After binding Aurieth to myself, I ate a sandwich to recover some of my strength, drank some good scotch, and collapsed onto my bed.
I couldn’t even remember when my eyes closed and sleep overtook me, but it did, and I welcomed it with open arms.
I was so exhausted that I couldn’t recall what I dreamt after falling asleep, not that I usually remember my dreams anyway.
But what I did remember was the infuriating frustration I felt when a sharp ringing sound jolted me awake from my much-needed slumber.
Ding, Ding—!!
It was my doorbell.
I ignored it for the first few times and flung my arms over my face, trying to block the incessant noise.
But by the fourth ring, my patience snapped.
I groaned and peeled the blanket off my body with the grace of a dying man.
Whoever was at the door clearly had no regard for my suffering.
Ding, Ding—!!
The fifth ring.
I swore under my breath, dragging myself out of bed.
My body protested every movement as I climbed down the stairs and reached for the door while considering all the ways I could make the intruder regret their persistence.
With a deep sigh, I yanked the door open. “What?!”
Standing in front of me was a short young man with neatly combed-back dark brown hair. His glasses were so large they covered more than half his face, giving him an owl-like appearance.
His thin frame trembled at the sound of my raised voice when I shouted at him in annoyance.
“I-It’s me,” he said meekly.
I gave the young man a long scrutinizing look. Then, with a confused frown, “Right… who are you?”
The boy’s eyes snapped to me, his expression twisting in surprise as he looked almost offended. “It’s me!”
I scowled. “Yeah, you said that already.”
“Ivan!” he exclaimed.
I studied him again as he practically shook under my gaze like a leaf in a storm before clapping my hands in faux realization. “Oh, right! Sivan!”
“It’s Iva—” Ivan sighed in utter exasperation from having to deal with me and tried to correct me on his name. But before he could finish, his expression shifted all of a sudden.
His eyes widened as if he was properly seeing me for the first time today.
Then, he shrieked. “Why are you naked?!”
I glanced down. I was in my underwear which was stained with some dried blood along the sides.
I shrugged. “I’m not.”
“Well, you might as well be!” Ivan yelped, his face turning beet red as he looked away, flustered.
I winced. “Shh! Don’t shout! My head is aching.”
His expression softened almost instantly. “O-Oh. My bad. Sorry!”
Turning around, I walked back inside, leaving the door open. Ivan hesitated at the threshold, shifting from foot to foot before reluctantly stepping in and shutting the door behind him.
“I-I’ve been trying to contact you ever since I heard you guys returned from your mission,” he said as I led him into the sitting area.
Then, as if remembering his manners, he quickly added, “Congratulations on making it back safely, by the way.”
“Oh. Sure, thanks.” I waved off the sentiment and gestured for him to sit.
He complied, perching awkwardly on the edge of the chair.
I took the seat across from him on the sofa, crossing one leg over the other and leaning back casually.
“Now,” I said, leveling him with a look. “What’s so urgent that you had to disturb my rest? Or was it just to congratulate me?”
Ivan fidgeted, adjusting his glasses as if that would somehow make this conversation easier. “Well, um… it’s about your Shadow, Juliana. You asked me to keep an eye on her.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Yeah.”
He swallowed hard, then took a deep breath before continuing, “Well, for the ten days that you have been, she and our alchemy instructor, Rexerd Cronwell, had gotten somewhat close.”
I stared at him. Then, slowly, I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “Somewhat?”
Ivan hesitated before improving his word choice. “Very. They’ve gotten very close. Rumors are flying about them among the first-years about all sorts of things. But no one dares to say anything aloud since he’s an Instructor and she’s a Cadet.”
I drummed my fingers against my knee. “Close how?”
Ivan adjusted his glasses again, looking clearly unsettled. “T-They’re spending a lot of time together. Late nights in the alchemy lab, too many private lessons, even leaving the Academy grounds together a few times.”
My fingers stopped drumming.
I didn’t say anything, and for a moment, the silence stretched, thick and heavy.
Ivan shifted anxiously in his seat.
I finally exhaled through my nose. “And why, exactly, are you telling me this like it’s a warning?”
Ivan licked his lips. “Because you asked me to report anything suspicious I find about her to you. And… also because I think she’s using him.”
That got my attention. “Explain.”
He frowned as if trying to find the right words. “I mean, that girl. She’s charming in a way that’s hard to explain, but she doesn’t just get close to people for no reason. Every relationship she cultivates serves a purpose.”
He paused before adding, “After observing her these past few weeks, I can tell that every single time she talks to someone is because she wants something from them. And it doesn’t matter if they realize that because after a while, they become more than willing to be of service to her in any way they can. It’s…”
Ivan visibly shuddered. “It’s almost disturbing how she strips people of their will and manipulates them like… like…”
“Like her mindless puppets,” I finished for him.
Ivan looked at me and nodded, sweat forming on his brow. “Yes. And she does it so subtly, without anyone noticing. Even I was able to see it because I was actively paying attention to her.”
“Well, Trivan, color me surprised,” I smirked, genuinely pleased with him. “You are highly observant for an NPC.”
“A-An NPC?” Ivan blinked, his frown deepening.
“Never mind,” I waved it off. “Good job, though–”
But before I could praise him further, his eyes narrowed on me.
“You’re not surprised?” he asked, before lingering for a few seconds. “Wait… you already anticipated a scenario like this. That’s why you asked me to keep an eye on her. You didn’t want to know what she was doing, but when!”
The smirk on my face grew until it turned into a grin. A full, wide, toothy grin.
Then, I laughed. “And your deductive reasoning is good too. I’m actually impressed now.”
But Ivan was paying little attention to my words. He looked so confused that I worried his brain might shut down. “Why? What is going on between you two?”
I stood up, my grin still firmly in place. “Remember what I told you when we first met?”
Ivan froze, searching his memory. Then, as if finally recalling it, he spoke in a subdued tone, “T-To never ask you about your business?”
I let out an amused hum. “Oh, look at that! You have a nice memory too!”
Ivan’s lips parted slightly like he wanted to press further but didn’t have the courage.
But although he dropped the matter like I wanted, he looked so pitiful that I couldn’t help but sigh.
Running a hand through my hair, I decided to throw him a bone. “If you must know, Sisan—”
“It’s Ivan,” he corrected, sounding more defeated than usual.
Ignoring him, I continued, “—Juliana is playing a game. She’s used to playing alone, where everyone is just a pawn she moves however she pleases. And because she plays alone, she always wins. But not this time… this time, she’ll lose.”
“…Wait!” Ivan raised his hands as if to physically catch whatever nonsense I was spouting. “She’s manipulating someone, and you’re just letting her? Because you two are playing some twisted game?”
I furrowed my brows, genuinely puzzled. “Letting her? No. I’m not letting her do anything. I’m making her.”
His face scrunched up in confusion.
“You think I’m the one playing against her?” I scoffed. “Please. I’m just flipping the board.”
Ivan opened his mouth, closed it, then tried again. Finally, after a long while, he stammered, “I-I don’t understand a word you just said except that you two might possibly need professional help.”
I laughed.
“Ah, it’s as they say — To a fish, flying is madness. To a bird, drowning is foolishness.” I stepped closer, peering down at him. “But back to you, Vivan. I asked you for something. Do you have it?”
Ivan blinked at me, still processing the existential crisis I’d just shoved into his brain. “Y-Yeah, I have it.”
He fumbled inside his coat, clearly still fighting the urge to question my entire philosophy on life — but wisely choosing not to.
After some awkward shuffling, he pulled out a small glass container and handed it to me.
I took it without hesitation and started inspecting it. It was about the size of two test tubes, filled with a thick, red liquid that looked dangerously close to blood.
It was fake blood.
“Good boy,” I cooed, smirking as he scowled.
I placed the container on a shelf, then shot him a sidelong glance. “With this, you’ve completed all three tasks I asked of you. You’ve held up your end of the deal. I’ll start working on mine in a week. What’s the name of your little crush again?”
Ivan’s ears turned red as he muttered, “I-It’s Irina.”
This guy…
I had so much work to do on him before he was even remotely boyfriend material.
“Right, Irina. I’ll help you win her over like I promised,” I nodded, then sighed tiredly. “By the way, you could’ve at least waited a full day after I returned before showing up to my doorstep and reporting all this.”
Ivan just looked at me.
I stared back.
“What?” I asked.
He tilted his head slightly. “Samael… I did wait a full day. You guys got back yesterday.”
I blinked. Then, very slowly, I turned to look at the window.
Bright afternoon sun. Clear blue sky.
…Wait. But I fell asleep in the afternoon.
…Oh.
Oh, fuck.
“What’s the day today?” I asked carefully.
“Thursday,” Ivan replied flatly.
“…Oh, fuck,” I cursed. I’d slept for an entire day.
“What?” he asked.
“I—” I gulped a mouthful of saliva and chuckled nervously. “I have to submit a debrief report to Instructor Selene about our mission.”
Ivan shrugged. “Want me to help? I’m good with numbers and reports, and I write really fast. I can have it done by tomorrow evening.”
I shook my head. “It’s due by the end of today.”
Silence.
Complete silence.
We stared at each other quietly.
Then, without a word, Ivan slowly rose to his feet.
“Well, I should go,” he said.
“W-Wait!” I lunged for him, but he was already bolting for the door. “Ivan, wait!”
But the bastard didn’t wait. He dashed through the door at full speed — leaving me alone with my impending doom of a report I needed to write.