The morning mist clung to the spires of the Royal Aegis Academy like a shroud, cold and damp. I stood at the edge of the courtyard, my breath hitching in the silver air. Around me, the atmosphere was electric, buzzing with the nervous energy of a hundred noble students draped in expensive enchanted leathers and carrying bows that cost more than a commoner's village.
I adjusted the collar of my plain, black trainee jacket. It was thin, offering little protection against the morning chill, but beneath the fabric, my skin humed with a new, quiet power. The Celestial Marrow Cleansing had left me feeling lean, like a bowstring pulled taut.
[Notice: 'False Aura Mask' is active. Your presence is dampened.]
To the world, I was still Kaelen Voss: the lucky commoner who had accidentally survived a training automaton. A fluke. A glitch in the system.
"Look at him," a voice sneered from a nearby carriage. It was Chadric, flanked by two other sons of minor barons. "The charity case actually showed up. I suppose he thinks he can 'accidentally' stumble his way into a trophy."
I didn't turn. In my past life, their words were like needles. Now? They were just white noise. I was looking at the lead carriage—a massive, gold-leafed construct pulled by four Earth-Drakes.
The door opened, and the air seemed to grow heavier.
Prince Marcus stepped out. He wore a suit of white dragon-scale armor that shimmered with a pearlescent light. He looked like a god descended to earth. Behind him, Elara followed, her white robes fluttering in the breeze. She looked as pure as a winter lily, yet I knew the rot that hid beneath her prayers.
"Students!" Marcus's voice carried without effort, amplified by a subtle wind spell. "Today, we do not study in the halls of stone. Today, the Whispering Woods will be your classroom. We hunt not just for sport, but for the glory of the Empire!"
The crowd roared in approval. Marcus let his gaze wander over the students, his "kind" smile fixed perfectly in place. Then, his eyes landed on me.
The smile didn't falter, but through the [Eye of the Abyss], I saw his true intent. It was a jagged, dark crimson. He wasn't looking at a student; he was looking at an anomaly that needed to be erased.
"Kaelen Voss," Marcus called out, gesturing for me to approach.
The crowd parted like the Red Sea. I walked forward, my boots crunching on the gravel. I felt a hundred pairs of eyes drilling into my back—some with pity, most with mockery.
"Your Highness," I said, offering a shallow bow.
"I heard of your... unique performance at the trials," Marcus said, placing a heavy hand on my shoulder. His grip was like iron, testing my strength. "Luck is a fickle mistress, Kaelen. But in the Forbidden Forest, luck is often the only thing that keeps a man alive. I've decided you shall join my personal hunting party today."
A collective gasp went up from the students. Joining the Prince's party was the highest honor—and the most dangerous position.
"I am a mere commoner, Your Highness," I replied, my voice flat. "I wouldn't want to slow down your elite guard."
"Nonsense," Marcus laughed, though his eyes remained cold. "I insist. Besides, Lady Seraphina was just saying how much she wanted to see your 'skills' in person."
I looked past Marcus to Seraphina, who sat inside the carriage, her face a mask of cold indifference. To anyone else, she looked bored. To me, she looked like a spider waiting for the fly to enter the web.
[New Quest: The Forbidden Expedition]
[Objective: Survive the Second Circle of the Whispering Woods.]
[Hidden Objective: Intercept the 'Heart of the Forest' before the Prince.]
[Reward: 1,500 Karma Points.]
"As you wish, Your Highness," I said.
As I climbed into the rear of the royal carriage—the place reserved for servants and low-ranking guards—I felt a familiar pulse from the ring on my finger. The [Seal of the Void Sovereign] was hungry.
In the original timeline, this hunt was where Marcus found the artifact that made him invincible. It was the day he stopped being a Prince and started becoming a Tyrant.
You think you brought me here to kill me, Marcus, I thought as the carriage lurched forward toward the dark, looming treeline of the forest. But you just invited the wolf into your own sheepfold.