It was a foggy place where everything was uncertain and blurred together. The mist was so dense that it was almost impossible to see even a few steps ahead. Visibility was nearly nonexistent, as if the world itself had been swallowed by a pale and endless void. Standing before him was a silhouette with blue hair and blue eyes. He could only make out fragments of its features through the shifting veil of fog. The color of the hair shimmered faintly like moonlight reflecting on water, and the eyes seemed to glow with a cold and distant light.
He did not know who it belonged to, and he was certain he had never met anyone like this before.
The figure's mouth was moving. He could see the subtle motion of its lips, forming words that never reached him. Christopher tried to read them, focusing intensely, straining his eyes as though his life depended on understanding what was being said. But the fog thickened at that very moment, drifting between them like a living thing. It slid across the figure's face and obscured the mouth completely, making it impossible to decipher a single word. The world felt muted and distant. He no longer had any idea what the figure was trying to tell him.
A strange urgency filled his chest. Christopher suddenly broke into a sprint, his feet pounding against the unseen ground beneath the fog. His heart raced wildly as he rushed toward the silhouette, desperate to close the distance between them. Just as he was about to reach it, just as he thought he could finally grasp the truth, the figure vanished into nothingness. There was no fading, no gradual disappearance. It was simply gone.
A piercing scream echoed through the emptiness.
Christopher jolted awake in his bed, shouting as he sat upright. His chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath. Sweat clung to his skin, and his heart continued to hammer against his ribs as though it were trying to escape.
It had been a nightmare.
Still disoriented, he slowly climbed out of bed and looked around the room. This was the academy dormitory. The familiar wooden walls, the modest furniture, and the faint scent of old books grounded him in reality. His roommate Ronald was still asleep in the other bed, breathing steadily and unaware of the turmoil that had just taken place beside him. Christopher felt relieved that he had not woken him. He sat down on the edge of his bed, rubbing his face with one hand as he tried to steady his thoughts.
When he turned toward the window and looked outside, he noticed that it was still very early. The sky carried the dull gray hue of dawn before sunrise. He had woken far earlier than usual.
With a quiet sigh, he let himself fall back against the pillow and closed his eyes, attempting to return to sleep. Yet no matter how hard he tried, sleep would not come. The remnants of the nightmare lingered in his mind, clinging to his thoughts like shadows that refused to fade. After several minutes of futile effort, he gave up and sat up once more.
Muttering under his breath, he decided to prepare for the day.
He stepped into the small bathroom that every dorm room possessed and stood before the mirror. For a moment he simply stared at his reflection. His red hair framed his face in loose strands, and his crimson eyes looked back at him with a quiet intensity. There was something in those eyes that did not belong to this world.
He was glad that he had succeeded in concealing his horns. The fact that they were no longer visible brought him a certain comfort. After all, he was a demon. If people saw his true form, fear would be the mildest of their reactions.
Humans and demons had been enemies for hundreds of years. Their history was steeped in blood and betrayal. By nature alone, Christopher stood as an inherent threat to the human race.
He splashed water onto his face and hands. The water was cold and sharp against his skin, forcing him fully awake. The faucets in this world were primitive compared to those of his own. They lacked the refinement and convenience he was accustomed to. Even turning the handle required effort. The water flowed only as long as one manually twisted the mechanism. The moment you stopped turning it, the flow ceased entirely.
Christopher frowned slightly.
"Could they really not think of something this simple," he murmured to himself before leaving the bathroom.
He walked to the wardrobe and opened its wooden doors. Inside hung his academy uniform. The design consisted of red and yellow. The primary fabric was a deep crimson, while the embroidery and the academy emblem were bright yellow, almost golden in color. The contrast was striking and carried a certain noble elegance.
He dressed quickly and stepped outside his room.
Taking his pocket watch from his coat, he checked the time and realized he was still an hour early. There was no point in going to the classrooms yet.
Instead, he decided to head toward the garden.
The weather was cloudy, and the light of the morning sun struggled to break through the heavy layer of gray overhead. The air was cool and carried a faint scent of damp earth. As he looked around, he saw that the garden was nearly empty. The pathways were quiet, and the usual chatter of students was absent.
Only one person sat alone on a bench.
Aria.
She was the first human friend he had made in this world.
She was also the second person who knew he was a demon. The first, of course, was Vor.
Christopher approached her with slow and measured steps.
"What are you doing here so early, Aria," he asked gently.
Aria had been staring at the ground, seemingly lost in thought. From her perspective, Christopher appeared beside her almost suddenly, which startled her. Her shoulders tensed for a brief second, but she quickly regained her composure.
"I woke up early," she replied.
"I came out to get some fresh air."
"May I sit next to you, Aria?"
She nodded in agreement and shifted slightly to make space for him.
Her gaze remained fixed on the soil beneath their feet for a while. Christopher searched for a way to begin a conversation.
"How are your classes going?"
It was a rather cliché question, the kind often used to initiate small talk, usually by those older and attempting to appear concerned.
"I am the top student among the first years," Aria answered in an indifferent tone.
Christopher already knew that, but at least it allowed the silence to break.
Truthfully, when Aria had first met Christopher, she had been terrified of him. He had possessed terrifying red horns, and his body had been covered in blood. Seven years ago, in a cave located within the forest known as the Cursed Forest, she had encountered him beside a dragon named Vor. The meeting had been entirely accidental.
Her reason for entering that cave had been simple. It was the curiosity of a four year old child.
Even Aria did not understand why her parents had been so careless. Despite being the daughter of a count, she had always been treated as secondary. The count behaved with cold indifference toward her. Perhaps it was because she was the daughter of his second wife. Even so, she was still his child.
Although Aria resented her father, he had agreed to enroll her in the magic academy. However, she did not believe his decision had been motivated by goodwill. She suspected he had used the academy as a means to remove her from the estate.
Regardless of his intentions, Aria could develop herself here. She could grow stronger. She could build connections that might one day prove valuable.
After a while, she pushed those thoughts aside and turned to look at the young man sitting next to her. A faint and simple smile appeared on her face.
"How about we go for a walk," she asked softly.