After finishing his research homework for the day, Shadow made his way toward the Grand Alchemy Hall of the Stormgard household.
The hall was one of the most important facilities within the family.
It was responsible for producing and storing all essential magical supplies—potions, healing elixirs, mana recovery liquids, and various experimental pills used by warriors and mages alike.
In this world, such items were not luxuries.
They were survival tools.
And Shadow… had become unusually skilled in this field.
Despite his age, his understanding of alchemy, structure reactions, and mana behavior had earned him a position as an apprentice within the Grand Alchemy Hall.
At first, it had been out of curiosity from the elders.
Now, it was recognition.
His experiments didn't just work.
They exceeded expectations in ways that made even experienced alchemists uneasy.
When he arrived, voices echoed through the hall.
And among them—
he noticed familiar faces.
"Shadow, where have you been, you rascal? We've been waiting for you!"
A young woman with long dark-blue hair and striking blue eyes waved him over.
This was Selene, **17 years old**, Elena's younger sister—and technically Shadow's aunt.
"Good morning to you too, silly," Shadow replied casually.
Selene's expression changed instantly.
"What did you just call me?"
Shadow tilted his head.
"Silly."
A pause.
Then quickly added:
"I mean… cute silly. Definitely cute. Not the dangerous kind."
Mia and a few nearby students immediately turned away, trying not to laugh.
Among them were Derek, the green-haired boy, and Iris, the pink-haired girl, both struggling to hide their amusement.
Selene pressed her fingers against her temple.
"You really enjoy testing my patience, don't you?"
"I wouldn't call it testing," Shadow said calmly. "More like gentle maintenance."
Selene sighed.
She had known him long enough to understand this was normal behavior.
Even if he was only nine years old.
"I'm here for the students," she said, shifting tone. "They need mana clarity pills for their awakening preparation next week. Everyone says your recent batch is… unusually effective."
"Unusually effective?" Shadow repeated.
"That sounds suspiciously like a compliment with hesitation built in."
"It is a compliment," she replied flatly.
Shadow turned slightly.
"I prefer honest compliments. Less emotional damage that way."
Selene ignored him.
Inside the hall, shelves stretched across the walls, filled with neatly arranged bottles and glowing containers.
The air carried a faint medicinal scent mixed with mana residue.
"You know," Shadow said while walking deeper inside, "you're all lucky. I just finished a new variation of clarity pills."
Selene narrowed her eyes.
"New variation?"
Shadow nodded.
"Yes. After taking it, the user experiences a significantly smoother mana flow during awakening."
He paused slightly.
"And depending on compatibility… it might even increase elemental affinity stability."
Silence.
Derek blinked.
"That's impossible… clarity pills don't affect affinity."
Iris nodded quickly beside him.
"Yeah. They only stabilize mana perception. They don't change talent."
Shadow glanced at them.
"That's the normal version."
A beat.
"This is the improved one."
The room went quiet.
Mia was the first to step forward and immediately swallowed one.
"Wait—!" Selene reacted instantly, but it was too late.
Mia blinked.
Then again.
"…Huh."
A faint mana surge spread through her body.
The surrounding energy responded to her presence.
"It feels… closer," she whispered. "Like I can actually touch it."
Selene's eyes widened slightly.
"That reaction speed… this isn't normal."
The other students froze.
Then—
"Give me one!"
"I want it too!"
"Move aside!"
Chaos erupted instantly.
Shadow stepped back slightly, watching them rush forward.
"Don't fight," he said calmly. "There are enough for everyone. They're just pills."
But Selene noticed something.
The faint smirk on his face.
'This little devil…'
If only he wasn't… limited.
If only he could use mana like the others.
But the truth always lingered.
Shadow was different.
Not just in ability.
But in existence.
---
A sudden hand landed on his head.
*Smack.*
Shadow didn't even turn.
"Marcus," he said flatly.
A tall young man stood behind him.
Black hair. Slightly muscular build.
Marcus, **18 years old**, Selene's fiancé and one of the strongest talents of the new generation.
"You really need to stop that," Marcus said.
"Stop what?" Shadow replied.
"Hitting a crippled child like it's normal."
Shadow sighed and rubbed the back of his head.
"Welcome back."
Selene immediately walked over and hugged Marcus.
"When did you return?" she asked. "Is everything okay?"
Marcus's expression darkened slightly.
"We found the demon."
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Even Derek and Iris stopped talking.
"We engaged it," Marcus continued. "We managed to injure it heavily… but we suffered losses."
A pause.
"It escaped."
Silence.
Fear spread through the hall.
Selene clenched her fists.
"If I had been there…"
Marcus shook his head.
"It wouldn't have changed much."
Shadow stepped slightly forward.
"Well," he said casually, "at least you confirmed one thing."
Everyone looked at him.
"If a demon isn't dead," Shadow continued, "it's not dead."
A brief pause.
Then he turned away.
"Anyway, I'm done here."
And just like that—
he walked out of the hall.
Leaving behind silence, tension… and unease.
Because even though everyone feared demons…
They were starting to fear something else too.
The way Shadow understood things a little too calmly.