Dragon's Awakening: The Duke's Son Is Changing The Plot
Chapter 97 - 96 - A Rift Healed.

Chapter 97: Chapter 96 - A Rift Healed.

Far from the chaos in the Red Magic Tower, in the Velmoria Academy City.

A soft breeze stirred the curtains.

Sunlight filtered through the windows, warm and golden, but it brought no comfort to the girl lying on the bed.

Selena blinked slowly, her blue eyes glassy, unmoving, staring up at the intricately carved ceiling.

She recognized it instantly.

Her ceiling.

Her room.

She was in her mansion.

Her fingers curled around the silk sheets, her knuckles whitening. She shouldn’t be here.

’Why am I here?’

Then it hit her like a crashing tide—

Raven’s eyes.

Clara’s trembling voice.

That look of betrayal.

And before that...

Mistress’s voice whispering inside her mind.

"Just relax, child. Let me take over for now."

After that—nothing.

A void.

She didn’t remember what happened once she let go.

Had Mistress taken control of her body? Had she hurt someone? Had Raven... had he fought her?

Her heart pounded. Cold sweat clung to her back.

’What happened after that?’

’What does Raven think of me?’

’Does he hate me?’

’Will he try to kill me now?’

She hadn’t seen him kill anyone, but still, she didn’t want to be his enemy.

He was the guy she loved, and being hated by him would be worse than death. He was too important for her to lose him.

She couldn’t lose him.

A wave of helplessness crashed over her, twisting in her stomach like a knife.

She tried to reach into her soul, to call for Mistress—her contracted demon—but there was nothing.

She wanted to know what had happened and what she had done, but the Mistress didn’t respond to her call.

There were no whispers. No presence.

It was just silence.

It felt...empty.

She felt that the demon was gone.

But she didn’t feel relieved.

She felt abandoned.

She had betrayed her friend.

The guy she loved looked at her with hostility, and now, she didn’t even know what was going on.

Selena wrapped her arms around herself, a bitter sob rising in her throat. But just as despair began to swallow her whole—

Click.

—The door creaked open.

Then, she heard footsteps. Soft and measured.

Selena sat up slightly, blinking away the tears, only to freeze.

It was Clara.

Her black hair was tied back, her golden eyes sharp as always. The moment their eyes met, Clara faltered.

It was as if she wasn’t expecting to see Selena awake.

A flicker of surprise crossed her face, but she said nothing.

Without a word, Clara walked toward the small table by the window, setting down a tray of food she had clearly brought for herself.

Then, she sat.

Silence blanketed the room, thick and stifling.

Clara picked at her food without touching it.

Something was going on in her head, but she couldn’t say it.

Selena was the same, as her throat burned with guilt. Looking at Clara up close, she realized how hurt the girl must’ve felt.

She kept it hidden for so long precisely because she didn’t want all this to happen. But now, it did.

Whatever she wanted to avoid had happened.

She couldn’t take the silence for long.

"...I’m sorry—" She whispered.

But she wasn’t the only one who spoke.

"...I’m sorry—" Clara muttered.

Both of them paused, blinking.

"Eh?"

"Eh?"

Both girls stared at each other, equally confused.

"...Why are you apologizing?" Selena asked quietly.

Clara exhaled, finally raising her gaze to meet Selena’s.

"Because I should’ve been there for you."

Selena’s lips parted, but no words came.

"I was your only friend," Clara said, her voice tight. "And still... You had to turn to a demon for help. That’s how bad it got, right?"

"Clara—"

"No. Let me finish." She took a shaky breath. "I was angry at first. I felt betrayed. But then I remembered how your family treats you. The pressure. The expectations. The loneliness."

Selena’s eyes began to glisten again.

Clara looked away, ashamed. "You did what you had to, just to keep yourself together. And I... I wasn’t there. I never noticed. Or maybe I noticed and didn’t do enough. You always smiled, so I thought you were fine."

Selena couldn’t hold back anymore. She slid off the bed, stumbling forward and collapsing to her knees in front of Clara.

"You did everything for me," she said, her voice cracking. "You were the only one who stayed. I just... I didn’t want to burden you. I thought... if I could keep it hidden, I’d be fine."

Clara leaned forward, wrapping her arms around her.

"You idiot," she whispered, her voice shaking. "You could’ve told me."

"I know, and I’m sorry I didn’t."

They stayed like that for a while—two girls who’d both tried to carry too much alone.

Now, neither was letting go.

.............................

A while later.

Clara and Selena sat cross-legged on the carpet, the tray between them, sharing a bowl of rice and grilled vegetables.

"No matter how many times I see you eating, it always feels unladylike," Selena muttered with a smile, watching Clara shovel food.

"Says the girl who’s stealing half my portion."

Selena huffed, cheeks puffing out like a squirrel’s.

They were laughing again.

It felt like nothing had changed. But they also felt that everything had changed.

It was a strange feeling. But it wasn’t bad.

Clara reached for the pickles, but her hand paused as something caught her eye.

"...Hey, what’s that?" She asked, frowning at a polished marble tile on the wall. "Is that a... button? Like some secret storage switch?"

Selena froze.

’Oh no.’

Clara stood up.

"No—Clara, wait, don’t—!"

Clara, of course, pressed the button.

Click.

A section of the wall slid open with a mechanical whirr.

Inside—

Dozens of drawings.

Sketches.

Paintings.

Portraits.

All of one person.

Raven Vaise.

Half-armored. Smiling. Sleeping. Training. One with his foot on a watermelon like he’d conquered a kingdom.

Clara stared.

Selena turned purple.

"...I can explain," she squeaked.

Clara raised an eyebrow.

"...Please don’t."

Selena curled up like a dying roach. "I’m never showing my face again."

Clara stepped into the gallery. "Okay, I need to see all of these. This one has shading! Did you use charcoal for his abs?!"

"I was trying my best to make it look real, okay?!"

.............................

Meanwhile, back at the Red Magic Tower.

The stale air of the hidden underground tunnel was heavy with magic and the distant thrum of corrupted life.

Raven, unaware of what was happening between his Girlfriend and his potential girlfriend, stood silently at the threshold of the chamber Nibbles had led them to, his eyes sweeping over the room that should not have existed.

The two humans—or what they used to be—who were guarding the room were lying on the ground, blood pooling below them.

They were dead.

Killed by Raven.

Then, there were Jessy, Jake, Siris, Lia, Alex, and Rufus standing tensely beside him.

Nibbles was perched on his shoulder as if guarding the weight of what had just been uncovered.

Ilzara stood off to the side, face pale, her eyes fixed on the glowing cages within the chamber.

Vernix, the Tower Master himself, stood in the center, his long red robes fluttering faintly as he stepped forward, gaze locked on the crystals.

His hand trembled as he lifted it slightly as if trying to touch the dark aura in the air.

Raven’s red irises gleamed faintly with silver light as his Fate Eyes activated.

He stared at them, his expression serious.

Vernix’s face held no guilt, no flicker of recognition. Only confusion. Rage. Shock.

Ilzara’s mouth parted in disbelief. "This... This place isn’t marked on the tower’s map. I—I’ve studied every blueprint, every schema, every path. This section doesn’t exist."

Raven didn’t speak. Not yet.

Looking at Vernix, Raven saw a green color surrounding him. His fate eyes were showing Vernix as a green opportunity, which wasn’t low despite not being the best.

Same for Ilzara.

She also had the same green color around her.

This made it clear that they weren’t harboring any ill intention toward him. At least not yet.

Even their expressions said the same thing.

They seemed genuinely shocked by the scene.

That means they weren’t connected to the demons.

Rave had brought them here to verify that.

Verix had wanted to know more about demons, but Raven didn’t trust the guy.

Yes, he wasn’t a demon contractor in the story he had read, but things were far too different from the story. He couldn’t be sure of anything.

Now, when he decided on them as potential allies, Raven chose not to hold any information from them.

Of course, there was a chance they were related to demons.

After all, Selena, despite being related to a demon, was always detected as an opportunity by his Fate Eyes.

But their expressions seemed genuine, and if they were faking... then they were damn good actors.

Raven finally exhaled.

That breath alone felt like the pulling of a trigger.

He didn’t know what to do, but there was always the first leap of faith.

He was the protagonist, for fuck’s sake.

He was supposed to trust people.

It was then that Vernix’s eyes snapped to him.

"What is this?" He asked, and Raven finally focused on the topic, deciding to take the first leap of faith.

He raised a hand and gestured toward the flickering cages.

Black crystals glowed with malevolence, distorted faces shifting faintly beneath their glossy surfaces.

The whispers of silent screams pulsed in the silence.

"A faculty," Raven said, his expression serious again. "For demon production."

That was what it was.

His words, however, struck like a hammer.

He let the pause hang, heavy and oppressive.

For a while, no one said anything, staring at the crystals.