Evander didn't blink.
He simply waited.
Then he inhaled slowly, grounding the tension in the room before speaking again.
"Do you know who William Dawncrest is?"
Elion swallowed hard and nodded, already sensing where this was going.
Evander's lips tightened.
"No. Better question, do you know who the Dawncrest family is?"
Elion nodded again, weakly this time. He had heard the name, even before coming to the academy.
Everyone had.
Evander sat back.
And then he explained.
"The Dawncrests are one of the top noble families in the kingdom."
His voice was matter-of-fact, stripped of any drama.
"They control mining rights in three major provinces. They own two private mage battalions. They have alliances spanning three noble houses, a seat on the National Council… and enough political weight to move entire academies if they feel like it."
Liora stopped chewing her lollipop.
Cedric's expression stayed unreadable.
Celeste exhaled through her nose, clearly displeased by the topic.
Evander continued.
"They have money.Manpower.Influence.Connections.A private mage corps.And four S-rank mages in their bloodline."
He fixed Elion with a gaze so sharp it felt like a blade.
"And who are you?"
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Elion expected himself to shrug it off. He'd been called worse.
He'd lived at the bottom of the barrel his entire childhood.
And yet—
The words hit him harder than he thought they would.
His jaw clenched. His fingers tightened beneath the table.
Evander didn't soften his tone.
"You are a nobody. A peasant boy from Resden. No noble house. No backing. No power."
Then, for the first time—
His voice gentled.
Just slightly.
"But you can be somebody."
Elion looked up sharply.
Evander's black eyes pinned him in place.
"I am giving you an opportunity," Evander said. "A very rare one. And I'm giving it because I have a feeling…"
His gaze drifted over Elion's altered height, his sharper features, the aura he tried so hard not to exude. "...that your talent is not as 'trash' as the academy graded it."
Celeste hummed softly, agreeing.
Cedric's brow twitched.
Liora grinned knowingly.
Evander went on.
"Or perhaps," he said casually, "you did something to raise it. I won't ask."
Elion felt his stomach tighten.
"But I will ask you this, Elion Nova."
Evander leaned forward again, elbows on the table.
"Do you wish to become somebody?"
He didn't give Elion time to answer.
"Because the look on William Dawncrest's face…"Evander's grin returned, dangerous this time."...tells me he won't just let this go."
Elion exhaled sharply.
Cold dread. Hot defiance. Confusion. And Possibility.
Everything churned inside him.
They were right.
William wouldn't drop this.
Not now. Not ever. He never did. The bastard was a self-entitled son of a bitch
Evander's final question came like a dagger thrown straight at his chest:
"So choose, Elion Nova. Live as prey…or live long enough to stop being prey at all?"
Elion went still.
Utterly still.
Not from awe this time, but from the weight of thinking.
A deep, churning storm rolled quietly behind his eyes.
Evander didn't push him. Cedric didn't scoff. Celeste didn't sigh in impatience. Liora even stopped kicking her feet under the table.
They simply watched.
And waited.
What do I really want?
The thought struck him harder than expected.
Strength? Yes. Obviously. But why?
Why had he wanted strength in the first place?
To survive William's threat to his own life? To stop being pushed around?To stop being humiliated?
He'd already passed that point. One fight had proven that William was no longer an immediate threat.
But William wasn't alone.
He had an entire house behind him.
A noble family.
A political machine.
A force far bigger than anything Elion had ever imagined himself facing.
So then...
What's the next step?
To thwart William's family? To surpass a noble house with one of the strongest bloodlines in the kingdom?
That was insane.
A mountain no sane person would climb.
And yet…
Elion felt something ignite in his chest.
A spark. Heat. Justification.
But I have the system.
The thought echoed like a secret promise.
No. A guarantee.
He had something no one else had. Something that let him defy the academy's expectations.
Something that changed his body, his mana, his future, piece by piece.
If William Dawncrest would not let this go…
Then Elion would not let them crush him.
He refused.
He felt the decision slot into place inside him like a key turning in a lock.
His breathing steadied. His shoulders relaxed. His eyes sharpened.
He knew what he wanted now.
And what he needed to do.
Slowly, deliberately, Elion looked up.
Evander met his gaze without blinking.
Cedric's dark elven eyes narrowed in silent interest.
Celeste straightened slightly.
Liora leaned forward as if waiting for a surprise.
They had waited for him. Without rushing. Without pressuring.
And that alone… was unexpected.
Evander cracked the ghost of a smile, as if sensing the precise moment Elion solidified his resolve.
"You've decided something," he said calmly.
Elion nodded once. Then exhaled.
"I have."
Evander tilted his head.
"Good," he said simply. Then his eyes sharpened. "But before you accept, or decline, anything… You should hear the terms."
Elion's brows drew together.
Evander's expression returned to its stone-hard seriousness.
The room seemed to lean closer.
"The Disciplinary Committee is not just here to scold troublemakers," Evander said quietly.
"It exists for one purpose, and one purpose only."
Cedric folded his arms.
Celeste's gaze turned cold.
Liora grinned like she already knew what was coming.
Evander continued:
"To protect the academy from threats… both inside and outside."
He tapped one finger on the table.
"Students. Noble families. Shadow groups. Rogue mages. Corruption." His eyes locked onto Elion's. "We deal with all of it."
A beat of silence.
Then:
"If you join us, Elion Nova… you don't just gain protection."
His voice dropped to a near-whisper.
"You gain purpose. You gain backing. You gain strength. And you gain the means to make sure no noble family, not even the Dawncrests, can ever threaten you again."
Elion's heartbeat thudded in his chest.
Evander leaned forward.
"So," he said softly.
"Are you ready to hear the terms?"