damon didn''t head straight into the library. instead, he made a detour to the infirmary to have his injuries treated. it was a routine he had grown accustomed to, something he carried out almost mechanically. the healers worked quickly, their magic mending the bruises and cuts marcus and his group had left on him.

    once patched up, damon returned to the library. he immersed himself in a few books, letting their words distract him from the day''s frustrations. eventually, he trudged off to his classes.

    the rest of the day was dominated by combat training, leaving little opportunity to speak with evangeline brightwater. not that he wanted to.no?v(el)b\\jnn

    the hours passed quickly, but damon''s mood soured with each passing moment. every glance at marcus and his lackeys stoked the anger burning in his chest. his hands trembled, not from fear, but from the dark desire creeping into his thoughts.

    ''i''ve already killed lark,'' he thought grimly. ''might as well finish off the whole group.''

    it was a dog-eat-dog world, and damon had long accepted that as the truth. the strong preyed on the weak, and if he didn''t fight back, he would be devoured.

    he clenched his fists, his nails biting into his palms. their deaths wouldn''t bother him. if anything, he''d lose sleep worrying about getting caught, not over the loss of their lives. that''s how deep his anger ran.

    once classes were over, damon made himself scarce, slipping away before evangeline could try speaking to him again. he had no patience for her noble politeness today.

    he arrived at the war halls early, long before the other students. his room awaited, filled with books he still needed to finish. socializing was out of the question; he was an outcast, a lone shadow among a sea of faces that either ignored or despised him.

    closing the door behind him, damon sat down with one of the texts, his mind drifting between the words on the page and the events of the day.

    ''hopefully tomorrow won''t be like today,'' he thought. he didn''t believe it, but the faint hope was enough to keep him going.

    he buried himself in his reading, pushing the anger down into the depths of his mind. if he was lucky, it would all fade away by morning.

    ........

    somewhere in the forest on the outskirts of the academy, a red-haired young woman with striking emerald-green eyes walked through the thick darkness. her presence radiated authority, and her curvaceous figure only enhanced her beauty, though it was the sharp intensity of her gaze that truly defined her.

    she was lilith astranova, the student council president. despite being only a second-year student, she had risen to the prestigious role through sheer power and competence. her exceptional skill and tenacity set her apart, earning her respect and fear in equal measure.

    tonight, she had taken on an unusual task. a student, lark bonaire, had been reported missing by his friends. after investigating, she was convinced this wasn''t just a case of someone sneaking off to party in athor''s sanctuary, the town nearest to the academy.

    her inquiries had brought her here, deep into the forest. the academy had launched a discreet search, but lilith, driven by her sharp instincts and an unshakable curiosity, decided to conduct her own investigation.

    she glanced back at the tree.

    "—they don''t match any demonic or monster species i know."

    returning to where she first found the claw marks, lilith bent down, meticulously studying the footprints left in the disturbed earth. she spotted lark bonaire''s distinct shoe prints, alongside larger, inhuman tracks. however, her sharp eyes caught something peculiar—a second set of human footprints, nearly obscured by the chaos.

    "someone else was here," she muttered, narrowing her eyes.

    she retraced the trail from a new perspective, trying to piece together what had happened. suddenly, the monster''s tracks seemed to morph into human footprints.

    "they weren''t two separate beings," she realized, her breath catching. "a human turned into a monster..."

    lilith replayed the sequence in her mind.

    "lark came here, following someone. that person transformed into a monster and attacked him. afterward, they tried to make it look like they disappeared beyond the barrier, but... no, that''s not right. they wanted us to think it was a monster from beyond the barrier. clever..."

    her gaze lingered on the spot where the transformation had occurred.

    "if it weren''t for this mistake, i might have been fooled," she admitted, smiling faintly.

    "whoever you are, mystery man... you''re smart. but not smart enough.... you should have tried being more meticulous."

    with a wave of her hand, she erased the footprints, ensuring no one else would discover what she had uncovered.

    she searched the area one last time for any additional clues but found none. satisfied, lilith straightened up and pulled her pager from her jacket.

    pressing it to her ear, she spoke with a calm, authoritative tone.

    "good evening. this is student council president lilith astranova. i''ve located traces of lark bonaire. unfortunately, it appears he was killed—mauled by a monster that breached the barrier. i''ll await your team''s arrival for further investigation."

    ending the call, she slipped the pager back into her pocket, her emerald eyes glinting with determination.

    "fine then," she murmured, gazing into the forest''s depths. "i''ll find you myself... mystery man."