My Living Shadow System Devours To Make Me Stronger

”Ouch. Don’t forget you’re in the sixth class. You could really hurt me.”

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, looking thoroughly unimpressed by him. Damon smiled before lowering his head.

When had he started noticing how Evangeline felt about him?

She was vastly different from Sylvia, who followed her heart and made little effort to hide how she felt. Honestly, Damon really missed Sylvia. He wished she were here.

Evangeline was different.

Damon and Evangeline had always been at each other’s throats. Whenever they were together, he never minced his words, and they were always arguing and occasionally coming to blows. Looking back on it now, he couldn’t help but smile at how easily they had fallen into their own strange rhythm.

Evangeline would always end up furious with him, accusing him of one thing or another, while Damon would simply refuse to admit he had done anything wrong.

When they were together, it was almost as if the two of them existed in their own little world.

Evangeline was the one who had filled the role of Ranar’s mother. She had done everything a mother could do and then some. She had watched over Ranar, worried about her, scolded her, comforted her, and loved her as though she were her own daughter.

But Damon wanted to know when he had truly noticed how Evangeline felt about him.

Not simply some passing crush or the occasional signs of affection, but the depth of what she actually felt.

He let his memories drag him backward.

Was it when he had accidentally walked in on her changing? No. She had nearly beaten him senseless afterward.

Was it during the harvest festival, when she had insisted he buy her some useless trinket that was eventually destroyed when several members of the Unknown Order attacked?

Damon continued sinking through his memories, remembering one moment after another with Evangeline, all the way back to the academy when he had fought with her in the hallway.

Evangeline was in love with Damon.

She cared about him so much that he could easily hurt her.

He didn’t even know when he had first noticed it, but somewhere along the way, he had known. Perhaps Evangeline had realized that he knew as well.

”I knew,” he whispered softly to Lilith. ”Of course I knew, but... huuuh.”

He let out a long breath, his shoulders dropping.

”I just didn’t know what to do. So I acted oblivious.”

Lilith took a deep breath, then tilted her head slightly, her green eyes shimmering in the fading light.

”I think that’s cruel. Tell me this... do you perhaps love Evangeline?”

”I do.”

Damon answered without hesitation.

”Then maybe you should tell her that,” Lilith said calmly, doing her best to keep her expression from twisting.

He chuckled and glanced at her.

”You look like you swallowed a toad.”

”You’d be swallowing an actual toad if you don’t stop giving me attitude. I’m jealous. What’s new?” she replied with a cold glare.

”If you’re jealous, then why are you egging me on? Shouldn’t you be crushing any rivals?” he asked with a sigh.

”I would, but I don’t mind a little competition. Besides, what’s the point if you suffer for it? I had to tolerate Sylvia. I think I’ll survive.”

”Are you encouraging me to have, like, a... umm... a harem or something?” he asked.

Lilith glared at him and rolled her eyes.

”Haven’t you been creeping around with the princess of Valtheron?”

Damon scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed smile.

”We were discussing important politics.”

”With your clothes off. I wasn’t born yesterday.”

She reached over and pinched his cheek before closing her eyes with a sigh.

”Also, if you do get married, I want to be the first wife. I don’t care who comes second,” she declared, crossing her arms over her chest.

”Sure, whatever you want. But that’s assuming we don’t all die.”

Damon gave a small snicker, though the humor quickly faded from his expression.

That was right.

The world was about to be destroyed.

Unknown was coming, if he wasn’t already here. Time was running out, and the outsiders were already in the final stage of their plan. It seemed it wouldn’t be long now before the siege of Lysithara began.

Armies from all around the world were gathering on Soltheon. Every continent, every nation, for the first time, the entire world was united.

Even the demons.

All of Aetherus would be fighting on the war continent.

This was where it had all begun, and this was where it would all end.

Damon tightened his grip around Lilith’s hand.

He was scared.

It wasn’t because he feared death. No, what frightened him was the thought that he would watch everyone he loved die and somehow, somehow, he would be the last one left.

The thought made his eyes grow moist, and his heart seemed to tighten inside his chest.

He didn’t want to lose a single thing.

He didn’t want to lose a single person.

Even from here, he could hear the earth trembling beneath the marching boots. The world was shifting, and perhaps his personal problems seemed small in comparison.

But Damon made up his mind.

”I’ll get my body back, and when I do... I’ll sit Eva down like this and tell her everything. Maybe she’ll be very disappointed in me. Maybe she’ll finally become disillusioned and fall out of love with me.”

He paused, staring toward the horizon.

”But I want to be honest with her. And I’ll do it with my own face.”

Lilith nodded with a small smile before resting her chin on her hand.

”You think she’ll tell everyone Renata is a demon or...?”

”I doubt that,” Damon said. ”After all, I know my Eva very well. She’s a stickler for the rules, but she can also keep a secret.”

”Wow. Now she’s your Eva,” Lilith said, raising her eyebrows.

”What? She’s my cousin. You’ve got to love your family members, don’t you? She’s like a sister to me.”

”Hmm.” Lilith made a small sound. ”I don’t see normal people trying to get into bed with their sister.”

”That’s not what I mean, and you know it!” Damon yelled back.

He immediately noticed Lilith trying to hold back her laughter.

”I can’t believe you would ragebait me... for shame.”

He stormed off, leaving Lilith watching him with an amused expression.

Things did not look good for now, but she still had to look on the bright side.

”We still have so much more to protect.”