Elder Erin's smile deepened as she stepped forward into the light, and from beneath the layered folds of her robe, something moved.

A serpent slithered out slowly.

Its scales were a shifting pinkish-red, almost iridescent in the shade, and its body coiled lazily around her wrist like a ribbon of liquid muscle. It flicked its tongue once toward Aston before curling again, half-hiding behind her sleeve.

"Don't mind her," Elder Erin said lightly, tracing one finger down the serpent's spine. "She's only curious. And quite protective when it comes to me."

Aston didn't flinch, but was internally shocked about what flashed in his eyes—the spirit beast's stats. Gray let out a low breath through his nose. Mirage, from her perch above, shifted slightly—her body flickering against the canopy's edge.

"You didn't ask to meet me," Elder Erin continued, eyes unreadable. "And truth be told, I hadn't planned to meet you this soon either."

"Then why now?" Aston asked.

"Because the silence around you is thinning." She gestured faintly to the air. "Whispers are spreading. Rumors. Bureau requests. The illusion is breaking… and I prefer to meet talent before they become a crowd's spectacle."

She took a step forward. Her gaze, though steady, felt like it sifted through him.

"I noticed you long before this week. During your trials at Shale City."

Aston's brows lifted faintly. "Shale?"

Elder Erin gave a slow nod. "You were resourceful. You didn't overpower others—you created openings for them. Even in the knowledge trial, you started the wave that let other examinees benefit."

"I didn't think anyone noticed that," Aston admitted quietly.

"We had an omnidirectional invisible crystal by the tree. We noticed everything," the elder replied simply.

She turned her palm over, letting the snake slip down to wrap loosely around her fingers like a living bracelet.

"You led a squad during the Cragfang Ravager encounter. You kept your team alive, maneuvered into the shadow of the cliffs, and triggered its fall pattern intentionally. You did all this… without revealing anything unnecessary about your strength."

Aston's mind pulled back to the past—briefly.

Nova, show me a picture of the elders present during the council meeting in Shale.

A moment later, a picture of the meeting of Team 18 during the final interview of the elder council flashed in his eyes.

He squinted. "There were two elders present during the exams. One was a tall woman with pale skin and silver streaks in her hair. One was a bald elder. But you…"

He tilted his head slightly. "You weren't her."

Elder Erin's smile widened slightly, as if pleased, then laughed lightly.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"Hah! If Elder Sylva heard you calling him bald, he would "train" you meticulously. Would you like to test that theory?"

Nova's projection blinked within Aston's eyes. A pale-skinned woman with silver streaks in her hair stood by the cliffs, arms folded, quietly observing the participants with a narrowed gaze.

Aston looked back at Elder Erin.

The resemblance was minimal.

But there was something in the posture. The way she stood. The sharp stillness of her gaze.

Then—before he could ask further—the elder's form shook.

It wasn't flashy. No glow, no rush of essence. Just… a shift.

As if the muscles beneath her skin moved… independently.

Her features changed—hair growing longer and turning pale silver, eyes sharpening, body posture stiffening into something colder. She adjusted her robe's stance, raised her chin by half an inch, and her presence became almost identical to the woman he had seen during the Shale trial.

"I use this face when I'm out," she said in a crisper, more clipped tone.

Then, with a soft exhale, her body shimmered again—returning to the graceful form Aston now recognized.

"For evaluation purposes… I like to be invisible even when I'm visible."

Aston blinked once. "Disguise."

"My spirit beast's ability," she confirmed. "Shadow Operations isn't just about hiding. It's about never being seen in the first place."

Gray let out a low, rumbling exhale beneath Aston's collar, but said nothing.

Erin reached behind her and pulled a small spirit-tag scroll from her sash. She held it out—not urgently, not ceremoniously, but like she already knew he'd take it.

Aston eyed the scroll. The seal was unfamiliar—etched not with an academy crest, but a single curled sigil shaped like a coiled serpent in mid-shed.

He didn't reach for it yet.

"What is it?" he asked.

"A test," she said simply. "Not one graded by papers or performance logs. A different kind. Discretion. Instinct. Disassembly of truths."

She met his eyes—hers calm, inquisitive, razor-sharp.

"I don't usually take students," she continued. "Most of my teachings are buried in false names and sealed reports. But you…" She paused. "You saw things during the exam that no one else did. You moved pieces on the board without announcing yourself. That's the kind of mind I want to sharpen."

A beat passed.

"Are you offering mentorship?" Aston asked slowly.

Erin smiled faintly. "Something like it. Shadow Operations doesn't hand out discipleships like tokens. It offers… invitations."

She gestured slightly with the scroll.

"If you accept, I'll train you. Personally. Only occasionally, and not publicly. You'll learn to disappear without stepping back. To read a room faster than it empties. And more importantly—how to hold onto your truth even while wearing ten others."

Aston's fingers hovered near the scroll now.

"Why me?" he asked. "I've drawn attention lately, yes. But there are other red potentials. Other clever ones."

Erin nodded. "Yes. But few who understand the value of silence. Fewer still who could fool the empire's scanners. And even fewer… who hide from themselves."

Aston felt something shift inside him. Not a question—just a weight. Her words had struck deeper than he expected.

She tilted her head slightly, as if sensing the change.

"You don't have to answer now. Read the scroll. Decide if you want to walk in daylight, or learn the night properly."

Then she stepped back into the mossed shade of the old arboretum, her serpent coiled neatly at her collar like a living pendant.

"But if you do choose," she added, voice fading with the leaves, "you'll have to prove you're worth the mask."

Then she vanished into the green.

The scroll remained in Aston's hand.

Light. And dangerous.

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