We moved through the city in silence for a while, weaving through narrow streets and dimly lit alleys. The industrial hum of the Demon Realm never faded, a constant presence in the air, steam hissing from vents, the rumble of machinery, the distant calls of merchants peddling wares that no sane person would ever buy.
It was overwhelming, but I kept moving.
Aiden, however, walked like he belonged here.
He stayed half a step ahead, his hands shoved in his coat pockets, his eyes constantly scanning the surroundings. Even when he wasn't speaking, there was an ease to him, a casualness that felt completely out of place for someone in our situation. It was hard to ignore the contrast. Me, the outsider, still trying to adapt. Him, as if he'd walked these streets a thousand times.
I exhaled sharply.
"So, what's your plan?"
Aiden glanced back at me, one brow raised.
"Plan?"
"Are you sticking with me all the way to Blackthorn, or are you just tagging along for the fun of it?"
He smirked.
"Haven't decided yet."
I frowned, quelling my frustration. It wasn't that I needed Aiden, but something about him made it hard to ignore his presence. He was too... calm. Too unfazed by everything that was happening.
"You don't strike me as the type to do things without a reason."
"Maybe I just like the company."
I gave him a flat look.
"Try again."
Aiden chuckled, shaking his head.
"Look, kid, let's just say I've got my own reasons for being here, and for now, they align with yours. That's all you need to know."
Vague. Purposefully vague.
I didn't like it, but I wasn't in a position to argue. His reasons were his own. Mine, on the other hand, were painfully clear, and the weight of them sat heavy on my chest.
I let it go, for now.
We kept walking, slipping through a side street that reeked of burning metal. The main roads were too dangerous. The last thing I needed was another masked lunatic showing up.
After a while, Aiden spoke again.
"Alright, serious question. How exactly are you planning to walk into Blackthorn Academy without getting torn apart? You're supposed to be a demon, remember?"
I tapped my wrist where the Primordial Echo pulsed faintly beneath my skin. It didn't just mark me as a foreigner in this world, it marked me as someone who didn't belong. A demon's mark, but a human in a demon's skin.
"The mark gets me in."
Aiden snorted.
"Sure, maybe past the front gates. But you really think that's enough?"
I didn't answer immediately. The answer was obvious to me, but I wasn't sure I had the right words for it.
"The academy is built on hierarchy."
I explained.
"Demon nobility, bloodlines, inherited power, those are what define status there. And as far as they know, I have the mark of nobility."
"Doesn't mean they won't test you."
"They will."
I admitted. A part of me already knew, had known it from the moment I set foot in this cursed world.
"But demons don't fight without reason. Challenges, duels, negotiations, everything is bound by rules, even if those rules are brutal."
Aiden hummed thoughtfully.
"So, what's your play?"
I met his gaze, feeling the weight of it.
"Simple. I prove I belong."
It wasn't just an answer. It was a promise.
Aiden studied me for a moment, then smirked.
"Not a bad answer."
It wasn't, but it wasn't the full truth either. The real problem wasn't just getting in, it was surviving once I did.
Aiden stretched his arms over his head.
"Alright, so you've got a half-baked plan. But there's still one thing bugging me."
"What?"
His smirk widened.
"How the hell do you know so much about how this world works?"
I tensed, suddenly aware of how much I'd already said. Of how much I'd let slip.
Of course, he'd pick up on that.
I exhaled slowly, trying to steady my nerves.
"Because I understand the system."
Aiden raised an eyebrow.
"What, like instinct?"
"No."
I glanced at him.
"Because I wrote it."
Aiden stopped walking.
He turned to me, eyes narrowing.
"Come again?"
I rolled my shoulders, keeping my tone neutral, even as a bitter taste filled my mouth.
"I know how this world works because I created it. Or at least, I thought I did."
Aiden didn't laugh. He didn't mock me. He just watched me carefully, as if trying to decide whether I was messing with him.
Finally, he let out a low whistle.
"Alright. That's a hell of a claim."
I watched his reaction carefully. His expression didn't shift much, but there was something in his eyes, something calculating.
Then, I let out a short laugh and shook my head.
"Relax, I'm just messing with you."
Aiden's smirk returned, but his eyes remained sharp.
"Right. Sure you are."
We both knew he didn't believe me, but he let it go. And for a moment, I wondered if he suspected something more. Something about me that I hadn't fully understood myself.
Aiden shoved his hands back into his pockets.
"Fine. Let's say you just 'understand' the system. What does that mean for us?"
"It means I know the rules. I know how power works. And if I'm going to survive here, I need to use that knowledge."
Aiden nodded slowly.
"Alright, professor. Enlighten me."
I took a breath, looking at the ground as I spoke, as though the words might be easier to say if I wasn't looking anyone in the eye.
"This world operates on a system of Echoes, fragments of power left behind when something dies. When a person or a creature with a Nexus Core is killed, their essence condenses into an Echo, which can be absorbed by another."
"So, people get stronger by killing?"
"Not always. The stronger the being, the more likely they are to leave behind an Echo. And not all Echoes are the same."
I held up a finger.
"Core Echoes are the standard ones. They contain traits of whatever they came from. You kill a beast, you might get enhanced senses. You kill a fire mage, maybe you get a minor flame ability."
A second finger.
"Bloodline Echoes are inherited, passed down through noble families or forcibly extracted. They're refined over generations, making them significantly stronger."
A third.
"Temporal Echoes are rarer. They're distortions of time itself, appearing in places of significance. They let people glimpse into the past, sometimes even the future."
A fourth.
"Abyssal Echoes are corrupt, unpredictable, reality-warping. Absorbing one can make you stronger, or it can completely destroy you."
Finally, I tapped my wrist.
"And then there are Primordial Echoes. The kind that don't belong in the system at all."
Aiden's gaze flickered to the mark on my wrist.
"Like yours."
"Like mine."
"There's more, though, isn't there?"
Aiden pressed.
I nodded.
"Power is ranked in tiers, starting from the basic Awakened stage, all the way to Veilborn, where the strongest beings reshape existence itself. Most people never make it past Rank 3, Exalted. The truly powerful exist beyond that."
Aiden let out a low whistle.
"Alright. That's a lot to take in."
I didn't respond.
As we walked, I felt a shift in the air. The industrial haze was thinning, replaced by something colder. The streets widened, the buildings becoming grander, more structured.
We were getting close.
Blackthorn Academy was just beyond the next district.
And my real trial was about to begin.
As we walked, the city began to change. The closer we got to Blackthorn Academy, the more the air seemed to thicken, as though even the atmosphere was different here. The industrial haze began to dissipate, replaced by something colder, something more calculated. The streets grew wider, the buildings taller, more imposing.
Even the grime and rust seemed to fade, replaced with polished stone and sharp angles. Blackthorn loomed just beyond the next district.
I glanced at Aiden. He had fallen into a quiet, thoughtful mood, the sharp edge of his smirk gone, his eyes scanning the path ahead, sharp and focused.
Whatever game he was playing, he wasn't showing his cards. And I had learned not to expect honesty from him.
I glanced at the mark on my wrist, the Primordial Echo pulsing faintly beneath my skin. For a second, I wondered if it was enough, if it could be the key to surviving Blackthorn. But then I realized the bitter truth.
It wasn't enough to walk in with a mark and expect to be accepted. Nothing in this world worked that way.
I wasn't like the demons of Blackthorn. Not by a long shot. They had bloodlines, centuries of power passed down from parent to child, an entire culture built on domination and strength.
I had none of that. I was an outsider. A human, alone.
The mark didn't make me a demon. It only painted a target on my back.
Aiden's voice broke through my thoughts, sharp and clear.
"So, how do you plan to get into Blackthorn, then? Just show them your shiny little mark and hope they let you in?"
I didn't answer right away. I wasn't sure I even had an answer. But I knew one thing: I couldn't walk into Blackthorn like this. Not untested, not unproven. The academy didn't care about promises. They cared about power.
"First."
I said, my voice steady but distant.
"I need Echoes. Real ones. The kind that can prove I belong there."
"Not enough to just kill a few beasts."
Aiden said, his voice laced with something like understanding.
"No. I need more than that."
I said quietly.
"Something powerful. Something that can't be ignored."
I felt the weight of his gaze on me, but I didn't look back. I couldn't afford to let him see how much I was questioning myself. I couldn't turn back now.
"We'll start in the Undercity."
I continued, as much to myself as to Aiden.
"The Blood Pit. They fight there, kill or be killed. The survivors leave behind Echoes. I can start with that."
Aiden hummed thoughtfully, his expression unreadable.
"And you think that'll be enough?"
I wanted to scoff at the question. Of course it wouldn't be enough. But it was a start. I wasn't foolish enough to believe a few cheap kills would win me a place at Blackthorn. But in a world where power was the only currency, surviving the Pit would show them something important.
"You start somewhere."
I said, my voice becoming distant and heavy.
"You collect what you can, build yourself up. It's the only way to get noticed in a place like Blackthorn."
Aiden was quiet for a long moment, but then he let out a low chuckle, a sound that seemed at odds with the grim situation.
"Not bad. I'd say it's a pretty damn risky plan, but it might just work."
The words shouldn't have been comforting, but they were. Because for a moment, it felt like I wasn't alone in this. Like someone else, someone who knew this world better than I did, believed it could work.
Aiden shoved his hands back into his pockets, his expression returning to its usual detached state.
"Alright, professor. Lead the way."
I nodded once, my eyes already moving toward the shadows of the next district. Blackthorn was close now. And with it, my real test was waiting.