Succubi Chapter 109. Distracted
I didn't know what, exactly. I didn't have proof or a vision or some divine prophecy telling me to investigate. But I felt it.
In the pit of my stomach. In the silence around Leon after that match.
And yeah, maybe it was paranoia. Maybe it was just pride, he was my best friend, after all… but when someone who suddenly looked like he didn't know how to stand, that's not something you brush off.
The rest of training was a blur.
I went through the drills, cast the spells, blocked the attacks. Hit my marks. Hit my targets. Elise didn't scold me. Didn't praise me either.
But I wasn't really there.
I kept glancing across the arena, across the faint barrier separating Arcana from the Valor ring. Every time I looked, Leon was still sitting at the edge, eyes down, shoulders hunched forward like someone had unplugged the soul right out of him.
Not mad.
Not sulking.
Just… lost.
It wasn't like him.
Leon didn't do self-doubt.
He either won and bragged, or lost and turned it into a joke with extra hot sauce.
But this?
This was different.
Even Evelyn looked concerned.
She stood a few feet from him, arms crossed, head tilted slightly, not like she was annoyed. More like she was watching. Studying him. Trying to figure out what was happening.
And if Evelyn was concerned?
Yeah. Then it was serious.
I kept staring until Adrian jabbed me in the side with a pen.
"Hey," he whispered. "You gonna zone out the entire lecture, or just half of it?"
I blinked.
Right. We were back in the Arcana classroom now. Lecture hall. Runes glowing on the walls. Professor Emarin at the front of the room, talking about advanced spell formation layering with the enthusiasm of a slug trapped in a philosophy club.
"…Arcane convergence relies on correct triangulation," she droned, floating a schematic rune midair. "Otherwise, you risk spellbacklash in ratios of 3.6 to 1, depending on ambient leylines…"
I nodded like I was listening. I was not listening.
Adrian gave me a side-eye. "You're distracted."
"Little bit."
"Still thinking about that Valor fight?"
"Little bit."
"You know Leon's not gonna explode or anything."
"I know."
"But you're acting like he might spontaneously combust if you don't babysit his emotional state."
"…That's a very specific metaphor."
He grinned. "I specialize in them."
I sighed and looked forward again. Tried to focus. Really tried.
But my fingers kept tapping the side of my book. My mind kept going back to that moment when Ares turned and smirked at me.
That smug look.
Like he wanted me to see Leon broken. Like it was a message written in bruises and cracked ribs.
Yeah. No way I was letting that slide.
By the time break came, I was already half out of my seat.
Professor Emarin muttered something about homework and rune diagrams, but I was already packing my stuff, stuffing notebooks into my bag.
Adrian leaned back in his seat lazily, arms stretched. "Yo, you coming to Callahan's thing later?"
"I will," I said, zipping my bag. "Just need dinner first."
"Food before violence. Classic Evan."
"Exactly."
He gave me a knowing look. "You look like you're in a hurry."
I paused at the doorway. "I need to talk to Leon and Evelyn."
"About what?"
"That's what I'm going to find out."
Adrian raised his brows. "You want me to come?"
I shook my head. "Nah. I got this one."
He nodded. "Alright. Don't start a fight without me."
"No promises."
I waved and headed out.
The hall was busy. Students talking, eating. The air smelled like mana ink, steamed buns, and someone's fire spell gone very wrong down the hall.
I moved fast. Down the stairs.
And then…
The cafeteria.
It was always packed during break, of course. Rows of long tables enchanted to clean themselves. A floating line system where trays moved on their own, picking up the food as students selected it from the projection menus.
But I didn't need to scan the room to know where Leon was.
I could feel it.
There, near the back. At our usual table.
And yeah, he was there.
Sitting.
But the food?
It was… thin.
Not small, exactly. Still more than average. But for Leon?
Leon usually ate like a collapsing black hole with a protein addiction.
This?
This was modest. Like a regular guy who'd lost his appetite but still forced himself to chew.
He sat hunched over, picking at some fried rice with his fork. Like his spark had dipped.
Evelyn sat across from him. Not eating. Just sipping her water. Watching him like a hawk pretending to be indifferent.
She noticed me first.
Her gaze snapped to mine as I approached, sharp as ever. Eyes slightly narrowed, mouth in that usual not-quite-frown.
Leon looked up a second later. Blinked.
"Yo," I said, stopping beside the table.
Leon smiled faintly. "Hey, man."
Evelyn nodded.
I dropped into the seat beside Leon and scanned his tray.
"…Is this it?" I asked.
He shrugged. "Not that hungry."
I stared. "Not that hungry? Who are you, and what have you done with my friend?"
He huffed. "Funny."
"No, seriously. This is, like… starter pack Leon. Budget edition." I nudged him. "Talk to me."
He paused. Fork halfway to his mouth.
Then he set it down.
"I don't know what happened," he muttered.
I leaned in. Evelyn didn't say anything—but she didn't look away either.
Leon ran a hand through his hair. "I went into that match thinking I had it. Not cocky, just confident. I've beat Ares before. I knew his rhythm."
"And?" I asked softly.
"Halfway through the fight, it changed."
His voice was tight. Uncertain. Not like him.
"His mana… I don't know how to explain it. It felt different. Like it was layered. There was this moment when he blocked one of my punches and I felt this pressure. Like his strength doubled. Just for a second."
I frowned. "A burst?"
"No. Not physical. It was like… like I wasn't fighting him alone anymore."
Evelyn finally spoke. Quiet. "I noticed it too."
Leon looked at her, surprised.
She nodded. "It was subtle. But something shifted in his aura. Like a shadow underneath it. Something I didn't recognize."
I rubbed my jaw. "You think he's using illegal enchantments?"
"No glyphs," Evelyn said. "Nothing visible. Everything passed standard inspection."
"So either he's hiding something really well…" I murmured.
"Or it's not something enchantment-based at all," Leon finished.
I tapped the table with two fingers. "Which means it's either bloodline-based…"
Evelyn narrowed her eyes. "Or forbidden."
The word hung there.
Forbidden.
It wasn't tossed around lightly at the academy.
If Ares was using something he shouldn't have, something banned, dangerous, or flat-out illegal, then Leon getting hurt was just the first warning sign.
And suddenly, my plans for a quiet evening training with Callahan felt way less important.
Because something was festering under the surface here.
And I wasn't going to let it slide.
Not with Leon looking like he didn't even recognize his own reflection.
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