She followed the Weaver’s agent—a slender, silent woman she privately called "Whisper"—through the dark catacombs. The air was cold and reeked of death. Flickering torches on the walls revealed strange carvings of ancient rituals.
"They’ll realize you’re missing soon," Whisper murmured, her voice barely audible. "We need to hurry."
Whisper’s movents were almost inhuman. She lted from shadow to shadow, each step calculated. Velka, in her impractical traveler’s gown, struggled to keep up.
Suddenly, Whisper stopped and pushed Velka into a niche. Up ahead, the sound of heavy footsteps and muttering approached. Three cult guards, led by Sister Morwen, passed by their hiding spot.
"Check all cells again," Morwen said sharply. "The High Priestess is beginning the Unity Ritual. She must not be disturbed. The ’Vessel’ must be ready when she calls for it."
Velka’s heart felt like it had stopped. They knew.
After the patrol passed, Whisper signaled to move on. As they turned a corner, they passed an open side room. Inside, Velka saw a sight that made her stomach churn. Ravenna Cruor stood before a black obsidian altar that seed to absorb all light. She wasn’t chanting. She just stood there, eyes closed, as thick darkness energy flowed into her from the altar.
Velka felt a strong, terrible pull from the altar, a painful resonance with the Nocturne blood within her.
"The Altar of True Silence," Whisper breathed. "That thing is connected to every drop of blood in your lineage. She can feel you. The longer we stay, the closer she gets to finding our location."
They quickened their pace. After navigating a maze of suffocating tunnels, they finally arrived at a dead end. Whisper pressed a loose stone, and a secret door opened, revealing the fresh stench of The Undercroft’s sewers. The exit.
As they stepped into the dim sewer tunnel, Velka finally spoke. "Who?" she panted. "Who is the client paying you to rescue ?"
Whisper stopped. "My mission was to extract you from the Cult’s nest. The mission is complete."
"I deserve to know!" Velka insisted, her desperation-fueled courage giving her strength. "I walked into that trap because of The Weaver!"
Whisper regarded her for a long mont. "The old woman doesn’t like leaving debts. She fulfilled her contract with the Cult. Now, she fulfills another." She reached into her pocket and produced sothing. Not coins. Not gems. But a beautifully crafted small silver raven feather brooch. "Our client said you would recognize this."
Velka took the brooch. Her hand trembled. This was not the symbol of House Nocturne. Theirs was a perched black raven. This... this was a personal sigil. The sigil of soone she never expected.
"There’s only one person I know who uses this sigil. Soone I considered a family enemy. Soone with influence, wealth, and a reason to disrupt Valerius Nocturne’s plans. Duke Alaric. The Head of the Noble Council."
Why would her father’s greatest political rival want to save her? The ga was far more complex than she had ever imagined.
Two days after the "Archon Zarthus" ssage was sent, the silence from the palace was more threatening than a war cry. Nihil continued his academy routine with heightened vigilance. Every shadow seed longer, every glance from noble students sharper.
He spent his ti in classes, absorbing knowledge. In Professor Evelyn Stormhallow’s Elental Magic class, he beca an odd favorite.
"Mr. Nihil," Evelyn said enthusiastically in front of the class, "your theory of ’particle resonance’ to break crystal formations is brilliant! Do you think the sa principle could be applied to disrupt fire magic matrices?"
Nihil provided a theoretical answer that confused the entire class but made Evelyn’s eyes shine. He had found an academic ally who cared nothing for politics, only pure science.
In the duel arena, he took his second match. His opponent was a high Iron Rank illusion mage. The battle ended quickly. As his opponent tried to trap him in an illusion, Nihil simply used a Suppressing Gaze. The pure ntal pressure from the Void shattered the mage’s concentration, dispelling all illusions. He surrendered before even launching a second attack. Nihil’s rank rose again. He was now on the brink of Bronze Rank.
But all of this was rely a distraction. His mind was focused on one thing: when would the princess make her move?
The answer ca on the afternoon of the third day. Not a summons from a guard. But an official invitation delivered to his room. On thick parchnt with an imperial wax seal, it invited him for a private tea with Princess Selene Solaris at her pavilion.
When he arrived, the atmosphere felt different from their first eting. This ti, a Regio Conquest ga board was set up, with pieces mid-ga. Princess Selene sat alone, waiting for him.
"Welco back, Mr. Nihil," she said calmly. "A very bold opening move."
"It is a statent of fact," Nihil replied.
"Facts are the sharpest weapons," Selene responded. She moved a piece. "And you have handed a very fine sword." She looked at him. "I have received the ’donation’ of personal archives from House Theron. Most enlightening. Professor Theron is now under my close scrutiny. For now, he is no longer a direct threat to you within the academy."
Nihil only listened. He knew this was not the end of the story.
"You have proven you are not rely a strong anomaly," Selene continued. "You are a clever anomaly. And I have many uses for such a thing. There are many ’weeds’ in the imperial garden. Greedy noble factions, professors with hidden agendas, foolish idealists. I cannot move against them openly without causing political chaos."
She looked at Nihil, her blue eyes bright as steel. "But you... you are chaos itself. A storm I can direct."
This was it. Her offer.
"I will provide you with political protection," said Selene. "I will give you resources. I will give you information. In return, you will be my unofficial agent. A shadow that moves according to my interests. You will be the ’problem’ that appears just when my enemies need it most."
To beco the princess’s personal weapon. A very high price for security.
Nihil did not answer imdiately. "I am a student, Your Highness. Here to learn."
Selene smiled. "Of course. And your first lesson will begin shortly." She slid a thin parchnt roll across the table. "This is a list of the top teams for the upcoming Inter-Departnt Tournant. Within it, I have marked several individuals whose loyalty to the Emperor... is questionable. They may have sponsors from rival factions, or harbor rebellious ideas."
Nihil looked at the list.
"How you use this information," Selene said, her eyes bright with aning, "is, of course, entirely up to you. Consider this your first ’lesson material.’"
Nihil took the roll. He knew he had no choice. He had stepped onto the chessboard, and now the princess had given him his first command.
He was no longer just a survivor. No longer just a student.
He was now the most dangerous piece in the princess’s ga.
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