Chapter 16: Watching from the Shadows

A fool rushes into battle.

A hunter waits.

And tonight, I would wait.

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Following the Trail

The rogue mage had disappeared into the night, but they had left a trail.

A faint magical presence lingered in the air, subtle yet unmistakable. A lesser man would have dismissed it, but I knew better.

I had once commanded far greater powers.

Even now, after reincarnation, the instincts of a Demon Lord remained within me. And right now, those instincts told me one thing—

This enemy wanted me to follow.

Which was why I wouldn’t. Not yet.

I needed to know who they were, what they wanted, and why they had chosen to reveal themselves now.

So instead of chasing shadows, I chose to watch.

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A Whisper of Magic

The first sign of their movement came at dawn.

One of my spies—a young girl with sharp eyes and sharper instincts—arrived at my chambers, her breath uneven from running.

“There’s been… an incident.”

I sat forward. “Where?”

“The west wing of the royal archives,” she said. “One of the scholars was found unconscious. No wounds, no struggle. Just… collapsed.”

Magic.

I rose smoothly, fastening my cloak. “Show me.”

---

The Archive Incident

The archives were silent and cold, the scent of ink and old parchment thick in the air.

A few scholars whispered among themselves, but the moment I arrived, they fell quiet.

The body had already been moved, but the scene was untouched.

I crouched low, my fingers grazing the wooden desk.

No blood. No signs of forced entry. Just scattered papers and a lingering presence.

I closed my eyes, inhaling slowly.

There.

A faint trace of magic, barely detectable. Not destructive, but invasive.

Mind magic.

Someone had searched this scholar’s thoughts.

And that meant—they were looking for something.

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A Dangerous Pattern

I straightened, glancing at my spy.

“Who was the victim?”

“A historian,” she answered. “Specialized in ancient wars and… dark magic.”

Dark magic.

I kept my expression unreadable, but inwardly, I understood.

The rogue mage wasn’t just watching me.

They were digging into my past.

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Evelyn’s Boldest Move Yet

I was still lost in thought when I felt her presence.

Evelyn.

I turned just as she stepped into the archive hall, her violet eyes sharp.

“You,” she murmured, stepping closer.

I smiled faintly. “Me?”

She exhaled, frustration flashing across her face. “The entire court feels it, Lucian. Something is happening.”

I tilted my head. “And you assume I’m involved?”

She stepped even closer. “No,” she murmured. “I know you are.”

A dangerous statement.

I studied her carefully. She had never been this direct before.

She had always danced around the truth, watching, testing.

But now?

She was done waiting.

I chuckled softly. “You sound confident.”

Her eyes burned into mine. “I am.”

The silence stretched between us, heavy and charged.

Then, her voice dropped lower.

“You’re hiding something,” she whispered. “And I won’t stop until I find out what it is.”

A threat. A promise. A challenge.

And for the first time—I wasn’t certain which of us would win.

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The Shadow’s Next Move

That night, I stood on my balcony, staring at the city below.

Gregor was gone. The court was shifting.

But now?

Now, I had two threats to deal with.

The rogue mage, who knew my past.

And Evelyn, who refused to look away.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

I had always controlled the game.

But for the first time in a long time—

I was being hunted.

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