Cain sat in the back row of the lecture hall, his chair angled slightly so he could see the entire class without appearing obvious. The professor's voice droned on at the front, pointing out diagrams across the slate screen, though Cain absorbed very little of it.

To his left, Jayden scribbled notes diligently, her ears twitching occasionally as she followed the lecture, and her tail curled neatly around her legs. Her hand moved quickly and precisely, capturing every detail the professor mentioned. To his right, Zara had slumped forward onto her open textbook. A thin line of drool slid across the page, her cheek pressed against the ink. Her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm, and she let out a faint snore, completely lost to a food coma.

Cain allowed a corner of his mouth to twitch. Jayden alert and focused, Zara completely surrendered to sleep. It was almost amusing.

Then the whispers reached him, soft at first, almost indistinguishable from the hum of conversation, but quickly sharpening.

"Did you hear… Tobias… rushed to the emergency ward…"

"…he looked half dead… Paigos's faction…"

"…someone really beat him badly…"

Cain's pen hovered over his desk. His eyes narrowed, and he let his hand still. Outwardly he appeared calm, listening to the murmurs that floated through the rows of students.

Tobias. He had seen the boy once or twice, always on the edges of Paigos's group, quiet, inconspicuous. White hair. Weak. A follower. The pieces came together in Cain's mind almost instantly.

It had not been an accident. Tobias had not simply collapsed or fallen ill. His so-called accident was Paigos's doing.

Cain leaned back slightly, observing the classroom around him. Zara muttered something incoherent in her sleep, turning her face slightly, still drooling. Jayden continued taking notes, ears twitching, tail wrapped neatly around her legs, unaware of Cain's thoughts.

The Tyrant skill. The Pseudo Skill. Cain had known that it was dangerous. Something like this could consume a person before anyone else realized it. And now it seemed Paigos was already beginning to lose control. The seed had taken root, twisting his instincts, amplifying his rage and need to dominate.

He imagined the scene clearly. Paigos, driven by pride, by fury, by the Tyrant skill, taking Tobias and nearly killing him. The boy lying on the floor, broken, bleeding, and the others around him paralyzed by fear. His brother was never known for his mental fortitude. He couldn't stand even the smallest slight against him.

He glanced at Zara, her drooling form a stark contrast to the chaos outside this room. Her mockery of his brother, her casual disregard for the power Paigos wielded, now seemed chilling in retrospect. It was almost poetic in its cruelty. Tobias had been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and her defiance, even if unintentional, had contributed to his fate.

Cain's fingers drummed lightly against the desk, a subtle rhythm that belied the storm of thoughts inside his head. This 'Hero of Knowledge' was someone he would have to deal with sooner than later. The only problem was that he had no idea who they were. First Abel and now his brother. He didn't know if he was right but he got the feeling he was being targeted.

Cain's thoughts flicked toward Zara. Maybe she could be useful. If he could find someone meeting with Paigos, someone whispering plans in shadow, perhaps Zara could spot them. She was reckless, yes, but observant in her own chaotic way. The idea lingered in his mind, forming before it was interrupted by a sudden tap on his desk.

A small folded piece of paper had landed there, as if delivered by some invisible hand. Cain's eyes narrowed at the motion. He reached for it, hesitation gripping him for a moment. He could easily toss it aside, ignore it entirely.

Then he noticed the handwriting. Small, precise, unmistakable. Julia.

Cain sat up straighter, the paper suddenly burning in his hand. His temper, already simmering beneath the surface, began to flare. Carefully, he unfolded it.

Two lines of text stared back at him.

"I know you will never forgive me for what I did but consider this me trying to make amends before I die."

Cain snorted, a short, sharp sound of disdain. Predictable. Self-serving. Empty words from someone who had once been one of the two people he had trusted most.

Then his eyes caught the last line. It changed everything.

"The Vice Principal has teamed up with Paigos to target you."

Cain froze. His mind ran over the words again, slower this time, tasting each one. The Vice Principal? A pause settled over him, heavy and tense.

Gaius's voice echoed suddenly in his head, calm yet probing. "What is the Vice Principal's name?"

Cain's lips moved slightly, quiet, almost muttered. "It's Felix S—"

Before he could finish, Gaius cut him off, confident, cutting. "It's him. He's the Hero of Knowledge"

Cain immediately stiffened. 'You sure?'

Gaius' tone remained confident as he remarked "Felix is so narcissistic that even if he needed to remain undercover, he would keep his first name. Nobody would question it but given what we know, he is in the perfect spot to distribute Pseudo Skills and experiment with nobody figuring anything out.'

Cain couldn't help but agree with Gaius. It fit so perfectly that he felt a bit dumb that he only found this out now. A faint laugh, dry and ironic, escaped him. The humor was bitter, like acid in his mouth.

One of the two who had betrayed him and left him to die in the Abyss was now trying to help him. He leaned back slightly in his chair, the note clutched loosely in his hand as he stared at the ceiling, letting the irony settle in.

He could now say that he stood on both sides of the lines of betrayal. While it was an interesting feeling, It didn't lessen the rage that simmered in the depths of his soul. Julia was a traitor, there was no question about it. But could he really trust what she had brought him or was this yet another trap.

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