Three months passed.
The seasons shifted.
Warm winds flowed across the academy grounds.
Summer had arrived.
Dry leaves drifted across the stone courtyard, carried by the lazy breeze.
Students gathered in small groups, chatting and laughing under the bright sky.
Among them stood Ketlos.
He looked far healthier than before, though faint scars still remained from his previous injuries.
Beside him stood Amelia and Princess Elena.
Ketlos smiled lightly.
You two look especially beautiful today.
Amelia immediately looked down, her cheeks turning slightly red.
T-Thank you…
But Elena barely reacted.
Her expression remained distant.
Her eyes looked calm on the outside…
yet her mind was somewhere else entirely.
That night.
The room.
Kairo.
Fragments of memory kept flashing through her thoughts.
What exactly happened that night…
And what didn't.
Her fingers slowly tightened.
Ketlos noticed.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Princess Elena…
where is your mind today?
he asked with a light laugh.
Elena suddenly snapped out of her thoughts.
Hm?
For a brief moment she looked confused…
before regaining her usual cold composure.
I was just thinking about something.
But deep inside—
Only one name echoed.
Kairo.
Meanwhile…
Far away from the academy.
In another hidden realm.
A cold wind blew through a ruined stone hall.
A man hung in the air, his throat tightly gripped by a single hand.
Kairo.
His eyes were cold.
Emotionless.
Where is the egg you stole?
he asked quietly.
The man trembled but refused to speak.
Kairo's grip tightened.
The sound of bones cracking echoed in the chamber.
You still won't talk?
The man shook his head desperately.
In the next moment—
Kairo pulled out a strange crimson worm.
A Blood Worm.
Without hesitation, he forced it into the man's mouth.
The creature immediately burrowed inside his body.
The man began screaming.
Agony twisted his face as the worm devoured him from the inside.
Kairo watched calmly.
His voice was cold.
Don't worry.
I won't let you die so easily.
I will keep you alive… and make sure you suffer longer.
The man screamed louder.
But before things could go further—
Footsteps echoed from behind.
Boss.
Kairo turned slightly.
One of his four pillars had arrived.
Vorthic.
A tall figure with sharp eyes and dark armor.
We've located the egg, Vorthic said respectfully.
For a moment, silence filled the hall.
Then Kairo released the prisoner.
Before the man could even breathe—
Kairo placed his hand on his chest.
Black energy erupted.
The man's life force was sucked away instantly.
His body dried.
Skin collapsed.
In seconds…
Only bones remained.
Vorthic felt a chill run down his spine.
Even after following Kairo for months—
Scenes like this still terrified him.
Kairo spoke calmly.
Let's go.
Soon.
They arrived at a massive underground arena.
In the center of the hall—
A glowing egg rested inside a sealed crystal cage.
Its surface pulsed with mysterious energy.
But Kairo and Vorthic were not the only ones who came.
Hundreds of cultivators had gathered.
Some from distant kingdoms.
Some from hidden sects.
Some from unknown regions.
All of them stared at the egg with greedy eyes.
Because everyone knew one thing.
That egg…
Contained something extraordinary.
Something powerful enough to change fate.
Kairo slowly smiled.
Interesting…
To Be Continued.