Kite didn't sleep long.
Not because he wasn't tired—he was—but because his system pulsed faintly like a heartbeat in his mind. The crypt. That ancient coffin. The mural. Every part of him whispered questions, but none offered answers.
He rose before dawn.
The academy's training field was quiet, lit only by ambient glow-crystals and the thin shimmer of morning mist. No instructors. No students. Just silence and space.
So he moved.
Basic footwork. Weight shifting. Dodging drills.
Kite had no formal training, but his body remembered what survival demanded. And now, the system made his limbs faster, smoother—more efficient.
A slow breath escaped his lips as he completed a roundhouse pivot.
Clap. Clap.
He turned.
Lilith leaned against a stone pillar, arms crossed, lips curved in something between amusement and approval.
"Didn't think you'd be the type to train when no one's watching," she said.
"I'm not."
"Really?" Her eyes glinted. "Then who are you doing it for?"
Kite grinned. "I like moving. Helps me think."
"Mm. And what exactly are you thinking about?"
He shrugged, stepping closer. "Blood. Crypts. Ancient coffins that whisper to my spleen."
"That specific?"
Kite glanced at her. "You were watching my duel."
"I was."
"Thoughts?"
"You lack refinement," she said flatly. "But you improvise fast. You read movement well. You don't waste time posing."
"Thanks?"
She stepped into the field with him, her boots making no sound. "You also bit him."
"That's my thing now," he replied. "Get close, make it awkward."
Lilith circled him once, graceful and unhurried. "Tell me something, Kite."
"Sure."
"Do you know what you are?"
He didn't blink. "Should I?"
She didn't answer.
Instead, she moved—fast.
A blur of pale hair and red eyes, a sweep of motion. Kite ducked by instinct, his body reacting before he thought. Her hand grazed his collar.
"Your reflexes have improved," she said, landing behind him.
"You trying to kill me?" he asked, breath shallow.
"If I was, you'd be bleeding."
He turned slowly.
Lilith stood poised, backlit by the glow-stones, hair drifting like moonlight. Her expression was unreadable again.
"I don't know what you're hiding," she said softly. "But I can feel it. Your aura—it's… unstable. And familiar."
Kite met her gaze. "Yours too."
They stood there, neither backing down.
Then, she smiled.
Not wide. Not cold.
Just… curious.
"You're going to draw a lot of attention," she said.
"Already have."
"Try not to die before our next class," she added, turning away. "I'd be disappointed."
"Careful," he called. "You're starting to sound like you care."
She paused at the edge of the field.
Then, without turning around: "I don't waste time caring about corpses."
And she was gone.
Later, Kite sat cross-legged in his dorm.
The system surfaced on its own.
[Blood XP: +2 – Instinctual Sparring Recorded]
[Attribute Adaptation Triggered]
[+1 Agility]
[+1 Qi Control]
[Hidden Trait Progress – Observation vs. Lilith Noire: 12%]
[Warning: Blood Affinity detected. Further proximity may accelerate resonance.]
"Resonance?"
He leaned back against the wall, frowning.
"Of course. She's more dangerous than she looks."
A pause.
Then he smirked to himself.
"…So, exactly my type."