Alaric nodded once, a sharp, decisive movement. He leaned down, his forehead resting against Julian’s for a fleeting, heated second.

"I will be back. It will not take long."

With that, the Duke vanished through the door, his footsteps silent until his trace disappeared completely. Julian slumped back into the pillows, the adrenaline finally draining away and leaving a hollow, trembling exhaustion in its wake. Beside him, Lucius stood against Julian’s side like a small, protective shield, leaning on the bed.

"The bad guy is gone now, Lucius. Your father took care of him," Julian murmured, though his mind was already tracking the clock on the wall.

It was already 11:54

Six minutes until midnight. Six minutes until he met the priest who would heal him from this burden. Julian looked at his new rewards.

Julian watched Lucius’s eyelids slowly droop as the clock ticked towards midnight. The boy was trying so hard to stay awake, his small head nodding every few seconds, but the day’s terror had clearly drained him.

"Come here, Lucius," Julian whispered, patting the side beside him.

The boy didn’t need to be told twice. He scrambled up, tucking himself close to Julian’s side, seeking the warmth of his tutor’s arm. Julian began to stroke the child’s hair again, a soft lulling motion that finally pulled Lucius into a deep, heavy sleep.

Once the boy’s breathing evened out, Julian turned his attention back to the glowing system window hovering in the dim light.

> [QUEST: ’SILENT SHADOW’ COMPLETED]

> Reward 1: 500 Survival Points (SP).

> Reward 2: Skill Unlocked: [Danger Sense - Rank F] (Passive). Effect: Your instincts have been sharpened by a brush with death. You will now receive a subtle physical premonition (chills, sudden racing pulse) 3 seconds before a direct physical assault.

The ’danger sense’ was great and all, but Julian didn’t know how well he would be able to react once he got that sense that he was in danger.

It might be great if he’s able to figure out the source of the danger in three seconds, but if he can’t, it was a situation that was no different than an archer firing an arrow towards him and telling him to duck.

He would rather not rely on that and end up dead.

That aside, the first reward really caught him off guard. Just the other day, he got a 400 SP reward, and now, 500 SP.

He stared at the number, a sense of disbelief washing over him.

In the past, he had scraped and struggled just to save up for a single sleeping potion that would stop his waking seizure—a potion he eventually had to brew himself because the shop was too expensive and he could never get to save up.

Now, with his current balance sitting at 905 SP, he felt an odd sense of wealth.

He glanced at the inactive potions in the shop interface. Suddenly, as he no longer needed to save up for anything, he had an overflowing amount. The irony of life. What was he going to use all those points for?

He pondered for a few seconds and then shook it off.

Maybe I have this much for a reason, he thought, closing the window. I’ll know in the future.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t gotten a single waking seizure after the first day surviving from the pit. What was up with that?

He was grateful, really, but not knowing how those seizures, one he had been living with since he came to this world, had suddenly just disappeared was a bit worrying.

What if it came back? And at a time he least expected it as well.

It worried him. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Suddenly, the heavy bedroom door creaked open, breaking the silence and his train of thought. The Duke stepped back into the room, followed by a figure wearing a dark cloak. The man moved with a grace that felt almost unnatural, his footsteps making no sound on the floor, much like the Duke’s soundless stride.

As he reached the center of the room, he pushed back his hood.

Julian’s breath got caught in that moment. It was a young man about Julian’s age with long, flowing silver hair that seemed to catch what little light was left in the room. His eyes were a startling, milky grey—so pale they almost looked blind—but as they settled on Julian, he felt a sharp, heavy pressure settle over his chest.

Those eyes held an almost physical power, a cold weight that seemed to see right through his skin and into his broken soul.

"Is that the man I need to heal?" the priest asked. His voice was smooth, but there was a jagged edge to it that made Julian’s skin crawl.

"Yes," Alaric responded, his voice firm and final.

The priest’s gaze drifted from Julian back to the Duke. He stood with his hands tucked into his dark sleeves, looking entirely unimpressed by the Duke’s imposing presence.

"So," the priest said, tilting his head. "If I heal him, you promise to keep your word? You will not breathe a word about my presence in the Capital to the Emperor?"

Alaric’s face darkened, a low scowl settling on his features. He didn’t like being bargained with, especially not by a man who represented a kingdom the Empire considered an enemy.

"Only," Alaric said, his voice dropping into a dangerous tone, "...if you heal him. If he does not walk, you do not leave."

The priest looked skeptical, a faint, mocking smile playing on his thin lips for a split second before he turned back to the bed.

The priest walked up to the bedside and stopped. He didn’t look at Julian’s face first; he looked at the bandages. He slowly clasped his hands together as if saying a silent prayer and made the sign of the cross over his forehead, his left shoulder, and then his right shoulder—a symbol Julian remembered to have seen in person in his world—before he suddenly winced and looked away.

Alaric stepped closer, his shadow falling over the bed as he asked, "What’s wrong?"