Night fell over the Academy, but it brought no peace.
Usually, the campus on the eve of the Grand Final would be a carnival of noise—parties, betting pools, and drunken students debating who would take the crown.
Tonight, however, the campus was silent.
I walked down the cobblestone path toward the Vayne dormitory. The magical streetlamps flickered overhead, casting long, distorted shadows that seemed to dance at my feet.
A group of third-year students was walking toward me. In the past, they would have sneered. They would have whispered about the "Wallet Warrior" or the "Arrogant Baron."
Today, they stopped dead in their tracks.
They pressed themselves against the hedges, heads bowed, eyes fixed on the ground, terrified to even make eye contact. They parted like the Red Sea, giving me a wide berth.
They had seen Nero. They had seen the way I broke the Prince of the Iron Empire without lifting a finger.
I smiled, the cool night air filling my lungs.
"They say it is better to be loved than feared," I murmured to myself, adjusting my silk tie. "But love is fickle. Fear... fear is a currency that never devaluates."
I entered my penthouse suite. The lights were dimmed, the fireplace crackling with low, magical embers.
Seraphina was standing by the window, staring out at the darkened arena in the distance. She was still wearing her combat uniform, her knuckles white as she gripped her staff.
She didn't turn around when I entered.
"That wasn't a summon, Lucas," she said softly.
I walked to the bar and picked up a crystal decanter of amber whiskey. "You'll have to be more specific. I have many summons."
"Don't play games with me," she snapped, turning around. Her eyes were wide, filled with a mixture of awe and genuine terror. "The thing you called 'Nero'. I felt its mana. It wasn't Shadow Magic. It wasn't Necromancy."
She took a shaky breath.
"It was the Void. The Abyss. That is forbidden magic, Lucas. It's the kind of power that drove the Ancient Warlords mad. What... what are you?"
I poured two glasses. The sound of the liquid hitting the crystal echoed loudly in the silent room.
I walked over to her, holding out a glass.
"I am a businessman, Seraphina," I said calmly. "And in a market that is about to crash, you need a monopoly on violence."
"The world isn't crashing," she argued, though her voice lacked conviction.
"It is," I corrected, stepping closer. "The Calamities are accelerating. The King is old and weak. The 'Heroes' like Kaelen..." I chuckled darkly. "You saw him today. He is breaking. He is drowning in his own inadequacy. When the sky falls, Seraphina, ideals won't save you. Only power will."
I looked deep into her icy blue eyes.
"I am the necessary evil. I am the monster that eats the other monsters so the sheep can sleep at night."
I swirled the whiskey in the glass.
"So, here is your choice. You can walk out that door, go back to being a terrified student waiting for the world to end. Or..."
I offered her the drink.
"...you can drink, and rule the ruins by my side."
Seraphina stared at the glass. She looked at the door. Then she looked at me—the only person in this entire Academy who seemed to have a plan. The only person who had never lost.
The fear in her eyes hardened into resolve. She didn't want to be a victim. She wanted to be a Queen.
She took the glass.
"To the ruins," she whispered.
She drank it in one swallow.
[ System Notification: Ally Loyalty Maxed. ]
[ Seraphina Frost is now fully committed to the Villain Route. ]
[ Bonus: She will follow you into Hell. ]
I clinked my glass against her empty one. "To the ruins."
Across the campus, in the dormitory of the Golden Boy, there was no luxury. Only madness.
Kaelen's room was destroyed.
The mirror on the wardrobe was shattered, a spiderweb of cracks distorting his reflection. Books were torn apart on the floor. The bed was overturned.
Kaelen sat huddled in the corner, clutching his knees. The room smelled of sweat and copper.
He was shirtless. The black veins from the Cursed Ring had spread past his hand, crawling up his arm and latching onto his neck like the roots of a parasitic tree.
He stole it, a voice whispered. It wasn't in the room. It was inside his skull.
"He stole it," Kaelen muttered, rocking back and forth. His eyes were bloodshot, the pupils dilated and shaking.
He stole your destiny. He stole your woman. He stole your honor.
"He took Seraphina..." Kaelen whimpered. "She left me. She chose him."
Because you were weak, the Ring hissed. Because you played by the rules. Vayne broke the rules, and he was rewarded. He is a monster.
Kaelen looked up at the shattered mirror. He saw his own reflection—gaunt, pale, with a sickly green glow pulsating in his veins.
"He is a monster," Kaelen agreed. A twisted logic began to form in his fractured mind. "If he is a monster... then killing him isn't murder. It's justice."
Yes...
"If I kill the monster," Kaelen whispered, a manic smile stretching his lips. "I become the Hero again. It's the only way. I have to save the school. I have to save Seraphina."
Kill him. Take his power. Take his life.
Kaelen stood up. He grabbed his sword. The blade was no longer iron; it was stained a permanent, matte black by the corruption of his mana.
"I'm going to save everyone," Kaelen laughed, the sound hollow and broken. "Even if I have to kill them to do it."
The sun rose on the day of the Grand Final, bathing the arena in a deceptively cheerful golden light.
The stands were packed to capacity. Not a single seat was empty. The Emperor's projection loomed large over the stadium, and the Magical Barrier around the ring had been reinforced to military grade.
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" the announcer screamed. "The moment you have been waiting for! The Grand Final!"
"Introducing first! From the Northern Gate! Team Vayne!"
The gates opened.
I walked out. I wasn't wearing armor. I wasn't wearing mage robes.
I was wearing a black suit. Perfectly tailored, crisp, and somber. It was funeral attire.
Seraphina walked a step behind me, her head held high, radiating cold elegance. Toby trailed behind, looking like he was trying to make himself invisible.
The crowd cheered, but it was a nervous sound. They were cheering for the predator because they were afraid of being prey.
"And from the Southern Gate! Team Justice!"
The other gate creaked open.
Kaelen walked out alone.
His teammates had forfeited that morning, terrified of the dark energy radiating from their captain. Kaelen didn't seem to notice.
He looked like a corpse that had been animated by pure hate. His skin was grey, his eyes glowing with green mist, and his uniform hung loosely on his emaciated frame. He dragged his black sword through the sand.
We met in the center of the arena.
The silence was deafening.
Kaelen looked at me. Then he looked at Seraphina. Pain flashed across his face, quickly replaced by rage.
"Seraphina," Kaelen rasped. "Get away from him. He's poisoning your mind."
Seraphina looked at him with pity. "The only poison here is on your finger, Kaelen."
Kaelen roared, slamming his sword into the ground. "I am doing this for you! I'm going to save this school from him! I'm going to save the world!"
I stepped forward, entering his personal space. I didn't raise my guard. I just looked down at him.
"Save the world?" I whispered, my voice calm and cruel.
I leaned in close to his ear.
"Kaelen... you can't even save yourself."
Kaelen's eyes snapped wide. The green aura flared violently.
The referee, sensing the imminent explosion, raised his hand and scrambled back.
"Barrier Active! BEGIN!"
The magical dome locked into place with a thunderous thud, sealing us inside.
"Let the execution begin," I said.
[ System Notification: Final Scenario Loaded. ]
[ Scenario: The Dark Mirror. ]
[ Objective: Destroy the Fallen Hero. ]
[ Reward: +2,000 Destiny Points. ]
Kaelen screamed and charged.