The Infirmary
The next morning, the academy was in an uproar. Students whispered everywhere, teachers hurried through the corridors with grave expressions, and even Lukas and Basti had replaced their usual "heh-heh-heh" with uneasy silence.
Marion was summoned during class by a messenger. "The headmaster requests you. Immediately. In the infirmary."
His heart pounded heavily as he followed the boy. The smell of herbs and old blood hit him as they pushed open the double doors.
Rico lay there. Pale. Bandaged. His chest wrapped, his breathing shallow. Beside the bed stood the headmaster and two teachers, their faces closed and stern.
"Marion," the headmaster said, hands folded, "come closer."
Hesitantly, Marion stepped forward. Rico lifted his head as best he could, his gaze immediately searching for Marion's. "Man…" His voice was weak, feverish. "You won't believe what I saw."
"He needs rest," one of the teachers murmured.
But Rico shook his head, grimacing in pain. "No… they need to know. All of them."
The headmaster nodded curtly. "We have already taken down his first statement. Since you, Marion, were acquainted with the student Xin, we would like your assessment. Do you see any truth in his words?"
Marion felt the blood rush to his head. Xin?
One of the teachers unrolled a parchment. "He said: 'I was outside at night with Xin. We were looking at the stars, she was drawing animals in them… and then she came. A woman. A vampire.'"
Rico nodded weakly. "She was… powerful. Cold. Like the night itself had arrived. And Xin…" His voice trembled. "Xin transformed. No longer human. Copper skin. Green hair. A… a goblin."
A sharp intake of breath passed through the room. One of the teachers muttered, "Impossible. She was among us… for a year."
"She was strong," Rico whispered. "She fought the vampire. Black lightning, shadows… things I can't even describe." He turned faintly toward Marion. "Brother… I know you were friends with her. But she's not human. You must have known."
Marion's throat went dry. "I…"
The headmaster raised a hand. "Later. First, we must hear what truly happened that night."
The teacher resumed reading.
Stars and Shadows
The night had been clear, the sky sparkling with a thousand lights. Rico lay in the grass, hands folded behind his head. Xin lay beside him, close enough that he could hear the rhythm of her breathing. The courtyard was far away; out here, it was quiet.
"Do you see that?" Xin suddenly asked, pointing at the sky. "There. That's a wolf."
Rico followed her finger and squinted. "That looks more like… two smudges."
Xin shook her head, blue hair shimmering in the moonlight. "No. A wolf. With a long tail. And up there—" she pointed again, "—a rabbit."
Rico chuckled softly. "You see animals everywhere."
"Of course," Xin said seriously, then grinned. "Animals are everywhere. Always."
Rico smiled and turned his head toward her. She kept staring at the sky, her mouth slightly open—and a thin string of drool ran down her chin.
"Uh… Xin?"
"Hmm?"
"You're drooling."
She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, unfazed. "Happens when I think about rabbits."
Rico almost choked on laughter. "You're really not normal."
"I'm happy," she said—and there was something childlike in her voice that made him fall silent.
Then the air changed.
A shadow fell over the clearing, though the moon shone clearly. Rico sat upright. "What was that?"
A woman stepped from the darkness. Tall. Red hair. Golden eyes burning in the night. Her movements were fluid like a cat's—and yet she radiated the danger of a predator.
"Who… are you?" Rico's voice trembled.
Xin stood, eyes narrowing, all playfulness gone. "Why are you here?" Her voice sounded deeper now, harder.
The woman smiled. "To remove a problem."
Everything happened quickly.
Xin let out a cry, vanished into shadow—and reappeared behind the stranger, a dagger of pure darkness in her hand. But the woman deflected the attack effortlessly, spun, and seized Xin by the throat.
"Too slow."
Xin gasped, struggling—and in that moment her body began to change. The illusion shattered as if skin were peeling away: the blue-haired girl gave way to a goblin form barely one and a half meters tall. Copper skin gleamed in the moonlight, green hair fell across her face, and her eyes shone emerald with fury.
A bolt of black lightning shot from her hand, powerful enough to make even the vampire grunt and loosen her grip. Xin fell, rolled, and hurled more darkness at her foe.
But the woman only laughed, dodged the shadows, and seized Xin again—slamming her into the ground with such force that dust exploded upward.
"No!" Rico shouted, forming a sword of ice in his hands. With a cry he charged, striking at the woman.
She barely turned, parried lazily—and the ice blade shattered like glass.
"Foolish child." With a flick of her hand she shattered the ice shield he tried to form at the last second. Shards rained down, cutting into his skin.
Rico stumbled back, blood running down his arms.
The vampire no longer even looked at him. Her gaze was fixed on Xin, who was already half disappearing into shadow again.
"Run," Xin whispered, her form half consumed by darkness. "Run!"
The woman hissed, turning away from Rico and giving chase. For a moment he saw only a flash of hair and shadow—then both vanished into the night.
Rico was left alone, gasping, bleeding, trembling in fear and pain.
"What… what the hell… was that?" he whispered before darkness swallowed him.
The Interrogation
The teachers led Marion into a small side room. A lamp flickered. Parchments lay on the table, including Rico's written statement.
"Sit," one of them ordered.
Marion obeyed, his heart hammering.
"What can you tell us?" the teacher demanded.
Marion swallowed. "I… I don't know. I didn't see any of it."
"But you were close to Xin." The teacher stepped nearer. "She spoke with you during breaks. Many students saw you spending time with her. Are you telling us you never noticed anything?"
Images flashed before him: Xin talking innocently about wild boar fat. Xin presenting a bloodied rabbit pelt. Xin asking whether it was his wish to rent a room. Xin as Nix. Xin as a goblin.
"No," he said quietly. "I never noticed she was anything else. To me, she was… a classmate."
The teachers exchanged glances. The headmaster sighed heavily. "If Rico speaks the truth, we are not dealing with an ordinary goblin. But with a Named one. Category A. A being capable of wiping out experienced mercenary companies."
"And worse," the second teacher muttered, "she could be a servant of a demon king. That such a creature lived among us unnoticed…"
Marion felt cold. Category A. Servant of a demon king. He saw Xin smiling at him under the stars. And now everyone thought she was a monster.
"And the vampire?" Marion asked before he could stop himself.
The headmaster's gaze sharpened. "That concerns us as well. An unknown vampire powerful enough to fight a Named monster. No one knows what she wanted here. No one knows whether she will return."
Silence pressed heavily into the room.
"We need your honesty, Marion," the headmaster said at last. "Did you see anything? Hear anything? Anything that might help us understand how Xin remained undetected for so long?"
Marion shook his head. "No."
It was the truth—and yet it felt like a lie. Because he knew Xin was special. He just didn't understand why. And no one knew that the simple syllable "Nix" had bound her—that everything she did ultimately traced back to him.
The headmaster set the parchment aside and slowly stroked his beard. For a moment, only the crackle of the lamp could be heard.
Then he looked at Marion seriously. "Tell me, Marion—are you familiar with the concept of name magic?"
Marion frowned. "Name… what?"
The two teachers exchanged uneasy glances. The headmaster nodded slightly, as if he had expected the answer.
"A name is more than a word," he said gravely. "It is a bond—will and power fused into one. When a powerful being grants a name, it awakens strength slumbering within the named. It is both gift and chain."
Marion felt his breathing grow heavier. A chain…
"Few can bestow names," the headmaster continued. "Demon kings. Ancient dragons. Certain bearers of divine grace. And… the reborn." His eyes narrowed. "But such an act usually demands great sacrifice. That is why it is rare."
"And what… does that mean for Xin?" Marion whispered.
"If she was truly named," the headmaster replied, "it explains her power. A goblin becomes a Category A goblina—a monster capable of annihilating veteran mercenary groups. The named are stronger, faster, more dangerous than anything they were before."
The teachers nodded grimly. "And whoever gave her that name must be immensely powerful."
"Powerful enough," the headmaster added, "that we must ask ourselves: Was it a dragon? Or even a demon king? What goal would such a being pursue by placing a creature like her among us?"
Marion sat frozen, gripping the chair arms. A dragon? A demon king?
"And the worst part," the headmaster said quietly, "is that we do not know. We do not know why she was here. Why she disguised herself as human. Why she grew close—specifically—to you."
Marion opened his mouth, but no words came.
"You were her friend," one teacher said sharply. "Everyone saw it. If you know anything—now is the time."
Marion shook his head, sweat trickling down his temple. "I… I don't know anything. Truly."
Silence settled over the room.
At last the headmaster sighed. "Then we can only remain vigilant."