Chapter 17: The Professor and the Predator
**Valerian**, now assuming his human form, walked onto the stage of a grand academy auditorium. He was dressed in thick glasses and long hair, perfectly disguised as **Professor Anderson**, the celebrated scholar of magical theory. He wore a distinctive **black mage robe** with a crisp **white dragon** emblem stitched on the back, and his long, **two-foot dreadlocks** hung and swung with grace as he moved. His Drakain essence was tightly reined in, a meticulous suppression of his aura to maintain the illusion of being entirely human.
The front row was filled with hybrid students, mostly girls, who were captivated by the handsome professor, but Valerian paid them no mind; he was only focused on his lecture.
"For five million years our kind has existed," Valerian began, his voice calm and academic, addressing the auditorium filled with hybrid students and a few teachers. "Throughout this time, we have found out that there are four transformations." He paused, looking over the crowd, his gaze settling on the various forms present.
"These four progressions begin with the **First Stage**: the human form, an imperfect disguise, yet an essential one." He gestured to the majority of the audience, whose smooth, unscaled skin was still subtly **tougher than true human flesh**—the one telltale sign that even perfect control couldn't erase, and the only flaw in our ability to perfectly camouflage ourselves. "Next is the **Second Stage**—the dragonoid form."
He glanced at the few students and teachers who had decided to wear their second stage: imposing dragonoid forms with claws and huge teeth, standing between six-foot-six and six-foot-nine, their elemental dreadlocks and eyes radiating with magical affinity.
"The **Third Stage** of Drakain transformation is known as the **Dragon Body**. This form is essentially a **miniature true dragon**, scaled down for combat use on a battlefield." Valerian's voice took on a sharper edge. "When a hybrid fully transforms into the Third Stage, they shed their humanoid appearance and emerge as a colossal reptile. This form stands approximately **ten meters (33 feet) tall**, covered in thick, elemental-colored scales. It possesses the iconic features of the True Dragons—massive wings, thick claws, and a broad snout—but lacks the cosmic size and absolute power of the Titan forms. It is the ultimate expression of the Drakain's strength, designed purely for ground combat. It allows the hybrid to unleash their raw elemental affinity with overwhelming force. It is the form that gives the Drakain their feared military statistic: **one hybrid in the Third Stage can withstand and defeat a hundred human mages**."
He delivered the statistic with a serious, unwavering stare.
"Many of you may not know this, but there is a Fourth Stage." The students' chatter instantly ceased, their curiosity momentarily overcoming their arrogance. "The fourth stage of Drakain transformation has only been attained by four legendary warriors," he continued, playing the part of the slightly skeptical academic. "Said to have conquered Pandora with the First Dragon, Marcellus himself..." Valerian chuckled, as if dismissing it as folklore. "The **Titan Form**. It's said to be a **mile-wide dragon**."
As soon as he said this, the students burst into laughter, the sound harsh and dismissive. **"Bullshit!"** someone yelled, and a cascade of curse words and hisses from dragonoids erupted from all over the auditorium. Most of the students instantly transformed into their second stage, growing into six-foot-six to six-foot-nine monsters, throwing paper balls that disintegrated into elemental dust mid-air.
Valerian instantly cut them short. He released a flash of his absolute mental control, a crushing wave that slammed into every mind, coupled with a **micro-burst of dark-lightning** power from his fingertips. The students felt the terrifying jolt of **killing intent**, a raw, ancient predatory instinct that froze their laughter in their throats. The auditorium immediately went silent, every student cowed by the unimaginable power beneath the professor's thin disguise, their eyes wide with fear.
Just as the silence settled, Valerian received an encrypted mental message from his spy network:
*Serafina is about to make her move.*
Simultaneously, Charles's voice, cold and savage, echoed in the depths of Valerian's mind:
*Took her long enough, the bitch.*