Chapter 3 Meddling in Others’ Affairs

Evelyn's POV

The Lycan Clan guy froze for a second, then his lips curved into a dangerous smile.

"New girl, do you know who you're talking to?"

He took a step forward, and a chill ran down my spine.

"Today I'll show you what happens when you stick your nose where it doesn't belong."

He suddenly raised his hand—his hands had turned into claws, filled with rage, about to strike me.

I spread my arms in front of Kane, my whole body shaking with fear.

I'm done for. First day here and I've already made enemies. I'm definitely dead.

What would those claws feel like hitting me? Would I bleed?

I was terrified, but I still held my position, not dodging.

Just as I braced myself for the impact, the crowd suddenly erupted in chaos.

"The headmaster's coming!"

A woman in a deep purple robe was walking this way, radiating an oppressive presence that made it hard to breathe.

She was Seraphina, the headmaster of Thornwick Academy.

The three Lycan Clan boys instantly scrambled away.

Kane straightened up, his silver-white hair sliding off his shoulder. He glanced at me—just one glance—and I instantly forgot how to breathe.

He's so beautiful!

Then he turned and left, his pace unhurried.

Emma quickly pulled me in the opposite direction. "You're new, you don't get it. Stay away from him, you hear me? If you want to survive your first semester, don't get involved with people like that."

I didn't answer, my eyes still following that silver-white figure until he disappeared into the clock tower. Only then did I unclench my fists—my palms were covered in sweat.

The opening ceremony was held in the great hall.

The hall's dome was as high as the sky, with over a thousand floating candles lighting up the entire space. Two rows of long tables stretched from the entrance all the way to the platform at the front, with tableware and steaming food laid out on them.

I looked around and sure enough, at the very back of the hall, I saw a long table that was almost empty.

Only one person sat at the entire table.

Kane sat there, like a forgotten sculpture.

"Stop looking." Emma nudged me with her elbow.

I looked away. On the platform, Seraphina took the stage to speak.

"Welcome everyone to Thornwick Academy. This year we have forty-seven new students from seventeen different shapeshifter families."

Her speech was brief, her gaze sweeping over the students below with an air of supreme arrogance.

"This year's dormitory assignments follow last year's rules. No gender separation—assignments are based on shapeshifter type. All Aerial Branch, Ethereal Branch, and students whose forms haven't been confirmed yet will be housed in Starflame Tower."

No gender separation.

I instinctively glanced at that corner again.

Kane was Aerial Branch, Phoenix Clan. He should be in Starflame Tower too.

When the ceremony ended, the crowd surged toward the exit.

Emma got stopped by someone—a guy who seemed to know her well was chatting her up enthusiastically.

I waited beside her for a while, but seeing she had no intention of stopping, I gestured to her that I was leaving first.

She nodded at me and continued chatting.

I thought for a moment, then headed toward the back of the hall.

Kane was still sitting there. I walked up to him.

Only then did he look up at me, his deep golden eyes like a winter lake, without a ripple.

"Hi," I said. "My name is Evelyn."

He didn't speak, just stared at me, like a wild beast that had never seen a human, judging whether the person before him posed a threat.

I gathered my courage and continued.

"I saw you in the square. I don't know why you didn't fight back, but I could tell—you're not the kind of person they say you are."

Kane froze, a flicker of emotion passing through his eyes.

That expression made me feel like maybe it had been a long time since anyone had spoken to him like this.

"You shouldn't be standing here."

The flicker in his eyes settled back into stillness, his voice low with an indescribable sense of distance.

"Why?"

"Because people who stand here always regret it."

I caught a trace of pain in his eyes, an almost fragile kind of pain.

I said sincerely.

"Then let me regret it."

His pupils contracted slightly, then he looked away, as if refusing, or maybe avoiding.

"Whatever you want."

I didn't say anything more and turned to leave.

Starflame Tower was on the north side of the academy. I found my room.

My name was carved on the door plate: Evelyn.

The moment I pushed open the door, I froze.

The room wasn't big, but as I walked in, pale silver starlight patterns slowly appeared on the walls, like the Milky Way flowing gently through the night sky.

On the windowsill sat a plant I didn't recognize, its leaves dotted with points of light. The desk was made of warm, light-colored wood, with several textbooks and a roll of parchment already laid out on it.

What surprised me most was the bed.

The blanket was soft cotton and linen, in my favorite color—misty blue.

I had never told anyone what my favorite color was.

The room was automatically adapting to me.

I stood in the doorway, stunned for a few seconds, then walked in and ran my fingers over the starlight patterns on the wall.

They glowed faintly at my touch, as if responding to me.

"I heard Astral Branch rooms don't need lights at night."

I turned around to see Emma leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed.

"How did you find me?"

"Your room is next to mine." She walked in and looked around. "Not bad. Better than mine. Vampire rooms are all dark red, like a coffin. So annoying."

I couldn't help but laugh.

"Come on." Emma tilted her head toward the door. "Before dinner time, I'll show you around. The academy is huge—if you explore on your own, you won't finish in three days."

I followed her out.

Thornwick Academy was much bigger than I'd imagined. Outside Starflame Tower was a long stone corridor with moving portraits hanging on both sides.

Emma said they were "magical imprints" left by graduates from hundreds of years ago.

Past the corridor, I saw a fountain that didn't spray water, but silver-white light mist.

"That's Starlight Spring," Emma said. "It has healing effects for Ethereal Branch shapeshifters. Steldeer love this kind of place. Well, that's what I heard anyway."

"What's a Steldeer?" I couldn't help asking.

Emma glanced at me, not bothering to elaborate.

"Anyway, they're really powerful, but you wouldn't understand even if I told you."

With that, she walked off.

I took a long look at the fountain, then followed Emma.

The training grounds were on the west side of the academy, the floor paved with black stone carved with runes.

Emma said those were protective arrays to prevent energy from leaking out and hurting people during training.

"Shapeshifting 101 is held here," she said. "Your first class tomorrow morning. Be prepared—the professor is a hot-tempered old man. Whatever you do, don't be late in front of him."

So the next day I arrived at the training grounds twenty minutes early.

When I got there, a few people were already scattered around the field, but in the northeast corner of the training ground, only Kane stood alone.

His hands were in the pockets of his black robe, his silver-white hair blown by the morning wind, strikingly beautiful in an unconventional way.

The class bell rang.

Professor Ambrose Johnson was a white-haired old man who stood in the center of the training ground with a commanding presence.

"A shapeshifter's power comes from bloodline. Different bloodlines determine different forms, different forms determine different abilities. Lycan Clan excels in strength and tracking, eagle clans excel in speed and reconnaissance, Vampire Clan excels in perception and stealth."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the field.

"Then there are some rare bloodlines. Like Phoenix Clan—their power rivals ancient dragons, their flames can destroy everything. Or Steldeer—their starlight can heal wounds, their perception can see through lies."

Some people whispered among themselves.

Ambrose ignored them and clapped his hands. "Today's lesson is simple. Pair up and practice energy perception. One person releases core energy, the other uses shapeshifter instinct to detect it. Ten minutes per group, then switch."

The crowd immediately started moving.

Emma got pulled away by someone, and others paired up in twos and threes.

The training ground quickly formed into small circles, with only one area left empty.

That was the northeast corner, where Kane stood alone, with no one daring to approach him.

So without thinking, I walked toward him.

The other students looked at me like I was crazy, their eyes full of shock.

Even Kane froze, his gaze locked on me, seemingly flickering with some other emotion.

I'll call it hope, for lack of a better word.

I stood in front of him, thought for a moment, and decided to just ask directly.

"Kane, I was wondering... would you be willing to pair up with me?"