Shrouded in darkness, a slender figure stood on the roof of a three-story building in the stormy night. The southwest side of Niflenia Magic Academy was merely a few dozen steps from him. Water droplets coursed through their besprent long hair as the violent wind blew against him. He peered upon the darkness below, where a guard was patrolling along the fence. The moment the guard vanished from the view, he plunged toward the ground and landed with both feet, producing a soft splash. The figure dashed forward at breakneck speed toward the tall brick fence. He hopped through the obstacle with ease.

Navigating through the complex, he sprinted without stopping. The storm masked his footsteps, allowing him to relax even when a guard was nearby. In under a minute, he reached the main building unimpeded. The large ivory double door, however, barred the figure from accessing the reception hall. Thus, he conjured a dark sphere and obliterated the door into smithereens.

The drenched figure intruded the grand room, ascended the staircase, and skulked to the 4th-floor hallway, leaving wet footprints behind on the carpet. His delicate hand ran across the wall and doors before stopping at a particular door — the Vice Headmaster office. That door too suffered the same fate.

It merely took a second for the figure to find what he wanted despite the lack of light. He snatched the tube that contained a black feather sitting on one of the shelves and left the office.

“Is someone there?” The voice of one of the male guards echoed in the hallway, not too far from the thief.

Hiding from the man, the figure retreated into the room once more. The guard immediately hastened his pace and chased after him, before hearing the glass shattering in between the rainfall. When the man entered the office, the mysterious figure was nowhere to be seen. The only evidence they left behind was the broken shards of the window. Stretching out his neck, he could find nothing but darkness and rain. Seeing anything in the dark was already hard enough, let alone looking for a person.

Wherever the mysterious figure had gone, he had accomplished his objective.

---

As the storm passed by, the morning star showed itself. Students were flocking to the education building while lamenting at the ubiquitous water puddles. Afraid of wetting their expensive shoes, they deliberately avoided those by walking around them. They all did this except for one student.

“Kane, don’t step on the puddles! Otherwise, you’ll wet your feet,” warned Brian, who was walking side by side with the half-oni.

“They’re just some water after the rain. What’s to be afraid of?” said Kane as he trod on the puddles. In the past, he’d had to trudge through the marshy swamp, sprawled in the mud, and many more in his experiences of traversing other difficult terrains. Water puddles were nothing compared to what Kane had gone through.

Brian uttered a defeated sigh. “Fine. Just don’t forget to dry your shoes before entering the classroom.”

Then, a boy with a glistening silver hair spoke from behind. “Your attempt is futile, Brian. A stubborn savage such as him cannot be persuaded by words. I have learned that the hard way,” remarked Calypso.

“To my defense, you almost never give me reasonable explanations,” retorted Kane as he turned his head around.

“So, common courtesy isn’t reasonable enough for you?”

“No, but shouting angrily isn’t.”

“Can you two stop fighting every morning?” complained Brian.

Since the aftermath of the duel, Kane, Brian, and Calypso had been walking to the classroom together. They were in the same classroom and dorm after all. Notwithstanding, the relationship between Kane and Calypso had never improved.

“Heh, we don’t actually fight as if we’re enemies. Isn’t that right, Cal?”

“Do not address my name so casually.” Calypso turned his face away, pouting.

“How did I get stuck between these two geniuses…?” Brian uttered a sigh. “Anyway, where have you been last night, Kane?”

“I was visiting a friend’s house, but I had to spend a night there because of the heavy rain.”

“Oh? You have a friend outside of your small friend circle? That’s new,” mocked Calypso.

“Says the guy who ate his lunch alone yesterday,” Kane replied.

“Ugh…”

“So, who’s your friend? Is he from our class?” asked Brian.

“No, she’s an upperclassman. A few years ahead of us.”

“Wait a minute. Did you just say ‘she’?” asked Calypso.

“Well, because she's a girl. Why else?”

“You slept together with a girl!?”

“Hold on, Prince Calypso. Kane could be sleeping separately. In her brother’s room, maybe. Isn't that right?”

“Err… yeah, you’re right, Brian.” Kane scratched his temple. “How could I sleep together with a girl I have met for a short time in one room?”

“See? I told you. Kane isn't a kind of guy who plays with girls."

Calypso squinted his eyes, staring at Kane with full of suspicion.

Brian then spotted many students crowding the main building. Bringing out a new topic, he asked, “Hey, what’s happening there?”

“Such a trivial event,” said Calypso. “I bet Kane too does not care—”

“Let’s check it out.” Kane led ahead. Normally, he wouldn’t care about something like that, but he had a bad feeling for some reason. Brian followed Kane immediately while Calypso hesitated at first before joining them.

Although the crowd was blocking the passage to the main building, Kane and co immediately understood what was going on. The large ivory double door was destroyed, judging from the remaining wooden shards around the edges. Upon a closer look, some mages who were wearing the Niflenia’s blue robe were ‘guiding’ the students to not dawdle on the scene. They were blocking the entry into the building.

“Did someone break into the main building?” asked one of the bystander students.

“It appears so. Can’t imagine why a thief would do that. There’s nothing valuable since there’s mostly just papers,” replied another.

“Don’t tell me…!” Kane forced his way into the crowd, followed by Brian and Calypso. Brian apologized as he passed through while Calypso kept his hands tucked under his trousers pockets. Arriving at the front of the entrance, Kane stared at the white wood splinters.

“Perhaps the culprit cast rank 3 magic. I can sense a faint trace of mana lingering in the vicinity,” commented Calypso. Somehow he read Kane’s mind — or it was merely a coincidence.

“Me too.” agreed Brian.“So the thief was a mage? I wonder if he or she had a grudge against our academy. What do you think, Kane?”

“I…” Kane gritted his teeth, clenching his fist. “No matter the reason, that thief must’ve stolen that. Definitely.”

“That?” Both asked in unison.

Ignoring them, Kane then shouted at one of the mages guarding the entrance. “Hey, you! Do you know where the vice-headmaster is?”

The mage twitched. His thick brows curved downward and he cast a hostile gaze. He then shouted back, “Watch your mouth, brat! It’s an esteemed mage you’re talking to! Now, move along before I cast a spell on you.”

“Where. Is. Reynar!?” pressed Kane.

“This brat…” The mage began chanting a spell. However, he stopped when one of his colleagues tapped his shoulder and whispered,

“Let him in.”

Perplexed, the mage asked back, “Seriously!? Why?”

His friend leaned closer and said something inaudible to his ear. A few moments later, the mage’s face changed into a stiff smile. “Very well. You may enter through the backdoor on the west side. Sir Reynar is waiting for you.”

“Thanks.” Kane then turned around, looking at both Brian and Calypso. “You two should go first. I’ll probably be here for a while. Later!” He hurried off.

---

Kane accessed the building through the door that connected to the staff room. It was rather obscure, and there were no students there. He ran towards Reynar’s office, and upon arriving, he saw Reynar standing in front of the destroyed door. The vice-headmaster was staring at the shelf where the demonic feather used to be. His fingertips were rubbing the wooden surface of the shelf. It took some time before he turned his head around to look.

“Morning, Kane. You appear to be lively today,” greeted Reynar with a somber tone.

“Cut the bullcrap. Is the feather gone?” Kane’s eyes burned with fury as his blood rushed to his head.

“Yes. Regrettably.”

“I knew it!” Kane turned away and punched a nearby wall before facing Reynar again. His face contorted. He then took a deep breath and let it out with a long sigh. Unleashing his anger and blaming Reynar for being careless wouldn’t do anything good to anyone. And thus, he calmed himself before asking, “Why didn’t you store it somewhere safe? Isn’t there some kind of spell to prevent intruders?”

“Allow me to explain. Niflenia Academy indeed has a security measure — a gigantic barrier that envelops the entire complex. No matter how stealthy, any intruder or spellcasting can be detected. It is exclusively activated at night time to curb the mana stones consumption. Nevertheless, the thief managed to breach in despite the barrier being equivalent to a rank 5 spell.”

Kan was silent for a moment, absorbing the information. “When did this happen and what’s their intention?”

“The thief infiltrated the building after midnight. Based on the footprints and the fact that no other objects went missing, they had no intention other than stealing the feather.”

“They must have known beforehand. But, how?”

“To be frank, I have no concrete answer yet. No one should know since I have been keeping it secret… unless someone exposed it. I take it you did not do that, did you?”

“Of course, not! I get why you’re doubting me, but I’m not that dirty. Besides, I’ve been focusing my time studying magic,” argued Kane.

“Then, another possibility is a spy lurking on this academy’s grounds. They appear to have lived here long enough to memorize the complex. In addition, they know the truth regarding the demon’s feather.”

“So, the thief is a student or a teacher here?”

“That is my conclusion.”

“In other words, everyone here could be the culprit.” Kane clicked his tongue.

“Indeed. In that case, I have a proposal for you. Would you like to hear it?” asked Reynar.

Kane then leaned against the wall. “It better be good.”

“I shall gather information regarding the culprit. Until the perfect opportunity arrives, wait for my instruction, and do not act rashly.” Reynar walked to his desk and plopped onto his chair.

Kane nodded. “Fine by me. I just hope that the thief hasn’t gone away yet.”

“Do not be worried. I can easily examine today’s absent students.” He tapped the stack of papers.

Right after he said that, the bell tolled twice, indicating that class had begun.

“See you soon, Kane. I will find them as quickly as possible since this is my fault, to begin with.”

“Right. Goodbye.” Kane slouched toward the door. As his only clue to Xervatia had gone missing, questions kept popping into his mind. What if Reynar was unable to find the thief? Will there be other feathers left? What was the reason for the thief to steal it?

When Kane stepped outside of the hallway, he saw a ginger-haired woman standing beside the hallway entrance and crossing her arms. She was clad in a black mage robe that covered her entire body, decorated with eerie skull necklaces and rings as though she belonged to an evil cult. Her shut eyelids opened, revealing a pair of dark blue pupils that seemed glowing in the dim corridor. She gazed at him from her superior height and said with a hoarse voice, “It’s been a while, Kane Foxsnove.”

“You’re…” Kane trailed off. She looked familiar, yet he couldn’t quite put his finger around it.

“Teresa. Your observer back in the second exam entrance.”

“Ah, it’s you. The one who interrupted my fight against Calypso and made those stupid rules,” said Kane coldly.

She cleared her throat. “Let’s put that aside for now. I’m here to give you a warning.”

“What is it?” Kane hoped it was not related to his education as he had not been performing too well.

“Give up on finding that feather.”