The room was silent, save for the hum of the estate's ventilation and the distant city traffic. I lay on top of my sheets, fully dressed, staring at the ceiling as pale blue moonlight filtered through the window. My open palm felt cold.
Vessel to the Shadow Lord.
I closed my eyes, and the darkness behind my eyelids immediately triggered the memory. It was a sensory loop I could never escape: the acrid smell of ozone, the roar of violet fire, and the sight of my mother, Amina, standing amidst the chaos. An assassin's blade was a heartbeat away from her throat, but she wasn't looking at the steel. She was looking at me.
"Shine always, Kuro."
The memory snapped shut like a jaw. My eyes flew open. The room was still dark, but I wasn't the same boy who had been dragged through that portal.
"Status," I whispered.
A blue panel flickered into life in the air before me. It was dim, barely illuminating the edges of my bed, but its presence felt heavier than the house itself.
[USER: KURO YAMI] [LEVEL: 2] [TITLE: NONE] [STRENGTH: 12 | AGILITY: 15 | PERCEPTION: 14] [DAILY QUEST: PREPARE THE VESSEL (INCOMPLETE)]
"Ten years of training just to be Level 2," I muttered. "The world is a cruel joke."
Yet, as I sat up, I noticed the change. The crushing pain in my ribs—the leftovers of the Shadow Stalker's assault—was gone. My breathing felt deeper, my senses sharper. I didn't feel like a hero. I felt like a man who had just found a weapon he didn't know how to aim.
The morning sun was cold and unforgiving. Uncle Baek was already waiting by the matte-black sedan, his reflection sharp in the polished paint. Hana stepped out of the front door wearing the pristine white-and-gold uniform of Nico Academy. She looked like a goddess of war, her presence naturally demanding the space around her.
I followed her, the same white fabric feeling like a shroud on my shoulders. I carried a simple black duffel bag. No flashy gear. No enchanted weapons.
"The drive will take forty minutes," Baek said, opening the door. "Eat something. The mana-exhaustion during the tests can be permanent for your rank."
"I'm not hungry, Uncle," I replied, sliding into the leather seat.
As the car glided through Seoul, the landscape shifted. Futuristic skyscrapers gave way to "Dead Zones"—sections of the city where the gates had bled into reality, leaving behind a scarred, grey wasteland. Hana stared out the window, her reflection ghosting over the glass.
"Kuro?" she said softly. "If the pressure gets too much... if the instructors try to push you too far... just fall down. Don't try to be brave. No one expects an E-Rank to stay standing."
I looked at her. I saw the genuine fear in her eyes. She wasn't worried about my reputation; she was worried about my life.
"I know my place, Hana," I said. It was the only truth I could give her.
The gates of Nico Academy were carved from obsidian, a tower that seemed to pierce the very clouds. Hundreds of students milled about the courtyard, their auras clashing—the heat of fire, the bite of frost, the static of lightning.
As we stepped out of the car, the crowd parted like the Red Sea.
"Is that her? Hana Yami? The Void Prodigy?" a student whispered.
"Yeah. Look at that aura. It's terrifying," another replied. Then, the tone shifted to a snicker. "But who's the guy with her? That's the brother. The 'Zero-Link.' He's only here because the Board wanted to keep her happy. He's basically a decorative battery."
Thanks to my Perception stat, the whispers sounded like shouts. I kept my face bored, my eyes focused on the ground, letting the insults slide off me like rain.
Inside the Grand Hall, the atmosphere turned clinical. On the stage stood a man with silver hair and eyes of cold flint: Instructor Malakai Vane. The air around him seemed to warp, a testament to the B-Rank Gravity magic he was famous for.
"Welcome to Nico," Vane said. He didn't use a microphone, yet his voice carried a pulse of mana that silenced the room. "You are here because you are the elite. Or..." His eyes scanned the crowd, stopping dead on me. "...because you are lucky."
He pointed to a massive circular platform rising in the center of the hall.
"The Entrance Test is simple," Vane continued, a smirk touching his lips. "You will stand on this platform. I will apply a localized Gravity Field. Those who remain standing for one minute will be placed in the Alpha Class. Those who fall... will be placed where they belong."
Vane's eyes locked onto mine. "Mr. Yami. Since you're so eager to protect your sister, why don't you lead the way? Show us what an E-Rank's 'determination' looks like."
I walked toward the platform. Every eye in the room was a weight, judging me, dismissing me. I stepped onto the cold metal and looked Vane in the eye.
Vessel to the Shadow Lord, I thought, the cold hum beneath my skin beginning to stir. Let's see if the Shadow can hold the weight of a mountain.