Single Mother of a Werewolf Baby novel Chapter 245

Chapter 245: The Vault of Yggdrasil

When the cadets had nearly finished dinner, a sharp announcement rang from the speakers in the dining hall.

"All cadets of the Primary Term, those who ranked in the top ten during the Initiation Ceremony, are requested to report to Chief Sergeant Major Soren Volkan Ironclaw. You will find him on the parade ground."

A ripple of murmurs spread across the hall as the message ended. Cadets leaned toward each other in hushed speculation. Most were convinced it was a good sign... likely a reward for those who had distinguished themselves.

Maíra, always the curious one, asked, "Eleanor, what do you think? Will we get rewards, like they’re saying?"

Eleanor’s expression remained calm, her face an unreadable mask. She replied simply, "Doesn’t matter. We will see when the time comes."

Yet, in her mind, she weighed the matter differently. Rewards seemed likely... more importantly, tied to ranking. Her suspicion sharpened as she recalled Raijin’s sudden challenge for her position. Not a random act of arrogance, nor mere recklessness. It was a calculated move. He had chosen the Tower over direct combat, and now the reason revealed itself... he had known something.

This confirmation settled in her thoughts like a stone. Raijin had played a calculated game.

Dinner soon ended. The ten rankers made their way to the parade ground, while the other cadets scattered... some toward the library, some to their departments, others back to their dormitories for rest.

Chief Sergeant Major Soren Volkan Ironclaw was already waiting on the parade ground, his presence commanding. As the ten approached, his voice thundered across the space.

"Form a line before me."

The cadets obeyed at once, standing in a straight row before him.

Chief Sergeant spoke with clipped authority. "Now, I was ordered to gather all ten cadets who ranked in the Initiation Ceremony. Acknowledge your cadet number. When I call it, you will respond with ’Yes, sir.’ Understood?"

They all nodded in unison. "Understood."

"Cadet 10156618."

"Yes, sir!" Ignatius’s voice rang out, strong and immediate.

"Cadet 10156597."

"Yes, sir," Elara replied.

One by one, the roll call continued until all ten stood confirmed before him.

Without many words, Chief Sergeant turned and led them to the administrative building. For Eleanor, it was only her second time inside; the first had been her arrival at the Academy through the teleportation gate.

To their collective surprise, he brought them once again into the teleportation room... the very place where they had all first entered this academy. Recognition flickered across their faces, mingled with unease.

But greater astonishment awaited them. Within the room stood the Principal himself, Professor Aurelius Halveth Draconis, robed in radiant gold, alongside Professor Sylpha in her indigo robes. The contrast of their presence... one like a blazing sun, the other like a twilight sky commanded the cadets’ full attention.

"Rank Two," Sylpha intoned.

Elara Noelle Luminelle walked with measured grace, each step radiating quiet confidence. The gate swallowed her, and once more, white brilliance returned.

"Rank Three. Enter."

Eleanor’s gaze swept her companions. She gave the faintest smile... calm, unreadable... then stepped forward. The light consumed her, and the world shifted.

As soon as she entered the gate, the solid world dissolved into a breathless silence. The transition was not a step but a cessation; the floor vanished from beneath her feet, and she was cradled by absolute nothingness. She was floating, untethered, in a sea of perfect, velvety black. It was a darkness so complete it felt less like an absence of light and more like a primordial substance, ancient and profound.

And suspended within this infinite night were the treasures.

They were a symphony of light... countless orbs, each like a captured star, drifting in a silent, eternal dance. Their sizes varied from mere pearls of radiance to great, pulsing spheres larger than her head, each encased in its own shimmering aura. The colours were a language she could not describe in words... deep sapphire blues that hummed with oceanic depth, emerald greens that shimmered with the vitality of a primeval forest, and furious crimson spheres that seemed to contain the heart of a dying sun. Some burned with a pure, incandescent white, while others swirled with nebulas of violet and gold, their light bleeding softly into the encompassing dark.

She turned... or rather, the thought of turning reoriented her in the void. There was no up or down, no right or left. In every direction, the tapestry of light stretched into eternity, a galaxy of possibilities where the nearest orbs were within arm’s reach and the farthest faded into a glittering, indistinguishable haze. It was a cathedral of silence and potential, where the only architecture was light and shadow.

The atmosphere thrummed with a silent music, the collective energy of the artefacts a palpable pressure against her skin. Each orb was not just a light but a presence, a unique signature of power waiting to be understood. She reached out a hand... not to touch, but to feel the energy radiating from a nearby orb the colour of a twilight sky. It responded not with heat, but with a gentle, magnetic pull, a whisper against her soul. She suddenly felt a coldness spreading through her body and withdrew from the orb at once.

Fortunately, she could move her body with thought alone here. A mere intention sent her gliding effortlessly towards a cluster of amber orbs, their warm light promising strength and stability.