chapter 35- A Changed Man

Seraphina's Doubt

A Lesson in Taming

Seraphina adjusted the gloves on her hands as she walked toward the Beast Taming training grounds. This was one of the few subjects she genuinely cared about. Not just because she excelled in it, but because taming magical beasts was a discipline beyond raw strength—it was about understanding, patience, and forging a bond with creatures that defied human will.

It was an art.

Her silver hair swayed as a cool breeze rolled through the academy grounds. The vast training field stretched before her, enclosed by towering barriers of glowing runes to prevent any creatures from escaping.

All around, students were gathered in a semi-circle, eyes flicking toward the beasts restrained by magic formations. Some creatures were docile, others growled, pacing within their confinement. Each one was a potential contract partner—if a student was skilled, daring, and lucky enough to earn their recognition.

Seraphina's golden eyes swept over the field, evaluating the competition. Most of the students around her would struggle. Even among nobility, true beastmasters were rare.

Then, her gaze landed on him.

Alden Blackwood.

And for the first time in a long while, she hesitated.

---

The Alden She Knew

The Alden she once knew would never have belonged here.

He had been… pathetic.

Desperate. Clingy. Constantly seeking approval from those who had already dismissed him.

A disgraced noble, stripped of his title, disowned, discarded. He had always searched for a way to cling to something, anything that would elevate his status.

And he had fixated on her.

Seraphina hadn't hated him, but she had certainly looked down on him. He had hovered around her like a lost puppy, offering empty compliments, trying to impress her with trivial feats that barely deserved acknowledgment.

She had dismissed him every time.

And yet, despite it all, he had never stopped trying.

She had expected him to stay the same forever—pathetic, weak, insignificant.

But now…

Now, he was different.

---

The Change

The first time she had truly noticed the shift was during the Virtual Combat Test.

She had expected him to lose. Not just lose—flounder, beg for mercy, crumble under the weight of real combat.

Instead—

He had fought.

Not just survived, but held his own against Alicia.

He had outmaneuvered her. He had bought time. He had grinned in the face of defeat.

And then there was his beast.

The Nine-Tailed Fox.

Her breath had caught in her throat the moment she saw it. The legendary Celestial Fox, a creature so rare it was thought impossible to obtain.

The moment she saw it, she had dismissed it as luck.

But the way Alden carried himself—the way he walked with quiet confidence, the way his eyes sharpened with cold calculation, the way he never seemed surprised by anything—

It made her wonder.

This wasn't luck.

This was intentional.

And that was what unsettled her most.

---

A New Mystery

She stood near Alicia von Rosenheim, the academy's golden prodigy, her rival in both skill and status.

The instructor—a tall beastmaster with sharp blue eyes and a scar running down his cheek—stepped forward, his voice deep and commanding.

"Today, you will begin your first attempts at forming contracts with magical beasts."

A few students fidgeted in excitement, eyes darting toward the caged creatures. Others gulped, clearly unnerved by the more feral beasts shifting within their restraints.

Seraphina remained calm.

She had already formed a contract with her beast long ago—a majestic Ice Griffin, a creature that had served her family for generations. This lesson was beneath her.

Her attention drifted back to Alden.

He stood at ease, arms crossed, his black hair neatly tied back, his posture too composed for someone who had once groveled for approval.

And then, with a flash of white light, his fox appeared.

A hush fell over the students.

Even among the academy elites, no one else had a celestial beast.

Alicia clicked her tongue in irritation.

---

Unanswered Questions

"He's changed," Seraphina muttered.

Alicia folded her arms. "Obviously. You saw it yourself."

Seraphina hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "Do you think it's real?"

Alicia's golden eyes flicked toward her, sharp and calculating. "What do you mean?"

Seraphina kept her voice low, her fingers tightening around her gloves. "His past and present don't match. It's like he's an entirely different person."

Alicia's lips pressed into a thin line.

"I've been thinking the same thing."

Seraphina exhaled slowly, glad she wasn't imagining it.

"Could he be possessed?"

Alicia's fingers twitched on her sleeve.

Possession wasn't impossible.

Demons were known to take over weak-willed humans. Some families had even been wiped out by such occurrences.

But if that were the case…

"He doesn't act like someone possessed," Alicia finally said. "He's too… controlled. If a demon had taken him, we'd see cracks."

Seraphina frowned.

She had seen possessed people before.

There were always signs—erratic behavior, moments of unnatural rage, slips in their personality or memories.

Alden was different.

There were no cracks.

No hesitation.

No confusion about who he was.

As if he had always been like this.

---

Unspoken Understanding

The lesson continued, but Seraphina barely listened.

She was too focused on Alden.

The way he observed the beasts.

The way he analyzed his surroundings, never letting his guard down.

The way he spoke to his fox—not as a master commanding a beast, but as an equal.

There was no struggle between them.

No forceful dominance.

Only understanding.

And that disturbed her more than anything.

Was it really possible for someone to change this much in such a short time?

She didn't have an answer.

But one thing was certain—

She intended to find out.