"Power is a double-edged blade — one side cuts your enemies, the other your heart." — Old Military Maxim of the Asura Clan
The night air was cool and silent when the carriage finally turned onto the long stone road leading to the Asura Mansion.
Even in darkness, the estate shone like a fortress of light. Rows of spirit lanterns lined the road, their flames burning with steady, disciplined precision. The banners of the Asura Clan — black and crimson, marked with the sigil of a coiled dragon — fluttered proudly in the moonlight.
The mansion was massive, more akin to a military fortress than a noble home. Its high walls were reinforced with enchanted runes, its gates guarded by soldiers clad in black armor etched with glowing red sigils.
Each man stood straight-backed, silent, eyes sharp as drawn blades.
This was the Asura Clan, one of the oldest and most feared houses in the Kingdom of Asterion — the clan that forged kings, crushed rebellions, and commanded the army that even the royal family tread carefully around.
As the carriage approached, the guards struck their weapons against the ground in unison — the Asura salute, a sound that thundered through the air like war drums.
Crystal Asura stepped out of the carriage, her cloak catching the moonlight. Mari followed behind her, clutching the scrolls and herbs they'd gathered from the market.
The guards bowed low. "Welcome home, Lady Crystal."
Crystal gave a brief nod, her gaze sweeping across the mansion she had once taken for granted.
Tall pagoda towers rose behind the main hall, their curved roofs lined with crimson tiles. Training fields spread out in perfect formation — each section divided by rank and discipline. Even at night, the rhythmic sound of steel striking steel echoed faintly through the grounds.
The Asura Army never slept.
Her lips curved faintly. "Still as disciplined as ever."
Mari, wide-eyed beside her, whispered, "I always forget how enormous this place is…"
Crystal smiled faintly. "It's not the size that matters, Mari. It's what it represents."
And what it represented was power — cold, structured, and absolute.
The Asura Clan wasn't just one of the top houses in Asterion. It was the foundation of the kingdom's military might.
Every generation, they produced prodigies — generals, strategists, and cultivators whose names became legends. The clan currently held five Master Phase swordsmen and two Spiritual Phase experts, each strong enough to command an army of thousands.
No wonder the kingdom whispered:
"He who controls the Asura Clan controls Asterion itself."
But as powerful as they were, even the Asura bowed to the royal family, the rulers who commanded the loyalty of every faction in the land.
It was a delicate balance — one maintained through blood, alliances, and fear.
And once, Crystal had shattered that balance.
As she walked through the grand courtyard, her boots tapping softly against the marble, old memories began to surface — memories she couldn't forget, no matter how much she wanted to.
Her marriage to Prince Noah.
She had thought it love — a union of hearts and honor. But in truth, it was a political weapon, one that reshaped the entire power structure of Asterion.
By wedding him, she had bound the Asura Clan's might to Noah's faction. The moment that happened, every rival faction saw it as a threat. The Crown Prince's loyalists moved in secret. The noble houses began to divide.
And Noah — ever the opportunist — had used her family's power like a blade to cut his path to dominance.
Then, when the wars ended and his crown secured, he had turned that same blade against her.
Crystal's hand curled into a fist.
She could still remember the cold shock of his betrayal, the disbelief that had turned into rage, and the final moment when his sword pierced her chest.
He had killed her not just for ambition, but for fear.
The power of the Asura Clan was too great. Even with her dead, it had taken him years to subdue the generals loyal to her bloodline.
Now, as she crossed the courtyard she once ruled as a spoiled child, Crystal understood what she never had before.
Her clan's loyalty wasn't a gift — it was a weapon. One she had handed to the wrong person.
But not this time.
This time, she would forge her own blade.
She reached the steps of the main hall and paused, glancing at the parchment scrolls tucked under her arm. They were the documents she'd purchased earlier — records of current events, political networks, and information about upcoming royal functions.
One in particular caught her attention — a royal event that made her lips curl into a faint, dangerous smile.
"The Grand Banquet of Heirs…" she murmured.
Mari looked up. "My lady?"
Crystal unrolled the parchment slightly, scanning the neat handwriting. "A royal gathering. Young Nobles, princes, and faction heads sons. I remember this event — three years from now, it ended with a war declaration. But if it's happening now…"
She trailed off, her smile darkening.
"Then I have time to change the ending."
Her eyes gleamed under the moonlight — cold, calculating, but alive with purpose.
In her last life, this banquet had been where alliances were forged and betrayals sealed. It was where Noah began his rise to power and where she, blinded by love, had given him her clan's loyalty on a silver platter.
This time, it would be different.
This time, the banquet would mark his downfall.
As they reached the doors of the mansion, two armored guards stepped forward and opened them with synchronized precision. The great hall was empty but for the flicker of lanterns casting long shadows across the walls.
Crystal stopped at the threshold, glancing around the space that once echoed with her laughter and arrogance.
In her past life, she had ruled this place like a spoiled queen. Servants had bowed at her whim, generals had indulged her temper, and everyone had feared the power her name carried.
Crystal Aserra of the Asura Clan
The name once meant privilege. Now, it would mean retribution.
She turned slightly toward Mari, her expression softening. "Tell the maids to prepare the herbs for Aria. And send word to the physician — I want her checked again at dawn."
Mari nodded quickly. "Yes, my lady."
Crystal began walking again, the hem of her cloak trailing behind her like a shadow.
As she entered the inner courtyard, the sound of cicadas filled the night. The moonlight filtered through the open roof, painting her face in silver.
For a brief moment, she looked up at the sky calm, beautiful, endless.
"I once thought the heavens controlled fate," she said softly. "But maybe fate is just heaven's excuse for cowardice."
Her reflection shimmered faintly in the polished tiles beneath her feet the reflection of a woman who had died once and come back wiser, colder, and far more dangerous.
The gates of the Asura Mansion closed behind her with a heavy echo that rippled through the night.
And in that silence, somewhere deep within the estate, a faint green glow pulsed like a heartbeat, hidden but alive.
The system was still watching.
"To walk the path of power is to step between heaven and hell — and smile at both." — Doctrine of the Asura War Codex