Sophomore Ball IV

The moonlight bathed the quiet garden in an eerie glow, casting long, jagged shadows along the walls of the secluded courtyard where the academy's grand ball was still in full swing. Laughter and music echoed faintly from the distance, a stark contrast to the tension settling over the small group that had drifted away from the main event.

Rachel, Cecilia, and Seraphina walked beside me, the soft fabric of their gowns brushing against the grass as we strolled toward the supposed "private gathering" that Drake Namgung had invited us to. His invitation seemed harmless on the surface—a chance to escape the ball's chaos and relax with a few familiar faces. Yet something about the way he'd proposed it made my instincts flare up in warning.

I didn't trust Drake.

And Luke Orden? His sudden friendliness toward me tonight was even more suspect. I glanced over at Luke walking just ahead of us. His posture was tense, his expression unreadable in the moonlight, but I could feel the weight of his gaze on me.

I could feel the hatred simmering beneath his calm façade.

Cecilia, Rachel, and Seraphina were talking amongst themselves, completely oblivious to the undercurrent of malice that lingered in the air. It wasn't their fault, really. To them, this was just another evening, another ball, another social event. They trusted me to keep them safe.

And that was exactly what I planned to do.

"Art, you're too quiet," Rachel said suddenly, her voice breaking the silence. Her hand gently tugged on my sleeve, a playful smile on her lips. "Don't tell me you're nervous."

I forced a smile back, trying to mask the unease swirling in my gut. "I'm fine, Rach."

But I wasn't.

Luke's presence alone was enough to make me wary, but with Drake involved, things were about to get complicated. My mind raced, weighing the possibilities of what was going on here. Drake was a senior, already advanced enough to be considered one of the top students in his year, but it was the aura I sensed around him—something dark, something wrong—that made me suspicious.

We finally arrived at the destination, a quiet, forgotten part of the academy grounds, far from the ballroom. It was the perfect place to hide. The perfect place for an ambush.

The venue itself was an old, unused training hall, its stone walls weathered and cracked from years of neglect. The garden surrounding it was overgrown, adding to the place's sense of isolation. The soft glow from lanterns along the path did little to dispel the darkness that seemed to cling to every corner.

"This place feels a bit off," Seraphina commented, her crystalline blue eyes narrowing slightly as she scanned the surroundings. "Why are we here, Drake?"

Drake, who had been walking a few paces ahead, stopped and turned to face us, a sly grin spreading across his face. "It's just a quiet spot, that's all. I figured we could get away from all the noise."

Luke, however, didn't say a word. He stood rigid, his eyes fixated on me. There was something dangerous lurking in his gaze, something darker than simple rivalry.

I stepped forward, positioning myself slightly in front of the girls. "Is that really why we're here?" I asked, keeping my tone casual but firm.

Drake's grin widened. "Relax, Nightingale. Not everything is a trap."

But I wasn't buying it. I felt Luna's presence stirring in the back of my mind, her voice echoing my unease.

'Be careful, Arthur. There's something more here. Something tainted.'

"Luke," I said, turning to him. "What's really going on?"

For a moment, Luke remained silent, his jaw clenched as though he was holding back a wave of emotion. Then, with a bitter laugh, he finally spoke. "You don't get it, do you?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Get what?"

Luke stepped forward, the moonlight casting shadows across his face, making his expression appear more twisted than before. "Everything. You don't get anything. You walk around here like you own the place—like you deserve everything. Rachel, Cecilia, Seraphina… all of them. They just flock to you, and for what? What makes you so special?"

I took a deep breath, sensing the shift in the atmosphere. The darkness I had felt earlier—the oppressive, suffocating aura—it wasn't just from Drake. It was coming from Luke as well.

Black mana.

"So this is what this is about," I said quietly. "Envy."

Luke's eyes flashed with anger. "You don't deserve any of them, Arthur! You're playing with their hearts, taking all of them for yourself while people like me—"

"You're not thinking straight, Luke," I interrupted, taking a step forward. "This isn't you. The Luke I know wouldn't—"

"The Luke you know?" He scoffed. "You never knew me, Arthur. You never cared to. You're always too busy playing the hero."

Drake's chuckle cut through the tension like a knife, and I turned my attention back to him. His hand was now casually resting on the hilt of his sword, and I could see the faint tendrils of black mana curling around him, intertwining with his aura like a serpent.

"That's enough, Luke," Drake's voice cut through the growing tension, smooth and dripping with amusement. "Let's show Arthur what real power looks like."

Before I could even process the words, the shadows around us came alive, slithering across the ground like ink spilling from an overturned jar. A chill ran down my spine, and I barely had time to shout a warning to the girls before Drake's black mana surged, thickening the air with an oppressive darkness that seemed to swallow everything.

'Damn it!'

Without hesitation, the sigils of Lucent Harmony ignited across my skin, burning bright as I unleashed a five-circle spell, sending waves of flames spiraling outward in every direction, hoping to burn away the creeping shadows. But the flames flickered against the sheer weight of Drake's mana, barely holding them at bay.

I needed to alert the professors. I couldn't handle this on my own. Drake had reached Integration-rank, and now, as a demon contractor, his power had only grown. Even with Rachel, Seraphina, and Cecilia by my side, this wasn't a fight we could win.

'We can't Arthur,' Luna informed as she turned my attention upwards.

I couldn't detect it but I could what was there.

A veil, cast by a high-ranking demon to ensure professors wouldn't detect us.

This was dangerous.