Chapter 253: Class-Time

By the end of the week, the Academy had definitely settled into something resembling a new normal.

The whispers never truly stopped, but they dulled, fading from sharp speculation into a constant background hum.

Albedo’s name no longer carried shock when spoken. It carried certainty. After all of those battles, Albedo had won literally all of them, and Rank One was no longer questioned, everyone agreed he was still ahead of everyone else.

Challenges still came, of course, but fewer were reckless now. The boldest had already tested themselves and been broken. What remained were the patient ones.The kind that waited for circumstances, advantages, or opportunities that didn’t involve facing Albedo head-on in a ranking arena.

Which was why, for the first time in days, Albedo found himself genuinely relaxed. He slept properly and trained whenever he could, feeling himself arriving at the barrier for the next rank.

He also had some training sessions with Raphaeline and Seraphyne, and even sparred occasionally with Morgana, brief, sharp exchanges that left scorch marks and shadow fractures in their wake before both decided it was a waste of time to escalate further.

Even Dorian stabilized, nursing bruises and rebuilding his confidence with stubborn persistence.

Currently, Albedo was in Beast Taming class, where he arrived early hands in his pockets, eyes scanning the expansive clearing where students were already gathering. Mana wards shimmered faintly overhead, designed to prevent catastrophic beast rampages while still allowing controlled danger.

Luna stood near the center, tall and elegant as ever, hair catching the light. Her presence alone calmed the ambient mana, beasts in nearby enclosures quieting instinctively.

Her eyes flicked toward Albedo, nodding to him before she looked away, “Today’s lesson,” Luna announced smoothly, voice carrying without effort, “will focus on cooperative tracking and capture.”

A few students perked up.

“A Beast Tamer’s greatest strength,” she continued, “is not domination, but coordination. Even the strongest contracted beast can fail if its master cannot adapt to others.”

Her gaze sharpened slightly, “You will be working in pairs.”

That earned groans.

“And before anyone complains,” Luna added lightly, “you will not choose your partner.”

That earned even more groans. With a flick of her wrist, glowing sigils appeared in the air, names rearranging themselves before locking into pairs.

Albedo barely glanced up, until he felt it.

A sharp presence near him.

“…Of course,” he muttered.

His partner stepped forward at the same time.

She was tall, broad-shouldered, with sun-kissed skin and fiery auburn hair pulled into a high ponytail. Her uniform jacket was modified, sleeveless, reinforced along the spine, and a scaled mantle rested over her shoulders like decorative armor.

Her eyes were gold, literally.

She looked Albedo up and down, lips curling into a confident grin.

“So you’re the Rank One everyone won’t shut up about,” she said. “Expected someone…handsomer? You have F-Tier Charm,”

Albedo blinked once, then smiled faintly, “Disappointing people seems to be a theme lately.”

She laughed, “Name’s Kaelith Draven. Ancient Draven Line.”

’Of course it was.’ Albedo thought.

A murmur rippled through the class as Kaelith’s grin widened “Hah. Figures they’d stick me with the strongest.”

Her mana surged—, and something massive stirred behind her.

With a low, rumbling roar, a summoning circle flared beneath her feet.

A SubDragon emerged.

It was massive, easily twice the size of a warhorse, with obsidian scales edged in crimson, horned ridges along its spine, and wings not quite large enough for sustained flight but more than enough for gliding bursts. Heat rolled off it in waves, the ground beneath its claws cracking faintly.

Several students staggered back instinctively.

Kaelith folded her arms proudly. “This is Pyraxis. Bloodline-contracted. Fire-aspected. Apex among juveniles.”

Pyraxis lowered its head slightly, golden eyes locking onto Albedo. It growled, assessing him.

Albedo tilted his head.

“Cute.”

Kaelith’s smile twitched, “Excuse me?”

Albedo raised a hand casually.

A familiar warmth bloomed in the air. White-blue flames spiraled outward, not violently, but gracefully. Space warped slightly as a soul-deep bond resonated.

And then, Ember stepped into the clearing.

The celestial equine’s hooves touched the ground without sound. White-blue corrosive flames traced elegant patterns along her mane and tail, her body radiant yet controlled. Her presence pressed against reality with undeniable authority.

The entire clearing went silent and even Pyraxis froze. Its wings folded instinctively. Its head lowered further in recognition.

Kaelith’s eyes widened.

“…That’s a horse.”

Ember snorted softly, flame curling from her nostrils.

Albedo smirked. “She prefers Solaris Equine.”

Luna’s lips curved faintly.

“Now,” the professor said, clapping once, “your target.”

She gestured, and the environment shifted.

The forest ahead deepened unnaturally, shadows thickening, mana patterns warping subtly.

“You are to locate and capture a Veilstalker Lynx,” Luna explained. “A high-tier evasive beast specializing in concealment, sensory disruption, and mana dampening.”

Several students paled.

“It will not fight you directly,” Luna added. “It will flee and misdirect.”

Her gaze lingered on Albedo and Kaelith.

“You must retrieve it alive.”

Kaelith cracked her neck. “Easy. Pyraxis can burn the forest if needed.”

Albedo looked at her flatly. “If you do that, Luna will flay you alive.”

Luna smiled sweetly. “Correct.”

Kaelith coughed. “Right. Teamwork.”

They stepped into the forest together.

Almost immediately, the world changed.

Sound dulled. Mana signatures blurred. Ember’s flames dimmed slightly, reacting to interference.

“Already cloaked,” Kaelith muttered. “Clever.”

Pyraxis sniffed the air, nostrils flaring. “Can’t get a lock. It’s masking scent and mana.”

Albedo crouched, placing a hand against the ground.

His eyes glowed faintly purple.

“Not masking,” he corrected. “Redirecting.”

He stood. “It’s pulling ambient noise and signatures around itself. Like a void pocket.”

Kaelith raised a brow. “So how do we find it, genius?”

Albedo glanced at Ember. She stamped once.

Flames rippled outward, not as fire, but as perception. A wave of soul-linked awareness washed through the forest, space itself remembering Ember’s passage.

Something flinched.

There, a distortion. A wrongness in the shadows.

Kaelith grinned sharply. “There you are.”

Pyraxis surged forward, but the lynx vanished, reappearing behind them in a blur, claws raking the air before it fled again.

“Looks like this is gonna be a long chase,” Albedo muttered as they followed after the Beast with their own Beasts.

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