<h4>Chapter 238: Freya Targeted by Assassins</h4>


    By the time Eleanor and Arrichion entered the lobby, the receptionist had long since gone. A guard in a ck uniform, seated by the door, immediately stood and saluted when he saw them.


    "Instructor, I was tasked to apany Cadet 659 to her dormitory... and to deliver this package." He held up a small box.


    "Very well. Give her the package and return to your duties. I will apany Cadet Eleanor myself," Arrichion said.


    The guard handed the box to Eleanor and departed without another word. She ced it on a nearby chair and lifted the lid. Inside were a few neatly packed snacks and a folded note. She picked it up and read silently:


    ’Ma’am, we are returning to the dorm. It’s almost curfew. I hope this food will be enough for the night. -Ophelia’


    A faint warmth stirred in Eleanor’s chest. Ophelia had been worried about her missing meals. She tucked the box into her robe and silently promised herself to thank her properlyter.


    Arrichion said nothing about the package, merely waiting with patient stillness until she was ready to leave.


    When they stepped out of thebat department building, the sky over the academy was plunged into moonless darkness. Streemps lined the walkways, casting pale light across the stone paths. Even without them, Eleanor’s sharp werewolf senses could easily pick out the dormitory building in the distance.


    As they walked, Arrichion asked abruptly, "Which optional courses do you intend to take?"


    "Fundamentals of Psionics and Wilderness Survival," she replied.


    His brow arched slightly. "An interesting choice. Psionics is expected, given your abilities. But why Wilderness Survival?"


    "I didn’t find the other subjects valuable for me," Eleanor answered steadily. "And since I’ll be venturing into adverse conditions in Vanaheim, I thought that course might prove useful if... unexpected things happen."


    "Good thinking. I believe that course will serve you well," Arrichion said as they walked along the silent night road. "I expect you toplete your enrolment by tomorrow morning. From then on, you will finish all your sses before noon each day. After that, you will report to me at the school for the next fifteen days. If any sses conflict with this schedule, tell the professors to adjust ordingly. If it’s a mandatory ss, inform me directly."


    He paused, then continued in a firmer tone, "In the afternoons, you will join the mandatory outdoor sports. I suggest basketball. And I am not suggesting it as a break from training... it is part of your training. On that court, you will be applying everything you learn in MMA. Defensive shuffling and pivoting will sharpen the footwork you need to cut angles and control distance in the arena. Stop-and-go sprints forge the same anaerobic endurance required to survive a hard round. Leaping for rebounds builds explosive leg power for takedowns and kicks. And fighting for position under the is no different than wrestling in the clinch. So understand... this is not y. Every game will build your stamina, your explosiveness, and your fight intelligence. Remember this... within the next fifteen days, you must graduate from the school."


    Eleanor frowned. "Isn’t the term supposed tost two months?"


    "For others, yes," Arrichion replied evenly. "But not for you. In fifteen days, you will be summoned to the Bloodline Institute to awaken your second bloodline. You already know you carry the dormant Thunderbolt bloodline, right? All cadets with dormant bloodlines, no matter how faint their resonance... will have them artificially awakened by the academy. Once you awaken your second bloodline, your physical instincts will shift. That may hinder your progress. I want you toplete MMA training while you are still without elemental interference. That will give you the strongest foundation."


    He paused, then added, "You also have to master that new ability. It will take time as you’ve never used it before. So, I expect you to put in the effort and graduate from thebat department within fifteen days."


    "I’ll try my best. Thank you, Instructor. But... I do have a doubt." Eleanor hesitated before voicing it. "I was told that our personal information is safe in the academy, hidden from others. Then... how did you know about my bloodline?"


    Arrichion gave a small smile. "You are correct. Personal records remain sealed in the academy system. But the academy grants professors and instructors limited ess to the basic information of cadets under their care... enough to guide your training properly. I can view only your core details and your recorded achievements. No more. And don’t worry... only your direct teachers have that privilege. We have all sworn an oath never to exploit or disclose that knowledge."


    Relief washed over her at his words. By then, they had reached the dormitory entrance. Eleanor thanked the instructor politely before turning toward her room.


    The moment she stepped inside her room, exhaustion pressed down on her like a physical weight. Even so, she forced herself to change clothes and stumble into the shower.


    The shower did the trick. She felt clean after the long day and slightly more refreshed. Then she carried the snacks to the table, sat down, and began eating. Her hunger was almost ravenous—she finished all the snacks Ophelia had given her, along with some from her personal stash.


    Afterwards, she opened theptop for Nora to check the academy servers, as usual. Nora had already discovered several servers and breached many connections, but so far she hadn’t found any lead that could establish contact with the outside world.


    Afterwards, she copsed onto her bed, her body finally surrendering to fatigue.


    As her eyes fluttered shut, one ache pierced through the haze of weariness. She missed her daughter. The long day of battle and training had kept her too upied even to think of Freya. Now, alone in the quiet, her little girl’s smiling face surfaced before her, warm and bright. Then another image intruded... Ethan’s cold, unyielding expression. Both lingered in her mind as her consciousness slipped into darkness.


    ***


    Thousands of miles away, Freya slept soundly in the back seat of Ethan’s car. Life had felt like a grand adventure ever since her mother left for the academy. Her father had been taking her to ygrounds where she could mingle with other children. The games were simple... even too childish for her level, but she enjoyed them. Her mother rarely allowed her to y outside, and now she was free to run,ugh, and discover silly things.


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    That afternoon, after school, Ethan had brought her to the park. Afterwards, they had gone to see a newly released Disney film. By the time they were on the road home, Freya was too tired to stay awake. She curled up on the seat, drifting into dreams.


    The car was parked on a deserted branch road, far from traffic. Outside, Ethan stood motionless, his cold expression chilling the already frigid night.


    "How many?" His voice carried a faint edge of fury.


    "Five. All vampires," Sebastian replied. He was d in his usual ck uniform and mask, faceless in the dim light. To any stranger, he would have been unrecognisable.


    "Any survivors?" Ethan asked.


    "None. They were prepared. We tried to capture one alive, but they took poison pills before we could restrain them."


    "Understood. Report it to themand centre. Increase vignce around Freya," Ethan ordered, re-entering the car without another word.


    Sebastian remained still until the car door shut. Then, like smoke consumed by the night, he dissolved into the shadows.


    Ethan gently adjusted Freya’s sleeping posture before settling beside her. The car eased back onto the road.


    He had expected that once Eleanor left for the academy, others might turn their eyes toward Freya... but not this soon.


    Earlier that day, while she yed in the park, he had felt it... the weight of a gaze from afar, a strong supernatural presence watching. Two shadow guards were always hidden nearby, and his own bodyguards lingered within reach. Yet Ethan had known that if the opponent was truly powerful, they would not be enough.


    To be certain the threat was aimed at them, he had taken Freya to the cinema. The watchers followed, though they kept their distance and did not enter the theatre. That was confirmation enough. While the film yed, Ethan had contacted Sebastian and the shadow guards stationed at the vi. Together, they arranged the trap.


    This deserted branch road was chosen precisely for that reason... offices closed, traffic thin, witnesses absent. It was the perfect ground for an ambush, where hunters could be the hunted. The n had seeded, but notpletely... every enemy was dead, and with none taken alive, the hand behind them remained hidden.


    At least one thing was certain... the attack hade from the supernaturalmunity.


    Ethan sighed, his cold expression softening as his gaze lingered on his daughter’s innocent face. Freya slept peacefully, unaware of the danger that stalked her.


    "Without Eleanor here, they’ve grown bolder," he thought grimly, sighing again. A heavy urge pressed upon him... the need to grow stronger, and quickly.