The lights of Belgrave University glowed softly as Lucas walked out of the forest and back onto the quiet campus paths. The buildings looked peaceful again, as if nothing unusual had happened that night.
But Lucas knew better.
Just a few minutes ago, he had fought a werewolf and met one of the Knights of Saint Christopher.
And somehow, the encounter hadn't turned into a fight.
Lucas placed his hands in his pockets while walking toward the dorm buildings.
"That guy… Randall," he muttered.
The Knight hadn't acted like an enemy.
If anything, Randall had seemed cautious… almost curious.
Lucas glanced up at the tall buildings of Belgrave.
Most students were already asleep. Only a few windows still had lights on.
The system spoke again inside his mind.
Ding! Quest Progress — The Wolves of Belgrave: 25%.
Lucas smiled slightly.
"That was fast."
Usually quests took longer to progress.
But simply meeting Randall Carpio had already pushed the quest forward.
Which meant the system considered that interaction important.
Lucas continued walking.
A thought slowly formed in his mind.
"If the Knights are enemies of the Order…"
Then maybe they weren't enemies of him.
Lucas had only joined the Order recently.
He didn't have any loyalty toward them yet.
In fact, most of what he knew about the Order came from the series The Order.
And the Order wasn't exactly innocent in that story.
They manipulated students.
Used dangerous magic.
And sometimes treated people like disposable tools.
Lucas frowned slightly.
"Coventry especially."
Edward Coventry was powerful, intelligent, and extremely manipulative.
Lucas knew how dangerous that man could be.
Which meant trusting the Order blindly would be stupid.
Lucas stopped walking for a moment.
"What about the Knights?"
From what he remembered, the Knights of Saint Christopher were originally protectors.
They hunted dangerous magic and tried to stop the Order from abusing it.
Of course, they weren't perfect either.
But they seemed… less manipulative.
Lucas started walking again.
"I need more information."
Right now he only knew a little about them.
But tonight proved something important.
The Knights were real.
And they were already active at Belgrave.
Lucas suddenly chuckled.
"What if…"
The idea was ridiculous.
But also interesting.
"What if I joined them instead?"
The thought stayed in his mind as he reached the dorm building.
Lucas walked up the stairs and entered the hallway.
Everything was quiet.
Most students were asleep.
Lucas opened the door to his room and stepped inside.
He dropped onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.
"Joining the Knights…"
If that happened, things would become very complicated.
The Order would consider him a traitor.
But at the same time, the Knights might offer something valuable.
Power.
And freedom from the Order's control.
Lucas closed his eyes.
"I don't even know how someone joins them."
The Knights of Saint Christopher didn't recruit people normally.
They were connected to magical wolf hides that bonded with chosen hosts.
Which meant joining them wasn't something a person could simply request.
Still…
Lucas remembered something.
In the story of The Order, new Knights sometimes appeared when the hides chose new hosts.
Which meant the possibility existed.
Lucas opened his eyes again.
The system suddenly spoke.
Ding! Hidden Thought Detected.
Lucas blinked.
"…What?"
Ding! New Sub-Quest Created — Path of the Wolf.
Objective: Learn more about the Knights of Saint Christopher.
Lucas slowly sat up.
"Well… that answers that."
The system had noticed his thoughts and turned them into a quest.
Interesting.
Lucas leaned back against the wall beside his bed.
"If I really wanted to join them…"
He would first need to understand them.
Their members.
Their rules.
Their enemies.
And most importantly…
Their wolf hides.
Lucas closed his eyes again.
"I guess tomorrow I'll start looking for information."
But one thing was already certain.
Lucas Hale had entered the supernatural war of Belgrave.
And whether he stayed with the Order or eventually joined the Knights…
The conflict between the two factions would shape his future.
The system confirmed it.
Ding! Quest Updated — Path of the Wolf (0%).
Lucas smiled faintly.
"This is going to be fun."