It was well past curfew.
Moonlight hung like pale silk over the Academy's eastern garden. The manicured hedges shimmered faintly with ward runes, designed to repel low-class spirits and curious beasts.
But tonight… something stronger crept through.
Kaleid wasn't patrolling.
He was walking. Thinking. Processing.
Ever since the demon hunt, his Origin bar had crossed 1.0%, and the system had grown… quieter. Almost as if watching.
His footsteps were nearly soundless.
Until he heard the scream.
Short. Stifled. Desperate.
And then—nothing.
---
System Trigger
[EMERGENCY EVENT DETECTED]
> Target: Unregistered Underworld Assassin
Threat Class: B
Situation: Noble-blooded vampire in critical danger
Intervention Suggested: Immediate
Bonus Reward Available for Empathic Action
> Side Alert: Rogue activity in Academy wards—unreported.
---
Kaleid was already running.
Through the moon-gates. Past the aqueduct. Into the old stone grove.
There—beneath a gnarled tree—he saw them.
A girl, cornered.
Her silver hair clung to her face, streaked with blood. Eyes like twin garnets glowed faintly in terror. Her right leg was wounded—deep slash.
Fangs bared, she hissed—more out of fear than threat.
And standing over her, a cloaked figure—long blade gleaming with anti-life runes, ready to finish the kill.
---
Kaleid Didn't Shout. He Moved.
He didn't question the system.
Didn't ask who she was.
He simply picked up a stone.
Infused it—not with mana, but pattern.
Threw.
The stone shimmered mid-air, shifted course unnaturally, and struck the assassin's dominant hand.
The blade clattered.
The figure spun—
—and Kaleid was already there, crashing into him with cold precision.
They rolled, the attacker slashing with his off-hand. Kaleid ducked, palm flaring with a glyphless flash. A burst of sensory disruption struck point-blank.
The figure twitched.
Snarled.
Vanished in black mist—retreating.
---
Silence returned.
The girl groaned, trying to stand.
Kaleid approached slowly.
"I'm not here to hurt you."
She blinked. Her fangs retracted slightly.
"…You're not with them?"
He shook his head.
She stared at him—really stared.
Then whispered:
"You're the White Shadow."
---
Nerissa Vaelthorne – Daughter of Bloodline Eclipse
She introduced herself carefully, voice still tight with pain.
A noble vampire. Young by immortal standards—just past a century.
But old enough to know the difference between kindness and danger.
---
They found an old bench near the edge of the grove. Kaleid wrapped her wound with his sleeve, quiet and efficient.
"I don't need saving," she said after a long pause.
He nodded. "Good. I wasn't trying to save you."
She blinked. "Then why?"
He looked at the trees, the moonlight, the faint blood trailing down her calf.
"Because you were alone. And I wasn't."
That silenced her.
Completely.
---
System Notification
[Empathy-Based Sync Trigger]
> Action: Intervened to save a stranger without prompt
Trait Affected: Origin Echo Sensitivity
+1.5% Sync
Current Sync Progress: 9.5%
Emotion Echo Registered: "Protective Instinct (Unbound)"
---
She winced as the bleeding stopped.
"…Thank you," she whispered.
Kaleid stood. "Get back to your quarters. Carefully."
She stared at him like he was a puzzle she wasn't allowed to solve.
"I will. But…"
Pause.
"…I'd like to repay you."
"That's not necessary."
"I know," she said. "That's why it matters."
Then, softer:
"I'll remember you."
She vanished into mist, leaving only moonlight behind.
---
Later – Dorm Window, Alone
Kaleid leaned against the stone, staring at the stars.
His hand still smelled faintly of her blood.
The system pulsed.
---
[Origin Influence: 1.0% → 1.3%
Bond Thread Initiated: Nerissa Vaelthorne – Status: Unknown, latent link forming…]
---
And somewhere, far beneath the Academy...
A second assassin readjusted their orders.
> "Do not approach the White Shadow again."
> "He is not prey."
> "He is interference."