Chapter 12: A Student, A Hunter, A Problem


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    I tried to be a normal student.


    I really did.


    But it turns out, when a creature from beyond reality tries to kill you, it’s hard to focus on homework.


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    Balancing Act


    Arkadia Academy ran on a strict schedule.


    Mornings were spent in combat training or magic theory classes. Afternoons were for team missions and sparring sessions. Evenings were supposed to be study hours.


    For normal students, this was manageable.


    For me?


    I had to pretend to be normal while secretly investigating creatures that weren’t supposed to exist.


    Which meant sneaking into restricted archives, listening to rumors, and avoiding the watchful eyes of the instructors.


    Oh, and trying not to die.


    Easy.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


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    Gathering Clues


    I started with the academy records.


    There were no mentions of Nullborn.


    No reports, no incidents, no history.


    But there were gaps.


    Entire sections of recorded monster attacks were missing, erased.


    Someone had covered them up.


    Which meant someone in the academy already knew about them.


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    Elias Wants In


    Of course, I wasn’t the only one who noticed I was up to something.


    "You’re looking for something," Elias said one evening, sliding into the seat across from me in the library.


    I sighed. "Don’t you have your own life to worry about?"


    Elias smirked. "Sure. But yours is way more interesting."


    I considered lying.


    But Elias wasn’t an idiot.


    And, despite his annoying habit of getting into trouble, he had a knack for finding things others missed.


    So I told him—not everything, but enough.


    About the thing I fought. About Selene’s warning. About the missing records.


    Instead of freaking out, Elias just grinned.


    "Well," he said, cracking his knuckles. "Looks like we’ve got a mystery on our hands."


    Great.


    Because what I needed right now was a reckless rogue helping me break more rules.


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    A Strange Warning


    That night, as I returned to my dorm, I found something waiting for me.


    A note, pinned to my door.


    The handwriting was sharp, precise.


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    "Stop digging. You''re not ready for the answers."


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    I stared at it.


    Felt the weight of the words.


    And then—


    I ripped it down.


    Because I wasn’t stopping.


    Not now.


    Not ever.


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