Chapter 952: A Disturbing Sight

Nearly an hour passed before Liam finally opened his eyes.

He remained seated for another moment, allowing the Myst circulating through his body to settle into its natural rhythm. The recovery had gone smoothly enough. Eldervale’s ambient Myst still required more careful regulation than he was accustomed to in Amthar, but he had encountered no significant difficulties once he adjusted his intake.

His reserves had recovered considerably.

Not completely, but more than enough that he no longer felt any need to concern himself with an unexpected emergency leaving him immediately exhausted.

’Good enough.’

There was little advantage in spending another hour chasing the remaining difference when his reserves were already comfortably above what most situations would require. Maintaining a reasonable margin mattered more than insisting on absolute fullness.

Liam lifted his gaze toward the sky.

The sun had descended noticeably since Charlotte’s departure, its light beginning to soften over the western portions of Veyrhold. Judging by its position, there were roughly two hours remaining before sunset.

That left him with an interesting problem.

He had recovered his Myst.

He was still restricted to Veyrhold.

And he continued to have no assignment.

’An exceptionally productive combination.’

Liam uncrossed his legs and rose, stretching his shoulders briefly before checking that his field-uniform straps remained secure. He glanced along the wall, where the archers continued their duties without any apparent difficulty. A fresh watch group had arrived during his meditation, and the previous students were preparing to descend.

There was no reason for him to remain.

He turned toward the nearest access stairway and made his way down from the wall.

***

The Southern District was noticeably quieter than it had been earlier.

Not deserted. Far from it. Students still moved between the barracks, supply areas, and temporary workstations, while the guards maintained their posts near the southern gate. The sounds of tools striking stone continued from certain buildings, and a few students were carrying repaired equipment toward storage.

But the hurried activity of the morning had eased.

Much of the day’s assigned work had either been completed or brought to a reasonable stopping point. Students who had spent hours clearing debris, transporting materials, reinforcing structures, or organizing supplies were beginning to take advantage of the approaching evening.

Several rested beneath the shade of an old building near the southern courtyard. Others sat along low stone walls, cleaning their equipment or discussing the next watch rotation. A group near the barracks had apparently finished arguing about whose turn it was to carry water and had moved on to complaining about the person who had organized their assignment.

Liam passed them without slowing.

"I’m telling you, if they give me another pile of stones to move tomorrow, I’m changing specialties," one student declared.

"To what?"

"Anything involving sitting."

"Felix has been sitting most of the day."

"Felix has also been writing nonstop. I’d rather carry stones."

"Then stop complaining."

"I can carry stones and complain. Those are separate skills."

Liam continued past the group, mildly impressed by the dedication to unnecessary conversation.

Farther along, another discussion caught his attention.

"Did you hear how much the hunting party brought back?"

"Several deer, apparently. And some smaller game."

"Thank the heavens."

One of the students, a broad-shouldered boy resting against a stack of wooden crates, pressed a hand dramatically against his stomach.

"I swear, if dinner is another miserable portion of dried supplies, I’m eating the table."

His companion looked at him. "You said that yesterday."

"And the table survived yesterday because I’m merciful."

"It’s made of wood."

"Then it’ll be crunchy."

A girl sitting nearby laughed. "The cooking team is already preparing the meat. You’ll survive."

"I’ve been surviving all day. I’d like to try living for once."

The others laughed, and Liam walked on.

’At least the hunters brought back enough to improve morale.’

The successful hunt would not solve Veyrhold’s food requirements for the entire assessment, but it gave the students breathing room. More importantly, the fact that they were already discussing dinner rather than desperately wondering where their next meal would come from was another sign of progress.

Temporary routines were beginning to emerge.

Students worked, reported their progress, returned equipment, took assigned breaks, and prepared for the following day’s responsibilities. The settlement was gradually becoming somewhere people could function rather than merely shelter.

Liam found that satisfactory.

The staring, however, remained irritating.

As he passed through another courtyard, several students noticed him. One conversation briefly faltered, and two others exchanged quiet remarks before returning to their work. A student carrying a bundle of tools looked at him for a little longer than necessary, then nearly walked into a support post.

Liam ignored the incident.

’This is getting old.’

He had become accustomed to being recognized at the academy. His dark magic alone ensured that remaining inconspicuous was difficult, and recent events had apparently given people additional reasons to look.

Nevertheless, he would have appreciated being allowed to walk through a settlement without becoming someone’s temporary subject of conversation.

He turned onto another cleared route.

Then stopped.

Not because he sensed danger.

Not because anything threatened the settlement.

But because the sight ahead was so thoroughly ridiculous that his mind required a moment to accept it.

In a shaded open area beside one of the reinforced buildings, several female second-year students sat together, chatting comfortably.

And lying directly among them was Raven.

Liam stared.

His raven-jaguar shadow beast had arranged herself across the stone ground with an air of extraordinary satisfaction. Her powerful feline body rested comfortably on one side, shadowy fur blending into the darker feathers along her shoulders and neck. Her wings were folded neatly, her long tail curled near her hind legs, and her eyes were half-closed in unmistakable pleasure.

One girl was scratching gently behind her ears.

Another stroked the feathered ridges around her neck, carefully following their direction.

A third appeared fascinated by the texture of her fur.

"Oh, she’s so soft," the girl said. "I thought she’d feel completely different."

"Right? I expected something cold."

"Her feathers are even prettier up close."

Raven lifted her chin slightly, allowing the girl near her neck better access.

The movement was slow and dignified.

Almost generous.

As though she were granting a privileged audience the opportunity to admire her magnificent existence.

Liam watched in silence.

’What am I looking at?’

Raven shifted her head toward the girl scratching behind her ears, apparently deciding that particular service deserved greater attention.

The girl laughed.

"Oh, you like that?"

Raven closed her eyes.

Apparently, she did.

Liam looked toward the sky for a moment.

Then back at the creature.

He remembered Charlotte’s earlier insistence that Raven’s name somehow represented his secret adoration for her.

At the time, the idea had been ridiculous.

It remained ridiculous.

Unfortunately, watching Raven indulge in attention as though every person around her existed for her personal entertainment brought an unpleasant comparison to mind.

’They even have the same insufferable attitude.’

He frowned faintly.

Perhaps choosing the name Raven had been a mistake.

Then again, his record for naming shadow creatures was hardly impressive.

Smoke.

Wing.

Raven.

He had effectively named them after the first obvious characteristic that came to mind.

’Knowing my luck, the alternative would have been Bird.’

That would have been considerably worse.

At least Raven sounded respectable.

He was still considering the unfortunate similarities between his shadow beast and Charlotte when Raven’s ears shifted.

Her head rose slightly.

She looked toward the courtyard entrance, then across the nearby walkway.

Finally, her gaze settled on Liam.

For several seconds, they simply regarded one another.

Liam stood with his usual indifferent expression.

Raven looked entirely unashamed.

If anything, she seemed mildly curious about why he was interrupting her.

One of the girls noticed her attention had wandered.

"Hm? What is it?"

She followed Raven’s gaze.

"Oh."

The others turned.

Recognition came quickly.

"Liam?"

He gave them a small nod.

"Sorry. Didn’t mean to interrupt."

One girl sat a little straighter. "Oh, no. You’re fine."

"We were just spending some time with her," another explained, gesturing toward Raven. "She came over earlier, and, well..."

Her eyes moved toward the relaxed shadow beast.

Liam followed the gesture.

"I can see that."

The girls exchanged amused looks.

"She doesn’t mind us touching her," one said.

"Apparently not."

Raven’s tail moved once against the ground, as though agreeing with the assessment.

Liam looked at her.

"You’ve become very comfortable."

Raven blinked slowly.

He could almost hear the offended response she would have given if she possessed Nyxie’s ability to communicate with him more directly.

Liam decided not to encourage it.

"Well, don’t mind me," he told the girls. "I was just passing through."

They acknowledged him, and he turned to leave.

Raven immediately lifted her head and shifted her forelimbs beneath herself, preparing to stand.

Liam glanced back.

"You can stay."

She paused.

"I don’t need you for anything at the moment."

His eyes moved briefly toward the girls.

"And judging by the circumstances, you seem occupied."

Raven considered him.

Then looked toward the girl who had been scratching behind her ears.

The decision required approximately no effort.

She lowered herself back onto the stone, adjusted her head into a more comfortable position, and settled with the satisfied composure of a queen returning to her throne.

The girl resumed scratching her ears.

Raven closed her eyes.

She did not even bother looking back.

Liam stared at her for one additional second.

’Remarkable loyalty.’

Then he continued walking.

He was not particularly bothered by Raven choosing to remain.

In fact, the entire incident supported something he had been encouraging deliberately.