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The academy was quiet at night—too quiet. Beneath its polished marble halls and hovering crystal lamps, whispers slithered like serpents in the dark.
Kael knew it well.
He stood atop one of the academy's towers, the wind rustling his black-and-silver hair. His red eye shimmered in the moonlight; the violet one dimmed, unreadable. Below, he could sense it—movement, shadows shifting where there should be none.
"Someone's tailing us again," he muttered.
Selene stepped from the stairwell behind him, wearing a sleeveless cloak that barely rippled in the wind. Her bow shimmered with ethereal lines of mana, faint like spider silk. "Same pattern as last night?"
Kael nodded. "Fifth time this week. They're getting bolder."
"Then maybe it's time we stop being subtle."
He turned to her, a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. "You saying I'm subtle?"
"I'm saying we're too polite."
She stepped to the edge beside him, her violet eyes scanning the darkness. Her posture was loose, casual—but her fingers rested lightly on the feathers of an arrow glowing with wind-enhanced mana.
Then it happened.
A surge of killing intent—brief, like a breath—but enough.
They leapt from the tower, falling like shadows, wings spreading midair in a burst of black and violet light.
They landed in the garden courtyard below, and the ground cracked beneath Kael's boots.
The intruders scattered. Four figures, cloaked and masked, all radiating mana suppression cloaks that distorted their presence. But it didn't matter. Kael could smell them. Hear the rapid beat of their hearts.
They were hunters.
Or worse—testers.
Selene was already airborne again, raining three arrows in quick succession. The shots curved unnaturally, dancing through trees and pillars.
Kael rushed forward, fists crackling with aura. He slammed into the closest figure, driving them into the wall with enough force to dent the stone.
"Who sent you?" he growled.
The figure hissed. "You were never supposed to be born."
Kael's fist connected again. Blood sprayed.
Behind him, Selene's arrows exploded in chains of wind pressure, knocking another assassin flat. Her eyes narrowed. "These aren't students."
"No," Kael said, stepping back. His claws extended—black energy flaring from beneath his sleeves. "They're from the capital."
The third figure launched a flurry of ice shards, forcing Kael to dodge. Selene intercepted with a barrier arrow, the blast rippling in a glowing half-dome.
"We can't kill them," Selene muttered.
Kael frowned. "Why not?"
"Because then they'll send stronger ones."
He paused. "...Fair."
He launched into the air, his aura coalescing into a wolfish shimmer behind him. His foot crashed down on the ice mage's shoulder, dislocating it instantly, then spun to disarm the fourth attacker mid-cast.
It was over in less than thirty seconds.
The four masked agents lay groaning on the ground—battered, broken, and disarmed. Selene bound them in silver-threaded mana ropes, designed to suppress any spell or artifact activation.
Kael stood over them, shirt torn at the collar, his muscles tensed with energy. "You come again," he said coldly, "you leave in pieces."
One of them spat blood. "You don't get it. You two aren't just threats. You're—"
But he never finished. A black mark glowed on his neck—and in an instant, his body convulsed. Then silence.
Selene's face went pale. "Soul seal. They were bound."
"Assassins with no way out. That means a noble family."
"Maybe more than one," Selene said darkly.
They left the unconscious ones behind. A professor would find them by morning and cover it up. That was the way of the academy—keep appearances pristine, even while the foundations rotted.
Later that night, in their shared training chamber beneath the dorms, Kael stood shirtless, breathing heavily, fists bloodied.
Selene watched him in silence. "They'll keep coming."
"I know."
"We're not ready to show them everything."
"We won't."
She looked away, gaze thoughtful. "You always take the hits for me."
Kael approached, placing a hand on her shoulder. "And you always keep me from becoming a monster."
They said nothing after that. Just stood there, in silence. Together.
Twin monsters.
Born under an eclipse the world tried to hide.
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