The light of the morning sun barely slipped through the half-drawn curtains, softly gliding across the wooden floor of the room. The spacious space was quiet, the only sound being the gentle rustling of the wind outside, a reminder that the world was waking up. Amid this silence, Alex lay on the large bed, half-covered by a sheet.

  His eyes were already open, but he wasn’t in a hurry to get up. He simply lay there, staring at the ceiling, allowing himself a few more minutes of peace. His body felt relaxed, his thoughts — sparse, nearly translucent.

  Several minutes passed before he finally exhaled, sat up, stretched, and eventually rose from the bed. He slipped on a pair of dark shorts, pulled over a light tank top, gave the familiar room a glance, and calmly made his way downstairs to the first floor.

  The house was silent. No footsteps, no voices, no familiar aroma of breakfast in the air — just the soft creaking of the window frames. Alex entered the kitchen and immediately saw a note lying on the table. Recognizing his mother’s handwriting, he picked it up.

  "We went to the dungeon with Dad and the girls. The food’s ready — just heat it up. Don’t worry, it’s only a C-rank. We’ll be back in about an hour. Love you. — Emma."

  Alex chuckled and scratched the back of his head.

  “Hm… I thought they weren’t planning to go anywhere today…”

  He put the note back in its place and looked at the breakfast waiting for him: a few roasted potatoes with spices, meat with a crispy crust, and a fresh salad of cucumbers and tomatoes. Steam still rose from the potatoes and meat — they must’ve left just moments ago.

  Alex sat down at the table, picked up a fork, but didn’t start eating right away — his thoughts began to slowly surface, flowing in one after another.

  "Four more days… and it’ll be exactly one year since I returned to the past."

  "In the first few months, I achieved quite a lot, but real progress came in the last eight. During that time, I reached level sixty-six. My magic and intelligence had hit one hundred long ago. The rest of the stats I’ve been training evenly."

  "And what’s most interesting — I wasn’t even obsessed with raiding. Twice a week — standard outings with the Academy raid group, plus three dungeons on the weekends when I was free. Not that much, really."

  "I still went into A-rank dungeons. S-ranks were still off-limits — no guild wanted to send a solo fighter there, even with Elizabeth’s permission. But over time, those dungeons started to feel like casual strolls. And to avoid getting bored, I started experimenting."

  "A scythe made of blood. A double-edged sword like Kaelis’s. Or just… bare hands. Anything to make it more thrilling. But the real fun began when I finally… truly felt progress with dark magic."

  Alex smiled slightly, looking out the window. The sun was shining, and the wind gently swayed the tree branches in the yard. He picked up his fork — it was time to eat.

  He slowly chewed a slice of meat, unhurriedly. The taste was excellent, as always when Alpha cooked, but his thoughts had long since drifted elsewhere — to what had happened over the past eight months.

  "Now all the mana channels for darkness are complete. From the core — to every finger, every muscle, every nerve. And it’s… hard to put into words. Dark mana flows through my body freely, smoothly — as if it was always a part of me. Just like normal mana… but darkness feels different. As if… more pleasant?"

  Alex smiled to himself, leaning back against the chair.

  "Though maybe I’m just saying that because its destructive potential fascinates me. I like holding power in my hands — power that could obliterate everything around me — and having complete control over it."

  He remembered the first time he created a dark magic circle — simple, but stable. Day by day, he learned to form darkness into various shapes, to control its duration, power, and speed of manifestation. One spear could leave just a scar, another — pierce straight through even an A-rank boss.

  "Darkness is about scale. If blood is surgical precision and one-on-one combat, then darkness is catastrophe. With blood, you fight a dozen enemies. With darkness — an army."

  He smiled again, recalling one particularly vivid episode.

  "Once, I decided to clear a dungeon using only dark flame. I didn’t even look at who was in front of me. Just raised my hand, cast the spell — and kept walking. Like moving through fog. I reached the boss room using only half of my mana supply. And the boss itself — I wiped it out with a single, powerful spell. Clean. Cold. Beautiful."

  But even more memorable was another technique — familiar, intriguing, foreign and yet somehow close.

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  "Reiner’s Spikes. Darkness rising from beneath the ground. I really liked it. I began training it myself. Forming the spikes — easy. Giving them hardness — also manageable. But creating them at a distance… That’s where it gets tricky. My limit is a few meters. Beyond that, they’re either smaller, less solid… or don’t appear at all. For now. My control’s still not perfect. But I’m working on it."

  He picked up the fork again, slowly ate a few more pieces of potato, and looked out the window.

  "All of this — thanks to Krul. She spent so much time on me… even though her own time is limited. Most of her effort went into helping me understand how to shape darkness. It’s somewhat similar to blood magic… but in reality — entirely different sensations, different reactions. I had to work with it several times more carefully than with blood."

  "Now we see each other rarely. She only asks me to visit from time to time — to share new techniques, my progress. A few times she even took me into B-rank dungeons, just to see what I was capable of. She was pleased. But warned me — keep everything a secret."

  "Krul said if anyone finds out a vampire mastered dark magic — there’ll be hundreds wanting to learn. But she doesn’t believe they have my talent. And she doesn’t want to waste her time."

  "So aside from Krul, Elizabeth, Adam, and Astarion — no one knows that the world has seen its first vampire to tame darkness. At least… the first that I know of."

  Alex finished breakfast, washed his dishes, and then headed to the bathroom. It greeted him with a familiar sterile shine, a light scent of mint from the soap, and a mirror that reflected his own face — slightly older than a year ago, but still with the same eyes full of determination.

  He turned on the tap, rinsed his toothbrush, squeezed on some toothpaste, and began brushing his teeth. As usual, his thoughts wandered.

  "During this time… I’ve changed. But I’m not the only one. Aria… she gets stronger with every training session. And I don’t even know — is it because of her natural talent, or am I just a good teacher?"

  "Our sparring matches now — they’re no longer warmups. They’re real fights. I attack, she counters. She strikes — I defend. Counter after counter. Adam once joked that we’re dancing more than fighting. And honestly, that comment warmed my heart."

  Alex smiled to himself in the mirror, toothbrush still in his mouth.

  "I’m finally teaching Aria the things I promised. For example, how to use the blood of dead monsters. We go into C-rank dungeons together — safer, fewer problems. She experiments with shapes, applications, tries every idea that pops into her head. And the progress… is clear."

  He spat out the toothpaste, rinsed his mouth, and wiped his face with a towel. He glanced once more into the mirror. Then placed his hands on the sink and leaned forward slightly, allowing the next memory to rise.

  "Damian… he’s improving too. Even though Elizabeth said blood magic comes harder to him than to Aria, every time he gets closer and closer to his sister. And what’s most interesting — he has far fewer training sessions than I have with Aria. But the results are almost the same. What else would you expect from Elizabeth’s student? She has years of teaching behind her. And me? Aria’s my first student. Still, Elizabeth says I’m doing well. Maybe it’s not so bad after all."

  Alex left the bathroom, walking leisurely down the hallway, until his thoughts returned to another familiar name.

  "Adam… He’s nothing like the boy I first fought eight months ago. Now he’s Professor Light’s student — and it shows. Lightning magic in his hands now feels ten times more dangerous than before. His attacks have become much faster and more powerful, to the point that even I can barely keep up with him during sparring. Every month he asks me for a duel. And with each one… he gets closer. Not to me — to his goal. To defeating Astarion."

  "And he’ll achieve it. I have no doubt."

  "He’s even formed his own raid group, clearing B-rank dungeons. Kailan, Edward, Sophia, Aria, Damian… and Reiner. That was my idea — to suggest Reiner. He’s changed. A lot."

  Alex stopped by the window, gazing out into the yard. The fresh air gently swayed the curtain.

  "He even became a member of the student council. Everyone was surprised. Even me, to be honest. But… now, when I look at him — I can’t even bring myself to say he’s the same Reiner who once tried to kill me."

  Returning to the room, Alex immediately walked up to the wardrobe.

  The sun was already climbing higher, and if he wanted to make it in time for a walk around the city, he needed to get dressed. He took off his home tank top and shorts, then pulled on black jeans, a white t-shirt, and threw on a light yet elegant black coat. In the mirror’s reflection, it looked simple and stylish—typical for him.

  As he descended toward the manor’s exit, memories suddenly flashed through his mind again—this time of those with whom he had completed dozens of raids.

  “Our group... We work as smoothly as it's even possible. No pointless arguments. Everyone holds their position. Everyone listens to my commands without unnecessary questions. I think I’m doing well as a commander.”

  “All this time, not a single raid ended with someone getting seriously hurt. And that’s not just my merit. Each of them has become stronger. Strong enough now that every one of them could defeat an A-rank boss alone. Of course, not as easily as I could... but still. And that’s thanks to the training with the Directors.”

  “We’ve become more than a battle unit. We’re true friends. Lilith, Celia, Lianel—it was easy to find common ground with them. But Rogan and Kaelis... they surprised me.”

  Alex smiled faintly again, remembering how the silent Rogan suddenly began slipping in joking remarks during training, or how Kaelis once stepped in to support Eliria in a fight of his own accord.

  “Rogan’s become less withdrawn. Even cracks jokes now and then. The same goes for Kaelis. He’s grown softer, warmer. And it’s done him good.”

  “But what I’m most proud of is Eliria.”

  Alex closed his eyes for a moment. Before him rose the image of the same girl—quiet, tense, always guilty for her own fear. And then—the image of the Eliria of today: confident, composed, ready to act.

  “She’s almost no longer afraid of monsters. And that... that’s a huge step. For all of us. Now I know for sure—our healer won’t freeze at a critical moment. She’s not a burden—she’s a pillar.”

  “Teleportation magic gave her mobility. She can reach any one of us in seconds. And now—she’s studying plant magic with Irida and can already defend herself. She can restrain the enemy, immobilize them, help us buy time. In short... she’s almost like she was in my past. And that brings me incredible joy.”

  Alex stepped back from the mirror, took one last look at his reflection. There was something new in his eyes now—a mix of pride, responsibility, and a certain inner peace.

  “They’ve all changed. And I’ve changed too. And there’s still so much ahead...”