NOVEL NEXT Chapter 43: Once You Know Them, You Can’t Un-know
Warlock Ch 43. Once You Know Them, You Can't Un-know
Damian felt her words settle over him, a deep unease spreading through his chest. "Do you think the same thing could happen to me?"
Evelyn's eyes snapped up to meet his, her expression sharp. "No," she said firmly. "I won't let that happen to you."
Damian was quiet for a moment, unsure of what to say. He could see the fear in Evelyn's eyes, the fear that he might become like her mentor. But there was also something else—something that told him.
"If he's dead," Damian said, his voice barely above a murmur, "then there's no more threat, right?"
Evelyn hesitated, her gaze dropping to the floor. "Maybe," she said softly. "But magic like that doesn't always die with its wielder. Sometimes it lingers, waiting for someone else to take it up."
Damian's throat tightened, and his mind flashed back to his dreams—the artifact, the voice, the cryptic warnings. His hands curled into fists on his lap as he remembered the woman's words.
"You only bring calamity!"
The memory sent a chill through him, and he looked up at Evelyn, his eyes sharp.
"The dream," he started, his voice trembling slightly. "Is that connected to this? To your mentor?"
Evelyn's head snapped up, her eyes widening slightly. "What?"
"My dream," Damian repeated, his voice firmer now. "I remember the woman in my dream—she said something about 'you only bring calamity.' And the artifact, my mana core... it keeps showing up. Is this all connected? To your mentor? To whatever he became?"
Evelyn pressed her lips together. Her hesitation was clear. For a moment, she looked like she wanted to say something, to confess some hidden truth, but then she shook her head. "No," she said quietly, her voice too calm. "It's just a dream, Damian. Dreams can be strange, but they don't always mean anything."
Damian narrowed his eyes. He could tell by the way she was avoiding his gaze, the way her tone shifted, that she wasn't telling him everything. "You're lying," he said, his voice low but steady. "There's more to it, isn't there?"
Evelyn looked away, her expression tight. "It's not that simple," she said, her voice strained. "There are things you don't understand yet. Things you're not ready to know."
"Not ready to know?" Damian's frustration bubbled to the surface. "You're the one who said I'm learning fast. You've seen what's happening to me—this mark, the dreams... whatever's inside me is connected to something, and you know more than you're letting on." His voice was edged with impatience.
Evelyn flinched, just for a moment, but then her expression hardened. "It's not that simple, Damian. You think just because you're learning fast, you're ready for everything? There's a difference between absorbing knowledge and being able to handle the consequences of that knowledge." She stepped closer, her eyes dark and serious. "You're not just dealing with spells or magic theory. You're dealing with forces, things that change you, things that don't care if you're ready or not."
Damian's fists clenched, his mind racing with questions and confusion. "But how am I supposed to get stronger if you keep holding things back? You and Cassius keep talking about potential and power, but no one's telling me what's really going on! You can't expect me to just accept that."
Evelyn let out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through her hair. "I'm not trying to keep you in the dark. But there are things that... once you know them, you can't un-know. And once you're tied to certain forces, there's no going back."
Damian stared at her, his frustration simmering beneath the surface. "What aren't you telling me? You talk about your mentor, how he became dangerous, and now I'm dreaming about some artifact that feels like it's trying to take control of me. Is this the same thing? Am I heading down the same path he did?"
Evelyn looked at him, her gaze softening, but there was still something guarded in her expression. "No," she said quietly, though her voice lacked the confidence it usually had. "You're not going to end up like he did."
"Then why does it feel like I'm already being pulled in that direction?" Damian pressed, stepping closer to her. "Every time I dream about that artifact, it's like it's trying to tell me something, trying to push me toward... something I don't understand. And you're standing here telling me it's just a dream? I don't believe that."
Evelyn's jaw tightened, and for a moment, she didn't respond. The silence between them stretched. Finally, she exhaled slowly, her shoulders slumping just a little.
Without a word, she suddenly stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Damian, pulling him into an unexpected embrace.
Damian froze, completely taken off guard. His heart pounded in his chest as he stood there, confused but not pushing her away. He could feel the tension in her body, everything she wasn't saying. They stayed like that for a few moments.
After what felt like an eternity, Damian broke the silence, his voice quiet and hesitant. "Evelyn... Do you ever hate your mentor? For the path he took?"
She pulled back slightly, just enough to look up at him. Her face was serious, her eyes clouded with a mixture of sorrow and something deeper—something that Damian couldn't quite read. She shook her head slowly, her lips pressing into a thin line before she spoke. "No," she said softly, her voice steady but laced with sadness. "I never hated him. He did what he thought he had to do. He was a peaceful person at heart. But the world didn't see him that way. They feared his power, not the person he was."
Damian furrowed his brow, trying to reconcile the image of this dangerous, unstoppable figure with the man Evelyn was describing. "But you said he became dangerous."
Evelyn sighed, letting her arms drop as she stepped back, giving them both some space. "He was dangerous," she said, her voice firm but not accusatory. "But not because he wanted to be. People feared him because of what he could do, not what he did. They saw the potential for destruction, for chaos. And in their fear, they pushed him further down a path he never wanted to take."