lilith astranova left damon at his training ground, her thoughts churning as she walked away. she hadn''t come to suspect him initially; her original purpose was to reprimand him for using academy equipment without proper authorization. yet, the moment he saw her, his reaction gave her pause.

    he was cautious, deliberate. too deliberate.

    she smiled faintly, her mind replaying their encounter.

    "damon grey, the academy''s weakest student. the boy who received a golden ticket from seras blade herself," she murmured.

    his name had circulated among the faculty and student body. in the beginning, the professors had placed high expectations on him, believing the ticket symbolized hidden potential. but by the quarter-semester evaluations, those expectations had waned. damon''s mana pool was pitiful, his combat skills unimpressive, and his overall abilities underwhelming.

    "there were simply no redeeming qualities," lilith mused, her voice tinged with curiosity.

    until today, she had never met him in person. and to her surprise, he wasn''t what she expected.

    ''someone that weak shouldn''t even be able to kill a fly, let alone someone like lark bonaire,'' she thought, her steps slowing.

    ''unless... he has a special ability.''

    the idea struck her suddenly. an ability that allowed someone to transform into a monster—an anomaly, but not impossible.

    "no," she shook her head, dispelling the thought for now. "it doesn''t fit. but he is suspicious."

    at the start of their interaction, damon had radiated guilt. she had almost believed she''d cornered her culprit. but midway through their conversation, something changed. his demeanor shifted—his eyes became cold, calculated.

    ''was the guilt i saw at first fake? some kind of act? or... was i wrong about him altogether?''

    the inconsistency gnawed at her. if he had continued to show guilt, she might have pressed further and exposed him. but his abrupt composure had thrown her off balance, leaving her unsure.

    lilith exhaled sharply, annoyance creeping into her tone.

    "hmph. how frustrating. i can''t rely on just one lead. i''ll have to keep a close eye on him."

    she glanced at the pager in her hand and frowned.

    "i should''ve gotten his pager number. no matter. i''ll collect it when he comes to file the paperwork... assuming he does." she smirked to herself.

    "damon grey, i''m certain there''s more to you than meets the eye."

    her steps quickened as she headed back to the site of lark bonaire''s death. the academy investigators had concluded it was a monster attack, a convenient explanation that tied up loose ends neatly.

    "this bow won''t do either," he added, casting a disdainful glance at the weapon.

    "i can''t take anything from the academy armory. their equipment is too well-secured."

    reluctantly, damon opened his desk drawer and retrieved a short, weathered dagger. holding it in his hand, memories from his past surged to the surface.

    the dagger was a relic of his days on the streets of the capital, a so-called "reward" for running errands for a smuggling ring that trafficked in magic crystals and ore. it was a cruel token of survival—a tool that had seen more bloodshed than a boy his age should have endured.

    but even back then he had never taken a life... well until now.

    he gripped it tightly, his knuckles whitening.

    "this will have to do," he muttered, slipping it into his jacket.

    turning to his shadow, he whispered,

    "okay, buddy. this is up to you now. the others don''t live in the war halls, but marcus does. whether it''s because he''s an outstanding student or his family''s wealth, he''s still here. find him. when he''s ready to sneak out with his group to athor''s sanctuary, we''ll follow."

    his shadow gave a silent thumbs-up, its form detaching from his own and gliding effortlessly across the floor.

    "try not to get caught," damon added softly as it vanished through the door.

    alone once more, damon exhaled heavily, the weight of his situation pressing down on him. his shadow''s hunger was growing, and it was nearing a dangerous threshold. if he couldn''t find a way to feed it human flesh by the day after tomorrow, it would transform into a ravenous creature. and if he failed to sate its hunger after that, his health would begin to deteriorate until he eventually succumbed to death.

    "i will survive this," he swore under his breath. "i''m not going to die. not yet."

    he spent the next few hours preparing, sharpening his resolve and steeling himself for what lay ahead. when his shadow failed to return, unease began to creep in. just as he was about to leave in search of it, the shadow slipped through the window, waving its hand urgently.

    damon''s heart pounded.

    "so, what did you find?"

    the shadow gestured for him to follow, pressing a finger to its lips to signal silence.

    damon nodded, his pulse quickening. carefully, he opened the door to his dorm and stepped into the dimly lit hallway. his shadow led the way, its movements fluid and silent, guiding him down a flight of stairs. damon''s every step was cautious, his ears straining for any sound of the headmaid.

    at the bottom floor, damon froze as his eyes landed on marcus. the boy was sneaking out of the dorm, oblivious to the predator lurking in the shadows.

    a cold smile spread across damon''s lips.

    "got you."