Chapter 44: Shadows and Echoes

  ?

  Lucien had been having a lot of these dreams lately.

  At first, he thought they were nothing—just odd, nostalgic images fading as soon as he woke up.

  But now...

  Now, they were happening too often.

  And they weren’t just dreams.

  They were memories.

  ?

  The courtyard was bathed in golden light.

  Lucien—or rather, Damien—stood with his practice sword in hand, watching as a young girl with white hair and red eyes fumbled her grip.

  She was smaller, younger—only ten, while he was fourteen.

  But despite her size, despite her complete lack of defense, despite the fact that he could take her down a hundred times over—

  She kept standing back up.

  Her raw determination was almost irritating.

  Damien sighed, shifting his stance.

  “You’re gripping too tightly,” he said, rolling his shoulders.

  The girl scowled, adjusting her hold.

  “I know that,” she muttered.

  Damien tilted his head slightly.

  “Then why are you still doing it?”

  The girl flushed, shifting her feet.

  Lucien smiled slightly.

  Then, without warning, he moved.

  His sword flickered forward, a clean, controlled thrust.

  The girl barely managed to redirect it—too slow, too wide.

  Damien sidestepped smoothly, knocking her weapon aside with an almost lazy flick of his wrist.

  She stumbled.

  Lucien stopped, waiting.

  The girl gritted her teeth.

  Then, without a word, she adjusted her stance and lifted her sword again.

  Damien smirked.

  “Better.”

  And then—he moved again.

  For hours, the pattern repeated.

  She lost. Every single time.

  But she never stopped getting up.

  Damien sighed, stretching his arms behind his head.

  “Maybe you should’ve invested in some defense.”

  The girl, still sitting on the ground, pouted, rubbing her back.

  “I don’t like defense.”

  Damien laughed.

  “That explains why you’re terrible at it.”

  The girl glared at him.

  Damien just grinned and offered a hand.

  She huffed but took it.

  “You’re too strong.”

  “You’re too stubborn.”

  “I’m gonna get better.”

  Damien smirked.

  “Looking forward to it.”

  ?

  Later, they sat under a massive oak tree outside the palace walls, looking out over the valley.

  The town below them was eerily similar to the one surrounding the Academy in his current life.

  Damien leaned against the bark, arms folded.

  The girl was sitting on the thick branch beside him, legs swinging slightly.

  She was chewing on a piece of dried meat.

  She looked absolutely miserable.

  Damien raised an eyebrow.

  “...What’s with that face?”

  She glared at the dried meat like it had personally wronged her.

  “It has no blood.”

  Damien rolled his eyes.

  “It’s jerky. What did you expect?”

  She pouted harder, chewing begrudgingly.

  Damien shook his head, letting his gaze drift across the rolling hills.

  “You ever think about what it’d be like if our people actually got along?”

  The girl paused.

  Then, after a long moment, she swallowed her bite and said—

  “I don’t want them to just ‘get along.’”

  She looked at him, expression stubborn and serious.

  “I want humans and demons to be one nation. One kingdom. No more borders.”

  Damien blinked.

  He hadn’t expected that.

  She turned back toward the view, her voice softening slightly.

  “No more ‘us’ and ‘them.’ Just... people.”

  Damien hesitated.

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  Then, he smirked.

  “That’s ambitious.”

  The girl grinned slightly.

  “I like ambitious.”

  Damien chuckled.

  “Yeah,” he said. “I noticed.”

  She looked at him again.

  Then, after a moment, she held out a hand.

  “Lemme have some of your blood.”

  Damien blinked.

  “...What?”

  She pointed at his hand.

  “I used too much energy today.”

  Damien gave her a look.

  “There’s food right there.”

  She gestured aggressively at the offending jerky.

  “This is not food.”

  Damien sighed, rolling his eyes.

  Then, he offered his hand without complaint.

  The girl leaned forward, pressing her lips to his finger, her tiny fangs pricking against his skin.

  She sighed contentedly, then leaned back against the tree trunk with a satisfied look.

  “See?” she muttered. “That’s better.”

  Damien just smirked, shaking his head.

  “You’re lucky I don’t mind.”

  The girl closed her eyes, the warmth of the sun settling over them.

  “You’re my fiancé,” she murmured sleepily. “You have to let me.”

  Damien exhaled, resting his head back against the bark.

  “...Right.”

  The warmth of the sun faded.

  The memory drifted.

  And Lucien woke up.

  ?

  Sevrin hadn’t been able to sleep.

  His mind had been full since their arrival at the Academy.

  His sister had stolen the spotlight.

  She was the one with fire, with passion, with anger.

  And he... didn’t know what his role was anymore.

  He should have been the one who said something.

  He was the elder child.

  He was the heir.

  So why did he feel like a shadow in his own delegation?

  He sighed, walking toward the window—

  And froze.

  Outside, in the moonlit courtyard, someone was training.

  Sevrin’s eyes sharpened immediately.

  He knew that style.

  Heavenly Sword Demon Style.

  But—it was wrong.

  Or rather—it was purer.

  The version his family practiced was refined, softened—made more practical over generations.

  What he was watching now was the original version.

  It was relentless. Reckless. Overwhelming.

  And yet, it flowed perfectly.

  Sevrin’s heart pounded.

  Then, for just a moment—

  She blurred.

  Sevrin stiffened.

  Did she—did she Flicker?

  Or was she just unnaturally fast?

  He didn’t know.

  And that bothered him more than anything.

  Sevrin stepped back from the window.

  He wouldn’t report it.

  Not yet.

  Not until he was sure.

  Chapter 45: The Argument That Never Should Have Happened

  ?

  The magic exam had started.

  Jessica was not there.

  Most of the students expected this.

  The nobles whispered.

  The instructors glanced at the empty seat.

  The examiner sighed and made a note.

  But no one was more furious than Tobias Moran.

  ?

  Tobias had been preparing for this.

  He knew Jessica would try something.

  But not showing up entirely?

  He grabbed Magnus without warning.

  “Where are we going?” Magnus asked.

  “To drag my sister to her exam, apparently!”

  Magnus exhaled. Loudly.

  “Jessica’s already decided she’s not going, hasn’t she?”

  “That’s why we’re dragging her!” Tobias snapped, moving faster.

  “Why do I have to be here for that?”

  Tobias did not answer.

  Because the moment they reached her dorm room—Tobias opened the door without knocking.

  And what he saw made his brain short-circuit.

  ?

  Jessica was sitting on the floor.

  Across from her, sitting in the same relaxed position, was Zyrenia Vaelora.

  Between them was a tray of soft wax, wooden carving tools, and a single lit candle.

  Zyrenia had a look of intense concentration as she slowly dragged a small knife along the wax’s surface, carefully sculpting the shape of what looked like a tiny dragon.

  Jessica was calmly guiding her.

  Tobias stood there, his rage derailed by sheer stupidity.

  Magnus, next to him, let out a tired sigh.

  “...Jessica,” Tobias finally managed.

  Jessica did not look up.

  “Hello, Tobias.”

  Tobias took a deep breath.

  “WHAT. THE HELL. ARE YOU DOING?”

  Jessica finally glanced at him, then back at Zyrenia’s carving.

  “Oh,” she said, tone utterly casual. “She gave me incense, so I taught her how to sculpt. It would’ve been rude to say no.”

  Tobias froze.

  Magnus blinked.

  There was silence.

  Tobias finally pinched the bridge of his nose and inhaled deeply.

  “...WHAT.”

  Jessica gestured vaguely at the table of materials.

  “She gave incense. I accepted. I taught her how to sculpt. Problem?”

  Tobias stared at her like he was physically restraining himself from yelling.

  Magnus just exhaled, already knowing this was going to be a mess.

  Tobias finally let out a strangled breath.

  “YES. THE PROBLEM IS THAT YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE AT YOUR MAGIC EXAM, NOT BABYSITTING A VAMPIRE PRINCESS WITH CANDLE WAX!”

  ?

  Tobias felt his sanity cracking.

  Magnus just closed his eyes, accepting whatever was about to happen.

  Tobias took a single step forward, pointing at Jessica.

  “You—explain. Now.”

  Jessica exhaled, looking completely unbothered.

  “Last time, I got a negative one. If I don’t take the test, I get a zero. Zero is higher than negative one. My score improved.”

  Tobias froze.

  His eye twitched.

  Magnus, behind him, inhaled sharply.

  “...I hate that that technically makes sense,” Magnus muttered.

  “DO NOT ENABLE HER,” Tobias snapped, whirling toward Magnus.

  Magnus held up his hands. “I’m just saying—”

  Tobias turned back to Jessica.

  “YOU CAN’T JUST—NOT SHOW UP TO YOUR EXAM—BECAUSE YOU DECIDED TECHNICALLY FAILING IT IS BETTER THAN ACTUALLY TAKING IT!”

  Jessica blinked at him again.

  “But I technically didn’t fail. I just didn’t participate.”

  Tobias threw his hands in the air.

  “OH MY GOD—”

  ?

  “I don’t get it,” Zyrenia suddenly said, looking at Tobias with pure confusion.

  Tobias turned to her, exasperated.

  “What do you mean you don’t get it?”

  Zyrenia tilted her head.

  “Why is she even taking a magic exam?”

  Tobias blinked.

  Zyrenia crossed her arms.

  “You’re testing an aura user for magic. That doesn’t even make sense. Humans are so stupid.”

  Tobias visibly twitched.

  “THAT’S NOT THE POINT—”

  “But it is, though?” Zyrenia interrupted.

  Tobias pointed at her.

  “Listen here, you little—”

  “I may be ten,” Zyrenia cut in smoothly, “but I’m still a princess!”

  Tobias, without thinking, fired back instantly.

  “Yeah, a bratty one.”

  Zyrenia paused.

  Then, slowly, she bared her fangs in a playful but very deliberate way.

  Tobias realized his mistake immediately.

  His brain short-circuited.

  Magnus took a step back.

  Jessica kept sculpting, completely unbothered.

  Zyrenia smirked.

  Tobias cleared his throat.

  “...Anyway,” he said stiffly, deciding to ignore what just happened, “Jessica. You’re coming with me. Now.”

  Jessica did not move.

  Instead, she gestured vaguely at Zyrenia.

  “She brought incense. It seemed rude to say no.”

  Tobias stared at her.

  Magnus slowly closed his eyes.

  Zyrenia looked smug.

  Tobias clenched his fists.

  Then, finally, he exhaled.

  “WHY do I even bother!?”

  ________

  Jessica slowly turned her wax dragon between her fingers, checking for imperfections.

  Tobias was still standing there, completely fried.

  Magnus had long since accepted his fate.

  Zyrenia was smugly satisfied with how this was turning out.

  Jessica barely acknowledged any of them when she casually asked:

  “So, when does the combat portion start?”

  Tobias blinked. Once.

  Then twice.

  Magnus, equally stunned, tilted his head slightly.

  “...What?” Tobias finally managed.

  Jessica exhaled through her nose, still focused on smoothing a tiny imperfection in the wax.

  “I mean, the combat duels. They should be starting soon, right?”

  Tobias visibly twitched.

  Jessica continued, not looking up.

  “You and Magnus will probably be up pretty soon,” she mused. “Not to mention Hannelore. She’d probably like it if you watched her.”

  Tobias blinked again.

  Then, slowly, he realized what she was implying.

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  Jessica still didn’t look at him.

  “She’s always staring at you when she trains,” Jessica said, adjusting Zyrenia’s grip on the sculpting tool. “I just thought she’d like it if you watched her exam.”

  She said it with the most deadpan, disinterested voice imaginable.

  Like she was talking about the weather.

  Like this entire conversation hadn’t just been the most exhausting thing Tobias had dealt with all week.

  Tobias stood there in complete silence, brain utterly blank.

  Magnus let out an amused breath through his nose.

  Zyrenia didn’t even try to hide her grin.

  Jessica, still sculpting, finally glanced up.

  Tobias was staring at her like she’d just hit him over the head with a brick.

  Jessica blinked slowly.

  “What?” she asked.

  ?

  Tobias had no idea how to respond to this.

  One second, he was arguing with a ten-year-old vampire.

  The next, Jessica had moved on entirely like none of it even mattered.

  And now, she was casually bringing up Hannelore.

  Jessica’s words replayed in his head.

  “She’s always staring at you when she trains.”

  “I just thought she’d like it if you watched her exam.”

  Tobias blinked.

  Then he blinked again.

  Jessica had never, ever, in all the years he had known her, commented on this kind of thing.

  The fact that she was pointing it out so casually made it worse.

  Jessica raised a brow, watching him like he was the one being weird.

  “Are you malfunctioning?” she asked flatly.

  Tobias opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.

  “I—” He stopped, squinting. “Why do you care?”

  Jessica shrugged.

  “I don’t,” she said. “But you were just standing there like an idiot, so I thought I’d say something.”

  Magnus let out a quiet chuckle.

  Zyrenia, still sculpting, grinned to herself.

  Tobias looked like he wanted to throw something.

  “Jessica—” He inhaled sharply, forcing himself to regain some composure. “Do you—actually care about watching any of the duels?”

  Jessica thought about it for half a second.

  “Not really,” she said. “But I don’t have anything else to do.”

  Tobias stared.

  Jessica tilted her head slightly.

  “...Was that the wrong answer?”

  Tobias ran both hands down his face.

  ?

  Jessica casually shifts the conversation while Tobias is still trying to process the last one.

  She points out Hannelore staring at Tobias during training like it’s an obvious fact.

  Tobias is completely thrown off by the fact that Jessica of all people pointed it out.

  Jessica genuinely doesn’t understand why he’s reacting weirdly.

  Magnus finds the entire thing hilarious.

  Zyrenia is living for this chaos.

  Tobias exhaled deeply.

  “Fine. FINE. You know what? Do whatever you want.”

  Jessica gave him a thumbs-up.

  Tobias turned on his heel and stormed out of the room.

  Magnus, after a moment, followed him.

  But not before giving Jessica a knowing look as he left.

  Zyrenia waited until the door shut before grinning widely.

  “That was fun,” she said.

  Jessica hummed, turning back to the wax.

  “I don’t know why he gets so worked up,” she muttered.

  Zyrenia giggled.

  Jessica didn’t see the knowing look on her face.

  _______

  Jessica continued sculpting for a few moments after Tobias left.

  Zyrenia hummed contentedly, focused on carving the tiny details of the dragon’s wings.

  Magnus was gone.

  Tobias was (thankfully) gone.

  The room was peaceful again.

  ...Until Jessica paused mid-sculpt.

  Zyrenia tilted her head.

  “What?”

  Jessica blinked.

  Then she slowly put the carving tool down and stared at the wall.

  “...I should probably go to the stadium.”

  Zyrenia blinked back.

  Jessica exhaled through her nose.

  “They might do something stupid with the match order,” she muttered. “Technically, I should be last place because I didn’t participate in the magic exam. But Edgar should be somewhere near the top—probably top eight. Maybe even top six.”

  Jessica stood up, dusting wax shavings off her lap.

  “If they move things too fast, I might have to fight sooner than I thought.”

  Zyrenia pouted slightly, still holding her tiny dragon carving.

  Jessica glanced down at her.

  “Want to come with me?”

  Zyrenia perked up immediately.

  Jessica continued casually.

  “You’ll probably meet back up with the envoy. You know, actual diplomatic stuff.”

  Zyrenia huffed but nodded.

  “Fine,” she said, getting up.

  Jessica offered her hand without thinking.

  Zyrenia didn’t hesitate before taking it.

  ?

  Jessica didn’t think twice about leading Zyrenia through the hallways.

  The little girl was small, didn’t know the layout well, and Jessica didn’t want her getting lost.

  She was a child.

  And Jessica didn’t particularly care what anyone else thought about it.

  That, however, was a mistake.

  Because other people absolutely cared.

  ?

  ? Students turned their heads as Jessica walked past.

  ? Conversations halted as nobles did double-takes.

  ? One instructor outright dropped his chalk.

  Jessica was already a walking anomaly.

  But now?

  Now, she was casually walking through the Academy, hand-in-hand with a vampire princess, no attendants in sight, like it was completely normal.

  If it was anyone else, someone would’ve said something.

  But the thing about Jessica Moran...

  Everyone knew dealing with her was painful.

  No one wanted to be the first person to ask why she was casually walking around with the demon envoy’s child.

  They just stared.

  Jessica didn’t even notice.

  ?

  As they walked, Zyrenia blinked, thinking about something.

  She looked up at Jessica, then back at the hallway ahead.

  Then, she furrowed her brows slightly.

  She had been around Jessica for a while now.

  But something felt... off.

  She realized she still hadn’t smelled her properly.

  Every vampire had a heightened sense of smell—especially for blood.

  And yet, Jessica’s scent was still... unclear.

  Her room had been filled with candles.

  That was why she hadn’t noticed it there.

  But now?

  Now they were outside.

  Now there were no candles masking the air.

  Zyrenia’s eyes narrowed slightly.

  She wasn’t sure what she was expecting.

  But she knew she needed to pay attention now.

  ?

  Students didn’t dare speak to Jessica directly.

  But the murmurs were already spreading.

  “Why is she with the envoy’s daughter?”

  “Why is she holding her hand like they’re family?”

  “Isn’t she supposed to be a backwater baron’s daughter?”

  “...Why does nothing about her ever make sense?”

  No one wanted to ask her directly.

  But everyone was asking each other.

  And the rumor mill?

  It was already working overtime.

  Jessica, as usual, remained completely oblivious.

  ?

  By the time they reached the combat exam arena, the stands were already filling up.

  Jessica finally let go of Zyrenia’s hand, barely thinking about it.

  Zyrenia, however, was still processing something.

  She hadn’t gotten a full scent from Jessica yet.

  But she had confirmed something important.

  Jessica Moran...

  Did not smell entirely human.