"You’re far too biased toward that kid," the scar-faced teacher, Maverick, said with a frown. "He showed up, disappeared the very next day, and we’re supposed to ignore the scene he caused last night?"
"He prevented a disaster, Maverick," Christopher replied calmly. "Every one of us was powerless against those things, and you know it. They carried a presence unlike anything we’ve ever faced. Do you really expect me to question Kyle over that?"
"I’m not saying accuse him," Maverick shot back. "But he has to know why they came. Those two creatures ignored everyone else and cornered only him. They were obviously after Kyle."
Christopher stopped midway up the corridor and turned to face him.
"Listen, Maverick. I’ll only say this once. Treat Kyle as a guest rather than a student. The weight he carries is beyond what you realize. As for why that matters, it isn’t my place to explain."
Maverick pressed his lips together, swallowing whatever protest had been on the tip of his tongue.
Taking his silence as the end of the discussion, Christopher resumed climbing the stairs toward the watchtower.
The elevator doors slid open, and he stepped inside with a weary sigh.
Getting pestered right after breakfast ranked as the second most irritating part of his day.
Still, he couldn’t truly blame either side.
Never before had a student been allowed to enter the academy halfway through the year, then leave whenever they pleased. It went against every rule the institution stood for.
But Kyle was hardly an ordinary student.
The matters demanding his attention were far greater than classrooms, lectures, or sparring matches.
"Haah..."
Shaking his head, Christopher stepped into the room, only to stop in his tracks.
"Hmm?" His brows knitted together. "Who is that?"
A chair scraped lightly across the floor.
Christopher’s body tensed on instinct as the blond boy turned to face him.
For the briefest instant, the face seemed unfamiliar.
Then recognition struck.
"Headmaster," the young man greeted with a courteous smile. "Forgive me for entering your office without permission."
"Ethan," Christopher said as he walked forward. "You’re earlier than expected."
He had already been informed that Ethan had been chosen as this year’s mentor, a decision Christopher had quietly approved of. The boy possessed remarkable leadership qualities and a presence that naturally drew others behind him.
Yet today, standing before him, Ethan stirred an unfamiliar sense of unease.
It wasn’t merely because he had arrived ahead of schedule, nor because he had made himself comfortable in the headmaster’s office.
Something about him had changed.
Christopher studied him in silence before taking his seat.
"Sit," he said, gesturing toward the chair Ethan had just vacated.
Ethan gave a small nod and settled back into it.
"I see the academy is running as well as ever," he remarked. "Aside from last night’s ambush."
Christopher’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"You’ve already heard?" he asked, surprise slipping into his voice.
"You know how students are," Ethan said with a faint smile. "News spreads faster than wildfire. I only caught the basics. The new student was involved, wasn’t he?" His smile deepened ever so slightly. "Does Kyle attract trouble wherever he goes?"
Christopher shook his head.
"He simply happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Anyway, tell me..."
"He isn’t here, is he?" Ethan interrupted, his gaze casually sweeping across the room. "I was looking forward to mentoring him. Though I suppose he was in a hurry to be somewhere else."
A faint crease formed between Christopher’s brows.
Beneath the desk, his hand silently slid toward a concealed switch.
"You’re unusually interested in him," Christopher said evenly. "Why is that, Ethan?"
The blond youth shrugged.
"Just an old score to settle." A trace of amusement flickered across his face. "But he’s become quite the slippery fish. Every time I think I’ve caught him, he slips away."
He gave a helpless shake of his head.
"Still, you know where he is, don’t you... Headmaster?"
Then Ethan’s gaze shifted.
The warmth vanished from his eyes.
Life drained from them in an instant.
The color around Christopher began to fade.
The room dulled into shades of gray, as though the world itself had been stripped of life.
Shlink.
Acting on instinct, Christopher slammed the hidden switch.
A poisoned dart shot from the wall.
Ethan raised a hand without even looking.
His fingers caught the dart a mere inch from his temple.
"Hmm? A neutralizer?" He examined it with mild curiosity, casually twirling it between his fingers as though the venom coating its tip did not exist. "Rather fitting for an old man."
Christopher slowly rose from his chair.
"Who are you?"
A chill crawled down his spine.
He couldn’t use Genesis.
Not even a trace of it answered his call.
Had he been able to, he would have already forced the entity sitting before him to reveal its true identity. Instead, all he could do was watch... and wait.
"You know me, old man," Ethan said with a smirk. "I’m Ethan... just a better version."
A quiet laugh escaped him.
"I’ve learned a few new tricks recently. Naturally, none of them came from you."
He flicked the poisoned dart aside and rose from his chair.
"Sit."
The single word carried an invisible force.
An overwhelming weight crashed onto Christopher’s shoulders, pinning him back into his seat before he could resist.
Ethan strolled past him with unhurried steps, his back completely exposed, as though the thought of Christopher attacking him had never even crossed his mind.
"Tell me, Headmaster..." he said, gazing out the window. "If I killed you, would he care enough to come back?"
Christopher let out a low growl.
"So that’s what this is? Petty revenge?" His voice hardened. "I expected more from you, Ethan."
Ethan scoffed.
"What more is there?" he asked without turning around. "Everyone has ambitions. Yours are no less twisted than mine."
Christopher’s pupils contracted.
Ethan chuckled softly.
"Surprised?" he asked. "I can skim the surface of your mind without you ever noticing."
His smile faded into something colder.
"Unfortunately, the information about my prey is buried much deeper."
The pressure holding Christopher vanished.
He reacted instantly.
Without wasting a heartbeat, he vaulted over the desk and sprinted toward the office door.
Genesis was completely sealed.
Whatever Ethan had done, it had cut him off from his greatest weapon.
Escape was his only chance.
However...
"Gah!"
A crushing force wrapped around his ankle.
Christopher was yanked off balance and slammed face-first onto the floor.
Pain exploded across his body.
He twisted around and his expression froze.
A thick tentacle, as wide as a grown man’s arm, had coiled tightly around his leg.
Its surface was lined with fleshy ridges that pulsed like living muscle, while strands of viscous slime dripped from its glistening flesh onto the polished floor.
Christopher’s gaze followed the writhing appendage to its source.
His breathing caught.
"You..."
His eyes widened in disbelief.
More than five thick tentacles protruded from Ethan’s back, shifting and twisting with a life of their own.
"You’re not even human anymore."
Ethan merely shrugged.
"And do I look upset about that?" he asked with a faint smile. "Tell me, what did being human ever get me?"
Christopher was dragged across the floor until he stopped beside the desk.
Ethan crouched before him, his expression almost nostalgic.
"After obtaining these powers, the first person I killed was my mother." His voice remained disturbingly calm. "I left her corpse to rot in my own piss."
Not a flicker of remorse crossed his face.
"I shattered my limits and became a Special Grade. The woman I love finally looks at me with respect. Even my seniors acknowledge me now."
His smile widened.
"My life has never been better."
Christopher let out a scornful laugh.
"And at what cost?" he asked. "Do you honestly believe the thing you’ve embraced will simply let you walk away once it’s done using you?"
Ethan shrugged again.
"Who cares?"
His eyes gleamed with obsessive delight.
"Once I carve Astortia Kyle into pieces, fuck his girlfriend, and steal a kiss from the woman I love..."
He spread his hands with a satisfied grin.
"I’ll have everything I ever wanted."
"And after that?"
"I’ll gladly hand myself over."
Christopher’s jaw tightened.
"You’ll pay for this..."
"Ghk!"
A tentacle shot forward.
It forced its way into his mouth, driving deep into his throat.
Christopher’s eyes bulged as his voice died in a violent choke.
"Yeah, yeah," Ethan muttered dismissively.
He rose to his feet and casually settled into the headmaster’s chair.
A slow smirk spread across his face.
At last.
He had found the information he had been searching for.
"So you’ve made yourself a few new friends..."
He rested his chin against his hand.
"But I wonder..."
"How long can they keep you safe?"
While Kyle rested inside that extravagant dome, believing himself beyond reach...
The people he cared about remained outside.
Exposed.
Vulnerable.
Ethan’s smile deepened into something chilling.
"Enjoy these few peaceful days, Kyle."
"I’m coming for you."
°°°°°°°
A/N:- His death would be "double" satisfying.