So.
I'd forgotten to ask how long the pass would last.
Thinking it through now, going back would be too risky.
Which meant I had to get in tonight.
The second problem was worse.
I'd never been anywhere near the restricted area.
I didn't know where it was, which side to approach from, or how not to get caught.
Even if I got lucky—found it, slipped inside—how the hell was I supposed to find the library?
The rush from earlier was gone.
Completely.
I'm hopeless.
What the hell was I thinking?
Why didn't I figure this out beforehand?
"Holivan, sometimes I get the feeling you're not a young guy at all, but some ancient old man."
The familiar voice snapped me out of it.
"Yeah," I said with a faint smile. "I get that feeling too sometimes."
"What are you doing in the teachers' dorm?" Andrew asked.
"I needed to talk to Taisha. What about you? Shouldn't you be working?"
"Taisha? Training plans aren't discussed until tomorrow."
"I came for something else."
"Alan," Andrew frowned.
"I know, I know," I cut him off. "Bad timing. But this matters."
"Matters for surviving the fights?"
"…Partly."
Andrew sighed.
"Need help?"
"No," I said, then smirked faintly. "Unless you've been inside the restricted section of the academy."
"I have," he said.
I froze.
"And you have access?" I pressed immediately.
"No access," he said. "But I've been there a few times."
"…Didn't think I'd get this lucky," I exhaled. "Where is it?"
"Come with me," he said. "And you'll tell me why you need it."
I practically shoved him forward.
I needed this.
Badly.
Of course, I wasn't planning to tell him the truth.
But Andrew, being Andrew, wouldn't say a word until I gave in.
Until I told him everything.
About the demons.
About the obsession.
"That's why I have to get in tonight," I finished.
"That's reckless," he said flatly. "Especially the night before the exhibition fights."
"Don't forget, Silius's reputation is tied to you now."
"And while I don't like him much, he's got enough problems without his bodyguard breaking into restricted territory."
"Then answer me this," I shot back. "Why don't we fight demons?"
"…Because the aristocracy has a pact with them."
"What kind of pact? How did that even happen? Why keep it from the Specials?"
"I only know it was meant to reduce casualties," Andrew said. "Demons are powerful. Hard to deal with."
"To avoid heavy losses among Specials, the administration chose a mutually beneficial agreement."
"So we used to fight them?"
Andrew frowned.
That was enough.
He'd wondered the same thing.
"Come on," I pressed. "You're curious too, aren't you?"
"I am. But this isn't the time—"
"And when will it be?" I snapped. "I heard demons might show up at the fights. That means I could face one."
"What if I piss it off? I need to know something. At least how to defend myself."
"Come on, Storik. Help me."
"…Fine," he exhaled. "But on one condition. I'm coming with you."
"No," I said immediately. "Not happening."
"If I get caught, that's one thing. But if they catch a teacher breaking in—"
I flinched.
A scaffold.
A blade.
Andrew's head rolling.
"No," I said again, my voice rough. "I need you alive. With your head still on your shoulders."
"I'm not negotiating," he said. "We go together, or you drop this."
"At least until after the fights."
"…Fine," I gave in.
I couldn't lose this chance.
If we got caught, I'd take the blame.
But walking away now wasn't an option.
One in the morning.
I stood in a dark corner near the dorm, the same place where a group of Specials once beat me half to death.
Feels like a lifetime ago.
In reality, just a few months.
I checked my watch, squinting to make out the dial in the dark.
We'd agreed not to bring our phones. Too risky.
Without it, I felt… incomplete.
Like I was missing something essential.
I was starting to think Andrew wasn't coming when a shape slipped out of the darkness.
No.
Not saw.
Felt.
"About time," I hissed.
"Had to grab something," he said. "Let's move. No time to waste."
He turned and headed away from the main academy building.
No one really cared if you were out at night.
Students wandered the grounds all the time.
Still, we stuck to the shadows.
Took the long way around.
It took longer than I expected.
"How has no one stumbled onto this place before?" I muttered when the building finally came into view.
Three stories.
A tall fence around it, not solid, but high enough.
At first glance, it looked like a private mansion.
Nothing about it screamed restricted.
If I didn't know, I would've just pushed the gate open and walked right in.
"You don't find it unless you're looking for it," Andrew said quietly.
"It's on the far edge of the grounds. No reason for students to come here."
"Even if someone wanders into the woods, they'll turn back long before getting this far into nowhere."
"…Yeah."
I studied the fence.
"So how do we get in? Just walk through? How does this pass even work?"
"Walking straight in would be stupid," Andrew said. "Too exposed. Guards. Windows."
"We go around. There should be storage buildings in the back. That's our way in."
I didn't argue.
I had zero experience with breaking into anything.
Hell, I couldn't remember ever breaking a rule in my past life.
I'd never even gotten a parking ticket.
While I was busy contemplating the collapse of my moral integrity, we'd already circled the fence, sticking to the shadows and using the trees for cover.
"Wait," I stopped him as he reached the fence and prepared to use his power.
"Taisha said that if I'm not alone, I shouldn't let go of my partner's hand."
Andrew raised an eyebrow.
I held out my hand.
It trembled slightly.
Heat rushed to my face.
The way that sounded…
At least to me, and to my suddenly out-of-control heartbeat…
it was anything but innocent.