Lira's heartbeat raced, though she tried to calm it.
She had watched Damon from the start, and every movement he made seemed different, somehow beyond natural. His calm precision during the combat simulation, the way he anticipated every attack, made her uneasy—and amazed.
He's hiding something, she thought, brushing a strand of dark-blonde hair from her face. Something I can't see… yet.
Around her, the academy hallways were alive with candidates, teachers, and the hum of unseen energy fields. Most students were exhausted, flushed with effort—but Damon's presence radiated a quiet, steady energy that pulled attention without him trying.
Her gaze flicked to him again. He was tall, frail-skinned, blonde hair slightly messy, crimson eyes fixed ahead as if calculating probabilities she couldn't begin to understand. Every step he took was measured, silent—yet somehow, commanding.
Why does he feel so… dangerous?
Lira's eyes caught movement near the hall's shadows. Something—or someone—was watching Damon.
A cloaked figure, small, almost melting into the darkness, observed from the upper tier of the hallway. Lira felt the tension before her instincts could name it. Her training—careful observation, ability detection—flared.
Someone's interfering, she thought, jaw tightening. And they're not part of the exam.
She wanted to warn Damon, but the system inside him might already know. Or maybe he's already prepared.
A flash of movement, almost imperceptible, and the figure vanished into the shadows.
Lira frowned. Something told her this was more than a random intruder.
She fell in step beside him. He didn't look at her—he never did—but she could sense the faint aura of the system guiding him, its blue holographic traces invisible to her, yet unmistakable in the way he moved: confident, unhurried, untouchable.
"You… you're really something," she whispered under her breath. "I've never seen anyone move like that."
Damon's crimson eyes flicked to the side—briefly—and she could swear there was a glint of acknowledgment, even if he said nothing.
The hall opened into the next part of the exam: an open courtyard, floating platforms stretching over a pit of shimmering energy.
Lira tensed. "This isn't just about ability anymore," she muttered. "Someone's making sure he doesn't make it through—someone who doesn't care about the exam rules."
Her instinct screamed at her: protect him, stay close, and watch for any sign of attack.
And above her, far beyond the courtyard's visible edge, she caught the same cloaked figure observing Damon again, calculating.
They're waiting for the right moment…
Lira clenched her fists. She didn't yet know what Damon could do, or the full extent of the system inside him, but she wouldn't let him face this alone.
The ground shimmered beneath Damon's feet as he advanced, calm, unstoppable, the unseen watcher's target.
And Lira realized something chilling:
This exam had already stopped being just a test.
It had become a hunt.