Silva shut the door behind her, leaving her master in his room, his thoughts heavy and clouded.
His final word echoed in her mind, strange and biting.
The unfamiliar sharpness of it had startled her.
Was it an insult?
With Eclipse, it should be right?—given his usual treatment of lower-class people like herself.
It would be easy to assume the worst, but there was something different about him lately, something unsettling.
She sighed, her footsteps echoing through the grand hallway of the Academy's dormitory.
Something about Eclipse had changed over the past week.
He wasn't acting like the self-absorbed noble she learned.
The pattern is different.
That was the troubling part.
Her job relied on knowing him inside and out, predicting his actions.
Eclipse, for as long as she had known him, had a routine—a reckless, predictable one, but a routine nonetheless.
He spent his time gambling, indulging in vices, buying shiny weapons he never used.
He lashed out at people lower than him, and he was generally a spoiled, arrogant noble.
But now, his behavior had shifted.
He hadn't left his room in days.
He no longer spent his money frivolously, though he did order strange weapons from time to time—daggers, wands with magic crystals.
The usual patterns were breaking down, and that made things complicated for her.
Is it possible he knows about me? Silva thought, her violet eyes flickering with unease as she continued down the corridor.
No, that's not possible… but why has he changed?
She turned the corner, heading toward her private quarters.
The Academy dormitory was old, at least a thousand years, steeped in tradition.
Its stone walls held the memories of long-gone students, legends who had once walked the same halls as Eclipse did now.
It was a place rich with history, where nobles and commoners came together to prepare for a future filled with war and demons.
Silva glanced around, making sure no one was watching her, then opened the door to her room.
She locked it behind her and began to strip off her maid's uniform.
Beneath the plain, modest clothes was the truth of her identity—dark clothing, form-fitting and flexible, with knives strapped to her limbs, hidden but ready to be drawn at a moment's notice.
She caught her reflection in the small mirror, her violet eyes sharp, her expression tense.
Her purple hair, tied up in a tight bun for the sake of appearances, glimmered faintly in the dim light.
The master is changing, she thought, strapping her knives more securely to her body. Is it a coincidence, or does he suspect me?
Her fingers paused over the hilt of one of her daggers.
She had been sent to do a task that should have been simple. A spoiled noble like him? Easy prey.
But now he was behaving unpredictably, and that made her job harder.
For now, she would continue to wait.
"Surely he'd come out to do the trial."
__________________________
In his room, Eclipse stood before his mirror, adjusting his blue suit.
It was the best one he had, or at least he thought so. It wasn't too formal, but still made him look like a noble.
He had spent a full hour practicing how to walk, speak, and most importantly, not insult anyone.
Dignity+ is going to get me killed if I'm not careful, Eclipse thought bitterly. One more slip-up and I'll enrage the Hero…
He shook his head, trying to banish the thoughts.
Today was the day of the Academy's trial, and skipping it wasn't an option.
He needed to blend in, play his role, and survive.
"Master?" Silva's voice came from the other side of the door, a soft knock accompanying it.
Eclipse took a deep breath, then called out. "Yeah, come in."
She knocked again. "May I enter, Master?"
Eclipse scratched his head.
Silva had been acting strange for a maid, always asking for confirmation for every little thing. Aren't maids supposed to just know what their masters want? He thought.
Maybe I'm just wrong.
This constant need for permission was wearing on him.
"Yeah, just come in, Silva," he said, and he caught the brief hesitation on her part.
Her hand lingered on the door handle before she stepped inside, her movements precise as always.
He noticed the way her eyes flicked to him—there was something calculating about that gaze.
"How good are you in combat?" Eclipse asked suddenly, the question catching Silva off guard.
For a moment, Silva's eyes widened, and her usually composed demeanor faltered. "I'm just a maid, Master. I can at least cook."
"Then you're probably good with knives."
Eclipse reached under his bed and pulled out a set of shiny daggers, holding them out to her.
Silva stared at the blades in his hands, her expression unreadable.
"Master…" she began, choosing her words carefully.
"Look, things are about to get rough," Eclipse interrupted, pushing the daggers into her hands.
"You're my maid, which means you're expected to follow me into the Academy's trial. If you can cook, you can handle knives."
Silva's face hardened slightly.
Eclipse, oblivious to the internal conflict raging in her, mistook her silence for offense.
Great. I probably offended her again. Stupid Dignity+.
"Well, uh, I mean… if you really want to, I guess?" Eclipse added, his voice trailing off awkwardly.
"I will follow you," Silva said, her voice firm and businesslike.
"Good," Eclipse muttered, clearly uncomfortable with the awkward silence. "We should head out. Don't forget the knives."
Silva tilted her head slightly, her expression calm but her eyes glinting with something more. "Where should I put these, Master?"
"You know where," Eclipse replied, already heading for the door.
She's probably asking that for a validation again..., he thought.
Silva silently gulped, strapping the daggers to her hidden arsenal as she followed her master out into the academy grounds.
__________________
The Academy was alive with activity, students bustling around, preparing for the trial.
Eclipse, in his expensive blue suit, stood out like a sore thumb among the crowd.
He could feel his Dignity+ trait working against him already—a throbbing headache starting at his temples as he tried to ignore the judgmental looks from the other students.
He pressed on, knowing that today was different.
His absence would alert his family, and if they realized Eclipse Warbringer was no longer himself, they might conclude he was demonized.
That was a far quicker death sentence than anything the hero could dish out.
Speaking of the hero...
Eclipse's eyes darted toward the center of the crowd, where Caelum Solara stood, the Hero of the Academy, surrounded by his friends.
The perfect Hero, with his radiant smile, golden hair, and aura of righteousness.
He was talking with Lucius, Tessa, Seraphine, and the rest of his companions—laughing, planning for the trial.
It was almost sickening how confident they all were.
That's the guy going to kill to me.
"He's so bright it's annoying," Eclipse muttered under his breath.
Silva, standing beside him, cocked her head. "Bright, Master? Do you need glasses? I've recently heard of a glass that blocks light."
She pulled out something that looked suspiciously like sunglasses.
Eclipse stared at them for a moment, then put them on.
Immediately, the brightness of the day faded, and the pounding in his head lessened slightly.
The Dignity+ effect seemed to ease just a bit.
"Well," Eclipse said, surprised, "this actually helps. Good job."
"Thank you, Master," Silva replied, her tone neutral, but her eyes betraying a hint of tension.
"The only problem is," Eclipse added, "if someone throws something at me, these will make it harder to see it coming."
Silva gulped once more, her fingers briefly tightening around the daggers strapped to her legs.
The class started, the Academy's trial looming ahead.
Eclipse sat quietly, forcing himself to focus, though the anxiety gnawed at the edges of his mind.
The trial would begin soon, and with it, his chance to either blend in—or screw up and die.