Chapter 5 – A Breath Too Loud

Lilly clutched her bag tighter as she walked through the city's morning chill. Rain slicked the pavement from the night before, and the clouds above threatened more. She should've brought an umbrella, but she hadn't been thinking straight all week. Her footsteps echoed a little too loudly against the quiet sidewalk, and every time the wind shifted, she glanced over her shoulder.

[You imagined it.]

That's what she kept telling herself. The figure in the hallway. The mask. The fangs. The voice that said she was right. It had to be a dream. A trick of the light. Her glasses had fallen, hadn't they? Maybe she hallucinated the whole thing. Stress. Fatigue. Too many late-night dungeon theory videos.

And yet…

Every time she tried to believe that, her mind returned to those eyes.

Crimson. Still. Watching her with the calm of something that didn't need to chase.

Her heart beat faster just thinking about it. She didn't know who it was. Could've been anyone. But deep down, she knew it had to be someone from school. Someone who heard her. Maybe even someone she knew.

Maybe… someone she liked.

She shook the thought away and kept walking.

Obsidian Hill Academy's front gate buzzed with life again. Riven strolled through the crowd, hood down, school ID hanging from a loose collar. Students were laughing. Joking. The usual noise.

Only one thing was different.

Lilly.

She sat at her desk, shoulders hunched, not even pretending to hide her exhaustion. Her hands fidgeted under the table. When Mr. Harrow asked a question about mutation-class dungeon monsters, she didn't even register it.

"Miss Lilly?" he repeated.

She blinked and looked up. "S-sorry, sir."

Mr. Harrow only nodded and moved on. But the silence that followed said enough.

Riven, one row behind, tilted his head.

[Oh, I've really spooked her.]

Sarah leaned closer to him. "She looks like she didn't sleep."

Riven raised an eyebrow. "Yeah… weird."

He said nothing else, just let the tension hang.

Sarah didn't push. But her eyes lingered a moment longer on Lilly before she turned back to her notes.

Across the room, Kael watched quietly. Riven noticed the glance but looked away first.

Midway through the lesson, Mr. Harrow stood from his desk with a small stack of papers.

"Today's schedule includes assignment pairing," he said, tone as lifeless as ever. "You will begin a group project to be completed over the next week. Your task: simulate a dungeon threat scenario. Choose a monster and explain how it would adapt to living in our world."

The room rustled with mild excitement.

"The assignments are random," Mr. Harrow added.

Riven rested his cheek on his hand. [Random. Sure it is. Nothing in this world ever feels random when it helps me win.]

He didn't even need to hear the name. When Mr. Harrow said it, he almost laughed.

"Riven and Lilly. Assigned creature: orc."

Lilly turned her head slightly, visibly tense.

[Of all the boys in class… why him?]

Her hands tightened slightly on her sleeves.

[No. No, don't be ridiculous. Riven is kind. He smiles at everyone…]

Still…

"Guess you'll be carrying the project," Sarah teased Riven, leaning in with a sideways glance.

He just smiled. [How considerate of fate… homework with my favourite toy.]

He leaned forward and gave Lilly a polite nod. She nodded back quickly, then looked away. Her ears were red.

[Crushing on me now, huh? Can't blame you. Who wouldn't?] Riven thought, amused. [This is going to be fun.]

After class, Mr. Harrow made an announcement.

"The City Guard Department has begun conducting interviews related to the death of Lucas Ashington. Some of you may be pulled aside for questioning. If so, cooperate fully."

A low murmur ran through the room.

"Why us?" someone muttered.

Mr. Harrow pushed up his glasses. "Because Lucas was last seen leaving school grounds. The CGD is establishing timelines."

Riven didn't blink. Just kept doodling on his notepad.

Kael stared at the desk. In his mind, the image was burned there: Lucas's body, cleanly decapitated. No burn marks. No claw shredding. No wild aura flares.

[Too clean.]

[Like someone wanted the head gone. Not the body.]

Lucas's noble family wouldn't sit quietly for long. If the CGD didn't find answers… House Ashington would.

A few students had already been taken out of class for questioning. Riven had watched them come back—eyes down, pale, shaken.

He hadn't been called yet.

[Interesting.]

The day dragged. Lilly didn't talk much, and Riven played the friendly classmate role so well, no one suspected a thing.

By the end of it, rain had returned—light this time, misting the stone streets with a cool shimmer.

Lilly walked home slowly, head lowered.

Every footstep behind her made her twitch.

She turned down a narrow alley near her apartment. Nothing. Just puddles and wind.

She reached her front door. Locked it. Bolted it. Sat down with her bag still on her lap.

She didn't even know why she checked it.

But there they were.

Her glasses.

Perfectly clean. Not a smudge.

But something was off.

There, near the corner of the right lens, was a thin scratch.

And just below it… a tiny red dot.

A single drop of something that dried too dark.

Lilly dropped the glasses onto the floor. She stared at them, heart pounding.

She hadn't cleaned them. She hadn't even noticed them missing.

But someone… had been close enough to touch them.

She crawled away from the bag, arms shaking.

[What do I do? Who do I tell? Would they believe me? Would he—would Riven?]

[No. He's just… nice to everyone. I barely even know him.]

And that's what made it worse.

Somewhere else in the city, Riven leaned back in bed, staring at the ceiling with a grin.

The mask sat on his desk like a trophy.

The game wasn't over.

Not even close.