Inside a large school, within a particular classroom, a professor stood at the front of the class, his hands resting on the worn lectern. "All right, class," he announced, his voice carrying authority and warmth, "we're continuing our lesson on the life of Sin, known in our history books as the Sinner of Shadows." He paused, allowing the weight of the name to settle over his young students. "Let's resume where we left off—when Sin heard a knock on his door while residing at the Dragonic Continent, inside a particular castle."
Sin heard the knock and rose from the bed, his movements careful and deliberate. Thankfully, the room possessed noise-canceling enchantments. He opened the door to find a maid standing there, her expression pleasant but unremarkable.
"Hello there," the maid said, her voice soft and professional.
She wore a typical maid's outfit, and at first glance, she appeared ordinary—nothing that would draw special attention. Sin studied her briefly, his instincts whispering that something felt off.
*Maybe if I use that inspect skill I recently acquired, I'll discover who she truly is and what she wants with me,* Sin thought, activating the ability.
A black and red screen materialized before him, its ethereal glow casting shadows across his face.
**Name:** Lisa Ravenwood
**Race:** Dragon
**Stats:** All stats blocked. Upgrade the inspect skill to gain the ability to view people, objects, or entities' complete information.
Sin's brow furrowed. *Odd. I can't access her stats without leveling up the inspect skill first.*
The maid stood there, her smile never wavering, patient and composed. "Well, now that I know you're awake, I'll prepare some food for you," Lisa said, tilting her head slightly. "What do you usually eat?"
The question caught him off guard. *What do I usually eat? Why would she need to ask that?* Sin considered his options carefully. *Well, I suppose blood would do. I am a nuclear Shadow vampire, after all. Why not be honest?* He met her gaze. "Blood."
Lisa's smile transformed into a knowing smirk, her eyes gleaming with interest. "A vampire, I see. We don't usually encounter your kind on the Dragonic Continent," she said, her tone carrying a hint of intrigue, "but we're glad you're here."
"I'll fetch your meal now," Lisa added as she turned and walked away, her footsteps echoing softly down the corridor.
Suddenly, a figure emerged from the shadows within the room, materializing as if the darkness itself had taken form. The man ignored the elaborate paintings adorning the walls, ignored the two children—Crystal and Talon—still sleeping peacefully on the bed. From what Sin could perceive, the man appeared to be composed entirely of shadow, his form shifting and undulating.
"I am your protector," the man said, his voice like gravel scraping against stone. "I guard you against any assassin who wishes you harm. After all, some inhabitants of this continent do not welcome races other than dragons within these castle walls."
Sin stared at him, his expression neutral despite his racing thoughts. He didn't truly need protection—he possessed the Shadow Demon, which could seize control of him and unleash devastating power. He also had Dice and Knocks, his spawned defenders who could shield him from danger. Yet he wasn't about to reveal these capabilities to this stranger. Better to keep the man ignorant of his true powers before circumstances turned dangerous. After all, Sin couldn't determine whether the man was lying, attempting to manipulate him into lowering his guard, or harboring ulterior motives. He refused to become another statistic in this shadow-man's potential list of murders. The moment this protector showed signs of aggression, Sin would immediately unleash the Shadow Demon.
Meanwhile, inside the mindscape, Dice stared into the endless void, his consciousness trapped and helpless. He couldn't control his body or perform any actions, existing only as pure thought. Unlike Knocks—the former father of the demon family who stood beside his son—Dice felt utterly powerless. Both stood motionless, staring blankly into the abyss.
Suddenly, Dice sensed something shifting in the darkness. He couldn't move his head, but he could perceive the presence if he concentrated, harnessing his energy to feel what lurked nearby. The signature appeared dark, shadowy, and ominous. The energy swirled and coalesced, taking on a humanoid form. Right beside that massive, shadowy presence, Dice detected what appeared to be Sin's aura—a unique blend of blood mixed with shadow. The purple and dark shadow intertwined with crimson blood, both energies circulating throughout Sin's body in complex patterns.
*Does this guy possess shadow powers or something?* Dice wondered, frustrated by his limitations. He could only sense energy signatures—he couldn't see faces, expressions, or even the surrounding environment. All he perceived were those distinct auras pulsing in the darkness.
The professor closed the textbook with a satisfying thud and smiled warmly at his students, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "That's it for today's lesson," he announced, his voice filled with genuine affection for his pupils. "Now, all of you make sure to study when you get home—that will be your homework. Also, practice your magic diligently, as we'll be welcoming new students into the academy soon."
The students cheered enthusiastically, their young voices filling the classroom with excitement and energy. They all appeared to be seven to eight years old, their faces bright with curiosity and wonder. The man teaching them looked approximately thirty to thirty-five, with jet-black hair, a white smile that never left his face, piercing blue eyes, and a relaxed posture that put his students at ease.
Every student filed out of the classroom, chattering excitedly about the lesson. The professor stood, gathering his materials to leave as well, his movements unhurried and methodical.
After the teacher departed, one particular student lingered behind, waiting until the corridor fell silent. He possessed pitch-black hair and eyes as dark as midnight, which seemed to absorb the light around them. His small hands clenched into fists as an uncomfortable sensation gnawed at his insides—something primal, something dangerous.
The boy's breathing grew ragged. His fingers trembled as shadows began to leak from his skin like smoke, curling around his small frame. The classroom temperature dropped suddenly, frost creeping across the windows.
"I'm so hungry," he whispered, his voice no longer that of a child but something ancient and hollow. His midnight eyes flashed crimson for just a heartbeat. "So very, very hungry."
The shadows around him pulsed once—twice—then exploded outward, extinguishing every light in the room. In the sudden darkness, two glowing red eyes remained, burning with an inhuman hunger that had nothing to do with food.
And somewhere, deep within the Dragonic Continent, Sin's own shadow twitched violently, responding to a call he couldn't yet hear.