Chapter 4 – Pink Lies and Fangs

The morning light filtered weakly through grey clouds as rain tapped against the windows of Obsidian. The streets shimmered with puddles. Cold wind nipped at exposed skin.

Riven thought it was beautiful.

He stepped out of the shower, steam curling from his shoulders, and wiped the mirror clean with one hand. Crimson eyes stared back. Black hair damp. Faint steam rising from his skin. He looked like any other teenager.

A perfect illusion.

He bared his teeth slightly, inspecting them. No fangs. Not yet. Not unless the hunger worsened.

*I really should consider becoming an actor,* he thought while brushing his teeth. *If I can fake being this harmless, I could probably win awards.*

He spat, rinsed, then leaned against the sink with a smirk.

*Kael will never know Lucas was killed by me,* he mused. *And if he ever finds out? Well… I'll just kill him too. Him and every investigator they send.*

His fridge hummed softly.

Empty.

Not that he needed it.

No food. No breakfast. No worries.

He glanced at the pink balaclava resting on his desk.

*Let's have some fun today.*

Obsidian Hill Academy always buzzed in the morning. Even after the death of a noble, even with an investigation underway—school was school.

Riven strolled through the entrance like nothing had happened. His collar was folded up to hide the colour, his smile easy, his hands tucked in his pockets.

A girl with short red hair bumped into him in the hallway.

"Oh! Sorry, Riven!"

He caught her by the shoulders before she could stumble.

"Careful," he said with a wink. "If you fall for me like that, I might start getting ideas."

She laughed, blushed, and quickly scurried off.

Riven grinned, continuing toward class.

Every step was perfectly timed. Every gesture calculated.

And none of it real.

Lilly sat two rows ahead, quiet as ever. Her braid was looser today, glasses askew. Her fingers drummed softly against the desk, though she didn't seem aware of it.

Riven tilted his head.

*Still shaken from last night?* he wondered. *Didn't even do anything yet, and she already looks like she saw a ghost.*

Their eyes met briefly.

He gave her a small wave.

She flinched. Looked away.

*Adorable.*

Classes dragged on. Aura theory. Dungeon expansion protocols. Monster classification.

The only interesting part was the whispering.

"Did you hear? New teacher's coming next week."

"Yeah, heard they transferred from the inner city."

"Apparently super strict. Weird vibe though. Like… distant."

Riven filed the info away lazily. Might be useful later. Or entertaining.

Bell rang.

Lunch break.

And Riven slipped away.

The old service wing of the school was practically abandoned. Rusted lockers. Cracked floor tiles. A vending machine that hadn't worked in years.

Behind one crooked maintenance door, Riven changed.

Cloak over his uniform. Pink balaclava pulled down tight. He checked himself in a broken mirror shard, adjusting the eye holes.

He looked ridiculous.

And terrifying.

His collar was folded high to hide his rank. Just a nameless figure in a pink mask.

*Perfect.*

Lilly moved through the second-floor corridor, heading toward the library annex. Her footsteps were light. Her expression unreadable.

Lights flickered above her.

She paused.

A chill ran down her spine.

Her hand trembled as she adjusted her glasses—then dropped them.

They clattered to the floor. She bent down quickly to grab them—

And froze.

Two black boots.

Right in front of her.

Her breath hitched. She grabbed her glasses, shoved them onto her face—

No one was there.

Except…

A figure.

Down the hallway. Cloaked. Pink mask. Standing completely still.

"Who...?" she whispered.

Then it moved.

One step. Then another. Then—

Gone.

Back again. Inches from her face.

"You were right about vampires," a low voice whispered. Then a soft, unhinged laugh.

She stumbled back, eyes wide—

And saw fangs.

Real ones.

Sharp. White. Glinting just beneath the mask.

Then—

Gone.

Just like that.

The corridor lights flickered again.

Empty.

Lilly stood frozen for nearly a full minute before she backed against the wall, trying to slow her breath.

*It wasn't real. It couldn't be real. Just a prank. Just stress. Right?*

She didn't report it.

Didn't move.

Didn't speak.

Riven returned through a different hallway, dropping his cloak and mask back into the same room, stuffing them deep beneath old textbooks in his bag.

He fixed his collar, ruffled his hair, and stepped back into the building just as the bell rang.

In the hall, someone slapped him on the back.

"Yo! Riven—where'd you vanish to?!"

He grinned. "Bathroom. You don't wanna know."

The student laughed and walked off.

*So easy,* Riven thought, gliding back into class.

He sat down.

Lilly was already there.

Pale. Quiet. Eyes darting.

Sarah leaned in toward him. "She looks off today."

Riven tilted his head. "Probably been reading too many vampire stories."

Sarah didn't reply.

Her silence lingered.

*Hmm. Didn't like that? How interesting.*

Across the room, Kael approached Lilly. He crouched beside her, whispering something.

Riven watched but couldn't hear.

Lilly just nodded. Didn't say anything back. Didn't smile.

Kael gave her a soft pat on the shoulder and walked back to his seat.

Riven leaned back, folding his arms behind his head, eyes on the ceiling.

*That was just the first move.*

That evening, the rain had returned.

Riven lay stretched out on his mattress, one leg dangling over the side. His apartment was dim, lit only by the soft red glow of a rune light.

The pink mask sat on his desk.

Still.

Waiting.

He stared at it for a long while, then let out a soft chuckle.

"Lilly… you're going to be such a fun toy."

His eyes flicked closed, the smile never leaving his face.

Tomorrow would be even better.

Let the next round begin.