A massive Magic Array filled the entire room, radiating a scarlet glow.
Its intricate lines dazzled the eyes, yet held a strange beauty that drew one in.
An elderly figure stood respectfully outside the Magic Array, intently watching within.
The red light grew blinding, then suddenly flashed brilliant white before fading away.
“Little Coline, if you summoned us back without good reason, I’ll make you relive my old torments!”
A gaunt old man emerged from the pitch-black room—skin like ancient bark, sunken eyes, seemingly on death’s door.
Coline bent her waist a little further, her expression growing even more respectful.
“Master!”
“Enough. You’re the current dean; skip the formalities!”
The old man waved impatiently. Knowing he hated pleasantries, Coline stayed silent.
“What’s so urgent you called us back?”
Behind him stepped a golden-haired woman, around thirty, radiating stunning mature charm. Her flawless skin defied belief—she was the academy’s tenth dean. She swept her hair back, filling the air with a sacred aura.
“My lords, please follow me inside. This matter is critical!”
Seeing Coline’s grave face, they grasped the urgency. They followed her to the conference hall. Sweets and drinks waited on the table. A lone attendant bowed silently upon their arrival, then slipped out, closing the door.
The three sat facing each other. The tenth dean spoke first: “Speak. Why the rush?”
“It’s like this…”
Coline recounted all she knew of Lilina and Wu Yan. Silence thickened after she finished.
“A Dark Beast that talks to humans…”
A sharp glint flashed in the eleventh dean’s eyes, then vanished.
“Did you check her background thoroughly? Any red flags?”
The tenth dean broke the heavy quiet.
“I verified it carefully. Her roots are clean—she’s truly from a remote town.”
Coline stated this with certainty.
“No background issues… What about her character?”
The golden-haired woman pressed on.
“I met her already. She’s a good girl!”
“Then enroll her as a special student. We’ll control her fast and win her loyalty.”
The golden-haired woman decided instantly, turning to the eleventh dean: “This works, right?”
“No objections. But I have a question, little Coline!”
“Master, ask away!”
“If the Dark Beast loses control over time, could you kill that girl without hesitation?”
Coline fell silent.
“Listen: if it rebels, your intel says it can already instantly cast high-level magic. With its unique physique, soon even you might not subdue it. Sacrificing the girl would be the only option…”
“I…”
Coline recalled Lilina’s flustered recognition, her unusual grit, her humble origins, her relentless drive.
“I…”
She remembered Lilina refusing compensation, focused solely on chanting spells.
“I… I can do it…”
The memories in her mind lost color, then shattered.
The tenth dean ignored Coline’s struggle: “Crush any sign of rebellion immediately. Don’t let it harm the world.”
“Yes…”
Coline knew this outcome was generous, yet bitterness clung to her worry.
The eleventh dean patted her shoulder comfortingly.
“That’s settled. If nothing else, we’ll leave. You’re dean now—I trust you’ll weigh one life against the academy.”
The golden-haired woman vanished as she finished.
The eleventh dean patted Coline’s bowed head: “This is the only way. I believe you’ll choose right.”
Coline stayed silent.
“Oh, that incident over a century ago—you were preparing for advancement, weren’t you?”
“Huh?”
Coline looked up, startled by her master.
“I’m not blaming you. You failed last time—seize this chance. That event may be near!”
Coline was shocked.
“That event… isn’t it too soon? …I’ll seize it!”
“Just a feeling. I’m off too. Handle this matter.”
The eleventh dean’s aged form vanished, leaving Coline seated, expression grave.
Cataclysm… is coming…
