Chapter 109: Hospital placement
The lecturer suddenly snapped the notebook shut. The loud sound echoed through the lecture hall.
Every head turned towards them, and Yuki froze.
The lecturer looked around the room, then immediately looked away from Yuki as though eye contact had suddenly become dangerous.
She cleared her throat awkwardly. "Your drawings are very detailed," she said in a strained voice.
Yuki’s face burned. "Thank you, ma’am," she whispered automatically.
The lecturer’s eyes widened. "That was not a compliment." Yuki immediately lowered her gaze. "Sorry," she could only say.
The woman handed the notebook back. Yuki took it quickly and shoved it beneath her textbook. She expected a reprimand. Instead, the lecturer simply adjusted her glasses and returned to the front of the class.
Yuki released the breath she had been holding. "Now," the lecturer said, turning towards the students again, "since Miss Donovan appears to have recovered from her artistic distraction, perhaps she can remind us why she is actually enrolled in this course."
A few students laughed. Yuki slowly raised her head. The lecturer smiled. "Tell me one major difference between werewolves, Lycans, and witches, aside from what I have already mentioned."
Yuki straightened immediately. At least this was a question she could answer.
She cleared her throat. "One known difference between Lycans and werewolves is their shifting abilities," she began, speaking quickly at first. "Werewolves physically transform. Their bones shift, their bodies change, and their clothes are usually affected by the transformation. Lycans, on the other hand, possess a more magical form of shifting. Their clothing is not affected by the transformation, and they are typically larger and faster than ordinary werewolves."
The lecturer nodded. Yuki relaxed slightly. "As for witches, many pure-blooded witches are born with six fingers. There is usually a small additional growth attached to the pinky, although it is normally removed shortly after birth. Witches also tend to have a higher female population than male population, which has historically made it common for a single male witch to have multiple wives."
She paused briefly. "This is different from shifters. Werewolves and Lycans have a slightly higher male population, which makes it possible for a single female to be fated to multiple males."
The lecture hall went completely silent. Yuki’s voice slowed. She suddenly realised she had probably said more than she needed to.
The lecturer studied her. Yuki’s stomach twisted. Had she gotten something wrong?
Then the lecturer smiled. "I am glad sketching is not your only talent."
A few students laughed again. "Your transcript from Xyrus Academy was not lying about your academic abilities."
Yuki released a quiet breath. "Thank you, ma’am."
The lecturer nodded. "She is correct, although there is one additional fact worth mentioning. It is not directly related to today’s topic, but it is relevant to our understanding of Lycan anatomy."
She placed the pointer against the podium. "How many of you have ever met a full-blooded Lycan?"
The lecture hall fell silent. Yuki looked around. Not one hand went up. The lecturer’s smile faded. "The answer is no one." Yuki frowned.
The lecturer continued. "The closest thing we have to a known Lycan bloodline in this region is the Ravencourt family. Their ancestors carried significant Lycan blood, and historical records suggest that the founder of their family was even of royal Lycan descent. He was said to have been mated to a werewolf Alpha heiress, which eventually led to the bloodline we know today."
Yuki’s fingers slowly curled around her pen. The Ravencourts. Her heart gave a strange little beat.
She forced herself to remain still. "Approximately eighteen or nineteen years ago," the lecturer continued, "the Northern Lycan Kingdom disappeared."
A murmur moved through the hall. Yuki’s head lifted. The lecturer glanced towards the class.
"There were no confirmed survivors. Following the disappearance, the remaining Lycans in the south severed nearly all trade and diplomatic relations with the northern territories. That is one of the reasons heavy restrictions exist between the northern and southern regions today."
"Wait," someone interrupted from the back.
The lecturer stopped. A male student raised his hand. "Are you saying an entire kingdom just disappeared?"
The lecturer nodded slowly. "That is exactly what I am saying," the lecturer replied.
"But how?" another student asked. "Were they attacked?"
"Were they all killed?" someone else questioned.
The room became restless. Yuki’s attention sharpened. The lecturer raised one hand. "Please. One question at a time." She tried to regain order.
A student near the front leaned forward. "But that does not make sense," he argued. "Lycans are supposed to be stronger than werewolves. That is what makes the Ravencourts so powerful compared to other Alpha families."
The lecturer’s lips curved. "A lion is powerful," she said calmly, "but even a lion can fall when surrounded by a swarm of hyenas."
The room fell quiet. Yuki’s stomach tightened. "The exact details surrounding the disappearance remain unclear," the lecturer continued. "There are many theories. Some believe the Lycans fought among themselves. Others believe there was a natural disaster or some unknown disease. The darker theory, however, is that the werewolf packs feared the Lycans and formed an alliance against them."
A chill crept down Yuki’s spine. The lecture hall was completely silent. Nobody laughed now.
The lecturer looked around at the serious faces staring back at her. Then she suddenly laughed. "Enough with the long faces." The tension broke instantly, and a few students chuckled nervously.
"This is an anatomy class, not a history lecture," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "If you want to investigate an ancient massacre, I am sure the history department would be delighted to have you."
The students laughed again. Yuki smiled faintly, but something about the story refused to leave her mind. The Northern Lycan Kingdom disappeared eighteen or nineteen years ago with no survivors. She glanced towards the front of the room.
For some strange reason, she felt a sudden unease. The lecturer turned back towards the podium.
"Now, where were we?"
Before she could continue, the large wooden doors at the back of the lecture hall suddenly opened.
The sound made everyone turn. The Dean of the Medical School walked into the room. Behind him was the Head of the Department of Clinical Medicine.
The lecturer immediately straightened. The Dean’s expression was unusually serious. Whispers spread through the hall.
Yuki’s brows knitted together. The Dean rarely interrupted lectures. Something was wrong.
He walked towards the front of the room, followed closely by the HOD. The lecturer stepped aside to give them space. The Dean approached the podium and adjusted the microphone.
A sharp crack of feedback echoed through the hall. Everyone fell silent. "Good afternoon, everyone," the Dean said.
"Good afternoon, sir," the students replied in unison.
The Dean glanced briefly at the HOD beside him. Then his gaze swept across the lecture hall. "We are here today to make an important announcement concerning your medical programme."
The room immediately became tense. Yuki’s fingers tightened around her pen.
A student somewhere behind her whispered, "What kind of announcement?"
"Keep quiet," his friend hissed.
The Dean waited until the room settled. Then he continued. "Effective immediately, the university has made a decision that will affect every student enrolled in this programme."
Yuki’s heart began to beat faster. The Dean paused. His next words sent a ripple of confusion through the entire lecture hall. "As part of your academic programme in Dravenhall, you will all be required to participate in a mandatory clinical placement programme outside the university."
A collective gasp swept through the room. Yuki stared at him. Outside the university? She didn’t like the sound of that.
The Dean raised his hand. "Please, let me finish."
The whispers gradually died down. "The placement timeline will be adjusted to suit your academic calendar. You will be divided into groups and assigned to various medical facilities across the region."
A student raised his hand. The Dean nodded towards him. "Sir, when are we supposed to start?"
The Dean’s expression remained unreadable. "Today."
The entire lecture hall erupted.
"Today?"
"That’s impossible!"
"We haven’t prepared!"
"Where are we going?"
Several reactions erupted among the students. Yuki stared at the Dean. Today? Yuki’s face went pale.