The next day, before the sun had yet to rise.
Darkness still clung to the academy grounds, the only light coming from the distant glow of the city beyond the walls and the faint shimmer of the protective barrier overhead.
Inside the Vice Principal's office, Seraphina sat alone, the soft glow of the room's light casting long shadows across the stacks of paperwork before her.
She frowned as she read the document in her hands.
It was the medical report of three students.
Apparently, three students who had been sparring with each other had gone mad in the middle of the forest.
Their absence had not drawn immediate attention. They were Class C's students, after all.
But it was not usual for them to miss a day without explanation.
But a day later, their class instructor noticed their continued absence and made inquiries.
After some investigation, the instructor finally found them.
If he were to use one word to describe what he saw, it would be... "inhuman."
