Demon's First Move

Breathing heavily beneath the arch was a somewhat tall young man dressed in a cream tunic that was decorated with brown and gold lining.

Lilac stared at the boy. The shaggy icy blue hair, his silver eyes… There was no doubting it. This was the hero that Lilac had been sent to observe. His chiseled features and smooth skin reminded her of the main love interests in some of her favorite books. She could feel a tangible heat rise to her cheeks.

The sweat of rushing to school like a scared rabbit dripped down his forehead. One final sprint, and he stood in front of the principal at the podium. “Sorry I’m late, something urgent came up,” he bowed his head in apology.

“Just because you’re the prophesied hero doesn’t mean you can get away with being late,” the principal warned. “But since you’re here, you might as well introduce yourself and have Keern here appraise your magic.”

He nodded and turned toward the students behind him. “I am Alan, son of Count Hulbane. I look forward to making your acquaintance,” he ended with a polite bow and stood before the wizard.

“Alan Hulbane… We meet again, hero,” the old man uncharacteristically grinned. “I’m sure you already know your magic well.”

“Not as well as I’d like,” the hero replied.

Keern gave a hearty laugh. “There’s still plenty of time for you to learn. But for the sake of everyone else here, I will still share what your magic is.” He turned his gaze to the assembled curious students. “C rank light magic!’

For a minute, the student body praised the hero’s magic. The next, several faces were peering at Lilac. She could feel the gazes burning the question of “how is her magic on par with the hero’s?” into her.

The piercing gazes turned away when the principal cleared her throat. “Now we will formally welcome you all into Silverten Academy. Please remember to be respectful to your fellow students, study hard, and make sure to follow the school rules, which can be found in a pamphlet that is waiting for you in your rooms. If you have any questions, don’t be afraid to ask any of the teachers or staff. Enjoy your time at this school.” With that, she took a step back and rejoined the few adults still seated behind the podium.

Both the prince and hero were swarmed as soon as the students were dismissed, disappearing in the chattering crowd.

“I’m going to find my room,” Scarlett whispered. She grabbed her massive book and held it to her chest as she maneuvered herself around the chairs to leave.

“I’ll–” Lilac paused. Should she accompany her new friend and settle herself into her new apartment, or stay to watch the hero as assigned? Remembering that her luggage had never left the carriage that was probably halfway to the Darklands by now, she decided the best course of action would be to observe the hero for a while. “–see you later,” she waved Scarlett off.

Lilac casually made her way toward the crowd and pushed herself through the small gaps between students until the hero was in sight. She stopped at the front of the ring of bodies that surrounded the blue-haired hero. Inside the circle with him was the daughter of the high priest, smiling warmly at the hero.

“Alan, was it? My name is Ella,” she lifted the hems of her dress in a curtsy. “How do you do?”

“I’m doing okay, I suppose. A little bummed that I got here late,” he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

“Oh, don’t worry about that. You didn’t miss anything too important,” her smile reached her eyes. “Would you like to tour the academy with me? I’ve been here a few times in the past, so I’m fairly familiar with the layout.”

“Really? That’d be wonderful. If you don’t mind, of course.” It was clear by his awkward chuckle that he wasn’t the most comfortable being thronged with all these students. Lilac wondered what kept them all from demanding his attention all at once, but she figured it must be the presence of the future priestess.

“Could I come along, too?” Lilac stepped into the circle, becoming the center of attention for only a moment. Others around her mimicked her request, all of them wishing to stay in the hero’s presence longer.

Ella glanced at her with veiled annoyance. “Sorry, but I think it would be better if it were just Alan and I,” she said.

Lilac sighed. It would be easy to learn more about the hero without drawing any suspicion if she joined the tour. In her mind, though, she had already decided that whatever the answer, she would still tag along. Only now she’d have to keep herself hidden. She flicked her gaze to the hero.

His eyes met hers with unreadable emotion. Time seemed to freeze the moment their eyes locked. Silver eyes were not a common trait, and Lilac couldn’t help but study them. They were shiny, as if you would still be able to see them in the dark of the night, though she knew that wasn’t true. The same heat that she had felt when she first saw him crept up on her again, but her trance ended abruptly when Alan turned his attention back to Ella.

“That’s a bummer…” Lilac sighed in disappointment and retreated back into the mass of students. She pushed herself to the outer edge of the circle and paused to listen to the conversation a little longer before she departed.

“I’ll have a letter sent to your room tonight with the information,” Ella said.

“Why not do it now?” The hero asked.

“I have a feeling we’ll be followed if we do,” she replied. “It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Alan. I will see you again soon.”

The crowd of students parted for Ella to exit. As soon as she turned away from Alan, the rest of the students began vying for his attention. On her way out, Ella halted beside Lilac for only a second to glance at her through the corner of her eye.

Within her chest, her heart skipped a beat under the future priestess’s gaze. Lilac watched her continue down the hall, wondering what the reason for that look was. She shook her head and told herself not to worry about it. ‘I have to find out when she’s planning that tour,’ she thought.

Since all the students were busy fawning over the prince and hero, Lilac took the opportunity to follow Ella. Once she was outside of the hall, the noise of her new peers quieted a little. To either side, the foyer opened into a wide hallway that stretched forever.

In the center of the hallway on Lilac’s right was Ella, walking down the hall as graceful as a prince’s bride at their wedding.

Lilac glanced around the foyer one more time to make sure no one was watching, and then closed her eyes to channel her magic. Whoosh. Cold enveloped her body. When her eyes opened, her surroundings were several shades darker, as if everything had been engulfed in shadows. Glistening in the darkness was Lilac’s ethereal skin, a ghostly sheen as transparent as ice. This change was a result of Shadow Walk, a spell that required the caster to be able to use D rank dark magic. As long as they were touching a shadow, the caster would be rendered invisible. Luckily for Lilac, she also knew how to create shadows.

She trailed Ella from a short distance; confident she could not be seen yet wary that the priest’s daughter might be able to sense her presence if she followed too closely. Only the sound of Ella’s heels against the wooden floors filled the silence.

A few doors stood proud on either wall of the hallway, guarding the rooms they protected from unwanted guests. Occasionally, an adjacent hallway would branch off toward the right. Various paintings were scattered throughout the hall. Some of them pictured nobility, others visually stunning landscapes and scenes.

Ella strolled down the hall until it came to an end and swerved to the right. She disappeared around the bend and stepped through an open doorway into a large classroom.

Lilac turned the corner after her and waited for a moment to poke her head through the entrance. Light poured into the room from a line of windows on the opposite side of the room. Through the windows, she could see a garden of hedges and flowers shaped around a stone path. Past the garden was a tall building that Lilac had seen from the front of the academy on her way in.

Within the classroom, brown chairs lined the room in a semicircular shape. In front of each chair was a small desk of the same color. At the end of the room, the floor was raised a few inches, and a large rectangular desk sat on its edge.

In the center of the room, Ella stood with her back to Lilac, her hands clasped in front of her. “My first day of school and I already have a stalker,” she said before turning around. Her eyes landed on Lilac, but it was clear that although she was looking right at her, she could not see her. Despite the edge in her voice, her lips were curled in an innocent smile. “Can I help you?”