Chapter 1: Catfight (1-0)

"This is suicide. They sent us here on purpose!" Lydia frowned as she slashed a large hound with two faces. "These sentinels are too far gone. It’s either we will get killed by these disgusting rift monsters or the Mindless. Their Resonance Stress levels are off the charts already."

More monsters slithered from the huge rifts in the sky. The twisted abominations with too many limbs spewed acidic bile that melted a senior guide into a disgusting bubbling mess on the ground.

Another young guide got stabbed mid-session, her guts spilling in steaming loops. Another one had his bone protruding in jagged shards. A high-ranking Sentinel barely managed to blow a gigantic black snake-like monster with gusts of wind before she died of blood loss.

"We’re doomed, Lydia. You’re the last Guide left."

"You don’t look better with such high Resonance Stress. 97%? One more slip away and you’ll turn into a Mindless," she grabbed Ephraim’s hand and began guiding him. "Pathetic."

"I don’t want to hear that from a cannon fodder like you!" Ephraim growled as he did his best to pry her from broken concrete.

[Warning!]

[Mutation detected!]

[S-Rank Giant Lizard has successfully mutated into SSS-Rank Dragon!]

[Rank Level Increasing!]

A terrifying shriek pierced the sky as a monster with high miasma concentration mutated into an ominous dragon and set the entire Rift Battlefield ablaze. Things had taken a turn for the worse.

It wasn’t every day you saw an S-Rank lizard mutate into an SSS-Rank dragon. Several Sentinels had already been killed in its rampage.

Lucky me. Guess I’m the next.

"This is the end, Ephraim. A cannon fodder, huh? This cannon fodder can’t even feel her legs anymore. They might be broken, so I won’t be able to—"

"Idiot! If you’re going to be this useless, at least don’t die before you finish Guiding me!"

Ephraim was still desperately pulling at the rubble trapping Lydia. But his face was twisted with frustration and anger as he glared down at her.

The crimson dragon shot to the sky and unleashed a deafening blast of fire. A torrent of scorching flames exploded toward Lydia, swallowing her whole.

The last thing Lydia remembered was Ephraim’s furious face and muffled words before everything went black.

Yet here she was, standing alive, with a throbbing pain in her palm, while a blonde-haired girl was sprawled in front of her.

This has to be a dream. But my palm really hurt from slapping that bitch.

Lydia stared at her hand in confusion. If this was a dream, why could she still feel the pain?

She scanned the classroom, her blue eyes slowly widening as she recognized the familiar faces around her.

The lecture display was still glowing above the professor’s desk, while rows of students in blue and red Belfort uniforms filled the modern classroom.

No... This is...

The realization struck her.

I’m back at Belfort University. This blue uniform is my sophomore uniform. That means I’m five years in the past.

What happened here?

Before Lydia could make sense of what was happening, the voices around her grew louder.

"That shy Valendorf girl slapped Emily!"

"Has Lydia gone mad? She was always meek and obedient."

"Isn’t Emily her best friend? How come? They were inseparable."

The blonde-haired girl, Emily, placed her hand on her cheek and glared at Lydia with disbelief.

"I was only warning Lydia that an F-Rank Guide shouldn’t be sharing a room with me. Why did she have to be violent about this? I thought she would understand and move out on her own."

SLAP!

"Nobody gave you the permission to put my belongings outside."

"This is why your family hates you. You’re just a leech living off Duke’s fortune—"

SLAP!

"I’m still a daughter of House Valendorf. One more word from your dirty mouth, and I’ll take it as slander against House Valendorf, Emily."

Emily was enraged by her unusual behavior. She would never have imagined the weak daughter of Duke Valendorf raising her hand on her.

The old Lydia would have just nodded and smiled at anything she said. But this girl wasn’t anything like Lydia Valendorf who she knew.

More and more students were gathering around them. Emily lunged at Lydia and tried to grab her long wavy silvery blue hair. But she stepped aside and evaded her gracefully.

"Whoa! You saw that? What’s gotten into Lydia?"

"I’d place my bet on Valendorf!"

"1-0! Lady Emily has lost her claws!"

Emily’s face burned at the laughter around her. They were turning her humiliation into a spectacle.

Her anger surged.

A faint pressure rippled through the air as Emily released her Sentinel power. Cat ears emerged from her blonde hair, followed by a long feline tail behind her. She bared her claws and lunged at Lydia.

"Kyaaah!"

Lydia lost her balance as Emily’s claws raked across her arm, leaving a deep gash behind. The whole bickering has turned into a full-blown catfight.

The whole class went into panic as Emily hissed at Lydia.

"Cat got your tongue?"

Emily pounced on her. Her fingernails suddenly lengthened into curved, razor-sharp claws, just like a cat’s—but far longer and deadlier. She raised them above Lydia’s cheek.

"Let me erase that arrogant smirk from your face!"

CLANG!

Just as Emily’s claws were about to tear into Lydia, Ephraim stepped in and shoved a chair between them.

CRACK!

Her claws pierced straight through the center of the chair as easily as tearing through paper.

"Using your power on university grounds is a direct violation of Article 29 of the Sentinel and Guide Act, Lady Emily."

Ephraim’s expression remained perfectly calm as he pulled Lydia away from Emily and gently helped her to her feet.

"Don’t make me repeat myself. A Sentinel should know better than to use their power against a Guide. That is the most basic principle of Sentinel conduct."

The students exchanged excited looks and whispers spread through the classroom.

"The Crown Prince is here."

"As expected of our class rep, I see."

"Lydia is his fiancée, afterall."

All the murmurs made Lydia uneasy.

"But she was the one who slapped me first, Your Highness," Emily whined softly, looking at him with watery eyes.

Ephraim was about to respond when the classroom door suddenly opened.

"Enough. What’s going on here?"

Professor Phoebe stepped inside and glanced between Emily and Lydia. Seeing the crowd gathered around them, her expression immediately darkened.

"Break time is over. Everyone, return to your seats."

The students quickly scattered, and the commotion died down.

"Lady Emily, Lady Lydia, see me in the faculty office after this class. We will discuss your misconduct later. Take your seats. We’re starting Advanced Resonance Theory."

The students quickly returned to their seats as the classroom settled down.

As Ephraim passed Lydia’s desk, he slid a tiny High Potion and lowered his voice.

"See me after class. We need to talk."

He continued to his seat without waiting for her response. His usual charming Crown Prince smile was already back in place, as if nothing had happened.

But that look in his eyes clearly said, ’You owe me one.’

Damn. This annoying Prince and his hidden charming-prince persona. He was still annoying as ever. Although I had to thank him for the High Potion.

Why do I have to see him again after everything that happened?