come on! Damian's first loss in the first year!"

  Maria answered without pause:

  "You go. I have something to do."

  Before anyone had a chance to ask, Maria pulled away from the circle of the crowd. While the sound of laughter and excitement still came from behind her, she silently exited the Strategy Hall.

  Arthur was also looking for Maria in the crowded hall to congratulate her on her victory, unaware that Maria had left.

  The heavy doors closed behind Maria, and the noise of the celebration suddenly cut off.

  Now only the sound of the cold autumn wind echoed in the empty corridors of the Academy.

  Maria quickened her pace.

  Wait, little one... I'm coming.

  She sprinted toward the abandoned western building without slowing down. The cold autumn wind bit her face. The mental fatigue from controlling the golems was catching up to her, a slight headache throbbing in her temple, but she ignored it.

  I have to get there before them. They said they set a trap.

  She reached the back area.

  It had gotten dark. Everything was quiet.

  "Where are you, little one?"

  She narrowed her eyes and searched among the bushes.

  Suddenly, she heard a weak, muffled whimper.

  Maria ran toward the sound. It came from inside an old storage shed.

  Behind a pile of broken wooden crates, she saw that black creature.

  The monster cub had fallen on the ground. A glowing purple ring (a magical cage trap) surrounded it, and every time the creature tried to move, a spark zapped its body, paralyzing it.

  "Found you..."

  Maria stepped forward. Seeing her, the creature whimpered. Its ruby eyes were full of tears and pain. As if saying: Help me.

  Maria reached her hand toward the trap, but a spark burned her hand.

  "Ouch!"

  She pulled back.

  If I touch the trap, it probably sends an alert to whoever set it.

  She remembered Master Albert's talk about magical equipment. "I must look for its mana source."

  She looked carefully around the ring. Three small crystals were placed at the corners of the trap, creating the magical current.

  Maria drew her dagger.

  I don't know how to turn off this trap, but if I could somehow disconnect its mana source...

  She wanted to smash the mana crystals with the hilt of her dagger to cut the current, but she immediately regretted it. Mana was still stored inside the crystals; breaking them could cause anything to happen.

  Think, Maria... Think.

  She remembered her bracelet that Sarah charged for her.

  She took off her gold bracelet. The bracelet's mana was almost empty.

  She placed the bracelet in the middle of the crystals.

  " Come on... absorb it. Pull the mana into yourself."

  The bracelet started to glow. The purple current of the trap was drawn toward the bracelet like water flowing toward a drain.

  The glowing ring around the creature became weaker and weaker.

  "Now!"

  Maria struck a precise blow to the weakened crystal with the pommel of her dagger.

  Crack!

  The crystal broke, but since its mana was drained, nothing happened. She carefully broke the other crystals too. The trap turned off.

  The black creature was free.

  Maria quickly hugged it. Its body was cold and trembling.

  "It's over... you're free."

  The creature put its head on Maria's chest and closed its eyes. A quiet purring sound, a sign of trust.

  At that same moment, a shout was heard from afar:

  "Hey! Who's there?!"

  The little creature shivered in Maria's arms.

  Maria realized:

  If she didn't escape now, neither of them would make it out of this mess alive this time...