The Academy was asleep.
The torches along the outer walls flickered in protest to the wind, and the moon hung low—bloated and pale, like it, too, was watching. Inside the central dorm commons, the floor creaked under Reika's boots as he waited by the stone fireplace.
The clock read 2:06 AM.
Footsteps approached. First came Kairo, hair an utter mess, dragging his feet like a ghost with a caffeine addiction.
"You'd better be dying," he grumbled. "Or you better be dead. That way, I can go back to sleep."
Reika didn't smile. "It's Farl."
That shut Kairo up.
Vivi stumbled in next, arms crossed, blanket still wrapped around her shoulders like a miserable cape. Her hair was a bird's nest, her eyes half-lidded.
"I hate every atom in this room," she muttered, collapsing into a chair. "Why am I awake. Why are you awake. What in hell's name couldn't wait until dawn—"
"Farl's missing," Reika said.
Vivi blinked, sat up straighter. "…That'll do it."
Mira entered last, casual, composed, her black workout top clinging to her skin with a sheen of sweat. A book tucked under one arm, shorts just above the knee.
"I was reading," she said calmly. "You're lucky I was awake."
Reika opened his mouth to speak—but faltered for a half-second. His eyes flicked down. Then right back up. Focus.
He cleared his throat. "Thanks for coming."
Kairo dropped into a crouch by the fire, rubbing his temples. "Okay. So who died, or got possessed, or joined a cult this time?"
"I went to Farl's house an hour ago," Reika said. "The front door was open. Inside, there was… damage. The room was torn apart. Blue blood on the floor. And claw marks—deep ones. I smelled something. Something familiar."
Vivi raised a brow. "How familiar?"
Reika's voice dropped. "Demon Wolf."
Silence.
Then Kairo blinked. "…You know what? I'm suddenly very awake."
They arrived at Farl's house under cloak of fog and moonlight. The silence now felt heavy—more like pressure than air. Kairo walked ahead and knelt by the front step, one hand on the claw marks embedded in the wood.
He sniffed.
"Yep," he muttered. "That's Demon Wolf, alright. Ripped right through the foundation. Wouldn't be surprised if the thing grinned while doing it."
Inside the shattered room, Mira clung to Reika's arm, her fingers cold with worry. She glanced around the broken glass and scattered pages.
"Do you think she's okay?" Mira whispered, glancing at the blood, then—subtly—at Vivi.
Reika's eyes met hers. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "We'll find her."
Vivi was already watching. Her gaze flicked to their joined hands.
Then, without a word, she pulled out a small… carrot from her oversized hoodie pocket.
Kairo squinted. "I—What the hell is that for?"
Vivi just grinned, placed the carrot on the floor like an offering.
There was a pop of air, like a small magical bubble bursting—and suddenly, a glowing white rabbit sat where the carrot had been. Its long ears perked. Its eyes shimmered with runes.
Kairo stared. "I'm hallucinating, right?"
Vivi stood proudly. "Meet Bloodbunny. He can track anything, anywhere, as long as I give him a scent to follow."
She pulled out a scrap of Farl's scarf, pressed it to the bunny's nose, and pointed toward the broken window.
Bloodbunny sniffed. Twitched. Then bolted toward the woods behind the Academy, tail flashing red as it bounced out of sight.
Reika stared, half in awe. "That… was actually amazing."
Vivi beamed. "Right? He's got a 94% success rate."
"Where'd the other 6% go?"
"He's afraid of ducks," she muttered. "It's complicated."
Reika smiled despite himself. "Great job, Vi."
He let go of Mira's hand and stepped forward, holding out his fist.
Vivi matched it with a grin—and together, they did their old, chaotic handshake. A snap, a spin, a fake slap, and a double fist bump.
Kairo blinked. "Are you two twelve?"
Vivi stuck out her tongue.
Mira watched the handshake—then looked down at her hand, now empty.
She said nothing.
But her fingers curled tighter.
And her heart sank just a little.
---
The Bloodbunny led the way, hopping through dew-soaked grass and over tangled roots, ears alert and glowing faintly red. They passed the Academy's outer border in silence—save for one.
Kairo hadn't stopped talking since they left.
"I'm just saying, maybe next time the magical bunny sniffs its way toward civilization instead of death-caves," he rambled. "Or a bakery. Or a nap. I'd take a nap."
Vivi yawned behind him. "You are a nap."
"Thank you."
"That wasn't a compliment."
They crossed into the thick of the trees. Even the moon seemed to hesitate behind the clouds. The air turned colder, denser. The Bloodbunny paused near a jagged rock wall, staring into a gaping cave mouth—an old thing, overgrown with vines and silence.
It trembled.
"…Ducks?" Reika asked, cautiously.
Vivi smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "No. Whatever took Farl… it's in there."
She bent down, stroked the Bloodbunny gently, and slipped it a carrot. The bunny gave one last anxious squeak—and vanished in a shimmer of runelight.
Mira stepped forward, summoning her magic with a whisper. Her orb floated above her palm, flickering like a tiny moon. With a twist of her fingers, it glowed brighter, casting long shadows into the cave.
They stepped inside.
The air grew damp. The walls narrowed. Somewhere in the black, a growl echoed.
Low.
Rumbling.
Too close.
Too… big.
"Okay, yeah, no thanks," Kairo muttered, halting. "If that thing's as big as it sounds, Farl's probably halfway digested. I don't do 'digesting.'"
He spun to leave—but Vivi caught him by the hair.
"Stay."
"Ow—okay! Okay, psycho!"
The growl turned into a roar.
The beast leapt from the dark like a hammer made of bone and rage.
It tried to cut through all four of them in a single, fluid motion—muscles flaring, claws glinting. They dodged, barely. Mira threw her orb high, casting light from above.
And in the glow, she saw it.
"The clothes," she gasped, eyes wide. "Those are… Farl's."
Kairo ducked under a swipe. "You're kidding, right? You realize how dumb that sounds—"
Then he paused.
Sniffed the air.
Froze.
"…No way."
Reika turned sharply. "What?"
"She's right. The scent—that's Farl."
The beast landed again, clawing at the cave floor. Its breath was ragged. It stared at them—not with hunger. But confusion. Pain.
Kairo slowly stepped forward, hand outstretched.
"Farl…?"
The creature inched toward his hand, wary.
Then—
A soft, pitiful whimper.
A glint of glass stuck in its neck.
It staggered, stumbled.
Blood poured from the wound—thick and blue.
Kairo's voice tightened. "Back up. All of you."
The others did.
He climbed the beast carefully, his boots slick on blood-soaked fur. Gritting his teeth, he gripped the shard of glass and pulled.
The beast roared once more—but it wasn't anger.
It was agony.
Then silence.
A light shimmered around the monster. Its body twisted, shifted—shrinking. The fur receded. The claws melted to fingers. The snout shortened. And where the beast once stood…
Farl.
Naked, bloodied, slumped on the cave floor.
Alive.
Conscious.
Her breathing labored. But her eyes… were hers.
Reika stepped forward slowly. "Farl… what the hell happened?"
Farl coughed. Wiped her mouth. Her voice was hoarse.
"I—I don't know," she rasped. "A few months ago, I got bitten during that mission. I didn't think it was serious. But lately… I've been feeling off. Like something inside was… shifting."
She met their eyes, guilt plain on her face.
"I think it was the Demon Wolf. I think it did something to me."
Mira clicked her tongue, gaze dark. "Demon Wolves can infect humans. It's rare, but when it happens… the transformation takes seven months."
She looked at Reika, then down at Farl, who shivered under the glowing orb.
"She changed," Mira whispered. "And she didn't even know it."
Reika sat beside Farl and draped his coat over her shoulders.
Mira didn't speak for a moment.
Then she stepped closer.
She raised her arm and rested her hand softly on Reika's shoulder. Her head followed, gently leaning against him.
"She's gonna be okay," Mira said softly.
Reika exhaled.
And for the first time since the blood trail began…
He believed it.