Ethan took one step forward.
Just one.
He hadn't said anything yet. But his lips had parted slightly, and his eyes had settled on the instructor in front of him.
A small motion, quiet moment, but it was enough to tell the room that he was about to speak.
And then she moved.
The instructor from Astralis University—still calm, still unshaken—shifted her hand slightly and turned her head toward the audience.
"I wasn't planning to say this yet," she said, "but it looks like it's necessary."
Her voice didn't rise, but it cut through the room like a clean breath of air.
Most of the recruiters instinctively glanced her way.
"Ethan Nocturne," she said, turning back toward him, "your personal mentor at Astralis will be none other than Professor Ardis."
The words didn't hit all at once.
Some people blinked. Others frowned, trying to place the name.
But the ones who knew?
They reacted instantly.
