After all this chaos caused by corrupted Damien, he been taken away by the professors, thanks to Lyria's help in stopping Damien, the damage at the academy wasn't too bad even though the barrier in the arena were destroyed during the fight.
The professors draging Damien unconscious boddy to underground prison beneath the academy, locking him behind layers of enchanted barriers, no one allowed near him, not until they found out what exactly happened to him.
And because the barrier was destroyed in the middle of the fight, the wounds that I and the others had did not heal quickly because of the barrier magic effect that gave healing effects as well.
That why, I, Cedric and Iris were escorted to the infirmary, as for Lyria? She vanished after beat damien and before the professor came, well she probably fine anyway.
The fight had left all of us battered, Well for Iris she wasn't that bad, but she was still taken to the infirmary for treatment.
And for me, i was the worst shape, my ribs ached with every breath, and my body felt like it had been through a meat grinder.
Cedric sat on the edge of the bed next to mine, arms crossed.
"I swear if i ever see that bastard again i will definitely breaking his nose"
I let sarcastic laugh.
"Just careful not to break any bone"
Cedric grunted hearing my response.
Iris, sitting by the window, didn't comment anything, her gaz was distant, lost in thought.
The healer worked quickly, treating our way injuries with maguc and potions, most of bruises already faded, but the exhaustion still remained.
Even with magic and potions recovery wasn't instant huh?
...
Night fell, the infirmary was quiet, if you ignore Cedric's loud snoring.
I lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, my mind refused to rest, thinking about today battle.
Damien, that bastard.
He definitely made contact with Lilith somehow and she give him demonic power, but when and where he meet Lilith?
I definitely need that answer, if i manage to kill Lilith it's probably disrupt the original scenario, but who care about that, my goals is to survive and find a way to comeback to earth somehow.
She is the weakest demon lord general so probably i have a chance, but even if I don't have a chance yet, i can still find any information about her since in the game her information is too little since she basically just a gimmick boss.
I pushed myself up, ignoring the dull pain in my muscles, Cedric and Iris already fell aslep so i trying not to wake them upby sneaking out of the infirmary.
It's time to pay Damien a visit.
...
Getting into underground prison sure is wasn't easy task, the academy had layers of security everywhere and because of that i almost got caught a few times.
I kept to the shadows, avoiding the night patrols, most of the guard were more concerned about outside threats than someone breaking in, after all who would be setupid enough to try?
..well it's me apparently.
I reached the entrance to the deepest floor of underground prison where i think they hold Damien.
A heavy reinforced door guarded by two sentries, by their look, they're definitely not just regular soldier, they were magic knight, specialized in combat.
I needed a distraction to enter the door.
From my pocket, I pulled a small stone, a flick of my wrist and i tossed it down the hall, a few seconds later, it let out a sharp, echoing crack, like glass shattering.
The guard turned instantly.
"What was that?"
Both of them moved, bad timing sure, but it worked in my favor.
The moment one turned his head, I surged forward, a silent and precise strike to his neck, droped him instantly.
The second guard barely had time to react before I chaught hum with a sweep of my leg and drove my elbow into the side of his head, he colapsed without a sound.
I left the unconscious, not dead of course, I wasn't here to kill anyone anyway, and thanks to the mask i found on storage upside, I manage to hide my face.
Slipping through the door, I descended the stairs, the air grow colder with every step, the scent of damp stone and old magic thick in the air.
Rows of cells lined the dimly lit hallway, but I wasn't here for just anyone anyway, i kepy moving until i found him.
And thankfully my guess is right, they held him in the deepest part of the prison.
I found him in a room where there a two professor who act as interrogator, Damien sat hunched over, his arms bound by glowing chains, inscribed with some arcane symbols.
His head was down, breath slowly and measured, he didn't even notice me at all.
Across from him, a man in a dark uniform loomed over the table, his fingers tapping rhythmically against it's surface.
"Let try this again"
The interrogator said, his voice is calm but firm.
"Where did you get that power?"
Damien lifted his head slightly, his expression groggy, like he just come to his senses.
"I already told you, I don't know what are you talking about"
The interrogator sighed.
"Lying won't help you, your power just like described in the legend, that was definitely demonic power, where do you get it?"
Damien jaw tightened, but he remained silent.
I stayed hidden in the shadows, watching and observing, this was exactly what i needed, answer.
The interrogator leaned forward, his patience thinning.
"So you're telling me, you just happened to wield a magic that far beyond your capabilities without any outside help? Does that make sense to you?"
Damien exhaled sharply through his nose, expression caught between frustration and confusion.
"Like i said, I don't what are you talking about"
The interrogator narrowed his eyes.
"Convenient excuse"
"No!"
Damien snapped, shaking his head.
"I mean it. I don't remember. I—"
He shut his eyes tightly, his breathing becoming uneven.
I watched as his fingers twitched against the table, his whole posture tense like he was fighting against something inside his own head.
"I was strong. I know I was. But I don't remember how or why"
Damien muttered, his voice quieter this time.
"I remember the duel. I remember wanting to win. And then..."
His brows furrowed deeper.
"Then nothing"
The interrogator didn't look convinced.
"Nothing?"
Damien let out a bitter laugh.
"What, you think I'd lie about this? Do you think I want to be locked up like this?"
His frustration wasn't an act. Even I could tell. It wasn't just him refusing to talk—he genuinely didn't know.
That meant something, someone, had erased his memories. And I had a damn good guess who.
Lilith.
A cold chill ran down my spine. If even Damien didn't remember what happened, then whatever she did to him was thorough. This wasn't just a simple case of possession or manipulation—this was deliberate. She had used him, then wiped him clean, leaving him with nothing but gaps in his mind.
I clenched my fists, my mind already racing ahead. This changed everything.
Lilith hadn't just been interfering.
She had been covering her tracks.
And that meant there was something she didn't want us to find out.
The interrogator sighed, then reached into his coat, pulling out a small crystalline orb embedded in a metal frame. It pulsed with a faint golden light, radiating an undeniable aura of magic.
"The Oathstone"
He said, placing it on the table between them.
"It reacts to lies. If you speak falsehoods, it will darken. If you tell the truth, it will remain as it is"
Damien's expression twisted with irritation.
"You think this'll prove anything?"
The interrogator ignored him.
"Let's begin"
He pressed his fingers against the Oathstone, activating it. The glow brightened for a moment before settling back to its usual state.
"State your full name"
Damien rolled his eyes.
"Damien Altrhrone"
The Oathstone remained unchanged.
The interrogator leaned forward.
"Did you, at any point before or during the duel, knowingly use magic beyond your own capabilities?"
Damien hesitated, then answered.
"No"
The Oathstone didn't darken.
A flicker of surprise crossed the interrogator's face, but he quickly masked it. He changed his approach.
"Do you remember how you accessed that power?"
Damien's jaw tensed.
"No"
Still, the Oathstone stayed the same.
That confirmed it. Whatever had happened to Damien, whatever power had surged through him during our duel—it hadn't been of his own doing. He hadn't lied. He couldn't lie, not with the Oathstone in play.
I watched in silence as the interrogator continued his line of questioning, but in my mind, a cold realization settled in.
I know that artifact, it was in the game, it's a key item for important event later and i remember clearly the description of the artifact.
The Oathstone sure was a powerful tool, but it wasn't flawless. Most people assumed it worked by detecting deception, but that wasn't quite right. What it actually did was read a person's memory, it confirmed whether the person believed they were telling the truth, not whether the truth itself was real.
Which meant that if someone's memories were altered… the Oathstone would never register a lie.
I clenched my jaw, my fingers curling into my palm. That would explain why Damien's answers were so consistent. If his memories had been tampered with, then he genuinely had no recollection of how he gained that power.
Lilith.
She the only one who have power to alter someone memories, but the question is, why?
Why give Damien power and then erase any trace of how he got it? Was he just a disposable pawn? A distraction? Or was there something more at play here?
One thing was clear, if Lilith could manipulate memories this thoroughly, then the Oathstone was useless. We weren't interrogating Damien anymore.
We were interrogating a hollowed-out version of him, one who only knew what she allowed him to know.
The interrogator studied him for a long moment before exchanging glances with the others in the room. I could already tell what they were thinking.
One of the interrogators frowned, his eyes narrowing.
"Wait... there's something strange"
My breath hitched.
A faint glow flickered on the table—a small, rune-inscribed stone resting beside the interrogation tools. The interrogator's gaze snapped toward it.
"Intrusion detected"
The stone intoned in a hollow, mechanical voice.
Shit.
My pulse quickened. That was an artifact, a security measure I hadn't accounted for.
The interrogator exchanged glances with his colleague before standing up.
"Check the perimeter. Now!"
Double shit.
I pressed myself against the wall, forcing my breath to slow. Think. I needed to move. But before I could act, my foot shifted against a loose stone.
A quiet scrape echoed through the chamber.
The interrogator's head snapped toward the sound.
"Someone's out there"
Triple shit.
Heavy boots thudded against the floor as they approached. I had seconds, maybe less before they found me.
And then—
[You are in immediate danger. Would you like to use Shadow Step to escape?]
Yes. No hesitation.
The moment I confirmed, my vision darkened, the world around me warping as the skill activated. The next thing I knew, I was somewhere else—far from the interrogation room, hidden within the depths of the academy.
...
I slipped back into the infirmary as quietly as possible, making sure my steps were light. The room was dimly lit, the only source of light coming from the faint glow outside. Cedric was still fast asleep in the bed next to mine, snoring softly.
I thought I was in the clear.
But just as I moved toward the table to sit down, I heard the rustling of sheets from the other side of the room.
I turned—only to meet Iris's violet eyes as she slowly woke up.
She blinked.
Iris rubbed her eyes sleepily before sitting up, her hair slightly messy from sleep. She looked around the room, then her gaze landed on me.
"Tristan?"
Her voice was quiet, still laced with drowsiness.
"Where were you?"
I froze for a split second. My mind raced for a reasonable excuse, but I forced myself to stay calm.
"Just went to get some fresh air"
I said smoothly, moving to sit on my bed.
Iris frowned.
"At this hour?"
She glanced toward the window, noting the darkness outside.
I shrugged.
"Couldn't sleep, and you still awake to"
She studied me for a moment, her sharp eyes scanning my face as if searching for something. Then, with a sigh, she swung her legs off the bed and stood up.
"I was just going to get some water"
She muttered, walking toward the pitcher on the side table. She poured herself a glass, taking a slow sip before speaking again.
"You look more exhausted than before"
She narrowed her eyes at me.
"Are you sure you just went for some air?"
I let out a short chuckle, leaning back against the pillow.
"You're overthinking it, Iris. Just couldn't sleep, that's all"
She didn't look convinced, but I didn't give her the chance to press further. With a casual motion, I turned on my side, pulling the blanket over me.
"nyway, it's late. You should get some rest too"
Iris hesitated, watching me for a moment longer. Then she sighed and took another sip of water.
"Fine, whatever"
I didn't answer. Instead, I closed my eyes, pretending to drift off.
I could still hear her standing there for a few more seconds before she finally gave up and climbed back into her own bed.
Good. The last thing I needed right now was more questions.
The next day passed in a blur.
I went through the motions, meals, brief conversations, but my mind was elsewhere. Last night's events wouldn't leave me alone. The oathstone's result. Damien's blank expression. The moment I had to make a split-second decision to escape.
Iris kept watching me like she knew I was hiding something, but she didn't push. Cedric was his usual self, grumbling about being stuck in the infirmary for so long.
By evening, things had settled into a strange sense of normalcy. I almost convinced myself I could put it all aside for now.
Then the news came.
Damien was found dead in his cell.