The final sliver of sun dipped below the horizon, plunging the Arsene manor into deep twilight. The eight hours of preparation were over. My mana hummed steadily within me, a well of cold, dark potential now at [Mana: 350/350]. My control was still rudimentary, but it was enough for what I had planned. Elara had been true to her word—a hot meal had appeared, and the pervasive sense of being watched had lessened, replaced by a nervous, simmering curiosity from the servants.
The System's final warning glowed in my vision: [Knight Arrival: Imminent.]
I stood in the grand foyer, not hiding, but positioned where the moonlight from the broken skylight above would illuminate me. It was a stage. And every good villain knows the importance of a dramatic entrance.
The crash of splintering wood was exactly on time. The main doors, already weakened by age and neglect, exploded inward. Three figures clad in the polished, blue-trimmed armor of the Sylvania family—another of the Six—strode into the hall. Their leader, a man with a hawkish nose and a cruel sneer, scanned the room with disdain.
"Arsene Adel!" his voice boomed, echoing in the vast, empty space. "By the edict of the Six Families, your bloodline is a blight upon the empire. Come quietly, and your end will be—"
He stopped. His eyes adjusted to the gloom and found me, standing calmly in the pillar of moonlight. I wasn't cowering. I wasn't running. I was waiting.
"—merciful," he finished, his confidence faltering for a split second.
"How kind of you to offer," I said, my voice calm and carrying an unnatural clarity in the silent hall. It was a tone Adel had never used—the tone of a king addressing an irritating subject. "But I must decline. This is still my home. And you are uninvited guests."
The knight, Sir Valerius, recovered quickly, his sneer returning. "You have spirit, boy. A pity it will be wasted. Take him!"
The two knights beside him lunged forward, their swords gleaming. They were fast, trained. To the old Adel, they would have been an unstoppable force.
To me, they were predictable.
I didn't move to meet them. I didn't raise a weapon. I simply willed the [Darkness] around their feet to coalesce and solidify.
[Skill: Shadow Bind - Basic]
Tendrils of pure shadow erupted from the floor, snapping around their ankles like iron manacles. The lead knights yelped in surprise, stumbling and crashing to the dusty floor with a clatter of armor.
"What sorcery is this?!" Valerius roared, his eyes wide. He raised his own sword, a faint aura of water-based mana—the Sylvania specialty—beginning to shimmer around the blade.
"Not sorcery," I corrected, taking a slow step forward. The shadows around me seemed to deepen, clinging to me like a royal cloak. "Justice. The Arsene family was loyal. We bled for this empire. And our reward was slander, theft, and murder. You are not heroes on a righteous quest. You are thugs sent to clean up a loose end."
I was playing a dangerous game. My mana was draining faster than I'd hoped. [Mana: 290/350]. Holding two binds was costly. I needed to end this quickly.
"You know nothing, demon-spawn!" Valerius shouted, charging me. His water-enchanted blade cut through the air towards my head.
This was the moment. I couldn't block it. I couldn't dodge fast enough. So, I used the one trait that required no mana, only sheer force of will.
[Trait: Killing Intent - Basic]
I didn't just look at him. I poured every ounce of the Demon King's malice, every bit of Arsene's bitterness, and my own authorial fury into my gaze. My fox-eyes narrowed, and the air around me grew deathly cold and heavy with the promise of violence.
Valerius froze. His sword stopped its descent mere inches from my face. His eyes met mine, and what he saw there wasn't a boy, but an abyss. He saw his own death, vividly and terrifyingly real. His breath hitched; his knuckles turned white on his sword hilt. He was a trained knight, but he was facing a will that had commanded legions and authored destinies.
"A... a monster..." he choked out, paralyzed by fear.
"Now you see," I whispered.
It was the opening I needed. I dropped the binds on the other two knights—[Mana: 310/350]—and focused everything into a single, precise strike.
[Skill: Shadow Tendril]
A whip of darkness lashed out from my hand, not at Valerius, but at his sword arm. It wrapped around his wrist and squeezed. Bones creaked. He cried out in pain and shock, his concentration broken. The water aura around his blade sputtered and died as his sword clattered to the floor.
The two other knights were scrambling to their feet, their faces pale with fear and confusion. They looked from their disarmed, terrified commander to me—the crimson-haired boy standing untouched amidst swirling shadows.
I didn't advance. I simply looked at them, letting the [Killing Intent] recede but keeping my expression one of cold disdain.
"You have two choices," I stated, my voice ringing with finality. "You can retrieve your commander and leave this place. You can tell your masters that the Arsene manor is empty, its heir long gone. That you found nothing but dust and ghosts."
I let the shadows around me writhe for emphasis.
"Or," I continued, my voice dropping to a deadly whisper, "you can stay. And you can learn why my family was once feared above all others."
The silence that followed was absolute. The choice was obvious. Pride wasn't worth a death that would be written off as a minor casualty.
The two knights quickly helped a trembling, defeated Valerius to his feet. Without another word, without even retrieving his sword, they half-carried, half-dragged him out of the broken doorway and into the night.
The moment they were gone, the strength left my legs. I slumped against a pillar, breathing heavily. [Mana: 270/350]. I was exhausted, but alive. I had won.
The System screen flickered before my eyes.
[Primary Objective: Survive The Incoming Assassination - COMPLETE.] [Reward: System Function - [Library] - Unlocked.] [Subordinate Loyalty Increased: Elara (Loyalty: 65% - Awe/Respect)] [Title Gained: [Fox of the Ruined Manor] - Slightly increases proficiency gain with shadow-based skills.] [New Primary Objective: Gain admission to the Black Rose Academy.]
I allowed myself a small, tired smile. The Library function? That sounded invaluable. And the new objective… it was the obvious next step. The academy was the heart of the plot, the stage where all the characters—the heroes, the love interests, the future allies and enemies—would converge.
I heard a soft gasp from a hallway. Elara was standing there, her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with something beyond fear or awe. It was admiration. She had seen everything.
The first thread of my web had been spun. The first member of my future circle had witnessed my strength.
The villain was no longer in hiding. He was on his way to school.