Chapter 522:More threats.

Chapter 522: 522:More threats.

The first seven days of disciplinary restriction were considerably more unpleasant than Silver had expected.

He had initially assumed that being removed from ordinary class activities would simply mean spending more time training independently, completing a few mandatory assignments, and enduring occasional lectures from instructors who considered themselves experts on military discipline. Unfortunately, the academy had other ideas.

His mornings began at five, when he was required to report to a supervised conditioning facility where every exercise was recorded and evaluated, while his afternoons were occupied by written assignments concerning military regulations, operational responsibility, and the appropriate procedures for responding to threats encountered during authorized missions.

Even his regular combat training had become inconvenient because he was no longer permitted to use certain advanced facilities without direct supervision, and every request for additional equipment required approval from an instructor who seemed determined to remind him that he was being punished.

The restrictions weren’t particularly difficult for someone with Silver’s physical abilities, but they were frustrating, especially when he considered the circumstances that had brought him there in the first place.

Yet instead of concentrating on identifying the individual responsible, the military investigation had become entangled in questions concerning damaged infrastructure, unauthorized equipment, and whether Silver had followed the proper emergency procedures while attempting to avoid being murdered.

It was almost impressive.

"Ruddington!" The instructor shouted.

He looked up from the reinforced training dummy he’d been striking, while hiding his annoyance of the man.

"Yes, sir?" He pleasantly responded.

The supervising instructor, a stern-looking man named Lieutenant Marcus Zell, stood near the observation platform with a tablet in his hand.

"Your assigned exercise was fifty repetitions of the basic sword sequence. You’ve completed seventy-three."

Silver blinked.

"Is that a problem?" He asked, almost incredulously.

Zell stared at him.

"Did I authorize additional repetitions?" He asked.

Silver considered the question.

"No, sir."

"Then why are you still training?"

"Because I haven’t collapsed yet?" He replied, unsure.

The instructor’s expression darkened.

Silver immediately straightened.

"Sorry, sir."

Zell sighed.

"Ruddington, this is disciplinary training. You’re supposed to demonstrate that you can follow instructions, not prove that you’re capable of exhausting yourself."

He nodded.

"Understood."

"Good. Put the sword away and report to the classroom."

He sheathed his practice weapon.

As he walked toward the exit, he couldn’t help glancing at the system training display.

[Advanced Swordsmanship Lv3 Proficiency Increased.]

[Primal Strength Lv3 Proficiency Increased.]

[Iron Bones Lv3 Proficiency Increased.]

[Physical Conditioning Efficiency Improved.]

A small smile appeared on his face.

At least the punishment wasn’t entirely useless.

His growth had continued at an extraordinary rate over the past several weeks, and although his Rank Three energy saturation hadn’t increased as dramatically as Ravenna’s, his overall combat effectiveness was improving much faster than the numbers alone suggested.

His spatial abilities were becoming increasingly efficient, his swordsmanship was developing through repeated practice, and his physical strengthening skills were gradually adapting to the demands of prolonged combat.

He was beginning to understand why experienced Contractors sometimes appeared considerably stronger than others of the same rank.

It wasn’t simply the amount of soul energy they possessed, it was how they used it. And Silver intended to become very, very good at using his.

Unfortunately, the academy wasn’t the only problem demanding his attention. Because that morning, Ravenna had received another message from her father.

And this time, it contained a date.

Her family would be arriving in Alpha Three in three days.

She stared at the message displayed on her communicator while sitting inside one of the academy’s supervised research classrooms.

The room was relatively quiet, occupied by only a handful of students completing disciplinary assignments under the supervision of an elderly research assistant. Several biological diagrams were displayed across her tablet, but Ravenna hadn’t made any meaningful progress for nearly twenty minutes.

Her attention remained fixed on the message.

Father: We have secured permission to visit Alpha Three. Your mother, Shirley, and I will meet you on Thursday afternoon. I expect you to behave appropriately and not embarrass the family.

She slowly exhaled.

Her mother.

Even after all these years, her father continued referring to his second wife that way. She had never considered the woman her mother.

Selena Serenity was her mother, the kind and loving mother who had died when Ravenna was young.

And to be honest, Ravenna could barely remember clearly anymore as she grew older. Sometimes that frightened her more than she wanted to admit.

She could remember her mother’s voice, or at least she believed she could. She remembered someone brushing her hair before bed, a warm hand resting against her forehead when she was sick, and the faint smell of flowers that always seemed to linger around the room whenever Selena returned from work. But the details had started to become blurred over the years, and Ravenna had begun worrying that some of those memories weren’t memories at all.

Perhaps she’d imagined them, perhaps she had reconstructed them from Mallorys stories, or from photographs. Perhaps the woman she’d spent years missing had never been quite the person she remembered.

Ravenna closed her eyes.

Then another message arrived.

Father: I have also spoken with your sister. She tells me there have been misunderstandings involving Silver. I expect you to resolve them before our arrival.

Ravenna’s expression hardened.

She typed a response.

Ravenna: There is nothing to resolve. Shirley’s behavior was inappropriate, and Silver has already made his position clear.

The reply came almost immediately.

Father: Your sister says otherwise.

Ravenna stared at the message, then slowly shook her head.

Of course she did.

Ravenna: Then you should ask Silver directly.

Several seconds passed before another message came through.

Father: Do not speak to me in that tone. Remember that your position at the academy is not entirely independent of this family. I made sure to not spread your conduct, but I can’t promise otherwise.

Ravenna’s fingers tightened around the communicator.

There it was again.

The threat.

The reminder that everything she possessed could supposedly be taken away whenever she failed to behave as expected.

For a moment, she considered answering angrily, then she stopped.