Dawn came cold and gray through the windows of the Verant estate.
Kaelen had not slept. He had been too exited, he had spent the night on the floor of his chamber, legs crossed, eyes closed, pushing thread after thread of will through the mana pathways. The system tracked his progress in increments so small they were almost meaningless, 0.1%, 0.2%, but he was exited lack of pain meant he could move faster than planned.
He was halfway through the morning kata when the hum increased, he stopped his practice and sure enough a second later a knock came. He crossed to the door, his body already sliding into the mask.
A guard stood in the corridor. His armor was polished, his face blank, but there was something in his eyes that looked almost like pity.
"The master summons you main hall Immediately."
Kaelen nodded, said nothing, followed.
The main hall was emptier than he expected.
He had gotten used to a full house but now it was just his father, seated in the blackwood chair, and Aldric standing at his right hand. Seraphine was there too, off to the side, her face carefully blank.
The doors closed behind Kaelen.
Marius did not wait for formalities. "The betrothal negotiations have concluded."
Kaelen kept his face empty.
"You will marry into House Ashworth after the assessment. The contract is being drafted." Marius's voice was flat, disinterested, as if he were discussing the weather. "Until then, you will be assigned a mission as convoy of the verant estate."
Ashworth, that was different, he had thought it would be Lysander. The thought made him angry and Maurius last words made something cold settle in his chest. "Mission?"
Aldric smiled, it was clear that he liked watching his brother suffer.
"House Verant cannot afford embarrassment. Your presence here, your… condition… it reflects poorly on the family. The assessment is two months away. We need the capital focused on our strengths, not our weaknesses."
He drew a folded document from his coat and tossed it onto the floor at Kaelen's feet.
"You're being assigned to a low-level dungeon detail. Border patrol has asked for enforcement, it is a D-rank gate in the eastern reach. It's beneath our house's dignity, but it is in our territory so someone must do it, and you're the only one we can spare."
The words hung in the air. Kaelen looked down at the document, then back at his brother.
A D-rank gate, low-level, routine. A task so menial that no one of importance would ever be sent there.
The anger rose again he bit his lip and looked down. They had never let the original get even an inch close to magic and now they were sending him to a dungeon.
The system flickered:
[Mission Assignment: D-Rank Gate – Eastern Reach]
[Threat Level: Low (Official)]
[Note: Threat assessments may be inaccurate. Caution advised.]
Inaccurate. The system had given him the same warning before the dungeon that had killed him. Before the betrayal. Before the red window and the void and waking up in a body that was not his.
He bent and picked up the document. His fingers trembled and his head pulsed an unknown anger was rising in him it was like a mixture of his anger and the original owner's anger. His voice was trembling.
"When do I leave?"
Marius's eyes flickered something that might have been surprise, or disappointment that there was no fight, no begging, no scene.
"Tomorrow. A carriage will take you to the gate. You will remain there until recalled."
Kaelen nodded, folded the document and slipped it into his coat.
"Thank you, Father…" his voice was chocked even he could not control that, "For the opportunity."
He turned and walked toward the doors. He could feel Aldric's contempt like a weight on his shoulders, Seraphine's silence like a wound, his father's dismissal like a blade already buried in his back. They were not his emotions but he was in the body feeling the abandonment.
The doors closed behind him.
Rin was waiting in his chambers, her face ashen.
"Young master—"
"You heard."
"The whole estate has heard." Her voice cracked. "They're sending you away. To a dungeon. A D-rank gate. Young master, those gates, you have never even been to an F-rank why would the master sent to a D-rank…"
Her voice was chocked, clearly she cared for her young master.
Kaelen moved past her, shrugging off the formal coat. The rage was there, somewhere beneath the surface but it was cut off the instant it tried to overwhelm him. The mana protecting the path ways was decreasing but he felt calmer.
[Physical Conditioning: 12% of target baseline]
[Mana Pathway Restoration: 5.4% complete]
Not enough.
Not nearly enough.
Rin watched him for a long moment, her fear shifting into doubt.
"You're not afraid?"
Kaelen completed the assessment, turned to face her.
"Of course I am afraid but fear will not do anything." he said. "I try my best to survive this do not worry."
He crossed to the window, looked out at the estate waking beneath the gray winter sky. Servants moved between buildings, carrying trunks, preparing carriages. Somewhere below, Aldric was probably celebrating, toasting to his own cleverness, already planning how to use his brother's absence to further his own ambitions.
Kaelen's hand pressed against the cold glass. The hum beneath his skin pulsed once, a steady rhythm that had become as familiar as his own heartbeat.
He needed practice any way, it was the first time he had stayed this long without entry into a dungeon.