Thornwall Forest — Night — Same Time
The Fiend leader emerged from the shadows, his cloak billowing in the windless air.
He was tall—taller than Nova by half a head—with cold eyes and a cruel smile. His cultivation radiated at 3rd Order, 3rd Rank, the highest Nova had sensed from any of them. Around his hands, darkness gathered like living smoke.
"You killed my people," he said calmly. "I'll admit, I didn't expect that. A 2nd Order student taking out three 3rd Order operatives? Impressive."
Nova wiped blood from his blade. "They weren't very good."
"No. They weren't." The leader chuckled. "That's why they're dead and I'm not." He tilted his head, studying Nova with genuine curiosity. "Join us, Nova Almond. This little display proves you're worth more than a simple recruitment pitch. We could use someone like you."
"And I could use a bath. Doesn't mean I'll take one from strangers in the woods."
The leader's smile tightened. "Clever. But cleverness won't save you from what's coming."
"What's coming?" Nova sheathed one blade, keeping the other loose. "Enlighten me."
"The Fiends don't stop. We don't forget. You've killed three of our people tonight. That means you're marked." The leader stepped closer, shadows writhing around him. "Every operative in this region will know your face. Every mission you take, every step you make—we'll be watching. Waiting."
Nova laughed.
It was a cold sound, utterly without humor.
"You think I'm afraid of shadows in cloaks?" He shook his head slowly. "I've faced things that would make you soil yourself. Demons from the Abyss. Beasts that eat 3rd Order for breakfast. A drake that took my arm and still died screaming." He raised his remaining blade, pointing it at the leader's chest. "You're nothing. Just another clown playing dress-up."
The leader's expression darkened.
"You arrogant little—"
He attacked.
Darkness exploded from him—a wave of shadow that swallowed light, swallowed sound, swallowed everything. Nova's senses screamed warning. He teleported—
WHOOSH.
—appearing twenty feet left, barely ahead of the darkness. Where he'd stood, the ground was dissolving, eaten away by whatever power the leader wielded.
Shadow consumption, Nova recognized.
The leader emerged from the darkness, smiling.
"Fast. But not fast enough."
He attacked again.
This time Nova was ready.
Frozen Domain erupted around him—thirty feet of absolute cold, ice spreading across the ground, the trees, the very air. The darkness slowed, thickened, began to freeze.
The leader's eyes widened. "What—"
Nova appeared before him, blade already moving.
SCHING.
Across the leader's chest. Blood sprayed.
The leader stumbled back, clutching the wound. His darkness flickered, weakened by the cold.
"You—" He stared at Nova with something like fear. "What are you?"
"Trouble." Nova advanced slowly, ice forming with each step. "You came here to recruit me? To threaten me?" He smiled—thin, cold, utterly without mercy. "You should have brought more people."
The leader's face contorted. He raised his hands, darkness gathering for one final attack—
Nova was faster.
WHOOSH.
He appeared behind the leader, blade already extended. It pierced through the man's back, emerging from his chest in a spray of crimson.
The leader gasped, looking down at the steel protruding from his body.
"How—"
Nova leaned close, his lips brushing the man's ear.
"I told you. You're not villains. You're children playing dress-up."
He twisted the blade.
The leader fell.
Thornwall Forest — Night — Later
Nova stood over the bodies, breathing evenly.
Five dead. One escaped earlier, but this one—the leader—wouldn't be going anywhere.
He knelt beside the corpse, searching. Pockets yielded nothing. The cloak was enchanted but not marked. No identification, no documents, no clues.
Professional, he thought. They're trained to leave nothing behind.
He checked the leader's cultivation core—still intact. 3rd Order, 3rd Rank. In death, the core would degrade within hours, but for now...
Nova's All-Seeing Eye examined it.
ITEM: 3RD ORDER CULTIVATION CORE
SOURCE: Deceased Human Awakened
USES: Alchemy ingredient, power transfer (corrupted), dark rituals
VALUE: 2,000-3,000 gold
Not now, he decided. But maybe later.
He stood, looking at the forest around him. Somewhere in the darkness, the one who'd fled was running. Reporting. Telling whoever commanded these clowns that their recruitment attempt had failed.
Thornwall Forest — Path to Village — Near Dawn
Nova walked through the forest, his thoughts churning.
The Fiends. An organization of rogue Awakened, operating across the continent. They recruited geniuses—by force or persuasion. Those who refused... died.
They knew about me, he thought. My rank, my bloodline, my matches. Which means they even have spies in the academy.
How long? How many eyes had been on him without his knowledge?
Soul Perception was useful, but it had limits. A kilometer range meant nothing against observers stationed farther away, watching through enchanted lenses or scrying pools.
I need to be more careful, he realized.
The village appeared through the trees—small, quiet, untouched by the violence in the forest. Nova approached the waystation and activated the return formation.
Light consumed him.
Academy — Teleportation Hall — Dawn
Nova stepped out of the formation as the artificial sky began to lighten.
The hall was empty at this hour—only a sleepy attendant checking arrivals. She glanced at Nova's bloodstained clothes, raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Students came back from missions looking worse all the time.
He walked toward the mission hall.
Mission Hall — Early Morning
The same tired coordinator from yesterday was behind the counter, nursing a cup of something that steamed. She looked up as Nova approached.
"Back already? That was fast."
Nova placed his mission crystal on the counter. "Completed. Samples collected."
The coordinator scanned the crystal, her eyes widening slightly at the data. "Goblin ears, rat claws, mana stones... all verified." She glanced at his clothes. "You run into trouble?"
"Nothing I couldn't handle."
"Hmph." She stamped his crystal. "Merit points credited. Next time, maybe change shirts before reporting. You're dripping on my floor."
Nova looked down. Blood—not his—still stained his uniform dark red.
He nodded and walked out.
Class A Dormitory — Morning
The corridor was quiet as Nova approached his room. Most students were still asleep or at early training. His footsteps echoed off the walls.
He opened the door.
Empty.
Priscilla wasn't there. Her things were still arranged neatly on the desk—books, a small plant, a note she'd written him days ago. But no Priscilla.
Morning training, he thought. She's probably at morning training.
He changed clothes quickly, washing away the blood, then headed for the training grounds.
Training Grounds — Mid-Morning
The grounds were packed with students running drills, sparring, pushing their limits. Nova scanned the crowds, Soul Perception reaching out.
He found Kaelen first—the big man was lifting massive weights, his stone skin glistening with sweat.
"Seen Priscilla?"
Kaelen grunted, setting down a weight the size of a small car. "Not today. Thought she'd be with you."
"She's not."
"Huh." Kaelen shrugged. "Check her room? Maybe she overslept."
Nova nodded and left.
Class D Dormitory
Priscilla's room was small, neat, empty.
Her bed was made. Her few possessions were in place. A half-finished letter sat on her desk—to him, by the looks of it, but she'd stopped mid-sentence.
Nothing wrong, Nova told himself. She's probably in class. Or the library. Or the greenhouse.
But the feeling in his chest—that cold, creeping unease—wouldn't go away.
He checked the library. Nothing.
The greenhouse. Nothing.
The dining hall. Nothing.
Katherine's lab. Nothing.
By afternoon, he'd searched everywhere.
Priscilla was gone.
Class A Dormitory — Afternoon
Nova sat on his bed, forcing himself to think.
She's always either in my room or her room. Always. If she's not in either, something's wrong.
He thought of Hazel and Leo. Went to their dormitory, found their roommates.
"Hazel and Leo?" A bored-looking boy shrugged. "They left weeks ago. Some mission, I think. Haven't seen them since."
Weeks ago, Nova thought. And they never came back.
The cold feeling deepened.
He returned to his room and searched it properly—not just a glance, but a systematic sweep. Under the bed. In the desk. Behind the furniture.
He found it tucked beneath his pillow.
A letter.
Nova,
Meet me at Silverwood Valley. Come alone. If you bring anyone, she dies.
Nova read it three times.
Then he crushed it in his fist in anger.
Sebastian's Room — Afternoon
Sebastian lounged on his couch, watching a crystal display.
On it, a small room somewhere in the academy—Priscilla, bound and gagged, struggling against her restraints. Her eyes were wild with fear and fury.
"Beautiful," Sebastian murmured. "Absolutely beautiful."
Gabriel stood nearby. "You sure this will work?"
"Of course it will work." Sebastian smiled—thin, cold, utterly without doubt. "He'll come for her. He'll walk right into the trap. And then—" He gestured vaguely. "Then we'll have a conversation."
"And if he refuses?"
Sebastian laughed.
"He won't refuse. That's the beautiful part." He looked at Priscilla's image, his eyes gleaming. "She's his weakness. His precious little flower. And weakness is leverage."
He stood, stretching.
"Get the team ready. We leave at nightfall. I want everything perfect."
Gabriel nodded and left.
Sebastian turned back to the display, watching Priscilla struggle.
"Come on, Nova," he whispered. "Let's see what you're really made of."
Nova's Room — Evening
Nova sat in darkness, the letter spread before him.
Silverwood Valley. Two hours east of the academy. Remote. Isolated. Perfect for an ambush.
They have her, he thought. Whoever "they" are. They took her to get to me.
He should have seen this coming. Should have protected her better. Should have—
Stop, he told himself. Blame doesn't save her.
He stood, pulling on the Voidfrost Cloak. His blades went on his belt. His inventory held enough pills to heal wounds, restore mana, enhance abilities.
He walked out into the night.