"Remember, steady breaths," Ddraig''s voice rumbled in my mind as I approached the school gates. "Imagine your power as water behind a dam. Control the flow."


    "You should focus on energy suppression first," Ddraig advised. "Weapon designs can wait until you''re not at risk of accidentally revealing yourself."


    "The brown-haired one has spiritual sensitivity," Ddraig commented, confirming my suspicions. "She can likely sense something different about your energy, even if she doesn''t understand what she''s perceiving."


    "You''re improving," Ddraig noted, his ancient voice resonating through my mind. "Two months ago, you couldn''t maintain this level of suppression for more than a few minutes. Now you''re holding it for hours."


    "Inevitable," the dragon rumbled. "This is their territory. Their detection wards would have registered your arrival the moment you stepped onto campus, regardless of how well you suppress your aura."


    "Independence has its advantages," Ddraig responded to my unspoken thoughts. "Devils serve their masters for centuries. Freedom is no small thing to surrender, especially for one who carries a dragon''s heart."


    "The original soul''s emotions occasionally surface when encountering significant people from his memories," Ddraig explained privately. "The integration is still ongoing."


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "The kendo girl could be problematic," Ddraig observed. "Her spiritual sensitivity seems to be developing naturally, even without formal training."


    "True. Though hunting for allies seems premature when you''ve yet to master basic energy containment."


    "Careful," Ddraig warned in my mind. "The red-haired one is particularly interested in your energy signature. Maintain steady suppression."


    "Your plans may need acceleration," Ddraig commented as I wrote. "Both devil houses are watching you now, and the fallen angel has likely detected your presence as well."


    "Don''t grow complacent," Ddraig warned. "Timeline changes may accelerate certain events even as they delay others."


    "And your strategy when she does?"


    "The latter option risks exposing your abilities to the devils as well," Ddraig pointed out. "They will almost certainly be monitoring such an encounter."


    "You should rest," Ddraig advised, his rumbling voice gentler than usual. "Tomorrow brings new challenges."