Damon trudged under the sun, his shadow trailing behind him. Despite being stabbed, he hadn’t given up on searching for Sylvia. He had sent the raven, Croft, to look for her while he stayed with Lilith, making plans for the potential fallout of the dark spirit summoning. The academy grounds were bustling with students as he made his way to the main building, where he was obviously late for class. He had taken two more healing potions, but healing potions didn’t restore lost blood—that was what recovery potions were for. His body still felt sluggish, but he pushed forward, ignoring the dull ache in his limbs. Reaching the classroom, he walked in just as the professor was making their exit. His gaze scanned the room before locking onto Evangeline, who was seated with Leona and Xander. Her golden hair was tied in a ponytail, and as always, she looked breathtaking. But the moment she felt a shadow looming over her, she raised her head, her sun-kissed golden eyes turning ice-cold. "What do you want, Damon?" she asked, her voice laced with irritation. A pang of annoyance flickered through him. He and Evangeline bickered so much that Professor Emeralda had started joking that they were like siblings. "I don’t have time for your bullshit, Evangeline. Where is Sylvia?" She twisted her lips in mild irritation. "I don’t know. Go jump into a lagoon." He sneered. If she was hoping he’d drown in that lagoon, she was about to be disappointed. He had the Water Celebration skill—he couldn’t drown even if he wanted to. "I’ll have to disappoint you," he muttered dryly. Instead of waiting for an invitation, he moved around to where she was sitting, nudged her inside with his waist, and sat down beside her. "Wha—what the hell was that for?!" she sputtered, eyes blazing with outrage. Damon shook his head. "I have some questions." She scoffed. "I don’t have answers." Damon was about to retort when Leona chuckled. "You two are so cute together," she teased. "Like an old married couple." Xander frowned. Damon shot Leona a deadpan look. "Shut up, Leona. Why can’t you ever wish for me to find good things?" Leona only smiled, while Evangeline looked utterly appalled. Her wide eyes flared with rage. "Are you implying that I’m not good enough for you?" Damon sighed, rubbing his temples. He was too tired for this. He glanced at her calmly. "Evangeline, normally, I’d say I wouldn’t be caught dead with you as my spouse, but I’m trying to remake myself as a person, so I’ll be a gentleman." Evangeline narrowed her eyes. "You’re failing… and you still said it." "Pfft… haha…" Leona couldn’t hold back her laughter. She had seen that coming from a mile away. Both Damon and Evangeline turned to glare at her, while Xander sighed. Brushing off the irritation, Damon turned back to Evangeline. "Look, I wanted to ask you something—how much do you know about Sylvia Moonveil?" Evangeline furrowed her brows. "Huh? What? Why are you asking me that?" She glared at him suspiciously. "What the hell are you on?" Damon sighed. She had misunderstood. "It’s not what you think. I was just curious about her, that’s all." Evangeline’s sharp eyes scanned him up and down with clear disdain. "If you want to know about her past, ask her yourself." She slammed the table and got up. Damon clenched his jaw, his irritation rising. Before she could walk away, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down into her seat. Experience new stories on freewebnovel "Let me go, Damon!" she snapped. He gritted his teeth. "Calm down… it’s important. I wanted to know if Sylvia had an affinity for spirits." Evangeline paused, doubt flickering in her golden, sun-marked eyes as they met his, which were as dark as the night. "Why do you want to know that?" He looked to the side, jaw tightening. "It’s… important." She took a deep breath, her expression turning even colder. "You won’t tell me, and yet you want me to reveal deeply personal information about my best friend—without a reason—to the guy who hurt her, no less?" Damon clenched his fists, his frustration mounting, but he suppressed it. He didn’t have time for this—he needed to know. "Look, I promise—it’s life and death. Just tell me." Evangeline scoffed, her gaze cutting into him like a blade. "That’s not your concern. Should’ve thought about that before you stabbed her in the back… Maybe you should consider, for once, that you aren’t some tragic protagonist of a dark fantasy." Her voice dripped with venom. "You’re just some rude, obnoxious jerk… a hypocrite and a liar." She clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms. "I mean, we were just trying to be friends with you." Damon remained quiet, his fists trembling at his sides. Leona wanted to interfere, but seeing his expression, she knew whatever was coming next wouldn’t be good. She raised her hand, but it was Xander who spoke first. "Ahh… Evangeline, maybe you shouldn’t—" "Mind your business." Damon chuckled—cold, distant. "Rude? Obnoxious?" His voice was ice. "Yeah, you’ve got me all figured out… hehe… a tragic protagonist?" 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺 His gaze darkened. How dare she say that? She hadn’t lived through even half the shit he had. "I’m a hypocrite? Yeah, maybe I am… but you know what, Evangeline?" His eyes narrowed. "It takes one to know one." The room fell silent. "You didn’t give a damn about me. None of you did. Not until you thought I was strong. Not until you lost to me. And then, suddenly, you forced yourself into my life—even when I made it pretty damn clear I didn’t want anyone there. "It’s obvious—not because I’m the most pleasant person to be around…" His lips curled into a smirk. "But because it’s convenient for you." Evangeline stiffened, her golden eyes widening. Damon laughed—cold, humorless. "Heh… You always like to talk big about justice… but that’s all you do—talk. You’re weak. A weak person asks for justice… a stronger one creates it." His voice was razor-sharp. "Tell me, Evangeline—who have you ever helped?" Silence. His gaze swept across the class. "How many starving commoners have you walked past? How many dying people have you ignored?" He let the words hang in the air before finishing with a sneer. "I bet the answer is zero. You don’t want justice. After all, you’re in the top one percent—a product of the system." Evangeline’s face paled. Leona tensed, about to step in, but Xander raised a hand, stopping her. "I am a tragic protagonist." Damon’s voice was filled with quiet fury. "Because I’m not part of that top one percent. I don’t have a golden spoon in my mouth. I don’t have the luxury of playing fair. I have to play dirty to survive." His eyes bore into her, unwavering. "So don’t you dare paint me pitch black… when you aren’t so white yourself." Evangeline’s hands trembled, her entire world shaking under his words. Damon took a step forward, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. "Now… tell me if she has a spirit affinity or—" Before he could finish, Leona’s beastkin ears twitched, standing on end. Her fur bristled. Then— RUMBLE. A deafening bang echoed through the academy. The ground shook. The walls groaned. Damon barely had time to react before the tremors sent him crashing into Evangeline. He pushed himself up, his breath ragged. In the distance, a colossal aura pulsed—dark, malevolent, endless. His blood ran cold. He gritted his teeth. "…It’s begun." His eyes sharpened. "I don’t have time to look for Sylvia anymore."