CHAPTER — A Scene That Should Not Exist
Lucien stopped mid-step.
The academy training grounds were noisy as always—students shouting, mana flaring, instructors barking orders—but for a brief moment, all of it faded into the background.
Because the air had changed.
It wasn't mana density.
It wasn't killing intent.
It was something heavier.
Lucien's eyes narrowed as he turned toward the far edge of the training field, where a lone figure stood with a sword lowered at his side.
Kael.
That pressure…
Lucien didn't need the system to tell him something was wrong.
Kael wasn't attacking.
He wasn't posturing.
He was simply standing there—yet the ground beneath his boots showed faint cracks, as if it were struggling to support his presence.
Lucien felt a chill crawl up his spine.
That's not normal sword pressure.
That's… authority.
THE SWING
Kael moved.
No flashy technique.
No wind-up.
Just one step forward.
Then—a downward slash.
The air bent.
Not exploded. Not torn.
Bent.
A straight line fractured across the stone training floor, stopping just short of the barrier. Several nearby students stumbled, their mana circulation disrupted for a brief instant.
Silence fell.
Lucien exhaled slowly.
Crimson Sovereign Art…
He didn't know the name yet.
But he knew the type.
This wasn't a learned technique.
It was inherited.
"THIS IS TOO FAST"
Lucien's mind raced.
In the novel Eternal Arcanum: Rise of the Human Emperor, Kael didn't awaken anything like this until much later.
Not now.
Not at the academy.
Not before his first major defeat.
This shouldn't be happening yet.
Lucien remembered the scene clearly.
Kael—proud, talented, emotionally unstable—challenging Alden during a joint dungeon evaluation.
Kael losing.
Cleanly.
That defeat was supposed to be a turning point.
A humbling moment.
The start of Kael's real growth.
Lucien's fingers curled slightly.
But if Kael has already touched a bloodline sword art…
That loss might not happen.
Or worse—
It might happen violently.
ALDEN'S SHADOW
Lucien's gaze shifted instinctively.
Alden stood near the observation platform, notebook in hand, eyes sharp behind his glasses. He was watching Kael—not with fear, but with analysis.
Lucien knew that look.
He's already calculating counters.
In the original story, Alden won because Kael fought emotionally while Alden fought logically.
But now?
Kael wasn't just emotional.
He was carrying the pressure of a sovereign-style bloodline.
Lucien frowned.
If Alden isn't careful… this could go wrong.
SYSTEM RESPONSE
A familiar blue panel flickered briefly at the edge of Lucien's vision.
BONDING SYSTEM — PASSIVE ANALYSIS
Subject: Kael
Detected: High-tier bloodline sword resonance
Status: Incomplete / Unstable
Growth Rate: Abnormal
Evaluation: Too Fast
Lucien clicked his tongue softly.
"Of course it is."
He crossed his arms, eyes never leaving Kael.
This is the danger of changing the story.
He had stolen treasures.
Shifted timings.
Influenced people.
And now the ripples were catching up.
A DECISION FORMED
Lucien smiled faintly—his usual carefree grin—but his eyes were sharp.
I can't interfere directly.
If I do, I might break things even worse.
But he couldn't ignore this either.
If Kael continued down this path unchecked, he wouldn't just become stronger—
He'd become unstable.
And when Kael finally faced Alden…
Lucien exhaled slowly.
I need to be there when it happens.
Not as a savior.
Not as a hero.
But as a failsafe.
Because one thing was certain now:
The Kael I read about… and the Kael standing there…
They're no longer the same person.
And the story—
Had officially gone off-script.