My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger

Chapter 403 - 404: Knowledge In The Dark

”Tsk. At least be happy people actually talk to you…”

The voice came from Damonʼs side again—Back-to-Back.

Damon didnʼt react. It wasnʼt actually back-to-back. Just another figment of his unraveling mind.

His insanity was at Level 2 now. He used to ignore these hallucinations. Now? He talked back to them. Argued. Fought. Fully aware it was all in his head.

”Screw off,” he muttered.

Evangeline approached, biting her lips as she looked at him.

ʼSeriously, Evangeline… what do you want?ʼ

Damon wondered, but didnʼt say it aloud.

”Heʼs grown. Wasnʼt this the girl he used to tell to screw off?” came Carmen Valeʼs voice, off to the side, sitting on nothing, sipping tea from a cup that probably didnʼt exist.

Or at least, Damon hoped it was tea.

He sighed and ignored the second phantom of his madness.

”Eva… whatʼs on your mind?”

Evangeline nodded, rubbing her palms together—a small habit reacting to the bite of the cold night air.

Sheʼd been quite far from the fire, sharing first watch with Damon.

”Are you cold?”

He asked again. She shook her head slowly and sat down beside him.

Back-to-Back sighed.

”Sheʼs quite beautiful, isnʼt she? Hmm. I can see why Xander was so smitten with her… too bad you stole his girl. So much for being brothers in arms. With a friend like you, who needs enemies…”

”Shut up,” Damon muttered.

Evangeline blinked, startled. ”Hmmm? What—I… I didnʼt say anything…”

Damon forced a smile. ”Itʼs fine. Wasnʼt talking to you. You were saying…?”

Evangeline glanced at him, worry rising behind her eyes.

”I havenʼt said anything yet…”

Damon could see the anxiety written on her face. He had died and come back. Her concern wasnʼt misplaced.

Somehow, her expression warmed his heart.

”I wonder why I didnʼt focus on these two when Sylvia was here…” Carmen mused, sipping his imaginary tea with a smug smile.

”You were too busy undressing her in your mind. There was no room for us…”

Damon lifted his hand to call forth Ashborn, then stopped.

Right. They werenʼt real.

Evangeline caught the gesture, her gaze locking onto his. Without a word, he reached into his shadow storage. His fingers brushed through the darkness and pulled out a blanket—soft and warm, woven from finer materials than most would afford.

He offered it to her.

”Here. Itʼs cold.”

Evangelineʼs smile lit her face. She opened the blanket and gently draped it over them both, snuggling closer to share the warmth.

”Youʼre cold too.”

Damon glanced down at the blanket now covering his legs.

”Donʼt do anything erotic, you bastard. Her father and grandfather will destroy you. Hey—just remember the story. What does she even want?”

He shot a glare at Back-to-Back, who casually gestured to Damonʼs shadow.

ʼMind your business…ʼ That one, he kept to himself.

Evangelineʼs gaze drifted to Damonʼs neck, where his motherʼs locket lay.

”I… I wanted to ask you something… erm, your… mo—village. What was it like…?”

Damon tilted his head back. He could already hear Back-to-Back whispering that something was off, but not without slipping in some insult first.

”Why?”

She looked away. ”Erm, you told Matia about… your past. I mean, you donʼt have to tell me anything…”

Damon sighed. There wasnʼt any real reason not to. So… he told her.

He spoke about his village—not the parts he hated, not the pain—but the fragments of joy. The laughter. The warm days when his parents were still alive.

Evangeline opened up too. She spoke of her father. She didnʼt mention much about her grandfather—the way she avoided the subject made it clear that part of her life was strained.

Somehow, the topic shifted to Valtheron.

Evangeline laughed at Damonʼs casual, borderline disrespectful commentary about some of the empireʼs most powerful nobles.

”I donʼt know… you donʼt get called Abellona of Destruction for being a peaceful person.”

Evangeline sighed. ”The Valtheron imperial princess is a powerhouse. Sheʼs only a few years older than us…”

Damon chuckled. ”Have you ever seen her face? I mean, sheʼs supposedly always wearing a veil…”

”She must be really ugly…”

Evangeline elbowed him sharply.

”Youʼd definitely get executed. No doubt. She wears a veil because sheʼs beautiful. The Jewel of the Empire.”

Damon sneered. ”Or itʼs shame. Hey, you canʼt know—youʼve never seen her face.”

Evangeline couldnʼt argue with that logic.

She huffed, arms crossing as they sat there beneath the blanket, the cold air unable to reach them.

Back-to-Back yawned.

”Alright, weʼve indulged her enough. Are you actually an idiot, or did you get dropped on your head as a baby? Itʼs obvious whatʼs going on here…”

Carmen nodded at the hallucination of Back-to-Back.

”She was gathering information… seems Sylvia wasnʼt the only one that learned from his no-good methods…”

Back-to-Back gestured toward Damonʼs shadow.

”Imagine the audacity to use his own tricks against him…”

”Damon, you little shit… I raised you better than this. Donʼt let her go. You know youʼre curious…”

Damon narrowed his eyes. Insanity aside… they were right.

ʼI see… so this is the power of Insanity Mastery. Each mastery actually has an effect on me. I just never noticed… because I was already strong. For Swordsmanship, the effect was techniques—like Dark Blade. For Insanity… itʼs different.ʼ

Carmen tilted his head at Back-to-Back.

”Whatʼs this fool doing?”

”Wasting time, thatʼs what.”

Evangeline started to stand—or tried to.

Damon reached out and pulled her gently into his arms.

She fell against him, cheeks flushed as he leaned closer.

Her face reddened deeper, her head shifting slightly.

”Erhmm… not here…”

Damon didnʼt stop. His face was so close their noses nearly touched.

”Eva… did you get what you wanted? This whole thing… was because you wanted information on… my mother, didnʼt you?”

Evangeline blinked. Her eyes widened. She bit her lip.

He continued, softly, ”My motherʼs locketʼs been with you this past month. And you opened it. Curious, Evangeline…”

Her gaze met his.

”I… I was just curious…”

Damon grinned, then placed a playful kiss on her cheek.

”Hehehe. What are you so freaked out about? Jeez, I was just teasing…”

Evangeline touched her cheek, then glared, punching him in the gut before storming off.

Back-to-Back leaned in close to Damonʼs face.

”What is wrong with you? Are you an idiot? She knows something. Hell, she might even know about your mother… you idiot…”

Damon nodded.

”Thatʼs fine. If she doesnʼt want to tell me now, itʼs probably because she thinks sheʼs protecting me…”

He glanced at Back-to-Back.

”Iʼm sorry Iʼm not the same person you raised… why would I risk hurting someone I care about for knowledge that might not even serve me? Mom is dead… I donʼt have to know everything about her life.”

Carmen smiled gently.

”But we have a clue. A very glaring clue. Just donʼt let your thoughts spiral too far…”

Damon turned toward the ruined city.

”Weʼll be home soon.”