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  The wind started getting genuinely annoying after about ten minutes.

  Not because of the cold or anything like that.

  But because my hair kept trying to invade my own eye.

  "Let me ask you something… I feel like I should’ve asked this earlier, but… does the capital have any issues with my kind?"

  Jane didn’t answer immediately. She was focused on the road. After a few seconds, she tilted her head slightly.

  "No, it’s fine. Our kingdom is fairly open to newcomers, regardless of race. As long as they can think and behave within the rules."

  "Really? That’s a relief."

  "But I wouldn’t go around announcing it to everyone. Even if the kingdom is open, some people are… you know."

  "I get it."

  The road was absurdly well-maintained. Straight. Wide. With faintly glowing markings running along the dark surface. The kind of road that makes you trust speed a little too much.

  The scenery began to change as we climbed higher. The greenery thinned out. Structures started appearing in the distance.

  First smaller towers.

  Then elevated railways.

  Then buildings.

  Valoria’s capital didn’t reveal itself all at once.

  Unlike Serenáutica, which spread across the water, the capital seemed built in layers. Interconnected platforms. Metal walkways. Suspended roads crossing over one another.

  Trees were placed almost strategically. Green even on top of certain buildings, like hanging gardens.

  Vehicles passed us on parallel lanes several meters above.

  Jane finally slowed down as we entered the urban district. The motorcycle’s engine echoed between metal frameworks and dark glass.

  "You really have a lot of… things."

  "I warned you."

  Looking at that place felt like staring at organized chaos. Beautiful. Busy. Functional. People walked casually along the sidewalks, completely used to it.

  Humans.

  Elves.

  Dwarves.

  All mixed together, each with their own style.

  Unlike Cirgo, which felt simpler—almost old—Valoria was modern even in fashion. I saw people in suits running with briefcases, teenagers holding strange devices while laughing together.

  "Are those phones?"

  Jane glanced toward the sidewalk, where a group of teens were holding the devices.

  "Yes. We call them M.T. — Mobile Telephones. The first model was created ten years ago."

  "Are they expensive?"

  "Very. The oldest model still costs around… five hundred gold coins, I think."

  "Five hund—?!"

  'Yeah… not worth it.'

  "We’ll get off here. The laboratories are in Tsukuyomi. The only way up is by train."

  I followed her gaze.

  In the distance, atop a massive hill that nearly touched the clouds, several structures rose like an entire campus isolated from the rest of the city.

  That had to be Tsukuyomi Academy.

  Jane steered the motorcycle into a side lane. As soon as we dismounted, the vehicle began retracting on its own, folding back into a compact sphere.

  We headed for the station.

  ━━━━━━━━━?◆?━━━━━━━━━

  The station was quieter than I expected.

  Not empty.

  Just organized.

  Suspended platforms. Elevated rails crossing above the street. Luminous panels displaying schedules that updated on their own. Some people waited seated on metallic benches, others stood distracted by their M.T.s.

  Jane stood beside me with her arms crossed, watching the board.

  I was watching everything.

  "You look around a lot, don’t you?"

  "It’s my first time here. It’s very different from Cirgo."

  "That’s fine. Keep doing that. It’s good… to stay curious."

  We stood in silence for a few seconds. The wind was weaker here, blocked by the station’s structure.

  Then she spoke.

  "You know metamorphs have a complicated reputation, right?"

  I looked away from the tracks and at Jane.

  "I can imagine."

  She nodded slightly.

  "The race is… turbulent. And acceptance even more so. No offense."

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  "None taken. I’m still learning about my own kind, and I’ve come to a similar conclusion."

  She wasn’t judging. She sounded like she was explaining statistics.

  "It comes from your innate skill, [Adaptation]. It’s extremely unique."

  I remained silent.

  She continued.

  "Some adapt to easy prey. Non-ascendants. Ordinary people. They hide along roads, pretend to be weak, ask for help… a ride."

  A brief pause.

  "And they kill. Even if the person refuses to help, they’ll follow until they get the chance."

  The distant sound of another train echoed through the structure.

  "Others prefer something more… psychological."

  "Psychological? Can you give an example?"

  "They choose a fixed target. Start small. Strange sensations. Sounds. Quick apparitions. Nearly imperceptible changes in the environment. They make the person doubt their own sanity."

  She kept her eyes forward as she spoke.

  "Until the mind gives in. When the person takes their own life… they devour."

  I didn’t say anything.

  Not because I had nothing to say.

  But because I understood exactly what she meant.

  "That’s why there’s fear," she finished. "Because everything depends on adaptation. And adaptation isn’t as simple as changing form. Experiences, environment, phenomena… all of it can shape a metamorph."

  She finally looked at me.

  "The moment a metamorph adapts to humanity itself… they can no longer be classified as just a monster. Someone around you might be one — and you would never know."

  The train still hadn’t arrived.

  The platform remained calm.

  "Some work," she continued. "Earn money. Buy food. Stop being active predators. Even if their bodies still could be."

  "So they’re the same as humans, aren’t they?"

  She considered that, her expression softening.

  "Yes. In a very extreme way… but you’re not wrong."

  I looked at the people around us.

  Humans.

  Elves.

  Dwarves.

  None of them looked afraid.

  Maybe fear existed. But it wasn’t absolute.

  Maybe a more peaceful world is what they want.

  The train was arriving.

  A long, metallic structure gliding forward with barely any sound, aligning perfectly with the platform.

  Jane uncrossed her arms.

  "This is ours. Let’s go."

  And we boarded the train.

  ━━━━━━━━━?◆?━━━━━━━━━

  The train climbed the hill as if it wasn’t truly touching the rails.

  The view of the capital shrank as we ascended, until only the campus remained.

  Tsukuyomi Academy wasn’t excessive.

  It was clean. Bright. Surrounded by nature in its courtyards.

  We stepped onto the upper platform. The wind up there was stronger. Colder. Less city noise, more organized silence.

  At the top of the academy stood a massive Moon symbol, backed by a golden circle like the Sun.

  We followed a pale stone path toward the central courtyard.

  And that’s when I heard it.

  "Manual breathing!"

  Several people choked at once.

  I blinked.

  At the center of the courtyard, Merlin stood surrounded by students, most younger than her. Some wore dark academy uniforms, others white ones.

  They began breathing completely out of rhythm.

  One pinched his nose. Another inhaled exaggeratedly. A girl was clearly starting to panic.

  "See? My spell worked."

  I just stood there watching.

  “That’s not magic.”

  She snapped her fingers.

  "Wrong! It’s a spell that doesn’t need mana. It’s called psychology."

  The entire group exhaled at once.

  Some started laughing. Others complained.

  "That’s not real!"

  "Of course it is!" she shot back. "Psychological magic."

  Then she saw me.

  "Victor!"

  She rushed straight at me and hugged me tightly.

  It happened so fast it took me a second to react.

  'Oh.'

  I lifted my arms awkwardly and hugged her back.

  "You’re late!" she said against my shoulder.

  "Yeah, I ended up in another city. At least it was near the sea. What about you?"

  "I landed in Dunmire. It’s a very gray city to the east."

  She pulled back slightly, still holding my arms, studying me as if checking for damage.

  "You’re okay, right?"

  "I’m fine. Everything worked out."

  Jane observed silently, expression neutral, clearly assessing the atmosphere.

  She stepped closer.

  "I see you’ve reunited with a friend. Quite an unusual combination. A spirit, correct?"

  Merlin smiled faintly.

  "I’m a Class (A) spirit. My name is Merlin."

  Jane placed a hand on her hip.

  "Jane Ignaris. Human, Class (A). Well… almost (A+)."

  "Ignaris… so you are—"

  "Merlin! I got what you wanted." A male voice echoed from behind us.

  I turned.

  He stood a few steps away, with the calm of someone who never rushed.

  The first thing that stood out was his hair. Intense red, almost too vivid under the courtyard light. The strands fell slightly over his forehead, naturally disheveled, like the wind had claimed him first.

  His eyes matched.

  Red as well, but deeper. Calm. Observant. Almost bored.

  His dark skin contrasted with the fitted black shirt he wore, simple, unadorned. The sleeves reached his wrists, buttons closed neatly near the collar.

  The white coat he had worn earlier was now tied around his waist, sleeves knotted at the front as if he’d removed it purely for comfort. The pale fabric contrasted sharply against the dark clothing and the simple brown belt lining his waist.

  "I found Viola’s old registration file," he continued, raising a small device between his fingers. "The address from when she studied here."

  Merlin nearly jumped.

  "You’re amazing! Burst, my boy!"

  "I know."

  Then he looked up.

  And saw Jane.

  His posture didn’t change. But his eyes did.

  Immediate focus.

  "Burst."

  "Jane."

  Silence settled over us. Merlin and I watched the tension between them.

  I leaned toward her and whispered.

  "What’s going on?"

  "Ignaris is the name of the founder of Tsukuyomi and Valoria. I don’t know the details… but I met Burst in Dunmire. From what he told me, something is happening. And he’s not on good terms with his family."

  Without another word, Jane walked ahead. Burst passed by us shortly after.

  He sat down on one of the benches, and Merlin walked over.

  "Thank you, Burst. You helped a lot."

  "No problem." He looked at me. "You must be Victor, right? Merlin talked about you a lot in the past few hours."

  I smiled slightly and extended my hand.

  "And you must be Jane’s brother."

  He shook my hand, surprised.

  "Huh? How do you know? Did she mention me?"

  'No… but you two look exactly alike…'

  "Just intuition. She brought me here from Serenáutica, but we didn’t talk much during the trip."

  He laughed, scratching the back of his head.

  "That must’ve been awkward. She’s like that. Probably didn’t talk because she was driving."

  He suddenly seemed to remember something.

  "Oh, right. Burst Ignaris. Human, Class (A)."

  "Victor. Metamorph, Class (A)."

  Merlin crossed her arms, looking at the three of us with her usual steady calm.

  "So… now that we’ve reached the capital, should we head straight to Viola’s house? It’s been a few hours since we separated."

  I glanced toward the academy entrance.

  "I’d like to wait for Jane to come back," I said neutrally. "I want to learn more about Valoria’s technology. Since that’s how we met… I want to see how deep it goes."

  'I still need to investigate the technology Orion used in Cirgo. The supplier might be in Valoria.'

  I needed to be careful.

  Merlin turned to Burst.

  "Is it okay for you to wait?"

  She didn’t want to force him to stay near Jane. Even if she was his sister.

  He slid his hands into his pockets, relaxed posture.

  "It’s fine."

  He shrugged.

  "I promised I’d walk you home, didn’t I?"

  "You did."

  "Then I’ll keep that promise. Just because I’m arguing with someone doesn’t mean I’ll leave a promise unfinished."

  I watched the way he said it.

  No discomfort. Just sincerity.

  He didn’t look like someone avoiding his sister out of pride or resentment. It was more like he’d simply made a decision.

  And that was that.

  Merlin reached up and ruffled his hair.

  A faint smile touched the corner of her lips.

  "You’re very mature for your age."

  He sighed.

  "I’m sixteen."

  'Sixteen?!'

  I looked at him again.

  Tall. Much taller than me. Firm posture. Broad shoulders.

  He looked older than that.

  I couldn’t help but smile at the scene in front of me.

  'Merlin really has a talent for making friends quickly.'

  She didn’t even seem like the sociable type. Ever since she gained a human form, she could still be a little socially awkward.

  But somehow, people stayed. Orbiting around her.

  And Burst… he didn’t treat anyone differently. Not me. Not Merlin. He just treated us like people.

  It was comfortable being around him.

  "Ah, Victor. If you want to learn something from my sister, I recommend being honest with her."

  "Hm?"

  "She enjoys teaching. She probably won’t refuse if you’re sincere." He looked up at the sky. "She’s older than me and deeply involved in all those technological bureaucracies. I won’t be much help there."

  "I understand. Thanks for the advice."

  Merlin sat beside Burst, and we talked about random things while we waited.

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