The practical room was on the third floor.The moment the door opened, a familiar smell greeted them immediately, a mix of antiseptic, metal, and something faint but not unfamiliar to the world of medicine.The room was spacious. Several stainless steel tables were lined up neatly, each fitted with a surgical lamp above it. On the left side, glass cabinets held instruments, scalpels, forceps, surgical scissors, arranged with precision. On the right, several human anatomy models stood, complete from skeleton to color-coded muscular and nervous systems.In the center of the room, covered by sterile cloth, were several practical specimens.The lecturer walked to the front, pulling on latex gloves with a motion that had become second nature."Pay close attention," he said, his voice shifting slightly deeper, more focused. "Today we're not just memorizing where nerves are located. You'll learn how to find them... under conditions that aren't ideal."He pulled back the cover.Beneath it wer

That silence lasted four full seconds.Four seconds where hundreds of people stood with the same expression, mouths open not knowing whether to close them or keep going, eyes still processing what they had just seen.Five people went down in under five seconds. Five of the strongest people in Lucien Varcrest's front line, each with their own reputation on this campus, were spread across the courtyard in a way that gave no impression they would be getting up anytime soon.Lucien was the first to find his voice."WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING?!" His voice exploded, his finger pointing at the crowd around him. "WHY ARE YOU JUST STANDING THERE?! BRING HIM DOWN NOW!"Everyone nodded and moved.About a hundred people closed in from all directions at once, forming a tightening circle, bodies moving with one shared purpose.Lucien took a few steps back, putting distance between himself and the surrounding crowd. A satisfied smile formed on his lips."You might be able to take down five," he said lou

Valcrest Premier Hospital. Seventh floor, VIP room.Lucien was laid out on the bed under white sheets, surrounded by the best medical equipment money could buy, and a team of doctors already moving before the ambulance had even fully stopped at the entrance.Right hand in a cast. Right leg waiting for further treatment.Not fifteen minutes had passed when the door to the VIP room opened.Edran Varcrest walked in with steps that had no familiarity with the word casual. Mid-fifties, a body still straight from an old habit, a suit without a single crease out of place. Behind him, his wife, Sera Varcrest, with a face already red around the eyes before she had even seen the condition her son was in.Edran stopped in front of one of the lecturers standing in the corner of the room, waiting the way someone does when they know they have to be there but wish they didn't."Who did this to my son?!"The lecturer swallowed. "C-Cael Hale, Mr. Varcrest.""Cael Hale."Edran said the name once, quiet

Valcrest Premier Hospital. Seventh floor. VIP room.Lucien lay in the bed with his right hand wrapped in a cast from fingers to elbow, his right leg propped in a specialized support and elevated above his body, and several tubes connected to his left arm. The monitor beside him showed stable numbers, but his face showed no stability whatsoever.Every time he moved, no matter how slightly, the pain reminded him exactly where he stood.Edran stood at the side of the bed, looking at his son without saying anything. Inside his chest was something that couldn't be called sadness alone. More like a combination of anger, love, and impatience that had merged into one mass with no way out other than waiting for his people to come back with good news.Sera sat in the chair on the other side of the bed, her hand holding Lucien's left hand, the one still intact."F-father." Lucien's voice came out with great difficulty, breathing that couldn't fully come free because of his uncomfortable position

After dinner, Lein gathered the dirty plates from the table and stacked them beside the sink.His hands had just touched the faucet when something changed inside him.Not a sound. Not movement outside the window. Something deeper than that, something years on the battlefield had taught his body to recognize.Killing intent.A lot of it, and getting closer.Lein gave a faint smile."They're here." He set the plates back on the table. "In far larger numbers than before. Around two hundred people."Dorian rose from his chair."Two hundred?" His eyes moved to the window, then back to Lein. "Lein, I know you're strong, but two hundred people is too many even for you. You should leave. Run, and let me buy some time."His tone wasn't the kind that was asking. More like someone who had already made a decision.He had cried earlier. Had let out everything he had been carrying alone for years. And somehow, after that, there was something that felt lighter in his chest. Something that felt finis