Alex didn't return to the dorms after Awakening Day.
He wandered.
Saint Academy at dusk felt different less polished, more honest. The golden enchantments dimmed, and shadows stretched longer than they should have. Laughter echoed faintly from noble wings, while the outer courtyards lay mostly abandoned.
That was where he ended up.
On his knees.
Scrubbing stone tiles with a rag soaked in cold water.
He didn't remember when he'd started crying.
Only that the tears had dried hours ago.
"Hey."
The voice startled him.
Alex flinched and turned.
Sophia stood a few steps away, hands clasped behind her back. The evening light softened her features, but her eyes were sharp...focused on him, not the ground beneath his hands.
"You don't have to do that," she said.
Alex looked down. "I do."
"For who?"
He didn't answer.
Sophia sighed and crouched beside him. "Elara."
His hands froze.
"She told you to clean the courtyard," Sophia continued calmly. "She does that when she's… displeased."
Alex swallowed. "It's fine."
"No," Sophia said. "It's convenient."
He didn't argue.
Sophia watched him for a moment longer, then spoke again.
"Your ability isn't weak."
Alex laughed quietly. "Everyone disagrees."
"They're wrong."
He finally looked at her
.
Sophia met his gaze steadily.
"I sensed it during the awakening," she said. "And again when you were standing near Elara."
A chill crept up his spine.
"What do you mean?"
Sophia hesitated, glancing around the courtyard.
"Not here," she said. "Follow me."
They moved to an unused training chamber beneath the eastern wing. The room was bare...stone walls, faint mana residue, no surveillance sigils.
Sophia closed the door.
"Sit," she said.
Alex obeyed.
She took a breath.
"Alex… Weakling's Luck isn't luck."
His fingers curled slowly.
"It's a parasite."
The word hit harder than any insult he'd heard that day.
"What?"
Sophia stepped closer.
"It feeds on ambient energy," she explained. "Mana, vitality, emotional output. The stronger the source, the richer the intake."
Alex's head spun.
"That's impossible," he whispered. "I feel weaker all the time."
"Yes," Sophia said. "Because it's untrained. Uncontrolled."
She met his eyes.
"And because someone else is draining you."
Images flashed through his mind.
Elara's touch.
The pressure in his chest.
Her glow.
"She's using me," he said hoarsely.
Sophia nodded.
"Elara's ability is called Echoes of Power," she said. "It amplifies strength by absorbing residual energy from those around her."
Alex felt sick.
"You're a perfect battery," Sophia continued. "Your ability pulls energy. Hers takes it from you."
He stared at the floor.
All those moments. All that weakness.
It wasn't coincidence.
Sophia reached out, placing a hand on his arm.
Her touch was warm.
For the first time, the pain eased.
"See?" she said quietly. "Your parasite responds differently to me."
Alex's eyes widened. "You're not draining me."
"No," she said. "I heal. I stabilize."
She smiled faintly. "Which means you don't have to be weak."
Hope flickered...small, fragile.
"What do I do?" he asked.
Sophia straightened.
"We train," she said. "In secret."
The days that followed were stolen.
Short sessions. Quiet corners.
Sophia taught him to sense energy...not steal it blindly, but listen to it. To let it flow instead of tearing it out.
It was exhausting.
Painful.
But something changed.
For the first time since arriving at Saint Academy, Alex felt… full.
Not strong.
But alive.
Then came the announcement.
A dungeon practice raid.
Mandatory participation.
Elara volunteered instantly.
Alex felt her eyes on him before she spoke.
"Alex will come," she said sweetly. "As support."
Sophia stiffened.
"That's dangerous," she said.
Elara smiled wider. "So is disappointing me."
Alex lowered his gaze.
He knew this wasn't a request.
That night, Alex lay awake in his dorm bed,The room was silent, Too silent, His chest pulsed faintly...his ability stirring.
Hungry,Adaptive, Waiting.
In the darkness, a whisper brushed his thoughts.
Survive,Alex's eyes snapped open.
The voice wasn't Sophia's.
And it wasn't Elara's.
It was something older.
Something watching.
Far above, in the noble wing, Elara stood before a mirror.
Her reflection glowed brighter than ever.
"Soon," she whispered.
She had no idea the thing feeding her was learning how to bite back.