Rufus's eyes widened in shock, his freshly baked biscuit tumbling from nerveless fingers to clatter against the marble floor. The sound echoed in the sudden silence that had fallen over his lavishly appointed study.
"What... what did you just say?" The words came out as barely more than a whisper, his usual composure cracking like ice in spring.
Kayden remained perfectly still in his chair, his dark eyes never leaving Rufus's face. When he spoke, his voice carried the weight of absolute certainty. "It is as I said, Lord Wainwright. I've laid out our main objective clearly enough."
The casual tone, devoid of any fear or hesitation, sent a chill down Rufus's spine. This wasn't the nervous rambling of desperate adventurers seeking coin—this was something else entirely.
Frustration and disbelief warred within Rufus until rage won out. His fist crashed down on the mahogany table with such force that his porcelain plate launched into the air, shattering against the far wall in a spray of white fragments.
"What is the meaning of this madness?" His voice climbed to a near-shout. "A rebellion? You seriously want to start a rebellion against the Twelve Kingdoms? Do you have any comprehension of the death that awaits traitors?"
"Oh no, no." Kayden's lips curved in what might have been amusement. "You misunderstand me, Lord Wainwright."
Rufus fixed him with a confused glare, his breathing still heavy from his outburst.
"We're not foolish enough to challenge all twelve kingdoms at once. That would indeed be suicide." Kayden leaned forward slightly, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "We're going to bring them down one at a time."
The words hit Rufus like a physical blow. Bring down the kingdoms? The sheer audacity was breathtaking. What could a group of three adventurers—however skilled they might be—possibly hope to achieve against established powers that had ruled for centuries?
Yet even as his rational mind dismissed the notion as preposterous, something deeper stirred uneasily in his chest. Rufus had not survived the treacherous waters of noble politics by ignoring his instincts. He was a man who understood that fate could turn on the smallest of moments, that today's vagrant could become tomorrow's conqueror.
And there was something about Kayden—an aura that made the very air around him seem charged with potential. Not magical energy, though Rufus could sense that too, coiled and ready beneath the young man's calm exterior. This was something more fundamental. The presence of someone who had already decided that the world would bend to his will.
If—and it was a significant if—this madman somehow succeeded in his impossible quest, everything Rufus had worked decades to build would crumble to dust. His titles, his wealth, his carefully cultivated influence—all of it would be swept away in the chaos.
"Listen here, boy." Rufus straightened his silk tie with deliberate care, forcing his voice back to its usual measured tones. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear any of what you just said—consider it a courtesy extended in gratitude for your generous payment. So I suggest you tell me your real business here before my patience runs thin."
Kayden's soft chuckle drew curious glances from his companions. Carla's weathered face creased with knowing resignation, while Maria's hand drifted almost imperceptibly closer to her sword hilt.
*What twisted scheme is he concocting now?* Maria thought, suppressing a weary sigh. She had seen that particular expression on Kayden's face before—usually right before everything went sideways.
"But Lord Wainwright," Darian said, his smile widening just enough to show teeth, "we've already stated our business with perfect clarity. The only thing that remains is your response."
"You insolent little bastard!" Rufus's composure finally shattered completely. "Do you comprehend the weight of what you're suggesting? Bring down kingdoms? What could a ragtag band of adventurers possibly accomplish against forces that have stood for generations?"
"Agree to our proposal," Darian replied with infuriating calm, "and you'll see."
The certainty in those words sent ice through Rufus's veins. This young man wasn't boasting or trying to impress—he genuinely believed every word he spoke. Which made him infinitely more dangerous than any mere criminal or rebel.
*This boy is a walking catastrophe,* Rufus realized with crystal clarity. *I have to stop him before he influences other nobles. And think of the rewards I'll receive for delivering a traitor, an enemy of the Twelve Kingdoms—to the Sacred Unit.*
A predatory grin slowly spread across his face as the solution presented itself.
"I see you've chosen your path, then?" Rufus settled back in his chair with the satisfied air of a man holding all the cards.
Darian said nothing, simply watching him with those unsettling dark eyes.
"GUARDS!" Rufus's voice boomed through the study.
The response was immediate. Armed soldiers poured through the doors with practiced efficiency, surrounding the three adventurers in a tight circle of raised weapons and hostile intent.
Carla let out a long, weary sigh and shook her head. "You're every bit as stupid as you are wealthy. You still can't tell who the strongest person in this room is, can you?"
"I'm afraid this is where your little rebellion ends," Rufus declared with obvious satisfaction. "I can't have threats like you wandering freely through my kingdom. Arrest them—all of them."
The guards leveled their enchanted rifles, magical energy beginning to coalesce in the barrels as they closed in on their targets.
"You seem to misunderstand something fundamental, Lord Wainwright." Maria's voice cut through the tension like a blade as she drew her sword in one fluid motion. Carla's bow appeared in her hands with similar grace, an arrow already nocked and ready. "You are not in any position to refuse our offer, seeing as we've brought you such a valuable opportunity."
"I acknowledge your payment, and I'm grateful for it," Rufus replied, his confidence unshaken. "But this is my kingdom. I choose who I work with, who stays and who goes—and I choose who lives or dies within these walls."
At his gesture, the guards opened fire. Dozens of crackling magical projectiles streaked through the air toward the trio.
But Darian's voice cut through the chaos, calm as death itself: "When you point a weapon at someone, you should be prepared to lay down your life for the privilege."
What followed lasted perhaps five seconds—five seconds that shattered Rufus's understanding of power forever.
Steel sang through air. Arrows flew with inhuman precision. Bodies fell with wet, final sounds that would haunt the lord's dreams for years to come.
When the violence ended, every guard lay motionless on the polished floor, crimson pools spreading beneath them like grotesque flowers blooming in fast-forward.
Rufus stared in absolute horror. More than a dozen trained soldiers, equipped with military-grade weapons and protective enchantments—dead in less time than it took to draw breath. And the one responsible...
Maria calmly cleaned her obsidian blade before sliding it back into its sheath, her expression as composed as if she'd just finished trimming roses.
"A bit excessive, don't you think?" Carla observed mildly.
"They drew their weapons first," Maria replied without inflection. "They should have been prepared for the consequences."
"What... what do you think you're doing?" Rufus stammered, pressing himself deeper into his chair as if the leather upholstery could somehow protect him. "Do you think you can just kill me? I'll have you know the Sacred Unit backs me personally. Touch so much as a hair on my head, and you're all dead—dead, do you hear me?"
"Oh, we have no intention of killing you, Lord Wainwright," Darian assured him pleasantly. "We won't even touch you. What just happened was purely defensive—if we hadn't acted, your soldiers would have killed us, wouldn't they?"
The reasonable tone somehow made the words more terrifying than any threat.
"That said," Darian continued conversationally, "we could eliminate you and everyone in this building without leaving a trace of evidence. You would simply... disappear. As if you had never existed at all."
The chill that ran down Rufus's spine felt like the touch of Death himself. Every instinct screamed that this soft-spoken young man meant every word. He was staring into the face of his own mortality, and it was speaking to him with perfect politeness.
"Don't get cocky just because you slaughtered some guards, you arrogant brat!" Desperation drove Rufus to his feet, his palm beginning to glow with brilliant yellow energy. "I'll make you pay for your impudence!"
The Lux energy built in his hand, drawing power from the wellspring within his soul. Around him, the air itself seemed to thicken with gathering force.
Maria's hand moved toward her weapon, but Darian raised his own to stop her.
"Let me handle this one."
"Very well," she replied, though her stance remained coiled and ready.
"Feast your eyes on true power," Rufus snarled, energy crackling between his fingers like captured lightning, "because it will be the last thing you ever see!"
*Ignis Lux,* Darian noted mentally. *Impressive for a noble of his caliber.*
Rufus leaped backward, putting distance between himself and his target. The gathered energy had reached critical mass, a miniature sun blazing in his grasp.
"Die, peasant!" The attack launched like a comet, trailing fire and fury across the room.
To any ordinary person, the sight would have been paralyzing. But Darian was far from ordinary. He could feel the attack's weight, gauge its range and power, calculate exactly how much danger it represented to him.
Which was to say: virtually none.
"I'll admit you're strong," he said conversationally, drawing his blade in a motion too quick for the eye to follow. "But not nearly strong enough."
The sword cut through the magical attack as if it were made of morning mist. The two halves of Rufus's most powerful spell dissipated harmlessly against the walls, leaving only a rush of wind that barely disturbed Carla's hair.
Maria remained unmoved, solid as stone.
"But... how?" Rufus whispered, all the fight draining out of him. "That was my most devastating attack."
"The concept of Lux manipulation is quite simple, really," Kayden explained patiently, as if addressing a slow student. "It can be used for offense, healing, protection—even creation itself. But here's what most practitioners fail to understand: Lux exists everywhere, not merely within your own body. How much you can access from the ambient field determines the true effectiveness of any technique."
"What are you, some kind of lecturer?"
The words had barely left Rufus's lips when Kayden vanished.
He reappeared behind the lord in the next instant, the edge of his blade resting against Rufus's throat with surgical precision.
"Your attack just now had no real substance behind it," Kayden murmured, close enough that his breath stirred Rufus's hair. "As such, it could be deflected by anyone with proper understanding."
The blade pressed just hard enough to draw a thin line of blood, and Rufus felt his knees buckle. Sweat poured down his face as terror overwhelmed his every thought.
"Please," he whispered, all pretense of dignity abandoned. "Please don't kill me. I'll listen, I'll do whatever you want...just don't..."
"Now that, is much more reasonable." Kayden said with genuine satisfaction.