On a dark, rainy night, Damião walked carelessly through the streets, fiddling with his phone and listening to music.
The strangest thing was that the raindrops seemed to avoid him, and Damião knew exactly where to go even though the streets were shrouded in rain-soaked fog and the cloak of night's darkness.
"I wanna love you
But something's pulling me away from you
Jesus is my virtue
And Judas is the demon I cling to"
The music played through his headphones, a sound that drowned out all the noise of the rain falling around him.
Damião bobbed his head to the rhythm, his steps growing livelier as the song reached its peak.
Suddenly, the music stopped, and Damião paused mid-step. All the excitement vanished.
He pulled his phone from his pocket and saw that the battery was dead.
"How did this happen?"
But he didn't dwell on it, because in the very next moment, his phone was fully charged again.
The music resumed, and Damião continued on his way through the torrential rain.
After a few more songs, he arrived at his school.
He hated going to school—why study when he could use magic? But his father forced him to go, claiming that nowadays everything depended on having a diploma.
Damião didn't understand that logic. He was a sorcerer, not some miserable nine-to-five wage slave. And yet, here he was, going to class while a storm raged outside.
The school in his city was nothing remarkable, poor and mediocre in appearance. The paint on the walls was peeling, revealing old layers beneath. Some windows were broken and patched up with cardboard.
The roof was precarious, with ugly repairs that failed to prevent leaks.
Seeing all this, some people might think the place was abandoned.
"Doesn't even look like the state pours thousands into this school every month."
Damião strongly suspected it was a money-laundering scheme, but he had no way to prove it.
The hallways were empty—no one had come to study in this rain. The lack of life only emphasized the school's state of abandonment.
"Oh damn it… I knew I shouldn't have come."
He muttered as he entered the empty classroom.
He even considered leaving, but the teacher had already arrived, and he couldn't leave a lady waiting. It certainly wasn't just because she was beautiful—well, partly. The real reason was the aura she radiated.
"Damião, you came!"
The teacher, with golden hair and blue eyes, smiled—a small, bright smile. Damião smiled back and said with a laugh:
"Of course I came. I couldn't miss my favorite teacher's class."
She stepped closer and lifted his chin with her fingertips. Damião admired her blue eyes, noticing how her cheeks flushed pink.
"You little brat!" she scolded him, though she couldn't stop her smile from widening. "Go sit down!"
"Of course, my dear Professor Laura."
Damião laughed again and headed toward his usual seat near the window, but when he noticed a leak dripping directly above it, he chose another desk.
One very close to Laura's desk.
"Damião." Laura looked at the young man who had sat beside her. "Why did you put your chair there?"
"What?" Damião leaned in, slipping an arm around her shoulders. "It's just the two of us in this room."
"Dami—"
"No one's going to know."
He whispered into her ear, sending a shiver up her spine as her body grew light and weak.
Without her knowing, Damião had torn a malignant spider-shaped spirit from her back. That was why he was interested in her; with her aura of bad luck, Laura always attracted disasters.
More accurately, she was an experiment. Damião wanted to know whether he could protect her and change her miserable future—or if he was powerless against fate.
"I'm kidding!"
He crushed the spirit in his hands, then raised his arms and stepped back, a playful smile adorning his lips.
"Y-You shameless brat!" Laura stammered, her face burning. "I'm married!"
"What a lucky husband." Damião teased. "I'm jealous."
"Y-You—!" She was left speechless and gave up scolding him. "Just sit in your seat."
"Okay!"
Damião picked up his chair and moved it back. As he sat down, he observed the black miasma covering his hand—something only he could see.
He summoned invisible flames to burn away the filthy residue of the spirit. Within seconds, the miasma was completely gone.
The class continued without issues. Even though only Damião was present, Laura still taught with dedication.
How boring.
He thought so, but didn't let it show. He pretended to listen attentively, even taking notes.
He may be a cheeky boy, but he's surprisingly dedicated!
Laura looked at Damião with pride and a bit of affection, thinking that while all the other students skipped class, he came—and was actually paying attention.
What she didn't know was that Damião wasn't writing anything at all. In truth, he was drawing her—and before long, several sketches had piled up.
The first drawing reflected the present: Laura, seen from behind, writing on the board, wearing a formal suit that highlighted her curves—a stark contrast to the decrepit surroundings.
The second drawing was also of Laura, but her suit was no longer neat; it was decaying and rotting. She faced the class with a tired expression and melancholic eyes.
The third drawing depicted Laura in a filthy nightclub, wearing a tight, sexy bunny outfit, nearly naked in the explicit costume. Her expression was one of ecstasy, clearly under the influence of drugs—yet her eyes were completely empty, her smile broken.
Damião didn't finish the last drawing. It was a sketch of a woman with her throat cut, lying dead in some dirty alley.
These weren't just drawings—they were a vision of the future. Laura's downfall, documented until she became someone without hope.
This won't happen while I'm here.
Damião bit his pencil as he thought.
What do I do to change this future? I can't protect Laura forever. I have to find the cause of this bad luck… but where do I start?
A plan formed in Damião's mind. He would bless Laura. That would protect her from evil spirits and minor misfortunes. It would also be wise to place a spirit to watch over her and provide protection from physical threats.
Immediately, he began drawing strange symbols in his notebook, performing an improvised ritual to bless Laura. The ritual consisted of nine symbols arranged in a three-dimensional circle that seemed to leap off the page. Merely looking at it would drive weak-willed people insane and cause mental damage.
He closed his eyes, channeling his essence into the ritual. As the energy flowed, the three-dimensional drawing became increasingly distorted until it condensed into a sphere of light that latched onto Laura's body.
"Damião, you seem distracted. What's wrong?"
Laura noticed his unfocused gaze and asked in a concerned tone. She couldn't see the light surrounding her—she only felt a cold breeze wrap around her and then disappear.
Damião blinked, and focus returned to his eyes. Seeing how worried she was about him warmed his heart—but he wouldn't waste the chance to tease her.
"You want to know what happened?" he asked softly. "The truth is, that huge butt of yours has hypnotic powers."
Laura's face turned red. She opened her mouth to reply, then closed it again. She didn't know whether to feel happy at the compliment—even if it was perverted—or irritated for worrying about that brat.
"You really have a sweet tongue."
She walked over to Damião's desk, her hips swaying seductively with each step—a movement that didn't escape his eyes.
"I want to see if you're copying the lesson."
She stopped in front of his desk and noticed a drawing of herself in a sexy bunny outfit in his notebook—but when she blinked, it was gone. There were only detailed notes about the subject.
Am I seeing things?
She flipped through the notebook a few more times but found nothing.
Just what I needed—besides chills and strange sensations, now I'm hallucinating too?
"What is it, Professor? Did my notebook impress you so much you're speechless?" Damião placed his hands over hers. "Or did you come here to confess your love and accept my marriage proposal?"
Laura blushed furiously and ran away. Damião laughed as he watched her—it was a scene he'd seen many times, yet it never failed to amuse him.
The hours passed slowly in the awkward silence of the classroom. From time to time, Damião made comments that made Laura blush uncontrollably.
The rain was still pouring when class ended. Damião packed his school supplies, preparing to leave. He was heading out when he heard Laura call him:
"Damião, didn't you bring an umbrella?"
He turned to her, watching as she carried a bag on her shoulder and timidly held an umbrella.
"I forgot mine at home." He leaned against the door, studying her curiously. "But what about you? Isn't your husband coming to pick you up? Why did you bring that?"
"Well… he has to attend a business party at his company and doesn't have time to come get me."
Laura's expression darkened, her voice low. Her sadness was palpable—her husband spent too much time at work, and now with these parties and overtime, he barely had time for her.
"Sorry. I shouldn't interfere in your life."
"You don't need to apologize," Laura said suddenly. "It's my fault for coming to work in this rain when no other teacher showed up."
"I really am a fool." She smiled sadly, staring at the umbrella in her hands.
"What are you saying?" Damião stepped forward and grabbed her shoulders, speaking loudly. "You're a fool for thinking you're a fool! Being dedicated and hardworking isn't a bad thing. Understand that—understand how amazing you are."
Laura froze. Her body stiffened as she felt Damião's strong hands gripping her shoulders. The anger in his eyes seemed genuine, and his voice echoed deep inside her, leaving her mind blank.
Seeing her like that, Damião realized he had unintentionally used his mystical powers on her. He stepped back and coughed twice to break the trance.
Laura returned to normal—but the way she looked at him had changed slightly.
That was the first time anyone ever said that to me… Why is my heart beating so fast…? They were just words. I shouldn't think like this about him… he's so young… then why can't I stop feeling warm?
"Do you want to share the umbrella with me?" Summoning all the courage she had, Laura spoke what was in her heart. She felt embarrassed immediately afterward—but also excited. It was the first time she had taken the initiative.
"Thank you for the invitation. I'd be happy to accept." Damião patted her back, subtly letting an invisible eye slip into her shadow, sinking into it and creating only faint ripples—like those on a lake.
That eye belonged to a spirit called the Invisible Stalker—a living shadow filled with countless eyes. The contract Damião had with it allowed him to use those eyes for surveillance and concealment.
Unaware of what Damião had done, Laura beamed. She felt protected whenever she was with him, and it would be a lie to say she wasn't comfortable in his presence. Though Damião was a pervert, she felt as if he was the only one who truly saw her—something she hadn't felt even with her husband.
Damião bowed slightly and extended his hand toward Laura, asking with a courteous smile:
"Shall we?"
Laura hesitated for only a second before timidly taking his hand. Her cheeks were flushed as she nodded.
"Yes. Let's go."