The sun had barely risen over the Val'Kareth estate when a sealed scroll was delivered by raven.
Raezion's small hands trembled as he broke the wax seal.
The black-on-black emblem was unmistakable — the House Malveris, a noble house of assassins and shadow magic, sworn rivals of the demon nobles.
The message was simple, ruthless:
"If you claim the future of House Phaelory, come to the Black Hollow by moonrise. Alone."
Kairon read the letter over Raezion's shoulder, expression unreadable.
"This is a trap," he said quietly.
Raezion's lips pressed thin. "I will go."
Kairon's eyes narrowed, but he did not stop him.
That night, under a sky veiled in thick fog, Raezion crept into the Black Hollow — a cursed forest where many disappeared without a trace.
The trees whispered secrets only the damned could understand.
Raezion's heartbeat steadied as a dark figure stepped from the shadows.
Tall, cloaked in midnight, eyes glowing faintly red — a Malveris assassin.
"Speak your last words, prince," the assassin hissed.
Raezion drew Aeon Severance's Blade of the End-God, the black-and-white longsword shimmering softly in the mist.
In that instant, something stirred deep inside.
His eyes flickered silver for a heartbeat — the silent edge of time itself.
The assassin lunged.
Time shattered.
Raezion moved with impossible speed.
The blade sliced through shadow and steel, severing not just flesh, but the assassin's grasp on reality.
The world stilled.
The assassin collapsed, eyes wide with disbelief, before falling silent forever.
Raezion stood alone, breathless.
He was no longer a child.
He was something else.