They waited for a while longer. The room stayed quiet, still.
Until finally, the door behind them opened.
Footsteps echoed through the empty space. Calm, slow, almost lazy.
Rhian turned his head slightly.
A woman walked in.
She was beautiful. but not in the polished, strict way the Headmaster was.
She looked casual, too casual, like she had just rolled out of bed or didn't care much for appearances. She wore loose clothes, barefoot, her steps light on the cold floor.
But what stood out the most were her eyes.
Pure white.
No pupils. No color. Just empty, milky white eyes staring straight ahead.
She stopped, her blank gaze locking onto Rhian.
He felt it immediately, that uncomfortable tightness in his chest. Like being stared at by something that saw too much. Saw through you.
The woman tilted her head slightly, observing him.
Then, without filter, her voice came out flat and blunt.
"This is him?" she said, almost sounding unimpressed. "Doesn't look like much."
Rhian stiffened.
She looked at him for another second before adding casually, "Skinny. Worn-out core too… wait, no, no access at all?"
She squinted harder like staring at something dirty on a window.
"Pfft. Yeah, he's screwed."
Rhian twitched slightly.
The Headmaster sighed quietly like she expected this.
"Liane…" she warned.
"What?" Liane shrugged lazily. "I'm just saying what I see, and what he already knows."
Rhian could tell just by looking at her.
She was a Cursed.
Even if he didn't know much about them personally or deeply, everyone knew about Cursed people. They weren't like normal Divine Blood carriers, they were feared for something else entirely.
Just like how normal humans suffered discrimination nine hundred years ago… the Cursed were still dealing with it even now.
Cursed could turn into the very monsters they fought inside the portals.
Their bodies carried traces of the creatures' blood, and sometimes, that blood showed on the outside physical mutations, strange features, inhuman traits.
Liane was the proof standing in front of him.
Cursed were usually easy to spot. Horns, scales, fangs, claws, it varied from person to person. In Liane's case, maybe it was those haunting white eyes.t
As Rhian stared awkwardly, Liane spoke again, tone casual like she didn't care who was listening.
"What do you want from me, anyway? I was in the middle of watching the old shows from before everything went to hell."
The Headmaster sighed tiredly, like this wasn't the first time she'd heard it.
"Watching cartoons isn't important."
Liane instantly looked offended, actually frowning like a kid being told off.
"Cartoons? Cartoons? It's called anime…" she grumbled, crossing her arms like a child who'd just been wronged.
The Headmaster completely ignored her, shifting her gaze back to Rhian.
Rhian, for his part, felt like he was standing in a room with zoo animals fighting over nonsense. He blinked, struggling to keep up.
Another sigh left the Headmaster.
"I need you to help this boy awaken his core," she said plainly.
Liane raised a brow, looking at Rhian again like she was only now remembering he existed.
"Why is he here anyway?" she asked, tone sharp. "Didn't you make that stupid rule about only awakened students—"
She stopped herself.
The unfinished words hung in the air.
Her white eyes stayed on Rhian, narrowing slightly.
Whatever she was thinking... it wasn't friendly.
Liane suddenly smiled, wide, sharp, and without warning.
"I'll help you."
Rhian wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
Honestly, probably both.
.
.
(Commercial break)
.
.
Soon after, Rhian found himself standing at the edge of a forest, deep within the Academy grounds, but far enough away that he could no longer hear the noise of students or city life.
The Headmaster had left them there, but not before Rhian caught something in her eyes.
Pity.
That didn't exactly inspire confidence.
Now it was just him and Liane. She stood barefoot on the dirt, completely relaxed like the uneven ground didn't even register to her.
"Welcome to my house," she said casually, motioning to the forest behind her.
Rhian stared at the trees.
It was just a forest.
He looked back at her, eyebrows furrowing. "How… are we going to do this?" He genuinely had no clue.
Liane looked at him like she was genuinely surprised to hear his voice. She grinned.
"Oh, you can talk," she chuckled. "Was starting to think you were mute."
Then her grin grew a little more dangerous.
"But... I'm not gonna do anything."
Rhian blinked. "…What?"
"If I had to give you any advice," she added, casually rolling her neck, "I'd say you should run."
She tilted her head, that cursed white gaze practically glowing now.
"That is… if you wanna live."
Rhian's body tensed immediately.
'Run?'
'Run from what?'
That's when the forest behind her began to move.
Rhian looked at her.
And his blood ran cold.
Liane's body… was changing.
There wasn't any grand display of power or flashing lights. It was slow, natural, like a tree quietly growing out of the earth.
Her bare feet were already sinking slightly into the dirt, spreading dark green moss around her.
It climbed up her legs like it belonged there. Her skin shifted in parts, blending with deep green patterns, like bark and vines curling around muscle.
But it wasn't ugly.
Her face… still looked strangely beautiful.
But her back, her back was wrong. Hollowed, twisting unnaturally, opening like part of her body was missing, or worse, inviting something in.
Rhian stumbled back instinctively, his foot catching on a rock. He fell hard onto the dirt, breath catching in his throat.
He couldn't look away.
The thing in front of him, Liane, was taller now, thinner in a stretched, unnatural way. Vines and moss hung from her shoulders like loose hair. The quiet creak of shifting wood echoed from her every subtle movement.
She stared down at him with those empty white eyes.
Then she grinned.
"I said run, dumbass," her voice came out playful, sharp like a teasing threat.
"At least make it fun before I catch you."