The main hall hummed with chatter as Natalia and I rejoined the gala separately. She moved to her social circle, though I caught the lingering flush on her cheeks and the slight adjustment of her dress.

"I saw what you did to Julian," a voice said beside me. "Poetic justice."

I turned to find Leo Jett, glass raised in a subtle salute. I nodded acknowledgment but kept moving. The twins watched from across the room, their identical faces framing identical expressions of interest. I'd become the most fascinating toy in the playroom.

But I had bigger prey in mind.

Celeste Vance.

She stood alone, a silver-haired vision in white and pale blue. Unlike the hungry socialites devouring the room with their eyes, she observed with detachment, like a scientist studying specimens through glass.

Perfect. A strategist without a problem to solve is just itching for something to analyze. I'll be that something.

I felt Natalia's eyes following me from across the room. A flash of possessive tension crossed her face before she smoothed it away. Good. She was learning.

I approached Celeste casually, but before I could close the distance, a figure materialized between us.

The blonde bodyguard.

She wore a suit, the jacket failing spectacularly to conceal a figure that could have graced magazine covers. But it was her eyes that caught my attention - amber, almost gold, and utterly devoid of emotion. She didn't speak. She didn't need to. Her entire being was a wall between me and my objective.

I offered my most disarming smile. "Excuse me. I was hoping to have a word—"

"Lady Celeste is not taking visitors at this time."

"I'm not a visitor. I'm a future classmate. Satori Nakano."

"I don't care who you are. The answer is no."

I analyzed her as we spoke. The stance - perfectly balanced, weight distributed for immediate action. The subtle bulge beneath her jacket that suggested concealed weapons.

"Noah, it's quite alright. Let him through."

Noah didn't even turn her head. "My lady, it's unwise. He's..."

"He's the young man who publicly dismantled Julian Valerius. I'm curious." A pause, then: "Please, Nakano-san, you had something you wished to discuss?"

Noah shifted sideways, but her eyes never left my face. They promised violence if I took a single step wrong.

So, she saw the whole thing with Julian. Good. That saves me the trouble of establishing my credentials.

I approached Celeste with a slight, respectful bow. Up close, her beauty was almost otherworldly - silver-white hair, periwinkle blue eyes.

"Vance-san. I was intrigued by your toast earlier. The one you didn't make."

A flicker of surprise crossed her face. "I'm afraid I don't follow."

"Your toast was about the strength of legacy. Mine was about the strength of the individual." I watched her reaction carefully. "But the real truth is that neither is enough on its own. The future will be won by those who can successfully merge the two. A new foundation built from the best of the old stones. I suspect you already know that."

Her polite social mask slipped for a moment, replaced by genuine interest.

"An interesting theory, Nakano-san. Though in practice, power rarely distributes itself so evenly." Her voice had a melodic quality, the carefully cultivated accent of old money and private tutors.

"Power doesn't distribute itself at all. It's claimed and held." I gestured subtly toward the gathering. "Every person in this room is either a weapon or a wielder. The trick is knowing which one you are."

"And which are you?" Celeste asked, her head tilting slightly.

I smiled. "Both. The best always are."

"A dangerous combination."

"Only for those who stand in opposition." I let my gaze drift momentarily to Noah. "The wise ruler needs a loyal shield, someone who can be the unyielding frontline when diplomacy fails."

The blonde's eyes narrowed fractionally. I was speaking to Celeste, but testing Noah, acknowledging her purpose in a way that few probably bothered to do.

"You speak as though you've given leadership considerable thought," Celeste noted.

"I believe in preparation. The difference between ambition and achievement is rarely ability - it's foresight."

"The Academy promises to be interesting this year," Celeste said finally, a careful non-committal response that revealed nothing while acknowledging the conversation's value.

Time to leave her wanting more. Exit while I had the advantage.

"It was a pleasure, Vance-san. I look forward to continuing our... strategic discussions at the Academy." I gave Noah a respectful nod. "Gray-san."

I turned, feeling both their gazes on my back. One analytical, one murderous. Two steps. Three. The seed was planted.

Then the air changed.

It wasn't a sound or a movement that alerted me. It was the absence of both. The perfect stillness that precedes a lethal strike. Every instinct from my past life screamed a warning: APEX PREDATOR. DO NOT MOVE.

"It's a rare thing to see someone hold my sister's attention so completely. You must be quite the conversationalist."

The voice was silk over steel, quiet enough that only I could hear it, yet carrying the absolute authority of a death sentence. She had appeared behind me without a single footstep, without disturbing the air.

I froze, feeling my heart rate spike. The temperature seemed to drop several degrees.

Slowly, I turned around.

Seraphina Vance stood before me, a vision in pristine white. Her hair was the same silver-white as her sister's but longer, flowing like a frozen waterfall down her back. Her eyes were the same crystalline blue, but where Celeste's held intelligence and curiosity, Seraphina's contained the calm focus of a serpent studying its prey.

"Nakano... Satori Nakano, isn't it?" Her lips curved into a smile that never reached those terrible eyes.

"Madam President," I managed. "It's an honor."

"The honor is mine. I so rarely get to meet the son of the man who created the prototype."

Prototype? What the fuck is she talking about?

"Your father's work was brilliant, you know." Her voice was conversational, as though discussing the weather. "Unfinished, but brilliant. You have his eyes."

The Liar's Brooch remained cool against my chest. She wasn't lying.

"Thank you, though I'm afraid I never knew him well enough to understand his work."

"A shame." Seraphina studied me with those terrible eyes. "I've been watching your progress with great interest, Nakano-san. Late manifestation cases are so rare, especially ones with your... unique energy signature."

She knows. She fucking knows something. Panic threatened to rise, but I forced it down. Stay calm. She's fishing.

"I'm still learning to control it," I said carefully. "The VHC has been very supportive."

"We try." Her smile widened a fraction. "Success stories like yours are good for morale. The idea that anyone could suddenly manifest an Aspect, even after years as a Zero... it gives people hope."

She stepped closer, and it took every ounce of my willpower not to step back.

"Hope is such a powerful tool, don't you think? It makes people believe in possibilities." Her voice dropped to a near-whisper. "Even impossible ones."

My heart pounded against my ribs. The room around us continued its social dance, oblivious to the predator in their midst.

"I look forward to your performance at the Academy," Seraphina said, her tone shifting to something lighter, more public. "Our brightest minds are always watching for new talent."

"I'll do my best not to disappoint," I said.

"I'm certain you won't." She moved past me, a ghost in white. "After all, you're your father's son."

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