[CHAPTER-4] Unmarked

Eva’s heartbeat thundered in her chest. Bdmp!. Bdmp!. It refused to slow down, each beat sharp and desperate, as if her heart was trying to climb out of her ribs. Her head swam, a sick spin of voices rising around her—students whispering, gasping, talking over each other.

They weren’t just voices. They were accusations. Questions. Judgments.

“What happened to her?”

“Did you see her face?”

“She doesn’t have any magic?”

Eva pressed her trembling hands to her skirt, trying to ground herself, trying to breathe. Why didn’t Mark appear? Why didn’t he stand with me? What’s wrong with me?

But the questions that terrified her most. It was that thing—the gaze that had sliced into her moments ago, something inhuman, watching her from inside of mirror. She didn’t even know if it was real or just the dizziness eating her mind.

A hand clamped her collar and yanked her into the air. Her panic scattered as her eyes locked on a woman with wide, gleaming eyes and a grin stretched too far.

Lilith.

“You’re just like me!” Lilith shouted, joy bursting out of her like firecrackers.

Eva’s body froze. The words stabbed sharper than fear.

From the side, Erina groaned, slapped her own forehead, and snapped, “Tch! I told you not to say that like it’s nothing!”

Lilith tilted her head, still smiling. “Why not? It’s rare, sure, but there were others in history who were magicless. What’s the harm in admitting it?”

Erina grabbed Lilith by the ear, yanking it hard enough to make her squawk. She leaned in, whispering harshly, “Because it puts them in danger, you bird-brained idiot. Do you want her dragged off and experimented on?”

Lilith blinked, realization hitting slower than a drunk mule. “Oh. That… never crossed my mind.” She let out a sheepish laugh, rubbing the back of her head.

“Sorry!”

Smack. Erina slapped the back of her head anyway.

Lilith, undeterred, set Eva down gently and planted her fists on her hips. “Fine. Then I’ll take responsibility. I’ll train her myself.”

Eva blinked up at her. Train? A warrior? The words settled in her stomach like stones, but when Lilith asked, “So? Want to get stronger?” Eva found herself smiling, tiny but real.

“Yes.”

The next scene shifts to the training hall. Underground, stone walls dripping with condensation. Chains hang from the rafters. The cracked statue of a faceless warrior looms in the back, half its head missing. Blue fire torches cast eerie shadows.

It wasn’t warm. It wasn’t welcoming. But it felt alive.

Lilith spread her arms. “This is your new home, rookie.”

Eva’s throat went dry.

Lilith’s eyes gleamed. “Your path won’t be easy. Pick a weapon from that stall and come at me like you mean to kill me.”

Eva’s hands shook as she reached for the rack. Her fingers brushed past the heavy spears, the wicked axes, until she found a pair of mid-sized swords. She lifted one in each hand, the weight awkward but exciting. She turned, grinned, and muttered, “Don’t die, okay, old woman?”

Lilith’s veins popped. Steam almost came out of her ears and nose. “You… little…”

In a blur too fast for Eva’s eyes, Lilith vanished. Eva spun, searching—

And then Lilith was behind her.

Strong arms grabbed Eva’s legs, yanking her off the ground. Before she could even gasp, the world flipped upside down. Her stomach lurched.

“W-wait!” Eva cried, eyes spinning.

Lilith smirked, raised her hand, and unleashed her deadliest strike.

SLAP.

The sound echoed through the dorm.

“Wha—” Eva yelped.

SLAP. SLAP.

Her butt was red and stinging, steam practically rising. By the time Lilith dropped her, Eva lay on the floor with swirly eyes. Lilith was having fun with the jiggles. 

After she dusted her hands. “Test begins.”

Eva staggered back onto her feet, fury and determination clashing in her chest. “Again!”

She lunged forward, twin swords flashing. Lilith danced away, light on her feet, each step taunting.

“Too slow,” Lilith teased, hopping back.

Eva slashed again. The air cracked with the force, but Lilith sidestepped, then threw a punch. Eva’s eyes widened. She lifted her swords to block—

The impact shattered everything.

One sword snapped. Pain ripped through her arm like fire, bones splintering. Blood sprayed. Eva screamed, the sound raw and ragged, falling to her knees.

Lilith’s face hardened. No teasing, no grin—just cold, serious eyes staring into Eva’s soul.

Eva tried to rise. Her legs trembled, buckled, but she forced them to hold. She switched her sword to her left hand. Every breath hurt, her stomach tight, her right arm useless.

Still, she lifted the blade. Still, she charged.

Her strike was weak, slow. Lilith moved like lightning, blurring behind her. A fist slammed into Eva’s stomach, crushing the air out of her lungs. She collapsed on the spot, coughing blood, vision swimming.

“Stand!” Lilith shouted.

Eva trembled. Her body screamed no. Her stomach burned, her broken arm throbbed, but her legs tried, dragging her upright. She threw a clumsy punch with her left hand, then another. Lilith didn’t even dodge quickly anymore—just stepped aside, slow and mocking.

Eva fell to her knees. Her fists loosened, eyes rolled back and She collapsed on the mats, unconscious.

Lilith scratched her head. “Well… she’s a fighter, I’ll give her that. That’s all I need from her.”

When Eva opened her eyes, the pain was gone. Warmth wrapped around her body, light knitting her wounds closed. Erina stood over her, glowing hands healing the damage. Then, as the light faded, Erina turned and kicked Lilith in the shin.

“IDIOT! You nearly killed her!”

Lilith rubbed her head sheepishly. “She lived. She’s tough.”

Eva pushed herself up slowly. Her body still felt weak, but she clenched her fist anyway.

Lilith crouched beside her, eyes steady. “Life isn’t fair. Either we fight for what we want, or we stay slaves forever. That’s today’s lesson. Rest now. Tomorrow, you come back stronger.”

Eva’s heart swelled with something fierce. “I will.”

Eva checks the dorm assignments. Her name is written under Room 23—alongside Luna Arius and Aqua Veyra.

The room is cramped: three iron beds, one tiny wardrobe, a cracked mirror, and squeaky floorboards. Wards carved into the walls glow faintly, giving off creepy whispers.

Luna is shouting at Aqua. “You can’t even form a proper water shield? Pathetic!”

Aqua sits folded on the floor, chanting “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” like a broken toy.

Eva barges in. “Oi, chibi! Bullying is bad.”

Luna whirls on her, face twitching. “Chibi?! Who are you calling chibi?!”

Eva grins, shadow-boxing in the air. “What, you wanna go?”

Luna snaps her fingers. Flames started to revolve around her like a crown.

Eva laughs nervously, backing away. “Haha—just kidding! Wrong room!”

Luna unleashes fireballs. Eva runs in circles, screaming, bouncing off walls and nearly crashing into the ceiling. Aqua keeps muttering apologies the whole time.

Later, laughter and clattering dishes filled the air. The dining hall stretched wide, with long wooden tables filling the lower floor where students gathered. Lanterns hung from beams overhead, casting golden light on the chaos of voices. Upstairs, a balcony wrapped around the hall, reserved for teachers, where meals were quieter but the eyes of professors often scanned the crowd below.

Eva devoured food like a beast let out of a cage. Plates piled in front of her. She shoved mouthful after mouthful, coughed, slammed her chest, then swallowed and kept going.

Across the table, Luna ate with tight, angry motions, stabbing her food as though it had wronged her. Aqua looked ready to cry into her bowl, shrinking into herself. Around them, students laughed, talked, and swapped stories, the room alive with energy.

The camera of imagination zoomed out slowly, the sound of clinking plates and laughter fading—

Elsewhere

The sun bled into the horizon, spilling red across the sky like an open wound. On a distant cliff, a figure cloaked in black stood alone, watching. The wind swayed at its clothes, but it didn’t move.

It turned once, slowly, and then vanished into the gathering dark.