Chapter 2 Trending On the First Day

Hundreds of eyes remained locked on Sephyra, the highborn cadets along the balconies leaning over the dark marble railings like hawks tracking fresh meat.

"Line up!" a guard bellowed, his voice echoing off the walls. He struck the wooden butt of his spear against the cobblestones. "Human inventory, front and center! Head down, eyes on the floor!"

Sephyra didn't lower her head. She reached up, slowly gathering her silver-white hair over one shoulder. Beside her, the other six human girls cowered, their knees trembling under their rough woolen skirts as the nobles above began to murmur once again.

A tall figure stepped out from the main arched entrance of the central keep. Headmaster Vance moved with deliberate authority, his robes trailing behind him. Beside him walked three young men, their uniforms lined with gold braid that signified the highest battle rankings in the academy.

"Welcome to Dominion Academy," Vance announced, his voice amplified by magic so it carried across every corner of the courtyard. "Here, you are to serve the future leaders of our realm and obey every command given by a noble cadet."

He paused, glancing down a parchment in his hands. "By long-standing academy tradition, the top three cadets of the senior class hold the privilege of claiming one human servant directly from the incoming draft. The rest will be assigned to general maintenance."

Laughter rippled through the upper balconies. A tall noble with broad shoulders and pale blonde hair stepped forward to the edge of the dais. It was Tharion, the Rank One of Dominion Academy. His posture was arrogant, his eyes sweeping over the line of human girls with casual disgust.

"Look at this selection," Tharion drawled. "Weak, dirty, and useless. Half of them look like they’ll break if you hand them a brass bucket."

He walked down the steps, stopping directly in front of the line. The girls in front of Sephyra dropped to their knees immediately, their heads touching the floor.

Tharion stopped right in front of Sephyra. He raised a gloved hand, using the tip of his riding crop to lift her chin. "And what is this? A field mouse trying to look like a winter swan?"

Sephyra felt the cold leather under her chin, but she didn't flinch. She met his golden-brown eyes directly.

"Lower your eyes when I speak, human," Tharion said, his tone dropping an octave, heavy with a silent threat.

"If a whole Rank One needs a riding crop to force someone to look at him, perhaps your authority isn’t as impressive as everyone pretends," Sephyra said, her voice clear and steady across the yard.

A collective gasp echoed. Several cadets on the balconies dropped their goblets. No one had ever dared speak to Tharion in such a manner, let alone a human but Sephyra had just mocked him in front of the entire student body.

Tharion froze. The smug smirk vanished from his face, replaced by a dangerous stillness. 

"What did you just say?" His voice was deathly soft.

"I said your authority isn’t as impressive as everyone pretends," Sephyra repeated without a single tremor in her breathing.

A few muffled snickers broke out from the upper ranks, quickly silenced as Tharion’s aura flared.

Yet Sephyra remained standing. Even though she felt the pressure of his anger pushing against her shoulders, her knees refused to buckle.

Tharion stared at her, his eyes narrowing as he realized his aura wasn't forcing her down. The humiliation of being defied so openly burned across his face. He raised his hand, his fingers twitching as if preparing to strike her down on the spot.

Instead, he stopped. A slow, cruel smile spread across his face.

"Killing you right now would be too merciful," his voice loud enough for everyone to hear, then he turned toward Headmaster Vance and gestured lazily at Sephyra with a low voice. "I claim this one."

Vance frowned slightly, looking at Sephyra’s striking white hair before looking back at Tharion. "Are you certain, Cadet Tharion? Human servants claimed by Rank One usually carry out official high-level duties."

"She is mine," Tharion declared, turning back to Sephyra, his eyes flashing with promise. "I prefer to discipline insolence myself. She will learn to kneel before the week is out."

He turned on his heel and walked away toward the inner doors of the keep without looking back.

Sephyra stood her ground, watching his broad back disappear into the hall. The pressure in her chest eased as his aura faded, but the weight of hundreds of staring eyes only grew heavier.

Two guards approached her immediately, grabbing her arms to lead her toward the east wing reserved for top-ranking personal servants. As she was marched through the wide arches, she noticed dozens of students pulling small, glowing glass tablets from their coats.

That was the Dominion Nexus, a magical internal network used by every noble and cadet in the academy. It began to buzz.

High above on the third-floor balcony, a dark-haired student watched Sephyra being led away, his glowing tablet held between his dark fingers. With a quick tap of his thumb, he sent a short, official broadcast to the main academy feed, verified under Tharion’s personal crest.

Within ten seconds, every glass screen across the entire campus chimed at once with an alert notification.

Sephyra caught a glimpse of a passing cadet's tablet as he stared at it in utter disbelief. The bold, glowing letters across the glass read:

🔥 #1 TRENDING – RANK ONE CLAIMS THE WHITE-HAIRED HUMAN.