Chapter 459 - 461: Act One

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As surely as the sun will set—

That was not just a figure of speech. The sun always rose, yes—but it would always eventually set.

The saying had weight. Its meaning, though often open to interpretation, was actually simple:

Nothing lasts forever.

You cannot preserve a condition indefinitely.

You cannot wrong someone and expect to get away with it forever.

Just like the old saying—a thief has ninety-nine days, but the hundredth belongs to the owner.

And most often?

That final day was the last for the thief.

The day justice arrived.

Maybe that was what people really meant when they spoke of karma...

Kael didn’t know for sure—but he was running.

Sweat beaded from his forehead as he sprinted through the stone corridors of the academy. The moment he heard Damon Grey had returned... he knew.

There was going to be bloodshed.

And not just a little.

More than that—Damon hadn’t just come back. He had returned stronger than before.

Kael slammed through the heavy doors beneath the academy’s vast library. Even from here... he could feel it.

That baleful, suffocating killing intent.

He burst into the lower chamber, magic pulsing through his body, darkness curling around his limbs—he was ready.

Ready to fight.

Ready to die, if he had to.

He turned the corner—

But there was nothing.

No sound.

No presence.

Not a single trace of the dark spirit summoner he’d been hunting.

Vanished.

Kael bit his lip and moved toward a nearby window. The twin moons cast their light over the academy.

He’d been hoping to capture the summoner tonight—to deliver him to King Kadelas Moonveil. Pin him as the real perpetrator. Take the heat off Damon.

That was the plan.

That was why he’d waited. Why he’d said nothing until now.

Because he had no evidence. Without evidence he would only alert his target.

That was why he waited.

But now—now with Damon back in the academy—the summoner had finally slipped up.

Kael wanted to end it quietly. Cleanly. No scandal for the academy.

But it was too late.

The man had vanished.

"He used spatial magic to escape," Kael muttered, eyes narrowing. "Where did he go...? He can’t have gone far..."

—

Elsewhere, near the sealed underground dungeon beneath the academy...

Someone stepped out of thin air, space rippling around him like water disturbed.

He moved silently toward a secluded section of the grounds, pulled out a rusted key, and drew a sharp, splitting gesture in the air.

A tear opened—a dimensional rift that shimmered like a mirror showing a world beyond.

A hidden space.

"So that’s why no one could ever find your base of operations..."

The voice was cold. Unforgiving.

Damon sat perched atop a tree branch, a single black raven resting silently on his shoulder.

Below, the man in white robes turned—slowly pulling down his hood.

He looked like a kind, elderly grandfather. The sort of man who smiled gently and handed out sweets to children.

The sort of man Damon had once respected.

Professor Chrome.

"Ahhh Damon, have you come to ask this old man for extra lessons?"

Damon’s expression didn’t change. Only his voice lowered—like iron cooling into a blade.

"You’re confident I won’t kill you."

Chrome stroked his beard, unbothered.

"You wouldn’t be the first to try. But there’s no need for violence when we can be... amicable."

Damon felt something twist in his chest—not fear.

Disgust.

He’d felt this before. Too many times.

Betrayal.

It still stung.

In the academy, Professor Chrome had been one of the few people Damon respected. He was proof that even commoners could rise—an esteemed scholar, a brilliant researcher... a man of intellect who had earned recognition from the imperial court.

And now?

He was just another one.

Damon stepped forward, shadows curling behind him.

"Amicable," he repeated. "After you trapped me in a death zone for months?"

Chrome smiled gently. "Wasn’t that good for you? I calculated that, based on your personality, you would survive. It was for your growth, Damon. Adversity is the greatest teacher. Pain molds greatness."

"It has molded you beautifully."

Damon’s chuckle was hollow.

He didn’t feel anger anymore.

Only disgust.

He reached into the shadow beside him, pulling forth his soul Disintegration weapon.

Broken Bonds.

Its edge shimmered with deadly intent—designed to disintegrate both flesh and spirit.

"I don’t blame you, Professor," Damon said quietly. "I blame myself. The truth was right in front of me. But I denied it... because of your mask."

He chuckled. " Then again, I am a master of denial."

He stepped down from the tree, his armor beginning to rise.

"I forgot this world is full of scum."

"Before you die... I just want to know...why."

Chrome sighed.

"Why did I do it?" he echoed. "Are you asking why I summoned the dark spirit, or why I trapped you?"

He flicked his sleeve.

A blackened staff unfolded into his hand.

"If that’s your question... then the answer is simple. Akasha."

Damon’s eyes narrowed.

Chrome smiled faintly. "Ah, so you do know of it. Good. That means your time in the death zone was not wasted. Now I can extract what you learned... for my research."

His smile vanished.

"You don’t look too willing to share."

Damon’s expression darkened completely.

So that was it.

He had sent them into the death zone not to kill them... but to harvest whatever insight they gained.

Just like the rest of them.

Another fool—another obsessed child of Aetherus chasing the illusion of Akasha.

Damon exhaled slowly. "Thank you, Professor. For reminding me what this world really is. You’ve hardened my resolve."

Chrome lifted his staff.

"Is the thought of killing me really that hard for you?" he said mockingly. "You’ve gone soft, Damon. I expected more from a street rat raised in Valerion."

Damon sneered.

"No. You’re just the first name on a very long list."

Chrome’s gaze shifted around, checking the shadows.

"If you’re wondering about Lilith," Damon said, stepping forward, "she’s not here. She’s just making sure no one interferes... or dies in the crossfire."

Damon’s aura surged, his blade gleaming with unspoken wrath.

"Die."

The earth shook.

Walls cracked.

Stone caved in.

And the sky above them rumbled—

—as their battle began.