The auditorium was bathed in the warm glow of enchanted lights, their glow amplified by the grand crystalline chandeliers that hung from the arched ceilings. The polished marble floors reflected the radiant golden hues, and students of Ebonvale Academy filled the wide rows of seats, their hushed whispers echoing like a soft hum across the cavernous hall. The faint morning sun streamed in through the stained-glass windows, casting fractured rainbows of light across the room. All attention was drawn to the center stage, where Rynn Yogini, ever the flamboyant orchestrator of chaos, stood with the grandeur of a king addressing his court.

  Rynn leaned against the intricately carved podium, his sapphire eyes shimmering with mischief and theatrical bravado. He tapped his fingers rhythmically, a sly grin spreading across his face as he surveyed the sea of expectant students. His tall frame was bathed in the golden light streaming through the stained glass, giving him an almost divine presence.

  Rynn straightened suddenly, snapping his fingers. The sound reverberated dramatically in the silence. He placed a hand over his heart and began, his voice ringing out like a bard weaving an epic tale. “Ladies, gentlemen, and those yet to choose their place in the grand chaos of life—lend me your ears! Today, we stand in the presence of greatness,” he gestured grandly, spinning to face the princess who stood at the edge of the stage, “a being whose grace is rivaled only by her courage. I present to you the second princess of Fleecehaven, Princess Lyris Starhaven!” His tone crescendoed with reverence, and his voice was almost reverberant as he raised his hands as if summoning applause from the heavens themselves.

  The students clapped hesitantly at first, a mixture of awe and confusion rippling through the hall. Princess Lyris, ever composed, stepped forward into the spotlight. Her dragon-themed technomancer battle suit had been replaced with an elegant gown—a deep indigo piece adorned with celestial embroidery that caught the light like shifting constellations. Her silver wool, streaked with lilac, shimmered, and the opalescent scales on her cheeks were subtle yet striking. Her lavender eyes, flecked with gold, swept calmly across the crowd.

  Rynn raised a hand, silencing the applause instantly. He turned to the students, his smirk growing wider. “She is royalty, dear scholars! She is grace! She is wisdom!” He paused for dramatic effect. “And you will treat her as such—or so help me, I will personally see to it that your next week is filled with nothing but cleaning Gryphon stables!” His voice boomed, and the room burst into laughter, though no one could quite tell if he was joking.

  “Now,” Rynn continued, pacing dramatically across the stage, “as much as we bask in the radiance of our dear Princess, there is another matter that requires your attention. One of heartbreak, redemption, and… transformation.” He stopped abruptly in the center, resting his hands on the podium as he leaned forward, his gaze piercing. “Today, I must inform you all that Pari, formerly known as Cora Leafstrider, has been disinherited by her family. She is no longer considered noble.”

  Gasps rippled through the audience, whispers breaking out among the students. Rynn raised a hand to quiet them, his voice softening, almost mournful. “But where one door closes, another opens. And so it is with great pride and perhaps a touch of chaos that I announce…” He grinned, throwing a pointed look toward Mira Dusktail, who stood at the edge of the stage. “Pari will now be officially adopted by the Dusktail family!”

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  Mira’s fox-like ears shot up in surprise. “Wait, what?” she exclaimed, her voice breaking the otherwise spellbound silence of the auditorium.

  “Congratulations, Mira!” Rynn continued, ignoring her protest entirely. “You are now the proud sister of a shifter overlord! May your family dinners be filled with growling and mana flares.”

  Before Mira could argue further, the atmosphere changed. A faint hum, low and guttural, began to fill the room. The stained glass above shimmered as the morning sun grew impossibly bright, casting long, sharp beams of light through the hall. A split second later, the ceiling cracked violently, dust and debris raining down as if the heavens themselves had split open.

  Time seemed to slow.

  Rynn stood motionless beneath the collapsing roof, his coat billowing faintly as beams of light illuminated his unbothered expression. Laser beams, sharp and almost blinding, rained down in rapid succession, targeting the very spot where Rynn stood. The ceiling splintered further, revealing glimpses of something impossible—a vessel. It hovered above them, futuristic yet ancient, its metallic hull gleaming like a relic of a lost era. The faint hum that had preceded the collapse grew louder, resonating deep within the chests of everyone present.

  The students screamed, scrambling to their feet, chaos erupting across the room. But Rynn didn’t move. He let the first beam strike him directly, the crackling energy dissipating harmlessly against his coat as he brushed off the dust from his shoulder with an exaggerated flair.

  From the massive rupture in the roof, a figure leapt down, landing with a predatory grace that sent shockwaves through the marble floor. He was furless, his skin pale and gleaming under the beams of light. His hair was split into two colors—black on one side, pink on the other—and his sharp suit looked impeccably tailored, as if he hadn’t just jumped from a dreadnaught.

  He stood, twin plasma guns in hand, both aimed directly at Rynn. “Rynn King,” he said, his voice smooth but laced with danger. “You’ve got a capture order. Dead or alive.”

  Before Rynn could respond, another figure stepped forward, materializing out of thin air beside the first. This one was furred, her silver fox ears twitching slightly as her wand, etched with glowing runes, was pointed toward Teris Val’Quen. The fox-eared stranger smirked. “Go ahead, try something,” she taunted, her wand crackling with energy. “I dare you.”

  Teris was already moving, casting protection barriers around Princess Lyris and the nearby students. His slate-gray fur bristled as his golden eyes darted between the two intruders. “What in the stars—?” he muttered, his voice tight with concentration.

  Meanwhile, Pari, who had been sitting quietly moments before, began to transform. Her fur shimmered with golden light, her body elongating and warping until she stood as a Wolfkin, radiating raw mana. Her golden quills bristled like needles, vibrating with anticipation as her aura flared with terrifying intensity. With a low growl, she launched herself toward the fox-eared intruder, her claws slicing through the air.

  The pale, furless man smirked, his guns remaining locked on Rynn. “I should introduce myself,” he said casually, even as the auditorium descended into chaos. “I’m Sang, proud owner of the Dreadnaught. And, per the order of Empress Xyra, you’re coming with me.”

  Rynn tilted his head, his sapphire eyes narrowing. And then, with a laugh that seemed to echo across the room, he replied, “You’re gonna regret saying that.”