Location: Royal Academy Grounds - Midnight
The Grand Arena had quieted.The roaring crowds were gone, the marble stages cleaned of blood and dust.Only the cold moonlight bathed the ancient grounds.
Kael walked alone through the Academy's inner gardens, his cloak billowing behind him.
His victory today had been effortless.Too effortless.
And that made him dangerous in the eyes of many.
He could feel it — the killing intent slithering toward him like venomous snakes.
Assassins in the Dark
From the twisted shadows of the gardens, figures moved.
Cloaked men — faces masked, blades dipped in poison — closed in from all sides.
These were not common thugs.
They were Silent Thorn Assassins, elite killers who had slain kings and generals across continents.
At their lead was a woman — tall, graceful, with a black lotus tattoo on her cheek.
Her orders were clear:
"Kill the disgraceful prince before the finals. Make it look like an accident."
The Trap Springs
As Kael approached a stone archway covered in vines, the assassins struck.
Sssshhhh—!
Dozens of throwing knives sliced through the air.Shadowy figures lunged with poisoned daggers.
Any normal prince would have died before he could even scream.
But Kael was not a normal prince.
With a lazy tilt of his head, he sidestepped the first wave of knives.His hand flicked out, catching a dagger mid-air and throwing it back faster than the eye could follow.
Thud!
An assassin dropped, a blade buried in his throat.
The others hesitated.
In that heartbeat of fear—
Kael moved.
Dance of Death
What followed wasn't a battle.
It was a massacre.
Kael's body blurred into motion, a symphony of ruthless precision.
A broken wrist here.
A shattered spine there.
A blade redirected into its owner's heart.
He weaved through them like a god of war, using nothing but the barest sliver of his ancient martial skills.
Within a minute, the garden was silent again, littered with groaning bodies.
Only the woman leader remained.
She tried to flee — but Kael was already behind her.
His hand closed around her throat like a steel vice.
Interrogation
The assassin gasped, her legs kicking helplessly.
Kael's voice was low, calm."Who sent you?"
The woman spat at him, eyes filled with hatred.
Kael narrowed his eyes — and unleashed a fragment of his divine aura.
The garden withered around them.The assassin's mind collapsed under the weight of an ancient god's presence.
She screamed, dropping to her knees.
"T-The Minister of Internal Affairs! Lord Varkas! H-He fears you'll seize power!"
Kael released her. She crumpled unconscious.
The Gathering Storm
Kael stood alone in the moonlit garden, his heart steady.
So, the old vultures were moving against him already.
Good.
Let them come.
He would destroy them — not just for himself, but for the sake of the sister who still loved him, the mother who believed in him, and the friends who stood by him when he was worthless.
He raised his eyes to the stars.
"Soon... I'll reclaim everything that was stolen from me."
Meanwhile: In the Harem's Dormitory
The girls had gathered, unable to sleep.
Zara paced nervously.
Mira polished her blade with a scowl.
Velcia stared out the window, sensing something wrong.
Selene was chanting defensive spells under her breath.
Evelyne clutched her grimoire, praying softly.
Their connection to Kael — mysterious, magical, and growing stronger — had made them restless tonight.
They knew he was fighting.They knew he was winning.
And soon… they would join him in the storm to come.