When Raze saw the system notification, his first thought was that the system had to be insane.
Fighting Jason and Michael together was a bad idea. Not just because he could lose but because winning would mean going all out. And if that happened, the secret he was desperately trying to keep buried wouldn't stay hidden.
If he fought them separately, that was different.
By the time combat classes ended, the sun was already sinking past the academy walls, painting the sky in deep orange and red.
Students poured back into the dormitories, exhausted and loud, ready to forget the day.
Beatrix, Liam, and Felix returned to their room together.
The moment Felix stepped inside, his gaze flicked toward the closet.
He froze.
Something dark was folded inside, half-hidden behind the rest of their uniforms.
Felix's expression sharpened instantly.
Beatrix noticed it first. "What's wrong?"
Felix didn't answer. He walked over, opened the closet wider, and pulled the uniform out.
It was Raze's.
Bloodstained. Dried along the fabric near the stomach and shoulder.
The room went quiet.
Liam swallowed. "That's… Raze's, right?"
Beatrix stepped closer, eyes narrowing. "Why is there blood on it?"
Felix clenched the fabric in his hand, inspecting it.
"It looks like he'd been stabbed…" he muttered.
He stared at the uniform longer than necessary before neatly placing it back into the closet.
Felix straightened. "Stay here."
Beatrix looked up. "Felix—"
"I'll find him," he said. His voice was calm, but there was something sharp underneath it. "If instructors get involved before we know what's going on, things get messy."
Liam hesitated. "What if whoever did it is still around?"
Felix's eyes flicked toward the door.
"Then I'll make sure they don't touch him again."
Beatrix studied him for a moment, then nodded. "We'll wait. If he comes back, we'll tell him you're looking for him."
Felix grabbed his jacket and turned toward the exit.
As he stepped into the hallway, the noise of the dorms washed over him. Laughter. Arguments. Students talking about drills, teams, and grades.
None of them knew.
Someone had stabbed his friend.
Felix's expression darkened.
'Where would you go if you didn't want to be seen…'
His gaze swept down the corridor.
"Don't worry," he muttered under his breath. "I'll find you."
And somewhere else in the academy, Raze was already moving.
Raze had been following Jason and Michael for a while now, waiting for the right moment to confront one of them when the area was secluded and empty.
The two walked casually, unaware they were being watched, until they began making their way toward the edge of the academy grounds.
"We should stop by that convenience store nearby," Michael said. "I heard a new game dropped recently."
"Yeah," Jason replied. "This place has been stressing me out."
At the front of the academy stood a massive reinforced gate, guarded at all times. Only instructors, military personnel, and registered students were allowed through.
Anyone leaving would have to scan their wristwatch on the way back in or be manually checked against the academy database.
Jason and Michael passed through the gate without issue.
Raze followed shortly after, keeping his distance.
The sun had already dipped low, shadows stretching across the road. That's when he noticed something strange.
He could see clearly.
Too clearly.
Even as the light faded, the surroundings remained sharp, almost as if the moon itself was illuminating everything.
'…I can see in the dark?' he thought. 'That's unexpected.'
He kept moving.
After nearly half an hour of following them, a convenience store came into view ahead.
Jason and Michael went inside.
Raze hesitated, then followed.
This time, he kept his head down, pretending to browse while keeping them in the corner of his vision. There were a few close calls where one of them nearly turned his way, but Raze slipped behind shelves or moved aisles just in time.
As he scanned the store, something near the end of an aisle caught his attention.
Masks.
One stood out immediately.
Matte black. Featureless. It covered the entire face. Two narrow eye slits glowed faintly cyan, and a subtle flame-like marking curved above one eye.
Raze picked it up.
'Edgy…' he thought. Then, after a pause,
'…but perfect.'
When Jason and Michael left the store, Raze walked up to the counter.
"That'll be eight credits," the middle-aged cashier said.
Raze paid without hesitation.
He exited the store moments later and resumed following them.
"You know," Michael said as they walked, "Julian wanted to meet us near the forest before curfew. You going?"
Jason let out an annoyed breath. "What does that Level Two want now? Protection? He's been begging us for four days."
He clicked his tongue. "Fine. Let's hear him out."
They changed direction, heading toward the forest path.
Raze's gaze hardened.
'Good,' he thought. 'Now or never.'
He slowed his steps, then lifted the mask and placed it over his face.
This wasn't about anger anymore. Or pride.
This was about finishing what had started.
As Jason and Michael entered the forest, Raze vanished silently into the shadows behind them, preparing to strike.
[Piercing Slash activated]
Raze unleashed the slash straight toward Jason's back.
The slash landed cleanly.
Jason gasped as the force tore across his back, sending him stumbling forward. Blood sprayed across the dirt, his legs buckling as he crashed to one knee.
"What?!" Michael spun around, his eyes wide.
Raze was already there.
And his eyes were glowing cyan…