Selene Varis had always been an enigma wrapped in grace. The heir of House Varis—one of the
Twelve High Houses that shaped the political, technological, and magical
direction of the continent—she was not just nobility. She was power, wrapped in
elegance, intelligence, and icy detachment.
She walked the academy's marble halls like a myth incarnate, her midnight hair flowing behind
her like a river of stars, violet eyes calm, cold, and unreadable. Selene was
the kind of presence that made time slow. People either admired her from a
distance or feared her. There was no in-between.
And today, she stood at the Observation Deck of Sector 4, her arms crossed over her academy uniform,
her eyes locked on the training grounds below. Her neural lens flickered softly
against her right iris—an enhancement only the most elite possessed.
"Zoom: Section Delta—individual anomaly."
[Subject: Eliar Thorne – Status: Active] [Readings: Pulse stable. Mana
flow—anomalous. Power level: Currently suppressed.]
Selene narrowed her
eyes. The boy everyone mocked, bullied, ignored... The same one who had just
decimated Kyren Vellore with such precision that even the Vellore family hadn't
found a single trace of his identity.
She had her
suspicions. She always had.
Three Days Earlier
Eliar Thorne stood
atop the academy's secluded cliffside training ground, drenched in sweat, shirt
torn at the collar, fists bloodied. The system had been silent all day, but his
training was anything but.
He wasn't the same
boy anymore.
After Kyren's death,
Eliar realized something: his anger was no longer a weapon. It was a weakness.
If he wanted to stand against the noble houses, to remain a ghost and yet
dismantle giants, he had to evolve.
He was evolving.
The system had
unlocked a new stat: Intelligence. It
wasn't just for solving problems—it was for strategic
manipulation, calculating weaknesses, predicting outcomes, and building
subtlety.
That's why when he
sensed another presence watching him from above, he instantly shifted gears. He
let his shoulders slump, his breathing grow heavier, and he winced like he was
in pain.
He was hiding in
plain sight.
Meanwhile…
Luthan Vellore had
been watching Eliar for two days. As Kyren's younger brother, and next heir of
the Vellore family, it was his responsibility to find the one who killed his
brother.
At first, he
suspected everyone but Eliar.
But when he caught
Eliar training—something about the boy's form, his explosiveness, his precision—had unsettled Luthan. Still, after
gathering data, all records screamed the same thing: "Eliar Thorne – Slum-Class, Mana Rank: F-, Potential: None."
He scoffed. "Someone like him? Can't even scratch Kyren's
armor. Must be coincidence."
And so, Luthan
ignored him.
Just as Eliar
wanted.
Back to Selene…
She turned away from
the window, her face unreadable. "He's learning," she whispered. "Fast."
Her neural lens
saved the recording, and she walked off.
Selene had a rule:
never involve herself in petty politics. But the death of Kyren had shifted the
academy's power structure. The nobles were rattled. The professors whispered in
staff-only corridors. Students speculated. The campus wasn't safe anymore. The
balance had been broken.
And then there was
Eliar.
Selene remembered
him.
Two years ago, she
saw him in the slums during a diplomatic mission. He was different even then.
Cold eyes. Sharp posture. Like a lion caged among lambs.
She had marked him
then.
Not because of his
strength.
But because he
didn't look afraid. Everyone else in the
slums did. Not him.
Later That Night…
In the moonlit
corridors of the library wing, Eliar walked alone.
He felt it again.
[Notification: Ally Candidate #001 is tracking your movement.]
He turned sharply,
but the hallway was empty.
Nothing but silence
and shelves.
"Selene Varis," he
whispered.
The name burned in
his thoughts.
She was watching. He
knew it. Not just today—for a while now.
He sat at a hidden
table in the shadows and opened a book—not to read, but to listen. He activated
the system's newly unlocked perk: Hyper-Perception.
His ears tuned into
footsteps... one by one... disappearing before they got too close.
Who was she? Why was
she observing him? And most importantly—
What would she do
when she found out the truth?
Observation Deck – Elsewhere
Selene stood before
the holographic projector, reading data.
[Profile: Eliar Thorne – Observational Candidate]
Suspicion Level: 74%
She didn't trust
coincidence.
And now, she would
investigate.
"Candidate #001 has become aware.
Initiating Passive Encounter Protocol…"
[To Be Continued…]