Chapter 4: School Beginnings
A year passed since the Crimson Hand's annihilation.
The world moved on, as it always did.
But Shadow never stopped watching.
From the darkness of the Valeheart estate's northern woods, he watched the carriages of the Royal Magic Academy rumble down the road hundreds of nobles and gifted children heading to the most prestigious school in the kingdom.
Among them was his sister, Serina.
She smiled from her seat by the window, chatting happily with her friends. Her laughter carried through the air, pure and innocent a sound Shadow had fought entire armies to protect.
He stood beneath the trees, cloak fluttering, unseen by anyone.
"She looks happy," he murmured.
Lyra, now fully recovered, stood beside him. "She doesn't remember the night of her kidnapping. The curse you erased took those memories with it."
"That's good," Shadow said quietly. "Let her live in light. I'll stay in the dark."
The Royal Magic Academy was a kingdom of its own a sprawling city of towers and floating spires. Students from royal and noble bloodlines filled its halls, all competing to become the next generation of heroes, generals, or court magicians.
Shadow enrolled under a false name: Cid Vale, an unremarkable commoner scholarship student. His mana signature was suppressed by a special spell only he could create reducing his immense power to the level of a low-ranked apprentice.
To everyone else, he was invisible. Exactly as he wanted.
Day One
The classroom buzzed with chatter as the new students introduced themselves.
Serina stood proudly among the top-ranked nobles, radiating light magic so pure it silenced the room.
Then came the quiet boy in the back row messy black hair, unreadable eyes.
"Name?" the instructor asked.
"Cid Vale," he said simply.
The instructor frowned. "Background?"
"None worth mentioning."
Laughter filled the room. A noble girl whispered, "A commoner? In the same class as the princess?"
Shadow didn't react. He simply smiled to himself. Perfect. Background status achieved.
The Princess
During lunch, a commotion erupted in the courtyard.
The academy's most beautiful student Princess Elaria Vaelion, heir to the imperial throne was arguing with her younger sister, Luna, over something trivial.
"I told you not to follow me!" Elaria snapped.
Luna pouted. "I just wanted to see your new boyfriend!"
Elaria's face turned red. "He's not my"
That's when her eyes landed on Shadow, who happened to be walking past with his tray of bread and soup.
Their eyes met for a single second.
"…You," Elaria said.
Shadow blinked. "…Me?"
"Pretend to be my boyfriend," she whispered suddenly, dragging him by the arm. "Just for today."
He almost dropped his food. "Why?"
"Because my ex is here."
Shadow sighed internally. So much for background character peace.
An Unplanned Role
The courtyard froze as the ex-boyfriend a tall, arrogant noble named Raven Thorne approached.
"So this is your new man, Elaria?" Raven sneered. "A commoner? You must be joking."
Shadow stared at him, utterly expressionless. "I'm just eating."
Raven scoffed. "Stay in your place, peasant."
Elaria smirked. "Jealous?"
Raven's face darkened. "We'll see who laughs when I crush him at the Magic Duel tomorrow."
Elaria turned to Shadow. "You'll do fine, right?"
"…What duel?"
"The one you just got challenged to."
Shadow sighed again. This is why I don't talk to people.
The Duel
The next day, the academy's training arena was filled with students. Word had spread the princess's "boyfriend," a low-ranked commoner, was going to duel one of the school's top nobles.
Shadow stood in the center, calm, holding a practice sword.
Raven smirked. "This will be over in seconds."
He unleashed a burst of crimson flame magic. The audience gasped.
Shadow didn't move.
The flames hit him or rather, they passed through the illusion he'd created.
From behind Raven, a whisper: "Your stance is too predictable."
A dull thud.
Raven dropped to one knee, gasping his mana suddenly dispersed, cut off by precise shadow manipulation.
Shadow yawned. "Done?"
The arena fell silent. No one even saw him move.
Elaria blinked. "…You're not normal."
He smiled faintly. "No one ever is."
That night, rumors spread across the academy a mysterious commoner who defeated a noble with a single unseen strike.
Shadow ignored it all, returning to his quiet dorm room.
He stared at the moon outside his window, thinking.
His sister was safe. His life as a background character had begun. But deep down, he felt something stir a whisper in the dark corners of the world.
Something old. Familiar.
Lyra's voice echoed through his communication crystal.
"Master, new demonic activity detected near the academy."
Shadow smirked. "Of course there is."
He stood, pulling on his black cloak.
"Let's begin the night shift."