Location: St. Monarch University – Royal Tier Cafeteria, 12:34 PM
The room buzzed.
Legacy students laughed over imported wine.
Heirs of billion-dollar empires compared family holdings like it was small talk.
And at the center table — where the most powerful students sat — Damon Vale quietly took his seat.
He didn't ask.
He wasn't invited.
But the space opened for him anyway.
Nova, Zeke, Elina, Arielle, and others were already there.
So were old rivals—the types who used to mock Damon Black.
They eyed him with suspicion.
But also respect.
Something about the way he poured his tea…
The way he moved like the chair had been waiting for him…
It unsettled them.
Narration — Whispered Tension
Zeke leaned toward Nova.
"He's toying with us."
Nova didn't blink.
"He knows we know.
But he also knows we can't prove it."
Arielle stirred her drink, gaze fixed.
"This is psychological warfare."
Elina crossed her legs.
"No.
This is revenge—served with etiquette."
The Moment — Damon's Turn to Speak
A loudmouth heir from the older ranks joked too loud about "ghosts of fallen empires."
Everyone laughed.
Except Damon.
He calmly set down his spoon.
Glanced around the table—locking eyes with each one of them, slowly.
His voice was calm. Even. Smooth as obsidian.
"It's funny," he said, "how people think graves are permanent."
The room quieted.
A few forks froze midair.
"But sometimes," he continued, voice just loud enough to echo,
"the dead don't stay down.
They come back.
Stronger.
Smarter."
His eyes flicked to one of the rivals who'd once led a smear campaign against Damon Black.
"And when they do…
The ones who walked over their graves?"
He smiled.
Just enough.
"They get haunted.
Forever."
Silence.
No one dared speak.
Even the servers stepped back.
Because it wasn't what he said.
It was how real it felt.
He stood.
Buttoned his blazer.
Walked away without a backward glance.
And the table stayed frozen for thirty full seconds.
Internal Reactions – Each Character's Mind
Nova:
That was him. That was Damon.
And he just told us without telling us.
Zeke:
*Every word was baited. Calculated. He's not just back.
He's ten moves ahead."
Elina:
That wasn't a threat. That was a promise.
Arielle:
I used to love Damon.
But this?
This man terrifies me in the best way.
Rival #1:
I prayed that bastard was dead.
Now I pray he's merciful.