Dark clouds cascaded over the academy grounds. Lightning continuously lit up the world that had been cast into darkness at irregular intervals. At the centre of the academy grounds—at the highest point of a building so long it looked as though it tried to touch the dark grey clouds that spread as far as the eyes could see. Shadows stirred and moved around unrestrained behind an almost completely tinted window.
Fshhhhhh!
A blinding light suddenly descended upon the academy like a deity before fading away a few seconds later.
In the academy's tall tower, inside a large room, a long silver table sat at the centre. Many people and a few with ethereal, ghost-like bodies were gathered around it. Suddenly, a man with an incorporeal form at one end of the table looked around, his gaze sharp and penetrating as it swept across everyone present. He calmly clasped his hands together, interlocking his fingers before speaking in an aloof tone:
"So… why don't you tell us what really happened, Gideon?"
As soon as his voice faded, a man stirred, glancing briefly at the figures surrounding the table. He had a short build, with black hair and onyx-black eyes—eyes similar to Kalon's, deep and endless like an abyss. He seemed to be in his twenties, carried a rough demeanour, and had dozens of scars from beasts and blades running down his arms from shoulder to wrist.
He looked around for a moment before speaking in a calm, detached voice.
"The Lionheart clan sent an Awakened to assassinate their abandoned daughter. A young boy with no backing and unknown origins or abilities lost control."
He paused, taking in the mixed expressions around the table—shock, surprise, indifference—before continuing in the same tone.
"The boy did not harm any cadet and protected the abandoned child of the Lionheart clan. He killed several of the prisoners during the practical lesson and fought to hold off the Awakened before I arrived."
The ethereal man looked directly at the combat instructor. "Describe his abilities and combat prowess," he said.
"Yes, sir. He had great mobility and flexibility—likely a result of his modified body after enlightenment and his innate affinity to shadows. It probably wasn't his first time killing; he was filled with bloodlust. Although his techniques were crude and revealed his inexperience with weapons, all his strikes were precisely aimed to kill or instantly incapacitate his opponent. His nimble physique made it easier to dodge and survive against the Awakened.
"Though the Awakened obviously didn't fight at full power, nor did he intend to kill the boy—at least not at the start—his goal was to kill Amelia Lionheart, but he ultimately failed."
A young boy seated close to the ethereal man leaned forward, his voice filled with excitement.
"What about the other ability the boy displayed at the end?"
Gideon sighed. "At the end, after he burned out and passed out, the Awakened and some surviving prisoners attempted to kill him on the spot. But suddenly, the boy grew a shadow—"
Someone interrupted. "What's so important about someone having a shadow?"
Gideon's lips twitched. If you'd just shut your mouth and listen, you'd find out, he thought. Remaining silent for a while, he continued as if the interruption hadn't happened.
"The cadet had never possessed a shadow of his own. But when the shadow grew from his feet, it materialised into a large panther with onyx-black, faintly flaming fur. The pressure it released when it growled and protected the boy was so oppressive that even I was affected. After the prisoners had been dealt with and I captured the Awakened assassin, the beast suddenly turned back into the boy's shadow, and his visible injuries began to heal at an abnormal pace."
The ethereal man's gaze swept the room again, his eyes piercing through everyone present.
"What's the verdict?" he asked coldly.
Gideon sat quietly as the others voiced their opinions, fears, and possibly insecurities. They wanted to get rid of Kalon—quietly.
Then, the young boy beside the ethereal man suddenly spoke, silencing the room.
"The boy is not to be touched. He didn't use any ability during his fights with either the prisoners or the Awakened. He did not harm his fellow cadets and even protected them after losing control."
He paused, taking a slow breath before continuing.
"If you wish to kill the boy because of your own petty desires, then why not also kill the Lionheart child—for bringing danger into the academy grounds?"
He looked around the table, sending shivers down the spines of nearly everyone inside.
"From now on, anyone who targets that boy will answer to me."
Once he finished, the ethereal man waited in silence before saying,
"That will be all, then."
Immediately, his form began to fade, growing more illusionary until he vanished—along with the others of similar shape. After they disappeared, the young boy turned and stared directly at Gideon.
"Take care of him," he said softly, before vanishing into a torrent of glittering light.
Everyone else in the room rose and began to leave. Gideon silently followed, though his mind was anything but calm.
Why is he suddenly interested in a cadet—and one with no backing or history tied to the Awakened? Does he know something about the boy's abilities? After all, not everyone with powers loses control or suffers backlashes. Their abilities must be extremely potent to cause that.
Hmm… It's possible the boy doesn't know yet, so it's best not to tell him. I can't let him grow arrogant. I won't let him become like those damn Noblesse clans.
In a quiet, dimly lit room far from the academy's centre, a figure lay on a bed wrapped in bandages, surrounded by blood-soaked clothes. Of course, it was Kalon—still unconscious in the infirmary days after the incident during the practical lesson. He appeared to be sleeping peacefully until he suddenly grimaced and began to stir.
Kalon's mind had been drowned in darkness—what felt to him like an instant and an eternity all at once. Suddenly, he felt something infiltrate his mind, plunging him into a dream—or perhaps a nightmare. Everywhere he looked, he saw only darkness. It felt familiar and warm, as though it wanted to embrace him—but it didn't.
He couldn't see through it like usual. Something's wrong.
I felt something invade my mind. Someone—or something—is interfering with my abilities. Is it an attacker? The assassin from the practical?
Different thoughts filled Kalon's mind as he tried to understand what was happening. Then, just as abruptly, loud, distorted ravings echoed through the darkness—bouncing off the walls of his mind.
Control!!! — Die!!! — Death!!! — Life!!! — Consume!!! — Loose!!! — Ahh, free!!! — Save!!!
He fell to his knees and began to cry in the void. He screamed, hoping it would stop—wanting someone, anyone, to help. And someone did.
A figure slowly rose from the darkness beside him—a towering titan, over fifty feet tall. Its immense body was completely black, identical to Kalon's own appearance, yet magnified to monstrous proportions.
The colossal being began to shrink. Its form condensed, its clothes reshaping to fit its body until it stood at an ordinary height before him—its face twisted in disgust.
"Why are you lying there so pathetically?" it asked, its tone dripping with disdain.
Kalon blinked in disbelief. Pathetically? You didn't even feel it, and you dare to judge me? Who do you think you are—
Then it struck him. This figure had silenced the ravings. That meant it either caused them—or was strong enough to stop whoever had. And since they shared the same form, it meant they likely shared the same abilities.
For the first time, Kalon felt a flicker of hope. Perhaps he could learn something about his powers from this being.
He steadied himself, stood up, and faced the figure.
"Who are you?" he asked—receiving no response.
He tried again.
"Are you also a shadow spawn?"
This time, he got an answer.
"You truly are clueless. I'm not as pathetic as you. I am a Regent of Darkness."
He paused, studying Kalon's confused face before sighing.
"It's one of the pathways in ascending—as a descendant of Death and Shadow."
Kalon began to understand. It was like what Dr. Obel had told him before: a title change that occurred as an Ascender grew stronger. The easiest way to reach such a stage was to advance ranks. That meant the being before him was immensely powerful—and terrifying.
He tensed slightly, then asked what the ravings were and what caused them.
The Regent replied, "They are the cries of the demigods in the underworld. Their influence has begun to leak into this world in the absence of the gods."
Kalon couldn't fully comprehend something like that at his level. But when he heard that he wouldn't experience the ravings again unless he lost control, he decided to set it aside until he was stronger.
Then he asked, "How do I avoid losing control?"
"Abandon those pesky emotions your human side clings to."
What? What does that even mean? Human side? Abandon emotions?
He blurted out, "What do you mean, 'human side'? Aren't you an Ascender?"
The Regent looked at him with open disgust. "I'm a Noblesse."
"Wait—What's that—"
Before he could finish, the figure vanished, and the darkness collapsed around him like a dam bursting open.
In his last moment of lucidity, Kalon's thoughts drifted.
Noblesse… What does it actually mean? And why do the clans call themselves that too?