months

The moon rose over the castle, bathing the towers in silver light. A gentle wind whispered through the stone corridors, but inside Raz's room, the air was thick. Heavy. As if something unseen was pressing down on it.

Raz paced restlessly. His bare feet tapped against the floor with restrained anxiety. Back and forth he walked, one hand on the back of his neck, the other clenched into a fist. Four days… and it felt like he hadn't moved an inch.

—"Not a single one of them trusts me…" he murmured. "Not a single one."

Lili looks at me like I'm a stranger. Susan… like I'm hiding something.

Even the king, with that fake smile… wants me dead.

In a corner, kneeling with her back straight, was Violeta. Silent, as always. That vacant gaze, staring into nothingness.

But this time, sensing her master's agitation, she did something unexpected. Slowly, she slipped down the strap of her dress, exposing her pale, wounded shoulder—as if offering her body to soothe his soul.

Raz turned as he felt it… and frowned.

—"Don't do that."

She looked at him, expressionless.

—"It's my duty to please you. I can't bear to see my master like this."

Raz stepped closer, and in a gesture both gentle and firm, he pulled the strap back up and covered her shoulder.

—"You're no use to me that way. Don't interfere."

She lowered her head.

—"As you command… master."

Raz sighed, rubbing his face with both hands.

—"I need to get stronger. I can't keep waiting for something to change on its own."

Then, a sudden knock broke the silence. A loud, dry thud against the door.

Startled, Raz spun and glanced at Violeta.

—"Stay there. Don't make a sound," he whispered, then went to open the door.

Standing there, as firm and serious as ever, was Susan.

—"What is it, Susan?"

She looked at him with a deep frown.

—"Can I come in?"

Raz hesitated for a moment, then stepped aside and let her in. He made sure Violeta remained out of sight, hidden in the shadowed corner of the room.

—"What brings you here?"

Susan crossed her arms.

—"I wanted to talk. Since we arrived, I can't help but notice something… Everyone distrusts you. Even me."

Raz smiled, as always—that same smile that irritated and intrigued in equal measure.

—"And you came to tell me that so bluntly?"

—"I came to understand why," she said. "You don't show emotion, you always smile—even when everyone's accusing you. It's like nothing ever gets to you."

Raz leaned against the wall, arms crossed.

—"And what if I told you it's true? That I don't care. That as long as I survive, nothing else matters."

Susan blinked, surprised by his honesty.

—"That… would be incredibly selfish."

—"Yeah." Raz looked down for a moment. "But it'd also be real. I didn't choose to be here. None of us did. So if I can't trust this world, the least I can do is trust myself. And get stronger."

Susan lowered her gaze, thoughtful. Something in his words struck a chord—because she knew he wasn't wrong.

—"And what about us?"

Raz looked at her sideways.

—"Us?"

—"Me? Lili?"

Raz's smile softened, just slightly.

—"That's why I keep telling you to get stronger. Because this world won't wait. It won't show mercy. And I don't want anything to happen to you."

Susan blushed, though her expression stayed serious.

—"I… want to protect you too. Even if you drive me crazy sometimes."

—"I know. And I appreciate it," Raz said quietly.

Susan turned toward the door but paused before leaving.

—"When they called you a demon… it was the first time I saw you look serious. And it scared me. I don't know if your kindness is an act… but if you're not who you say you are… I'll find out. Eventually."

And without waiting for a response, she left.

Raz closed the door gently. He stood in silence for a moment, hand still resting on the handle. Then he chuckled—low and dark.

—"Even she suspects me…"

He turned toward Violeta, still kneeling exactly where he left her.

—"Getting stronger, huh…"

He removed his shirt, unwrapped the bandages on his chest, and let his true form surface.

His fangs elongated.

His eyes flared.

His nails sharpened into blades.

And his skin darkened to a shadowy hue.

—"Time for dinner," he said, licking his lips.

With his cloak draped over his shoulders, he slipped into the castle night…

Like a shadow with hunger.

Six Months Passed

Long, quiet months—filled with training, battles… and secrets.

Raz, Lili, and Susan grew stronger with every week. They fought hordes of goblins, flying beasts, lesser demons, and creatures wielding unknown magic. Sometimes together, other times alone… but they always came back alive.

Raz… Raz was different.

His magic evolved beyond any human logic.

Every night, without anyone knowing, he went out to hunt.

Maids. Soldiers. Merchants. Mages.

Some were weak. Others had terrifying powers.

He drank their blood. Absorbed their abilities.

And vanished.

Many simply disappeared…

And no one asked questions.

Magic of level 1… then 2… until one night, he stole the power of a visiting level 4 mage who had come for a royal audience.

Raz left no traces.

Only a smile—

And a new power.

But not everything was about strength.

Tension thickened within the castle walls.

The crown princess, frustrated at her failed attempts to eliminate Raz, began sending soldiers on impossible missions.

Deaths disguised as heroism.

Each fallen life… a soul for the King of the Abyss.

Susan and Lili changed too.

More powerful. More confident.

But more confused.

Both in love. Both uncertain.

Susan—colder, more serious, but closer to Raz.

Lili—emotional, sensitive… and burning with jealousy.

And Violeta…

Violeta remained in the room.

Sometimes she spoke. Sometimes she didn't.

But her gaze… that hollow, lifeless gaze… never left her.

⸻

Raz walked the castle halls alone.

His boots echoed against the marble tiles.

His cloak brushed the floor.

His mind… lost in memory.

Flashbacks washed over him like whispers:

— "Thank you for the water, Sir Hero," said a young maid.

— "Would you like to train with me?" asked a hopeful soldier.

Raz remembered their faces.

Their voices. Their eyes before they vanished.

Because yes… it was them.

The ones he fed from.

The ones who were now… gone.

—"Why do they disappear?" he asked himself.

But he looked away, that familiar smile returning to his lips.

—"I'll find out… someday."

He kept walking.

And then came warmer memories…

Susan, laughing beside him. Rare, for her.

Lili, on a mission, worried about him.

Susan watching him sleep, unaware of the tenderness in her eyes.

—"Susan…" he whispered.

Every time he thought of her, his chest tightened.

A strange beat… unfamiliar.

Was it love?

No. It couldn't be.

Raz didn't love.

But… he felt something.

Something he couldn't control.

With Susan… there was something real.

With Lili… just a potential ally, in case the world turned hostile.

That thought made him frown.

—"Was I always like this?" he wondered, placing a hand over his chest.

"Or… am I becoming more human?"

He looked out the window. The training fields were empty.

The torches lit the castle…

But they didn't warm it.

Everything looked the same.

And yet, everything had changed.

Raz smiled…

But for the first time in a long while—

that smile… wavered.