They sent monsters to test her. They didn't know she had already become something far worse.
The courtyard didn't recover. The air was thick, heavy, alive. Magic didn't flow anymore. It pressed.
Aira Valen stood at the center, chest rising and falling, her body still trembling from devouring Kaelis's forbidden rune. Veins burned. Muscles ached. Her Devour was awake, alert, hungry.
"…You're not here to duel," she said quietly.
The hooded figure stepped forward. Calm, measured, like someone observing an experiment.
"Smart," they said. "Duel implies fairness. This is evaluation."
Aira smiled, sharp and dangerous. "Then you should've brought something stronger."
The air shattered.
Magic erupted behind her. Not one, not two—multiple gates splitting the courtyard open like wounds. From each came creatures, unstable constructs barely contained.
A wolf with molten veins and fractured bones, a serpent of frost and shadow glitching between forms, a hulking stitched beast breathing raw arcane fire.
Aira's breath slowed. Recognition, not fear.
"…You're feeding me."
The figure said nothing. The creatures moved.
The wolf lunged first. Too fast, too violent.
Aira stepped forward. The claw struck her shoulder.
It stalled.
Her Devour latched onto it instantly. Energy surged. Hot. Violent. Explosive.
At the same time, the serpent struck from behind, wrapping her arm, freezing, crushing, injecting magic directly into her veins.
Aira gasped, then smiled. "…More."
Something inside her snapped. Before, she could absorb one attack at a time. Now, two. Her Devour split. One stream from the wolf, another from the serpent.
Her body screamed. Power poured in from all directions, almost too much. But she held it, forced it, controlled it.
"Take it… all," she whispered.
Energy flooded her. Vision flickered, then sharpened. Her senses expanded. Magic wasn't just near her—it was everywhere. "…So this is the next level."
Students could no longer hide. Whispers turned to gasps.
"She's absorbing two at once!"
"That's impossible!"
"Her body should collapse!"
Some stepped back. Others looked away, unable to watch. This wasn't a fight anymore. It was transformation.
Ren Kael watched from above. His eyes darkened. His hand lifted slightly, magic gathering, instincts screaming to intervene. But he didn't move. He knew if he stepped in now, she would hate it—and worse, she might stop growing.
"…Don't die," he muttered. His voice low, dangerous. "Because if you do, I'll kill everything responsible."
The stitched beast charged next. Massive, unstable, overflowing with fire, lightning, decay. Aira turned toward it while still draining the other two. "…Let's push it further." She didn't release them. She added a third stream.
The beast's fist crashed into her. Her Devour absorbed it. Three sources, three streams, three types of magic. Her body broke. Bones cracked. Muscles tore. Veins burned. Instantly, they healed. Stronger. Faster. Better. She evolved in real time. Not human. Something else—built to survive this.
The wolf collapsed first, drained. The serpent twitched. The magic hadn't vanished. It stayed, attached, responsive. She moved her fingers—the serpent moved with her. The crowd gasped.
"She's not just devouring. She's controlling it!"
Aira's lips parted. "…I can keep it?" Not everything, not fully, but enough. Enough to use.
From the edge of the courtyard, the shadowed figure observed. Still. Silent. "…Adaptation confirmed," they murmured, eyes narrowing. "Then let's increase the pressure."
The ground cracked open again. Silence. Even the remaining creatures froze. Then it emerged: a dragon-shaped construct, stable, controlled, perfect. Its wings spread, blotting out the moonlight. Eyes locked on Aira. Unlike the others, it didn't attack immediately. It waited.
Aira released the serpent. Let it dissolve—not because she had to, but because she chose to. "…You're different."
The dragon roared, then struck. Faster than anything before. She met it head-on. No hesitation. No fear.
The moment they collided, everything exploded. Magic, force, light, shadow. She grabbed its jaw mid-strike and devoured. Not piece by piece, all at once.
The dragon resisted. Harder than anything before. Its magic pushed, tore, burned.
Aira screamed, but didn't let go. "…Mine!" Her Devour expanded, filling the courtyard for a moment. Then silence. The dragon shattered. Gone. Consumed.
Aira stood alone. Breathing hard, aura glowing faintly. Predatory. Alive. Students weren't whispering anymore. They were afraid.
From the shadows, slow, measured applause. The figure stepped forward. "Impressive."
Aira looked up. Smiling. "Your turn?"
"…Not yet," they said. "You're not strong enough."
Aira laughed, low and dangerous. "Then why are you here?"
"To see if you're worth breaking."
Her Devour flared. Not hunger. Challenge. "Try me."
They straightened. "…Soon." And disappeared. Gone, like they had never been.
Ren Kael finally moved, landing silently behind her.
"You're getting involved in something bigger than this academy," he said.
Aira didn't turn. "I know." Her lips curved. "…And I like it."
Her eyes glimmered with something dangerous. The academy wasn't the battlefield. It was only the beginning.
The monsters were just a test. The one watching? That's the real enemy. And I'll devour them too.