The Grand Hall was teeming with life, dominated by a heavy scent of expensive perfumes mixed with pure mana. Before the arrival of the "High Ranks," the plaza was a stage for beauty and influence.
ELENA entered amidst a group of girls, her hair flowing behind her as if a magical breeze were following her specifically. Beside her, LILITH MALQUAR walked with aristocratic serenity, her violet eyes scanning the hall with precision, analyzing powers and alliances before uttering a single word.
"Look, CASPARIAN has already started gathering followers," one of the students remarked, pointing toward the corner where CASPARIAN stood.
LILITH replied coldly, "Let him enjoy it; applause does not make a mage."
Meanwhile, the side doors opened, and ADRIAN entered with NIKO. They didn't make a dramatic entrance; instead, they walked in quite naturally, like any students arriving slightly late due to the crowd. ADRIAN had adjusted his attire with a simple touch, giving him the look of a more mysterious noble.
As soon as he entered, two students from Class B approached him, seemingly impressed by what he had done in the forest.
"Hey, you're ADRIAN, right?" one of them asked enthusiastically. "We saw how you handled VALEN. That was a crazy move! Are you really from the VANIT family?"
ADRIAN paused, looked at them with a subtle, polite smile, and replied in a calm tone:
"Yes, what remains of the VANIT family. As for VALEN... it was just a bad day for him, and I believe he'll get over it."
He left them quickly and moved toward the refreshment table.
"ADRIAN, you're good at this," NIKO whispered in admiration. "I thought you would ignore them completely."
"Total indifference attracts curious enemies," ADRIAN replied, picking up a glass of water. "A diplomatic response keeps them away with a smile. The important thing is never to give them a single truth."
Suddenly, the tone of the music shifted. The calm background melodies vanished, replaced by the accelerating notes of a "Magical Violin," announcing the traditional segment of every reception: the Imperial Waltz.
The side lights dimmed, and the marble floor glowed with a faint luminescence that traced the dance steps for beginners. Noble students rushed toward the center of the hall with excitement, asking for hands to dance. This was their playground; here, strength was measured not just by mana, but by elegance, balance, and the ability to move in harmony.
CASPARIAN was the first to step forward, taking the hand of a girl from a prominent family. He led her with supreme confidence, his steps calculated and perfect as if he were born to dance. ELENA joined in as well with a second-year student, moving with a lightness that made her appear to be floating above the ground.
In the corner, ADRIAN stood still, his eyes following the movement of feet with a cold, analytical gaze.
"Do you not intend to participate, VANIT?"
The voice came from LILITH, who stood before him, extending her hand with a bold smile and playful defiance. "Don't tell me the beast of the forest is afraid of stepping on a girl's toes?"
ADRIAN looked at her extended hand, then at the crowded dance floor. In his mind, he summoned every memory IGOR had planted, every training session he had endured.
He found drills on how to kill a monster with bare hands; he found ways to crack codes and locks; he found tactics for hiding in the darkness... but he searched his "memory files" carefully for how to dance, and the result was:
ERROR: File not found.
In the dark cellar, there was no music. No one had taught him how to hold a woman's waist with gentleness. They had only taught him how to break bones.
ADRIAN bowed his head slightly without taking her hand.
"I'm afraid I must decline the honor, Miss LILITH," he said in a calm voice. "My family training did not include... the art of dance. I might be good in a fight, but in this arena? I would be a catastrophe breaking your toes."
LILITH laughed softly and withdrew her hand, showing no sign of offense. "At least you are honest! Fine, I shall seek another partner who isn't afraid of shattering my bones."
The Purpose of Creation
She left him and merged into the crowd, soon found by another student who whisked her away to dance. NIKO leaned toward ADRIAN and whispered in astonishment:
"ADRIAN... do you really not know how? I thought you were good at everything! Did IGOR not teach you anything at all?"
ADRIAN gave NIKO a mocking look and said:
"IGOR didn't create me to dance, NIKO. He created me to end the party, not to participate in it."
ADRIAN remained standing for a few more minutes, watching them laugh and twirl. He felt a deep sense of alienation; these students lived in a world of color and music, while he lived in a world of numbers and missions.
The gap between them wasn't just power—it was "Humanity." They were humans; he was... something else.
"The music is starting to get too loud," ADRIAN muttered, setting his glass aside. "I'm leaving. NIKO, you can stay if you want."
"Alright, I'll eat a bit and follow you."
"Fine, but don't get into trouble. I won't save you again."
"Don't worry, just go," NIKO replied with slight annoyance.
ADRIAN withdrew quietly toward the back doors opening onto the garden, leaving behind the lights and laughter. As soon as he stepped into the cold night air, he took a deep breath. The darkness here was comfortable, more familiar than the light of the chandeliers.
He walked through the silent outer corridors, his eyes fixed on the moon.
"A dance..." he whispered to himself with bitter irony, looking at his hands—hands that mastered only the art of killing. "Perhaps in another life."
But which life? he thought. This one? Which made me forget who I was in my previous life? Hah.
ADRIAN vanished into the shadows of the Academy while the music continued to echo in the Grand Hall, a celebration for nobles who remained unaware that the "Monster" had been among them and had departed in silence.
(From SEBASTIAN's / SERVINA's Point of View)
I stood in the corner of the hall, watching the reflection of "SEBASTIAN" in the side mirror; the rigid back, the sharp, dry features, and the male Academy uniform that stifled every ounce of femininity within me. The party was loud, but I lived in my own silence—until I saw him enter.
ADRIAN VANIT.
His entrance wasn't loud, yet he drew eyes in a strange way. I watched him speak with students from Classes A and B with an enviable social coldness. He smiled at them, but his eyes... those black eyes were in another realm entirely.
'He is acting... just like me,' I thought, tightening my grip.
With his steady composure in the Academy uniform, he possessed an undeniable charisma. Yes, he is handsome, and his eyes have that deep blackness that makes you want to stare longer, to discover what lies behind them.
But the moment I felt that slight spark of admiration, my magical necklace stung against my skin beneath my shirt, as if reminding me of my false identity.
I am not here to admire anyone. I am here because the PLATOD family did not conceive a son, and I had to be that son. Every heartbeat of admiration is a crack in my armor; every glimpse of "SERVINA" that appears in my eyes is a threat to my life and the life of my family.
"Forget it, SERVINA," I whispered to myself bitterly, adjusting my suffocating collar. 'What am I even thinking about?!'
"SEBASTIAN? What are you daydreaming about?" one of my classmates asked, pulling me from my thoughts.
"Nothing," I replied in a dry voice, pulling my leather glove tight. "I was just analyzing the gaps in the new students' defenses. That boy, ADRIAN, doesn't leave a single opening behind him."
"Ah, well, I thought you had something specific on your mind, but you're thinking about combat and openings even at a party? Impressive as always."
I turned my back to him and walked away, trying to ignore that strange sensation that hit me when our eyes met. I looked at him one last time as he left the hall in silence, trailing an aura of mystery unlike anyone else's.
"Beautiful? Perhaps," I whispered to myself with bitterness, "but he is a danger I cannot get close to. He is alone by choice, and I am alone by fate."
"Between us stands a wall of secrets that no one will ever tear down."