The discovery I made in the library was like a faint beam of light, piercing through the fog but also making me more cautious.
The shadow symbol, the ancient name, and the shadow force I had just touched were like a burning hot potato—exciting yet unsettling.
Silas's suspicion loomed over me like the blade hanging above, urging me to act quickly and use this first clue.
Over the next few days, I became even more meticulous in maintaining my disguise while secretly observing suspicious individuals and areas within the academy.
During the day, I worked hard on the training ground to avoid embarrassing myself, using the shadow force I had just begun to access to assist my physical abilities. Although its effect was slight, it was enough to keep me from ranking at the very bottom.
At night, I sought opportunities to investigate, but I always had the eerie feeling of being watched, preventing me from delving deeper.
Just as I was feeling stuck about the next step in my investigation, my unreliable cousin appeared.
That afternoon, I was flipping through the academy map in a secluded hallway, cross-referencing it with the clues I had discovered in the library, trying to pinpoint related locations.
Suddenly, a commotion came from behind me, accompanied by the unmistakable booming voice of Jasper.
"Hey! Young Master! Torian! Found you!"
He rushed over like a gust of wind, grabbing my arm with an overly excited expression on his face, his eyes sparkling with a gossipy glint.
He had some strange powder on him, and his hair was a mess.
"What happened, Jasper? Why do you look like this?" I asked in a low voice, trying to shake off his hand.
"Forget about that!" Jasper leaned closer, lowering his voice, though his tone remained theatrically exaggerated. "I'll tell you, today! I made a major discovery!"
The strange powdery smell in his breath made me frown. "What discovery? Did you get into trouble again?"
"This isn't trouble!" he said mysteriously, leaning even closer until it felt like he might bite my ear. "I was... I was in the logistics area, and I overheard two Alphas whispering! They mentioned... they mentioned a name! A weird name! Related to… that shadowy broken pact!"
The shadowy broken pact? Was he talking about the Vance family's pact? A weird name? My heartbeat quickened.
The ancient name from the library!
"What name?" I pressed urgently, my voice barely contained.
Jasper glanced around, then said more mysteriously, "They said… they said shadow something… Gula something… whispers. And they also mentioned, mentioned the woodland frontier!"
Shadow… Gula… whispers? Woodland frontier? My mind raced.
Shadow symbol! Ancient name (Gula could be part of the name)!
Whispers might refer to the communication method of a secret society!
Woodland frontier! The place where Torian disappeared!
These fragmented pieces of information were chaotic and unclear but surprisingly aligned with my library discovery and the location of Torian's disappearance.
"Did you hear them clearly?!" I grabbed Jasper's arm, my tone trembling slightly. "Who were they? Where did they say this?"
Jasper exaggeratedly struggled as I held him.
"Ow, ow, ow! Young Master! Calm down! How would I know who they are? They were wearing academy uniforms, skulking around! They were talking near the abandoned warehouse by the logistics area! I was just trying to sneak a peek at that pretty Beta girl in the logistics department's clothes when I overheard them!"
Still unreliable as ever, Jasper's information, however, was too important to ignore!
Just as I was attempting to extract more details from Jasper, I felt a piercing gaze sweep over us.
I jerked my head up, looking toward the other end of the hallway.
A tall figure was walking toward us—Silas!
A cold metallic aura emanated from him, and his icy eyes seemed locked onto Jasper and me.
His expression was as inscrutable as ever, but the scrutiny in his gaze created immense pressure.
Had he overheard what we were talking about? Or had he caught a scent of something?
I froze instantly.
Jasper was still babbling, describing the appearance of the two Alphas, completely unaware of Silas's approach.
"They also said that place was very... eerie! And they mentioned some kind of ritual..."
"Jasper!" I hissed, trying to cut him off. But it was too late—Silas was closing in on us.
At that critical moment, Jasper suddenly let out a loud "Ah!"
"Oh, right! Young Master! Look at my new discovery today!" He suddenly released my arm and pulled out a shiny trinket from his pocket—a badge covered in cheap rhinestones and engraved with an Alpha insignia.
"How about it? Cool, right? I found this in the logistics area! It'll absolutely enhance your 'Alpha aura'!" Jasper said enthusiastically, attempting to pin the flashy badge onto my chest.
His movements were quick and over-the-top, pure Jasper-style chaos.
For a moment, my attention was drawn to the badge, and Jasper's body conveniently blocked Silas's line of sight to me.
Silas stopped in front of us, the cold aura washing over me.
His gaze swept over both me and Jasper, finally landing on the glittering badge on my chest.
"What's this?" Silas asked coldly, his tone emotionless but his eyes betraying a hint of disdain.
"My new badge! What do you think? Isn't it cool?" Jasper, oblivious to Silas's disdain, proudly displayed the badge. "I'm just pinning it onto the Young Master! It's called fashion! You Alphas should learn from it!"
Silas's brow twitched almost imperceptibly. He glanced at the gaudy badge, then at me, his expression unreadable. He seemed about to say something but ultimately let out a faint, ambiguous hum before walking past us.
The cold aura gradually receded. I exhaled deeply, my entire body feeling drained.
Jasper's absurdity had saved me once again.
He had diverted Silas's attention with that blinding badge, halting any potential questioning or probing.
"How about it, Young Master? Pretty good taste, huh?" Jasper looked at me, seeking praise.
I didn't respond to him.
Instead, I looked in the direction Silas had left and thought about the shadows, Gula, whispers, and woodland frontier Jasper had mentioned.
These pieces of information were chaotic yet critical.
Despite being unreliable, Jasper had inadvertently become both my informant and cover.
The information he brought corroborated my library findings, pointing to a secret society linked to shadows and whispers, as well as Torian's disappearance at the woodland frontier.
But since the information came from him, its reliability was questionable. I needed more evidence.