The Academy's Terminally Ill Side Character

"The hell...?"

This was it. The true artifact wasn't the dagger itself, but this—the sentient black liquid that lived inside it. It was the core.

I took a cautious step back, but the moment I hesitated, it lunged.

Before I could pull away, the thing latched onto my left arm with a sudden, slick motion. It coiled up, wrapping tightly like a band of cold fire.

"Shit—! Not the arm!"

Summer uniforms were short-sleeved. If this thing left a mark, I was screwed.

Too late.

The black liquid stopped moving and opened what looked like a jagged, snake-like mouth. Then—chomp.

It bit into the back of my hand.

I flinched at the sting, more surprised than hurt, and then… the pain faded.

In its place, a small, glowing mark bloomed on my skin.

A tattoo—dark, almost metallic—formed into the shape of a winged serpent.

Not exactly my style, but at least it wasn't huge.

The pain vanished as quickly as it came.

"…Guess that means the contract's done."

I stared at the mark, flexing my hand. The thing felt… quiet now. Like it was waiting.

I took a slow breath.

"I've got everything I need now."

All that was left was cleanup—and lucky for me, Shadow Fang had just the right ability for that.

But now that the black liquid wasn't bound to the dagger anymore, could I even call it Shadow Fang?

That was just the vessel, not the core.

"…Guess you need a new name."

The liquid—still curled beneath my skin—twitched.

"…Black Shadow," I said.

And to my surprise, it reacted. The mark pulsed, and the shadow stirred gently, like a pet responding to its name.

Creepy… but responsive.

I looked over to what was left of Avi's body.

"…Alright. Time to test you out."

I held out my hand toward him.

"Eat."

A mouth opened on the back of my hand—massive, gaping, and filled with swirling blackness. Without hesitation, it lunged forward and devoured the corpse of its former master in one bite.

Gone.

No blood. No mess. Just… gone.

I exhaled slowly.

It had followed my order without a second thought. And that somehow made it even creepier.

The thing… Black Shadow… grew stronger each time it consumed something. It also reset upon bonding with a new owner, which meant I was starting fresh.

And now, maybe because it had just eaten a person, it wriggled under my skin in a weird, affectionate way.

Like it was… trying to be cute.

I stared at my hand.

"Yeah… no. That's not cute. That's terrifying."

It rubbed against me again, purring almost. Or whatever the shadow version of that was.

I sighed.

"Let's… work on boundaries."

And with that, I tucked my hand into my pocket, trying not to think too hard about the monster now living under my skin.

The wind blew in through the shattered windows, stirring the dust and the faint scent of ozone still hanging in the air. Somewhere below the tower, I could hear the muffled sound of footsteps—maybe teachers, maybe cadets—but I knew none of them would come up here yet.

Which meant I had time. Not much, but enough.

Black Shadow pulsed faintly under my skin, as if impatient.

"I said later," I muttered.

It stilled. Good. At least it listened.

I took one last look at the wreckage of the classroom. This place used to be pristine. It was where they trained the elite. Where dreams were sharpened into weapons.

Now it was just a warzone.

I stood, cracking my neck.

The aftermath was always the worst part. Not the blood or the destruction, but the weight of what came after. The cleaning. The hiding. The justifying.

Because people weren't dumb. Twelve Signs would notice Avi was gone. That his presence, like a black star hanging over the academy, had suddenly vanished.

And when they did, I needed to be ready.

A flicker of something stirred in the back of my mind.

Zhao, again.

—You sure you're up for this?

I paused.

"What?"

—Taking his place.

That made me blink.

"…I'm not taking his place."

—No? Then what do you call this? You've got his mask. His dagger. You just erased his body from existence. You're walking out of here wearing his sins like armor.

I didn't answer.

Because he wasn't wrong.

But I wasn't Avi.

I wouldn't become him.

"I'm not taking his place," I repeated. "I'm building something new. Something better."

—You keep saying that, kid. Just don't lose yourself in the process.

I didn't respond. Not this time.

Because deep down, I knew that warning was valid.

Power like this didn't come free. It clawed at you. Pressed on your thoughts. Made you think violence was the first answer.

Black Shadow had already bonded with me, and it was alive. Hungry. And I wasn't entirely sure it didn't have a will of its own.

I touched the tattoo on my hand again.

The winged serpent pulsed beneath my glove.

I needed to learn more. About what this thing was. Who made it. And what kind of history it carried.

Because nothing this strong just… appeared. Everything had an origin. A legacy. And I wasn't going to be some idiot protagonist who wielded something ancient without understanding what price came with it.

It was good thing that this classroom was abandoned began with otherwise The classroom wouldn't be usable for weeks, maybe months.

Fade into the background. A shadow in the system.

That was the beauty of Perception Inhibition. You weren't invisible—you were forgettable.

I stepped into the hallway, the broken glass crunching underfoot.

It was 8 pm and yet cadet aren't in their dorm room.

Really, Today's generation is not good.

But it's not like I am better.

After all I am still outside but unlike them I am doing work.

Three cadets passed me at the stairwell and didn't even blink.

Perfect.

The story was shifting.

And while the heroes still trained for their scripted roles, I was writing in the margins—quietly changing the lines, redacting threats, and rebalancing the scales in silence.

Because the worst was yet to come.

And someone had to prepare the field.

A villain in name. A hero in method.

But only I had the luxury of knowing what the ending looked like.

For now.