Chapter 514:Father.

Chapter 514: 514:Father.

The display changed and a new announcement appeared.

[FIRST-YEAR SPECIALIZATION SELECTION OPENED.]

Silver immediately opened his academy interface and selected Field Adaptability and Survival.

[Selection Confirmed.]

[Primary Specialization: Field Adaptability and Survival.]

[Assigned Department: Applied Field Operations.]

[Instructor Information Pending.]

Beside him, Ravenna selected Research and Beast Studies.

[Selection Confirmed.]

[Primary Specialization: Research and Beast Studies.]

[Assigned Department: Biological Research and Beast Analysis.]

[Instructor Information Pending.]

He glanced toward her.

"Done?" He asked with a smile.

She enthusiastically nodded.

"Done."

He smiled.

"Well, Doctor Arkland."

Ravenna turned, a small blush on her cheeks.

"What?"

He grinned.

"Please remember me when you become a famous researcher."

She stared at him speechless for a moment, then she burst into laughter.

"Only if you remember me when you become a famous survival expert," she jokingly said.

He nodded solemnly.

"Deal."

Behind them, Antony leaned forward.

"You two are disgusting."

Silver turned and scoffed.

"Jealous?" He asked.

Antony smiled.

"Extremely."

Ravenna laughed.

Silver looked toward his friend’s screen.

"What did you choose?"

Antony grinned.

"Command and Strategy."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

Antony nodded.

"Why does everyone keep acting surprised?"

He considered.

"Because you spent yesterday arguing with a vending machine."

Antony frowned.

"It stole my points and what I bought didn’t even fall."

Ravenna burst out laughing.

Silver smiled.

"And now you want to command soldiers?"

Antony crossed his arms.

"Exactly. Someone has to protect people from dishonest vending machines."

He shook his head.

"Humanity is saved."

Antony grinned.

"You’re welcome."

That evening, Ravenna returned to her dormitory after completing the preliminary registration process for her new specialization.

She had been assigned several introductory reading materials covering beast anatomy, core extraction procedures, mutation classification, and biological energy compatibility. The documents were considerably more technical than she’d expected, but instead of feeling discouraged, she found herself strangely excited.

For the first time in years, she was studying something simply because she wanted to understand it. It was not because her family demanded it, or she needed to prove herself or someone had told her it was the most prestigious path.

She was genuinely curious.

She sat at her desk and opened the first research document. Several diagrams of beast-core structures, energy pathways, and mutation classification appeared.

She began reading.

Hours passed as she became absorbed in the new found knowledge. By the time she looked up, the sky outside her window had darkened.

Ravenna blinked out of her stupor.

"Already?"

She glanced toward the clock, then laughed quietly.

"I got carried away."

Her communicator vibrated. She checked to see it was a message from Silver.

Silver: Still alive, Doctor Arkland?

Ravenna smiled.

Ravenna: Unfortunately for you.

Silver: Tragic. I was hoping to inherit your research notes.

Ravenna: You wouldn’t understand half of them.

Silver: Cruel.

She laughed, then typed another message.

Ravenna: Are you done training?

Silver: Just finished. Shawn nearly killed me.

Her expression changed.

Ravenna: Shawn? Your cousin?

Silver: Yeah. He came by. We trained and talked about the family.

Ravenna: Is everything okay?

There was a brief pause, then...

Silver: For now.

She just stared at the message. She understood what that meant.

Silver’s family had never been particularly simple, and judging from the way he occasionally avoided discussing about them, there were problems he hadn’t fully explained.

She was about to respond when another notification appeared, and this one wasn’t from Silver.

It was an incoming call.

The caller identification made her smile disappear.

Father.

Ravenna stared at the screen. For several seconds, she didn’t move, then the call ended.

A message appeared immediately afterward.

Father: Answer your phone, Ravenna. We need to discuss something important.

She frowned.

Another message followed.

Father: Your mother and I have been dealing with serious financial difficulties. Your sister has also been having problems at the academy. As the eldest daughter, you have responsibilities toward this family.

Her expression hardened as she placed the communicator on her desk.

Then another message arrived.

Father: I expect you to help Shirley. And I expect you to remember who made it possible for you to be alive and be able to attend Alpha Three in the first place.

Ravenna stared at it as a familiar coldness spread through her chest. For years, she’d heard variations of those words; responsibility, gratitude and family.

Words that always seemed to mean she was expected to sacrifice something for people who had never been willing to do the same for her.

She slowly picked up the communicator, then typed a response.

Ravenna: What exactly do you want?

The reply came almost immediately.

Father: Your sister needs your support. There have been misunderstandings between her and that Ruddington boy. You should help resolve them.

Her eyes narrowed.

Silver... of course.

She continued reading.

Father: The family business has suffered considerable losses because of the recent beast incidents. We need to establish better relationships with influential families, and you are in a position to help.

Ravenna’s expression became colder.

Ravenna: Silver isn’t a business opportunity.

Several seconds passed, then...

Father: Don’t be childish.

Her fingers tightened around the communicator.

Another message appeared.

Father: You seem to have forgotten that your academy and family records are still connected to us. It would be unfortunate if complications arose with your enrollment.

Ravenna froze.

For a moment, she felt as though she were sixteen again. Standing in a room while her father explained why Shirley deserved something more than she did. Listening to her stepmother tell her to be grateful.

Being reminded that everything she possessed could be taken away if she refused to cooperate.

Her breathing became shallow, then another message arrived.

Father: Your mother and I will be coming to Alpha Three soon. We will discuss this properly and reconcile as a family.

Ravenna stared at the screen.

Reconcile.

She almost laughed.

They didn’t want reconciliation, they wanted access to Silver, they wanted money, and they wanted her to return to being the obedient daughter who accepted whatever they demanded.

She slowly lowered the communicator.

For several minutes, she remained motionless, then she looked toward the research documents on her desk.

Her future.

For the first time in her life, she’d begun building something that belonged entirely to her, and now her family wanted to interfere again.

Ravenna closed her eyes, then reached for her communicator.

She opened Silver’s conversation, her fingers hovering above the screen. For a moment, she considered telling him everything, then she hesitated.

He already had enough problems with his own family. She didn’t want to become another burden.

Ravenna slowly lowered the device, but before she could put it away, another message appeared.

Silver: You went quiet. Everything okay?

Ravenna stared at the message feeling like crying, then smiled sadly.

He always noticed.

She typed.

Ravenna: Can you come over?

The response arrived almost immediately.

Silver: On my way.

Ravenna placed the communicator on her desk, then leaned back in her chair.

Outside, the lights of the Sanctuary illuminated the evening sky.

For the first time since arriving at the academy, she had begun feeling as though she belonged somewhere.

She had friends, a future, and Silver.

But somewhere beyond the sanctuary walls, the consequences of the research-center breach were still spreading, her family was approaching, plus Silver’s relatives were becoming increasingly restless,

And inside the academy’s restricted research archives, several documents connected to Selena Serenity had recently been marked for permanent deletion.

Ravenna knew none of that yet.

All she knew was that her father was coming, and this time, she wasn’t sure she could endure another meeting with him.