The scent of white lilies was suffocating.
Kaelen stood at the very back of the Grand Plaza, hidden in the shadow of a marble pillar. His clothes were shredded, stiff with dried monster blood and fungal ichor. He smelled like death.
But the crowd didn't notice him. Their eyes were glued to the raised dais at the front of the plaza.
Thousands of students stood in solemn silence. Black ribbons fluttered from their uniform lapels. At the center of the stage, a massive holographic portrait of Seraphina Lionheart shimmered in the air. Beside it, a much smaller, less significant portrait of Kaelen Vance.
"They were the best of us," a voice echoed through the magically amplified speakers.
Rian stood at the podium. He looked impeccable. His golden hair was perfectly styled, his uniform pressed, and a single, dramatic bandage wrapped around his forehead. He wiped a tear from his eye with a practiced grace.
"When the Fissure opened," Rian continued, his voice trembling with emotion, "Kaelen... he didn't hesitate. He charged the Beast King to buy us time. He screamed at me, 'Run, Rian! Save Seraphina!'"
Kaelen leaned against the pillar, a dry, rasping chuckle escaping his throat.
'I screamed at you to help me,' Kaelen recalled, his memory crisp. 'And you kicked me off the ledge.'
"And Seraphina..." Rian turned to the glowing image of the Ice Queen. "She fought bravely by my side. But the darkness took her. I... I was the only one strong enough to crawl back. I carry the burden of their sacrifice."
The crowd murmured. Some were weeping. Elara, standing in the front row, looked down at her hands, feigning grief. But Kaelen's [Abyssal Sight], which now passively highlighted emotional intent through heat signatures, saw the truth.
Elara wasn't sad. She was relieved. Her heat signature was cool, calm.
"Therefore," the Headmaster stepped forward, placing a hand on Rian's shoulder. "For his bravery in retrieving the data from the Fissure entrance, and for surviving the tragedy, the Academy awards Rian the Silver Star of Valor. Furthermore... as per the engagement contract... the assets of the Vance family will be managed by his closest friend."
Kaelen's eyes narrowed.
'Assets. The Ring. The inheritance.'
Rian wasn't just burying Kaelen; he was looting the grave before the body was even cold.
"I accept this honor with a heavy heart," Rian bowed. "I only wish Kaelen were here to see it."
"Be careful what you wish for," Kaelen whispered.
He adjusted the weight on his shoulder. Seraphina was still unconscious, wrapped in his tattered cloak. She was heavy, but Kaelen's [STR] stat had doubled since he fell. She felt like a feather.
He stepped out of the shadows.
Thud.
His bare, bloodied foot hit the pristine white marble of the plaza aisle.
"Excuse me," Kaelen said. His voice wasn't amplified, but it cut through the silence like a razor.
A student in the back row turned around. Her eyes widened as she took in the sight of the monster standing behind her.
"D-Demon!" she shrieked.
The scream rippled through the crowd. Students parted like the Red Sea, scrambling away from the stench of rot and sulfur that Kaelen radiated.
Rian froze on the stage. The fake tear on his cheek stopped moving.
Kaelen walked down the center aisle. He didn't rush. He walked with the slow, predatory gait of something that had climbed out of the food chain's basement.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The silence in the plaza was absolute. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
"You said you wished I was here, Rian," Kaelen called out, his voice calm, conversational. "So I came."
He reached the base of the stairs leading to the stage. Guards moved to intercept him, their spears lowered.
"Halt!" a guard captain barked. "Identify yourself! You look like a—"
Kaelen ignored him. He looked directly at Rian.
[System Analysis: Rian.]
[Target: Rian Valerius.]
[Class: Swordsman (Rare).]
[Level: 15.]
[Status: Terrified.]
[Sin Detected: Envy (High), Greed (High).]
"You told them I charged the Beast King," Kaelen said, taking the first step up.
"K-Kaelen?" Rian's face went pale. He gripped the podium until his knuckles turned white. "It's... a ghost. It's an illusion!"
"And you told them Seraphina died fighting by your side."
Kaelen reached the top of the stage. He swung the bundle off his shoulder and let it drop onto the floor with a heavy, wet thud.
The cloak fell open.
Seraphina Lionheart rolled out. She was dirty, bruised, and unconscious, but her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. Alive.
The crowd gasped collectively.
"She doesn't look dead, Rian," Kaelen said, tilting his head. "She just looks disappointed."
"I..." Rian stumbled back. "I saw you fall! I saw the Scavengers!"
"You saw what you wanted to see," Kaelen corrected him. He stepped over Seraphina's body, closing the distance to Rian. "You saw an opportunity to steal my fiancée, my inheritance, and my life."
Elara rushed up the stairs, her face a mask of panic. "Kaelen! You're alive! Oh, thank the Gods! Rian told us... he told us he tried to save you!"
She reached out to hug him, trying to salvage the narrative. Trying to play the 'confused lover.'
Kaelen didn't hug her back. He didn't even look at her.
He simply backhanded her.
SMACK.
It wasn't a love tap. It was a strike fueled by [STR: 18].
Elara flew backward, spinning in the air before crashing into the Headmaster's podium. Blood sprayed from her lip.
The crowd screamed.
"He's mad!" someone yelled. "He's been corrupted by the Abyss!"
"Corrupted?" Kaelen laughed. It was a low, jagged sound. "No. I've just been cleaned."
He grabbed Rian by the throat.
Rian was Level 15. Kaelen was only Level 7. On paper, Rian should have been faster. But Rian was paralyzed by the one thing the System couldn't quantify: Fear. He was looking at a dead man walking.
Kaelen lifted him off the ground with one hand.
"You wanted my assets, Rian?" Kaelen hissed, leaning in close so only Rian could hear. "You can have them. All the debt. All the enemies. But the Ring..."
He tightened his grip. Rian clawed at Kaelen's arm, his legs kicking uselessly.
"...The Ring stays with me."
"Put him down!" The Headmaster roared, his mana flaring. A pressure like a mountain descended on the stage. [Grandmaster Aura].
Kaelen felt his knees buckle under the weight. The difference in power was absolute. He couldn't fight the Headmaster. Not yet.
He dropped Rian.
Rian collapsed, gasping for air, clutching his bruised throat.
Kaelen turned to face the Headmaster and the thousands of students staring at him. He didn't look like a victim. He looked like a warlord surveying his new territory.
[Ding!]
[Social Quest Complete: The Revenant.]
[Objective: Disrupt the Funeral and destroy the antagonist's narrative.]
[Rating: SSS.]
[Reward: Reputation (Infamy) +500.]
[Title Unlocked: The One Who Returned.]
"My name is Kaelen Vance," he announced, his voice carrying over the plaza without magic. "And I demand a trial by combat."
He pointed at Rian, who was weeping on the floor.
"He claims he's a hero. I claim he's a coward who stabbed me in the back. By the laws of the Academy... let steel decide the truth."
The Headmaster stared at Kaelen. He looked at the unconscious Seraphina, then at the terrified Rian. The narrative was shattered. There was no way to sweep this under the rug now.
"A Death Match?" the Headmaster asked, his voice cold.
"No," Kaelen smiled, baring his teeth. "A Slaughter."
[Ding!]
[New Quest Generated: The First Face-Slap.]
[Objective: Defeat Rian Valerius in the Arena.]
[Time Limit: 24 Hours.]
[Reward: Rian's S-Rank Talent (Absorption).]
Kaelen looked at the System notification.
'Steal his Talent?'
The [Sin Eater] wasn't just hungry for stats anymore. It was hungry for destiny.