The bell announces the end of classes.
I don't waste time.
I follow that guy.
I use magic to keep my distance. He's careful. He knows how to move without looking like a stalker—always a few meters away, always blending into the crowd. The more I watch him, the clearer one thing becomes.
He's not an amateur.
Who's backing him?
Vivian leaves the school surrounded by friends. She laughs, talks, makes plans to go somewhere. He follows her.
I don't.
I'm not repeating the mistake from last time.
This time I'll do it properly.
First: kidnapping.
Second: full inspection.
Third: controlled interrogation.
I wait.
Now.
I teleport behind him.
The world cracks for an instant and we reappear in a forest. Before he can react, I activate tracking magic over his body.
And there it is.
A mark.
Shaped like an axe.
"So you too…" I murmur.
I activate a blocking seal. The mark resists, trying to activate. It takes me almost twenty seconds to completely suppress it.
Good.
I slam him to the ground and break one of his legs.
The sound is dry.
He screams.
"Don't scream like this was an accident," I say calmly. "This isn't a game."
I press down on the fracture.
Another scream.
"Tell me why you follow pretty girls."
I press harder.
"Alright!" he yells. "I only watch Vivian. I just report, that's all."
"I believe you," I reply. "But only halfway."
I press again.
"Continue."
"I don't do anything else. I only follow her."
"Are there other girls?"
I release my fear aura, but I don't aim it directly at him. I let him feel it nearby, let him sense it.
He starts trembling. Sweat runs down his face.
"Looks like you're still hiding things," I say. My voice loses its elegance, turning into something darker. "Do I really have to torture you?"
"No, please!" he sobs. "I only follow Vivian. But… there are others."
That catches my interest.
I raise an eyebrow.
"Others?"
"I don't know how many girls they follow."
That makes sense. I haven't explored the entire city or the whole county yet. I only have a few names clear in my head.
"Tell me the most popular girls in the school," I order. "All of them."
He looks at me.
I break his other leg.
Now he cries without shame.
"Madison… Chloe… Vivian… Sarra… Brittany… Susan… Deysi…"
Seven.
Too many.
The last four don't fully fit in my memory.
"Why Vivian?" I ask. "Why her first?"
"I don't know. I just follow orders."
Madison is rich. Chloe too. Money, influence, protection.
"The last four," I say. "What school are they from?"
He looks at me. In his eyes there's only fear… and something else I can't quite identify.
I break his arm.
"This one!" he screams. "This same school!"
I remember.
Damn it. The previous owner of this body was terrible with details.
"Who follows the others?" I ask. "Tell me now."
"I don't know. I just know Madison and Chloe are watched more closely. It's not one person… it's several."
That's useful information.
"Do you only operate in this county?"
"No… we operate in seve—"
The mark reactivates.
But not like before.
This time there's no immediate explosion.
His skin starts to peel away.
I step back.
Flesh falls. Muscles tense. When it's over, what remains is no longer human.
His eyes are completely black.
My breathing quickens.
This isn't just a disposable pawn.
"So this is it…" I murmur.
I've never fought something like this.
I've killed humans.
But this…
I swallow.
I don't retreat.
I release my fear aura completely.
The skinless creature releases its own.
The auras collide.
And the forest seems to shrink around us.