Only one month remained before Nox would finally leave for Brim Academy.
During the past three years, he had trained relentlessly to master the talents he had awakened. Most of his abilities had reached Level 3 mastery, and his control over them continued to improve each day.
However, one thing still troubled him.
The Ancestor's Sword he had found in the sacred forest remained dormant.
The sword had used most of its power to break the ancient curse that had sealed Nox's abilities for years. Because of that, its strength had not yet fully recovered.
Nox still carried it with him during training, hoping that one day it would awaken again.
One afternoon while practicing in the palace training yard, Nox locked eyes with someone standing across the field.
It was Jaret.
His younger half-brother was the same age as him and would also be joining Brim Academy.
Unlike Nox, Jaret had already awakened two powerful talents.
The first was Gravity Manipulation, an extremely rare ability that allowed him to increase or decrease gravitational force around him.
The second was Sword Mastery, a talent that greatly enhanced his skill with blades.
Despite being the same age, the two brothers had barely spoken in the last three years.
Not since the day Nox had forced Derek and Joey to their knees.
Jaret simply looked at him silently before returning to his training.
Nox didn't say anything either.
Some distances were easier to keep.
During those three years, Nox had also secretly improved his Fire Manipulation ability. Since it was an acquired talent, he carefully hid it from everyone in the palace.
Revealing too many abilities would only create suspicion.
But not everyone was unaware of his progress.
One day, just before the departure to Brim Academy, an unexpected visitor arrived at the palace.
Scar.
Leila's elder brother.
Scar had come to see his nephew before the boys left for the academy.
But the moment he saw Nox, his expression changed slightly.
The faint traces of the curse he had placed years ago were gone.
Scar narrowed his eyes.
Not only had the curse disappeared…
Nox had clearly awakened his talents.
A dangerous thought crossed Scar's mind.
If he discovers the truth…
Scar immediately went to speak with his sister.
Inside her chambers, Leila listened as Scar explained everything.
"The curse is gone," he said quietly.
Leila's eyes widened with shock.
"What?"
Scar nodded grimly.
"He has awakened his abilities. If we allow him to grow stronger… he may eventually discover what we did."
Leila began nervously biting her nails.
"Then you must do something about it," she whispered urgently.
Scar already had a plan.
For years, he had secretly been cooperating with powerful figures from the continent of Yajooj. Their long-term goal was to weaken the current king and eventually seize control of the kingdom.
Eliminating Nox would serve both purposes.
Scar secretly arranged for assassins from Yajooj to infiltrate the palace.
That very night, the assassins made their move.
They quietly entered Nox's chambers, hoping to eliminate him before anyone noticed.
But they had greatly underestimated him.
The moment they attacked, Nox sensed the danger.
Within seconds, the room erupted into combat.
Steel clashed. Flames flickered.
The sound of the battle echoed through the palace halls.
Soon, the entire palace was alerted.
Guards rushed toward the disturbance while alarms echoed through the corridors.
King Alf himself arrived moments later.
The assassins were quickly surrounded and captured.
The king stepped forward with a cold expression.
"Who sent you?" he demanded.
The assassins remained silent.
Just as the king prepared to force an answer from them, a sudden flash of fire cut through the room.
In an instant, the assassins were dead.
Scar stood nearby, lowering his hand.
"They tried to attack the royal family," Scar said calmly. "I could not allow them to escape."
To everyone else, it looked like Scar had acted quickly to protect the palace.
But in truth, he had silenced the only witnesses who could expose him.
After that night, palace security became extremely strict. Guards doubled their patrols, making it far more difficult for Scar and Leila to attempt another assassination within the palace walls.
Finally, the long-awaited day arrived.
The day Nox and Jaret would leave for Brim Academy.
Large carriages waited at the palace entrance to transport the new students to the academy.
Many nobles had gathered to send their children off.
Scar stood among them, waving politely as the two princes boarded their carrier.
But behind his calm expression was one final plan.
This is the last chance.
Once Nox entered Brim Academy, the academy's protection would make it nearly impossible to touch him.
Scar decided to personally ensure Nox never reached it.
Without Nox knowing, several of Scar's personal guards had been secretly assigned to the carrier escort.
Hours into the journey, Nox suddenly noticed something strange.
The path they were traveling on looked unfamiliar.
"This isn't the route to the academy," he thought.
Suddenly, the convoy stopped.
Masked figures appeared from the forest, surrounding the carriage.
An ambush.
Nox stepped outside.
There were many attackers.
All wearing black masks.
Among them stood one man whose aura felt different from the rest.
During the fight, Nox noticed something shocking.
The masked man used Fire Manipulation.
Nox's eyes narrowed.
So it was you…
The same power he had stolen.
The same power that had once cursed him.
A fierce battle followed.
One by one, the attackers fell.
Nox defeated them with calm precision.
Eventually, only two people remained standing.
Nox.
And the masked man.
Scar had originally underestimated the boy.
But now he realized the truth.
Nox had become far stronger than expected.
Scar prepared to unleash his full power.
But before he could act, a massive shadow descended from the sky.
Fenrir.
The legendary beast slammed into Scar with overwhelming force, sending him crashing into the ground.
Injured and realizing the situation had turned against him, Scar made a quick decision.
He could not allow Nox to see his face.
Using the chaos as cover, he quickly retreated and disappeared into the forest.
Nox watched the masked man escape.
But he already knew one thing.
The person who cursed him…
Had just tried to kill him again.
Fenrir lowered itself beside Nox.
Without hesitation, Nox climbed onto its back.
Together, they continued the journey.
The great wolf moved faster than any carriage could travel.
By the time the sun began to set, the massive gates of Brim Academy appeared in the distance.
Nox had arrived.
Right on time.
And his true journey was only just beginning.