Silas let out a slow breath, his knuckles white on the table edge. He understood the logic. His father was the most intelligent man in the archduchy for a reason. It was a clean, cold political cut that saved Aleric's life.
But understanding didn't stop the anger.
"He's my brother," Silas said quietly. "Tell Father I heard his message. And tell him this. If he thinks cutting Aleric off will keep him safe, he's wrong. They will come for him in other ways. Tell him, the day I entered the castle would be the last day for that rule." His eyes were cold .
He looked back at Draven sleeping peacefully, then back at Aldric. "Send a shadow team to his new territory. Not Valerius guards. Mine. And give him this."
He opened his system space with a thought and pulled out a small vial of golden medicine, one of the high-grade pills he bought from the system store.
"If the Imperium can't touch him legally, they'll try poison or assassins. Make sure he has this."
Aldric took the vial and bowed deeper. "As you command, Count."
"And Aldric," Silas added, his voice steel. "No one else is to know I'm involved. Not Father, not Aleric. Especially not Aleric. He has enough pride to refuse help."
Aldric vanished back into the void as silently as he had come.
Yes. In this life, Silas had built something of his own.Due to his lifelong illness, he thought he would never recover, so he prepared his own team of experts...
He called them Shadows.
They were a personal team of powerful mages and warriors he had gathered over the years, piece by piece.He has no shortage of money, so maintaining a huge organization is actually easy for him. Each one had been vetted by him, trained by him, and bound to him by loyalty that went beyond contracts or blood. They were not part of the Valerius army. They were not listed in any registry. They were his.
Shadows only moved when Silas himself gave a command. No one else could order them. No one else even knew they existed.
Aldric was one of them, one of the strongest warlord among them and Silas's personal guard. But he wasn't the only one. There were assassins who could slip through wards like smoke, mages who specialized in forbidden arts, healers who could pull a man back from the edge of death. All handpicked. All hidden.
Not even Archduke Cassian knew.
Cassian had Ignis. Aleric had Zephiron. Silas had built his own shield in the dark, because he had learned early that being from an ancient family didn't mean you were safe. It meant you had more enemies, and most of them wore friendly faces.
Silas sat back in the chair, his anger cooling into something sharper and more useful. If the Imperium thought expelling Aleric made him vulnerable, they were wrong. If the family rules tied his father's hands, then Silas would act where Cassian could not.
He tapped the book on ancient families once, his eyes cold.
Father used the law to protect Aleric. I'll use my Shadows to make sure he stays protected.
He didn't need titles or recognition. He had already decided years ago that if the world was going to get complicated, then he would make sure he had a blade hidden in every shadow.
Silas sat back down heavily in the chair, the anger still burning behind his eyes. He picked up the inaccurate book on ancient families again, but he didn't read it. He put it back in it's place.
And he said with a smile, "Wait for me, brother. The day I return to the family to attend my nineteenth-year ceremony, the family rules will change forever!"
That night Aldric moved with precise action. He slipped through wards and entered a dark castle situated between the Beast Empire and the Demon Empire, a place hidden from the Luminus Empire. It is known as the Forbidden Forest.
Deep among the huge ancient trees and the vast jungle, a massive dark castle stood alone. Its pressure alone could push back anyone who came too close.
Aldric entered the main hall. Twelve seats were placed on both sides, six on each, and the throne at the front was empty. It was the seat of Silas.
On those twelve seats, eleven people were already seated. They were all above Level 70, but only Aldric and one other mage were still at Level 70, both on the verge of a breakthrough to a higher realm.
Here no discrimination took place at all. There were humans, beastmen, demons, and ethereal creatures among these twelve. Silas had built the team himself.
The Twelve Shadows are,
1. Aldric Thorne: Human warlord and Silas's personal guard. He wields twin war blades. Level 70, on the verge of breakthrough.
2. Lyra Swiftwind: Wolfkin beastman. Master of the bow and arrows, her shots are guided by wind. Level 73.
3. Brakor Stonefist: Bearkin beastman. He carries a massive battle axe that can split earth. Level 75.
4. Kaiden Ren: Human. A blade master who fights with a single longsword faster than sight. Level 72.
5. Mara Thorn: Human. She uses twin machetes and excels at close jungle combat. Level 71.
6. Selene Voss: Human. Whip specialist, her twin leather whips are infused with lightning. Level 74.
7. Eira Frostveil: Human mage of ice. She can freeze an entire battlefield in seconds. Level 72.
8. Pyra Cinder: Foxkin beastman. Fire mage with absolute control over blue flame. Level 71.
9. Zephyr Gale: Sylph, an ethereal wind creature. Tornado mage and the other Level 70 on the verge of breakthrough.
10. Terran Oakheart: Dwarf. Earth mage who can raise walls and golems from stone. Level 73.
11. Nereia Tidecaller: Mer-blooded human. Water mage who controls tides and healing currents. Level 72.
12. Noctis Drayven: Demon. Dark element mage. Silas saved him from a slave market and he became one of his most loyal followers. He looks like a human but has deep crimson eyes and two sharp fangs like a vampire. His presence is more domineering than any human's. Level 76, the strongest of them all.
Each and every one of them were rescued by Silas , he gave them names and even titles according to their contribution.
Aldric walked to his own seat and sighed as he looked at them. "Master has issued an order. Who would like to take the duty?"
The hall erupted instantly. Every one of them stood up, wanting to be chosen. They all wanted to do it and impress Silas. For them, Silas was the apex of everything.
After fifteen minutes of continuous chatter, Noctis finally boomed his voice.
"SILENCE!"
After Aldric, who always stays beside Silas, only Noctis could handle them.The pressure of an Wizard rolled through the hall and made everyone shiver.The temperature in the dark castle dropped. The huge black crystal torches on the walls dimmed as if something was drinking the light. A heavy, domineering dark element rolled out from the demon at the far end of the hall, and it pressed down on every Level 70 and above in the room.
Each and every one of these twelve Shadows commanded their own army.But they can't disrespect Noctis. He is trusted by their master himself. He is the most loyal among them.
Noctis looked at everyone, his crimson eyes sweeping the table, then said, "Don't you think you're disrespecting the Master by arguing among yourselves?"
"Have we stooped so low as those black-clothed fools?"
Everyone lowered their heads in shame. It was true. They didn't even take those black-clothed people seriously at all. Even their master hadn't issued a single mission concerning them.
The Shadows were still in the shadows, but in reality they already had members everywhere. In the three empires, and even in places where no one else could see.
Noctis let the silence hang for a long moment, then spoke again. His voice was lower now, but it cut colder than his shout.
"Master issued a task after many months. We should do it perfectly. And here you are, fighting among yourselves."
He looked coldly at everyone , his crimson eyes pausing on each of them.
"Shame on you."
No one answered. Everyone lowered their heads. Their voices didn't even leave their mouths. Lyra's wolf ears were flat against her hair. Brakor stared at his own massive hands. Even Zephyr Gale, who was always floating, had his feet firmly on the stone floor.
Noctis sighed, and the heavy dark pressure in the room finally eased. The black crystal torches brightened again.
He turned his head toward the left side of the table.
"Selene. You should take this mission."
Selene Voss's head snapped up. Her amber eyes lit up instantly. She pushed her chair back and stood in one smooth motion, her twin lightning whips clinking softly at her hips.
"By your will," she said, her voice tight with pride. "I will not fail Master."
The other ten did not hide their reaction. Kaiden's jaw tightened. Mara Thorn gripped her machetes under the table. Pyra's blue flames sputtered in annoyance. Eira Frostveil looked away, her breath frosting the air. They were jealous, and angry, not at Selene, but at themselves for losing the chance to impress Silas.
Noctis saw it all and continued, his tone becoming that of a commander, not a scold.
"Actually, I am sending her for a reason....the reason is Zephiron ! "
The name alone made Aldric Thorne stiffen in his seat.
"He is still there, beside the margrave," Noctis said. "If he gets even a single clue about any of you, we will be exposed. He is a Divine element user."
He let that sink in. Divine element could see through disguises, could feel killing intent, could burn away shadow magic like paper.
"Selene's concealment ability is high, she can easily hide better than anyone in the three empires. Because she belonged to the shadow bloodline . A bloodline with generations of assassins. "
He looked at Selene. "You will not take your army. You will not take out your whips unless you must. You will go alone, protect Lord Aleric from a distance, and you will report only to Aldric or to me. No one else."
Selene placed a fist over her heart and bowed deeply toward the empty throne at the head of the table. "For Master Silas."
Eleven chairs scraped against the black stone at once. Aldric Thorne stood first, then Noctis Drayven, then the rest. Lyra Swiftwind, Brakor Stonefist, Kaiden Ren, Mara Thorn, Eira Frostveil, Pyra Cinder, Zephyr Gale, Terran Oakheart, and Nereia Tidecaller. They all turned toward the empty throne at the head of the table, the seat that belonged to no one but Silas, and bowed low.
Their voices hit together like a war drum.
"For Master Silas!"