A FEW DAYS LATER IN THE DEAD OF. NIGHT
As I lay asleep in my bed, my sleep was disturbed. Not by a sound or a touch but by an instinct.
I used one of my unique spells [Blood Sight] and a silhouette of flowing blood appeared in front of me. Rummaging through my things while hidden in a veil of strange ethereal darkness.
'Status Check'
A status appeared:
[Jean Gray]
[GIFT]-[Divine Child]
[SWORD RANK]-2⭐️
[MAGIC RANK]-3rd Circle
[STATS]: PHYSICAL-56 MANA-86
CHARM-66 Aura-61
[SKILLS]:[Dragon Heart],[Sword Mind], [Divine Blessing], [Ancient Magus Manual], [Shadow's Veil]…..[God's Sigil]..
'Jean? In my house? Interesting.'
I used the [Gray Shadow Art] and [Gray Assassin's Footwork] to leave the bed undetected and then I reached under my bed for a bottle and two glasses.
"You know, this isn't what I meant when I invited you for a drink,"
Jean was shocked and attempted to escape through the window, unfortunately my Mana had already blocked the way.
I extended a glass to her.
"Sit down, Jean."
She sighed and took the glass.
"What gave me away?" She asked.
"Your eyes, they're too beautiful to be hidden," I made something up.
"I'll admit, this looks bad. Are you going to report me?" She sipped on the vodka slowly.
"No fun in that, but I will ask though, what were you looking for?"
I could spot the pout under the mask. The red light from my Mana was the only light source in the room, yet her blue eyes were still so clear.
"A street orphan with such insane talent and yet you were never trained in any way before? Something wasn't right, you don't act like a street rat either. Tell me the truth, raised in Malarma? Vogan? Rakan? Which branch family?"
She went into interrogation mode like it was second nature.
I slowly took off my shirt and faced my back towards her.
"What are you doing?"
"Read."
She finally noticed the markings carved on my back, the traces were unclean, made with a dull knife.
"A snake coiled around a spider and the number 617, the slums of Midnight City! How did you get this, it's reserved for captains in the [Eclipse]!"
A pitch black spider in a hunting pose as a white serpent coiled around it and the number 617 carved into my flesh.
"How did I get it? I did certain things. I got it when I was sixteen, the youngest capitain in history. Want me to tell you how they drew it on?" I was on my third cup of vodka.
"It's not a tattoo?" She seemed surprised.
"Not quite. They used the dullest knife they could find and carved in the shape, the bleeding was too much, so vodka was poured on to suppress it. Once the bleeding stopped, they covered my back in low-rank demon blood and carved the shapes in again. The type of pain not even liquor can dull." I explained.
She walked closer to me.
"That must have hurt, can I touch it…?"
"Go ahead."
She traced her finger across my back, her touch light and cold to the touch but warm in a different way.
"What about this one? A red spider lily, what does it mean?" She found the deepest scar of all.
"That's…something else."
She suddenly hugged me from behind.
"I'm sorry." She whispered as her body dispersed into thin air.
'She still had a couple of tricks, huh? This Ville, I think I'll enjoy it.'
SIX MONTHS LATER
After six months of learning, I had advanced greatly in the Gray Family's methods and achieved a great deal. The [Divine Bloodline] trio seemed to avoid me after the night with Jean and the rest of the students were all hostile except for Alexander.
It was time for me to go after the first hidden instructor out of the five I had to defeat.
"Lucy, Marc. Stay here until I get back." I picked up a sword and prepared to leave the house.
"Yes, young master."
"But I'm your guard, I have to-"
"It's an order. Have some tea and I'll be back in no time."
Once I gave the order, it was done.
It took me a long time but I managed to find the elusive hidden instructor, he hid himself as a guard at the gate to the other sections. He had a lanky body and two daggers at his waist, an assassin's set-up.
I walked up to him directly.
"Are you ready?" I asked.
"About time you found me. Too bad you'll never see me again." As he finished talking, he disappeared into thin air.
"So that's what mastering the [Gray Shadow Art] looks like. [Blood Arena]!"
My crimson Mana spread out in all directions in a circular shape and managed to cover the hundred-meter area around me. Instantly, chains of crimson Mana started forming out of the ground and bursting forth in different directions.
Suddenly they rushed towards a rooftop and seemed to have grabbed onto condensed thin air.
"How did you find me?! My technique is perfect, there's no way you could have tracked me by my Aura or Mana!"
"Your blood can't hidden."
I pulled him to me and with a punch to the jaw, I knocked him out.
"Assassins are nothing when not hidden, and he's a weak one as well."
I felt a notification on my wrist, my personal terminal was active once again.
{Security Clearance raised to Lvl-1}
I walked forward towards the gate that the hidden instructor was guarding and I placed my hand on it.
{Security Clearance Verified! Welcome, son of the Sky Sovereign.} A robotic voice announced.
Beyond the gate was an unexpected scene…