[Professor Seraphina’s Residence - Night]
Damian entered Seraphina’s on-campus house and imdiately sighed at the familiar chaos.
Clothes scattered across furniture. Papers strewn on every available surface. Empty coffee cups forming small towers on the side tables.
Combat gear mixed with civilian clothing in piles that seed to follow no organizational logic.
’So things never change.’
Seraphina erged from her bedroom wearing casual clothes and gestured toward the couch.
"Sit. We need to talk."
Damian cleared a space on the couch, moving aside what looked like tactical reports mixed with student essays, and sat down.
Seraphina ignored his pointed look at the ss, settling into the chair across from him.
Her violet eyes beca serious, her entire deanor shifting from casual instructor to military general.
"You know I hold the rank of General in the military, correct?"
Damian nodded, already knowing her background from previous conversations.
Seraphina leaned forward, her fingers steepling.
"Let explain the military rank structure so you understand the context of what I’m about to tell you.
From the top: Marshal and Vice-Marshal positions are held exclusively by SS rank awakeners. Then co Generals – both Senior and Junior – who are S rank... I’m currently a Junior General."
She continued thodically.
"Below that: Major General, Brigadier General, and Colonel positions can be held by A rank awakeners who also demonstrate leadership capabilities.
Then Lieutenant Colonel for B rank, Major for C rank, and so on down through Captain, Sergeant, Corporal, and Private at the bottom."
Damian listened silently, his mind forming a clear picture of the military hierarchy.
’Rank requirents plus leadership capability. Makes sense. Just being powerful doesn’t qualify soone to command troops.’
"The important thing to understand," Seraphina emphasized, "is that military ranks aren’t purely about personal strength. Just because you’re high-rank doesn’t automatically make you a General. You need to prove strategic thinking, tactical acun, and the ability to lead others effectively."
She paused, gauging his reaction.
Damian remained quiet, waiting for her to reach the actual point.
"The military has been paying attention to you from the start. One of my superiors – a Senior General – wants to recruit you.
And he’s willing to offer you the rank of Colonel imdiately, bypassing the normal progression entirely, because your demonstrated capabilities warrant it."
"..."
Silence stretched between them.
Damian’s expression showed nothing, his crimson eyes watching her carefully.
Finally, he spoke, his voice calm and asured.
"Professor, I have great respect for you. You know that, right? I trust you completely."
Seraphina smiled slightly, rembering the incident months ago when Damian had handed her a loaded gun and told her to shoot him if she found it necessary – absolute trust demonstrated through willingness to die if wrong.
"I know."
Damian leaned forward slightly, his face becoming completely expressionless.
"But... I don’t trust the military."
Seraphina’s expression shifted to confusion and genuine surprise showing.
"...Why? The military has never been your enemy. We’ve helped you from the start, never interfered with your operations and never moved against you despite your... unconventional activities."
Damian stood abruptly and walked to her kitchen, pouring himself a glass of water.
He drank slowly, then held the glass, playing with it between his fingers as he spoke.
"True... You were never my enemy."
His voice was quiet but carried clearly.
"But you were never my friend either."
He turned to face her directly.
"I’ll just say this plainly: I also know the military has been monitoring continuously. Keeping detailed records of everything I do."
Seraphina nodded – that much was obvious and not sothing she’d deny.
Damian’s eyes narrowed.
"Then you must have so idea about what happened when I left ho recently. The attacks on my people and the assassination attempt on ."
"..."
Seraphina’s face beca hidden behind her black hair as she looked down, nodding slowly.
Damian walked back and sat down again, closer this ti, his presence more intense as he began whispering.
"When I was on that train returning to the city, the military contacted for the first ti."
He let that sink in.
"Before that mont? Never. Not once had they tried to contact directly or hint at anything.
They all knew what I did to those terrorists – you provided information about their organization to after all. So you must have known that I was about to get attacked as well."
His voice remained calm but carried an edge now.
"Even then, you didn’t provide information about the ambush. But suddenly... when Gia hid my information while I was in Norrington, everything changed."
Damian’s crimson eyes fixed on Seraphina’s violet ones.
"For the first ti ever, the military contacted . Getting information about which train I’d be on must have been easy – since my data wasn’t available online anymore, you must have stationed people to physically watch ."
Seraphina’s hands clenched involuntarily, her knuckles going white.
"They gave information about Ronan’s, Ariana’s, and Zavier’s families being in danger... How generous."
His tone beca colder.
"If they really wanted to help, why not just rescue them and keep them safe? The military has resources I can’t match. But they didn’t care about them. I know what they actually wanted."
Seraphina kept her face hidden, unable to et his gaze.
Damian continued relentlessly, his deductions laid out with brutal precision.
"They couldn’t keep electronic surveillance on with Gia interfering, so they established direct contact.
They wanted to owe them a favor. And they wanted to understand why my information was suddenly hidden at the highest rank possible."
He leaned back, his expression showing cold analysis.
"They never cared about or those families. They just cared about the anomaly. About understanding why Gia – a sensitive Federation asset – was actively protecting a first-year Academy student."
His voice beca almost contemplative.
"To be honest, I don’t fully understand why you just didn’t save those families directly. But I think there are factions within the military, right?
And letting know about the danger while also letting be the one to handle the rescue was the middle ground your faction reached with another faction that supports Noble interests."
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