Chapter 115: Cornered Authority

Ezabel suddenly became aware of how the situation looked from the outside. She was the instructor, standing over a first-year student who had already completed every exercise flawlessly, while continuing to demand more from her for reasons she had yet to properly explain. The image was uncomfortably close to that of an instructor deliberately bullying a student simply because she could. Her jaw tightened at the thought. That had never been her intention, but intent did not change what everyone in the room had just witnessed. ?Her eyes narrowed as she studied Starlight more carefully. There was something about the girl’s composure that irritated her, but it also made Ezabel curious.

Starlight had not simply endured the punishment. She had handled everything Ezabel threw at her with an ease that should have been impossible for a human, who could have known she used to train long before setting foot in this academy. And now Ezabel felt like a fool, standing there while Starlight calmly held her ground without hesitation, demanding to know exactly what she had done wrong. Ezabel had wanted an excuse to test Starlight. Instead, Starlight had turned the entire situation around and put her on trial before the class. The realization made her expression harden further, her sharp gaze lingering on Starlight as she silently reconsidered the girl sitting before her. This was not going to be as simple as she had expected.

"Um... Ma’am? I think we should just let her rest!" Elle blurted out before she could stop herself.

The unexpected interruption drew every pair of eyes in the hall toward her. Elle swallowed visibly as the sudden attention landed squarely on her shoulders. It had not been her intention to blurt it out so loudly, but watching the entire back-and-forth between Starlight and Instructor Ezabel was getting to her. "I mean, she’s been training non-stop while the rest of us were resting," Elle stammered, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she tried to pull herself together. "There is nothing wrong with letting her rest a little. And she already said she’s willing to stay back or prolong her own training later if necessary." She glanced briefly at Starlight before looking back at Ezabel. "I don’t really see anything wrong with letting her take a short break." Ezabel’s expression tightened.

Before she could respond, another voice spoke up. "I think Elle is right, Ma’am," Ariel added, stepping forward beside her. "We have all been watching since class started. She completed every single exercise you assigned, then you gave her more. She finished those too, and then you gave her even more while everyone else rested." Ariel hesitated briefly before adding, "At this point... unless you’re intentionally trying to target her, I think she should be allowed to rest a bit more." More murmurs spread through the room. The situation was quickly slipping out of Ezabel’s control. Who could have thought that Starlight Dawson would be able to turn an entire class against her so quickly?

Then Chloe raised a hand.

"Yeah, some of us can actually agree with that."

Ezabel turned toward her.

Chloe shifted uncomfortably under the instructor’s gaze but continued anyway.

"I thought you were supposed to be her academy mother. Aren’t academy parents supposed to guide and protect their assigned students? That’s what everyone keeps telling us, right?" She frowned slightly. "But honestly, it kind of looks like you don’t even want to be her academy mother." The words hit harder than she probably intended. Several students immediately nodded, quietly voicing their agreement among themselves. Others avoided Ezabel’s eyes altogether. The reactions alone were enough to tell her exactly where the class stood.

Ezabel felt her jaw tighten as she found herself being cornered by her own students. She glanced around the room and suddenly became painfully aware that nearly every student in the hall was looking at her strangely. Curious looks, doubtful looks, skeptical looks, almost as though they were questioning whether she was being fair at all. The room was turning against her authority, and her attempt to assert dominance was crumbling into an embarrassing spectacle.

The realization irritated her more than she cared to admit. For a brief moment, Ezabel simply stood there, silently staring at the class before letting out a slow breath through her nose. Rolling her shoulders to regain her composure and save face, Ezabel scoffed lightly.

"It is precisely because I am her academy mother that I push her this far."

The room quieted.

Ezabel folded her arms behind her back. "I expect more from her than I do from the average student. If Miss Dawson possesses talent, then it would be irresponsible of me not to push her toward her full potential." Her gaze shifted briefly toward Starlight with a small smirk. "I want my daughter to become the best version of herself possible." Starlight immediately rolled her eyes so hard she was surprised they didn’t get stuck.

Daughter. The woman had spent the entire class trying to run her into the ground, and now she wanted to play the caring parent.

What a joke.

"However..." Ezabel continued, her voice growing noticeably flatter. "Since all of you seem so concerned about Miss Dawson’s wellbeing, fine. I will grant her more resting time."

A collective, visible exhale swept through the room as the other students processed the sudden shift. Ezabel pretended not to notice and turned her back to Starlight, facing the rest of the class. "Now then," she barked sharply, immediately reclaiming control of the room. "Enough distractions. The rest of you, line up!"

Ezabel clapped her hands together sharply.

The students scrambled back into formation.

"We’ll be moving on to sparring drills. Pair up with a partner. Once you’ve chosen someone, report to one of the designated rings."

The atmosphere shifted instantly. Students began moving around the hall, searching for partners while discussing who they wanted to face Meanwhile, Starlight slowly exhaled through her nose.

Thank God.

For a moment there, she had genuinely started considering whether she would have to fight Ezabel herself just to get the woman off her back.

The entire situation had become ridiculous. The only thing that had kept her from completely snapping was the ridiculous conduct agreement she had signed with the Crown Twins. If she got into a serious altercation with an instructor, there was no doubt the incident would find its way back to them.

Otherwise?

She honestly wasn’t sure she would have stopped herself from challenging the woman right there in the middle of the training hall.

While she was grateful that her roommates had spoken up to defuse the situation, the relentless ordeal was wearing on her. Starlight leaned her head back against the wall, staring up at the vaulted ceiling of the training hall.

She was seriously beginning to question whether the earnings from her Apex rank were even worth enduring this hellhole. Maybe she should just take her mother up on her offer and figure out a way to get out of this academy for good. Because if things continued like this, she wasn’t sure how much longer she could tolerate it. Every day seemed to bring a new problem, a new headache, and a new werewolf determined to make her life miserable.

"Werewolves and petty bullying," she muttered under her breath. "What a wonderful combination."

*****

The Celestial Realm stretched beyond mortal comprehension, suspended above an endless sea of silver clouds and starlight. Vast continents of white crystal floated across an eternal sky painted in shades of gold, violet, and luminous blue. Rivers of liquid light flowed through the heavens like glowing veins, winding between towering palaces forged from celestial marble and divine gold. Every structure seemed carved from the stars themselves, their spires rising so high they disappeared into radiant constellations overhead. Countless multicolored trees lined the floating pathways, their branches woven from shimmering glass and their leaves glowing with soft ethereal light. Whenever a breeze drifted through the realm, the leaves chimed like distant bells, creating a melody that echoed throughout the heavens. Above, enormous beasts soared peacefully through the skies, their luminous forms gliding between floating islands and sacred temples.

Golden armored guards patrolled the heavenly streets in disciplined formations. Their armor gleamed like captured sunlight, engraved with ancient runes that pulsed faintly beneath the polished metal. White capes flowed behind them as they moved through the realm with unwavering purpose, their spears forged from celestial steel reflecting the endless light of the heavens. Far above the floating cities stood the Hall of Eternal Judgment.

?Unlike the beauty surrounding it, the structure possessed an imposing majesty that inspired both reverence and fear. Massive pillars of white stone stretched into the heavens, each one wrapped with glowing chains thicker than ancient trees. Celestial flames burned atop golden braziers that had never once been extinguished since the dawn of creation.

Two figures walked through one of the hall’s endless corridors, their footsteps echoing softly across polished crystal floors. Both men wore long white robes embroidered with intricate golden patterns that shimmered with every movement. Golden pauldrons rested upon their shoulders, while ceremonial belts forged from divine metal hung around their waists. Their silver hair fell neatly behind them, and faint halos of celestial light surrounded their bodies.

Neither of the celestial guards spoke as they continued through the endless corridor. The atmosphere within this section of the hall discouraged unnecessary conversation.

?Ancient murals stretched along the walls beside them, depicting forgotten wars between gods, primordial beasts, and celestial sovereigns whose names had long since faded from memory. Eventually, they arrived before an enormous gate. The gate towered nearly a hundred feet high, forged from black celestial metal and bound by countless golden seals. Its surface was covered with glowing runes that pulsed like living things, with massive chains wrapped around the structure from top to bottom, each link thicker than a man’s body.

The air surrounding it felt unnaturally heavy, as though reality itself strained beneath whatever lay imprisoned beyond. The two celestial attendants exchanged a brief glance.

One gave a quiet nod while the other raised his hand toward the lock. Golden light spread from his fingertips. The countless runes covering the gate immediately ignited, unspooling one after another as the seals began to unravel.

The enormous chains rattled violently against the stone. A thunderous metallic groan echoed throughout the corridor as the gate slowly swung open. Blinding light poured through the widening gap, and the moment the opening became large enough, the attendants stepped aside.

Beyond the gate lay a vast prison chamber.