chapter 39: The Mark of the Hunted
Chapter 39: The Mark of the Hunted
The night was colder than usual. Rin sat at the edge of the Hollow Dorm's rooftop, staring at the academy's skyline. The glow of lanterns flickered against the grand structures, but his mind was elsewhere.
A note lay in his hands, slipped under his door just an hour ago.
"You were not supposed to win. This is your only warning."
Selena leaned against the wall behind him. "You're thinking too much."
Rin let out a breath. "Am I?"
She watched him for a moment before speaking. "Edmund wasn't our real opponent. Someone else is watching us. Pulling strings."
Rin nodded. He had seen the shadow on the rooftop. Someone had been observing the duel, waiting.
Then, from below—a scream.
Both of them snapped to attention.
Selena was the first to move. "Again?"
They leaped down, landing lightly in the dorm's courtyard. Other students peeked out from their windows but quickly shut their curtains.
They were afraid.
Rin glanced at the ground. A trail of blood led toward the West Wing.
Selena pulled her dagger. "This is a trap."
Rin cracked his knuckles. "I don't care."
They followed the blood trail past the abandoned lecture halls. The walls still bore the scars of the War of Nobles—slashes, bullet marks, and faint handprints left by those who never left.
Selena's grip tightened on her dagger. "There's something wrong with this place."
Rin spotted it first.
A body slumped against a mirror-covered wall.
It was a student.
Still alive—but barely. Their uniform was torn, their chest marked with strange symbols drawn in blood.
Rin knelt beside them. "Who did this?"
The student's eyes flickered open. Their lips trembled as they spoke.
"Squad… Seven…"
Then, their body convulsed. The symbols on their chest glowed red—and erased themselves.
Within seconds, there was nothing left but smooth skin.
Selena stepped back. "What the hell?"
Rin clenched his fists.
Someone's sending a message.
The mirror-covered wall behind them rippled.
A figure stepped through.
They wore an academy uniform, but their face was obscured by a silver mask.
A soft voice spoke.
"You should have stayed quiet, Ryukai."
Rin stood. "And you should have stayed hidden."
The masked figure moved first.
A dagger shot forward—but Rin saw it coming.
He dodged.
The figure **vanished—**then reappeared at his back.
Selena lunged in, striking fast—but her blade passed through thin air.
Rin's instincts screamed.
He ducked.
A thin wire snapped just above his head.
If he had moved a second slower—his throat would be gone.
The masked figure tilted their head. "Fast."
Selena threw a dagger. The figure simply faded backward, their body shifting like mist.
Then, they turned toward Rin.
"You are marked now."
The ground beneath Rin's feet glowed. A symbol appeared, burning into the stone beneath him.
Selena grabbed his arm. "Move!"
They leaped back just as black chains burst from the ground, snapping at the air.
The masked figure smirked behind their silver mask.
"You belong to the hunt now."
Then, they stepped into the mist.
And disappeared.
The next morning, an announcement rang through the academy.
"Squad 7. Report to the Grand Hall. Immediately."
Selena sighed. "Well. That's never a good sign."
They walked through the towering golden gates of the Grand Hall, the place where the academy's highest-ranked nobles gathered.
The headmaster sat at the throne-like chair at the far end.
The moment Rin and Selena entered, the room fell silent.
From the Royal Class, Elsa Balotelli smirked.
Edmund Crowley leaned back in his seat, arms crossed.
And then—Rin felt it.
Eyes.
Everyone was watching them.
The headmaster's piercing gaze locked onto Rin.
"You," he said. "You have been chosen."
Rin frowned. "Chosen for what?"
The headmaster's lips curled into a grin.
"The Blood Hunt."