Lucian woke with a sharp breath.
Darkness.
Then moonlight.
The familiar ceiling of his room slowly came into focus.
For a moment, his body still expected the endless void, the stars, the shattered gate, and those purple eyes staring back at him from the darkness.
Instead, only the quiet silence of midnight remained.
But the feeling did not fade.
His chest still pulsed faintly.
The pendant resting against his skin was warm.
Alive.
He slowly sat up.
His muscles screamed in protest.
Every part of him ached from the ruthless training inside the void.
Yet somewhere beneath the pain, there was something new.
Strength.
Not much.
But enough for him to feel the difference.
Aqua moved more naturally within him.
The faint black-violet current of Necro no longer felt completely foreign.
And the cracked gate—
He could still feel it.
Like a door waiting in the back of his mind.
Then a voice broke the silence.
"You're awake."
Lucian turned.
Kael stood near the window, his silver-blue figure faintly transparent in the moonlight.
Beside him, leaning against the wall with folded arms, stood Lyra.
Her violet eyes glowed softly in the darkness.
Lucian blinked.
"You can appear outside the void?"
Lyra looked unimpressed.
"Do not sound so surprised."
Kael smiled faintly.
"The pendant allows limited projection."
Lucian glanced toward the door.
"So… my parents can't see you?"
Lyra's lips curved.
"Unless they can see souls, no."
Kael's expression shifted.
"Lucian, listen carefully."
The seriousness in his voice immediately made Lucian sit straighter.
"The cracked gate has changed everything."
Lyra stepped forward.
"You can no longer rely only on academy training."
Lucian frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Kael looked out the window toward the sleeping city.
"You need resources."
Lyra continued.
"Mana stones, beast cores, relic fragments, forbidden scrolls."
Kael nodded.
"The academy will not give you what you need."
Lucian slowly understood.
Money.
Materials.
Power resources.
He had none of them.
And without them, progressing Aqua, Necro, and Origin would become nearly impossible.
Lucian's jaw tightened.
"So what do I do?"
Lyra's eyes gleamed.
"Earn them."
The next evening, Lucian stood in front of an old mirror.
Moonlight spilt through the half-open window.
In his hands was a black cloth mask.
Simple.
Featureless.
Cold.
Kael stood beside him.
"This identity must remain separate from Lucian Vale."
Lyra added from behind,
"No mistakes. No witnesses. No one must connect the two."
Lucian looked at his reflection.
By day, he was the academy's mocked Aqua student.
By night…
Something else.
He slowly tied the mask over his face.
Only his eyes remained visible.
Sharp.
Focused.
Different.
6
Kael's lips curved.
"Better."
Lyra's voice was colder.
"You need a name."
Lucian frowned.
"A name?"
Kael nodded.
"In the guild world, identity is power."
Lyra's violet gaze locked onto him.
"They know ability. Not bloodline."
Lucian thought for a moment.
Then the memory of the black-violet Necro Core flashed through his mind.
Ashes.
Death.
Silent ruin.
His voice lowered.
"Ash Reaper."
Silence filled the room.
Kael smiled.
"Appropriate."
Lyra's expression remained unreadable.
But she did not object.
That was approval enough.
The city looked different at night.
Astra's bright daytime elegance vanished beneath moonlit streets and shadowed alleys.
Lucian moved through the darker district, cloak wrapped tightly around him.
Kael guided him from within the pendant.
"The guild lies beneath the merchant quarter."
Lyra added,
"Do not reveal Aqua."
Lucian frowned.
"Only Necro?"
"For now."
He nodded.
A few minutes later, they reached an old stone building hidden between two warehouses.
At first glance, it looked abandoned.
But the moment Lucian approached—
A red rune glowed above the door.
The entrance slowly opened.
Inside, the air was thick with mana.
Dozens of figures filled the underground hall.
Mages.
Mercenaries.
Beast hunters.
Some wore masks.
Some hid their faces beneath cloaks.
Others openly displayed scars and weapons.
The place felt dangerous.
Alive.
At the centre hung a black iron crest shaped like a raven.
Kael's voice echoed softly.
"The Night Raven Guild."
6
Lucian stepped forward.
Eyes turned toward him.
Some are curious.
Some hostile.
A woman behind the counter looked up.
Her silver hair fell across one eye.
A scar traced down her cheek.
"New?"
Lucian lowered his voice.
"Yes."
She studied him.
Then her gaze fell to the mask.
"Name?"
Lucian answered without hesitation.
"Ash Reaper."
A few nearby mercenaries chuckled.
"Big name for a kid."
Lucian ignored them.
The woman slid a black metal token across the counter.
"Temporary copper rank."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Show us what you can do."
A murmur spread through the hall.
A test.
Lucian's fingers twitched.
Perfect.
From the side of the room, a burly man stepped forward.
His right arm crackled with red flames.
A fire-affinity user.
Gold-rank by the emblem on his shoulder.
He smirked.
"I'll test him."
Lucian's heartbeat slowed.
Calm.
Focused.
Lyra's voice entered his mind.
"Use Necro. Minimal exposure."
The man attacked first.
A wave of fire surged across the stone floor.
Lucian moved.
Faster than before.
Kael's training had sharpened his instincts.
He stepped sideways and raised one hand.
Black-violet mist spiralled outward.
The hall fell silent.
A skeletal hand erupted from the ground and seized the fire mage's ankle.
Gasps spread instantly.
"What—"
Before the man could react, another skeletal arm rose and grabbed his wrist.
Then another.
And another.
The flames around him flickered.
Lucian's voice remained cold behind the mask.
"Yield."
The fire mage's face darkened.
He tried to burn through the hands.
But the Necro chains held firm.
Lyra's voice carried faint approval.
"Good."
The man gritted his teeth.
"…I yield."
The entire hall fell silent.
Then whispers began.
"Necro affinity…"
"At this age?"
The woman behind the counter narrowed her eyes.
Interesting.
She tossed Lucian a second token.
Silver-black.
"From today onwards, Ash Reaper is officially Night Raven Guild copper rank."
Lucian caught it.
The weight of the token felt heavier than metal.
This was no longer just training.
This was another life.
Another path.
Another face.
And through it—
power.
Resources.
Money.
A way to grow in the shadows while the academy still laughed at Lucian Vale.
As he turned to leave, Lyra's voice entered his mind.
"The mask suits you."
Kael chuckled.
"You finally look like someone dangerous."
Lucian looked back at the guild hall.
Then down at the silver-black token.
A faint smile formed beneath the mask.
By day—
Lucian mocked the Aqua student.
By night—
Ash Reaper of the Night Raven Guild.
The game had begun.