Hhhhnnngh…!
Ryker groaned as he sat up in his dorm room, his body stiff and his head pounding with a dull, throbbing ache. Every nerve screamed with fatigue. The stat penalty from the system had taken its toll. It's harsh and unforgiving.
His thoughts felt sluggish. Foggy. Stray memories and dreams bled together in a chaotic, sleepless blur.
Tch…!!
"Wisdom stat at ten. It feels like I got hit by a train."
Ryker rubbed his temples and dragged himself to his feet. The mana lamp hovering in the corner of the room glowed faintly, casting sterile white light across the polished obsidian floor. The room itself was spacious and its too clean, too organized. Like a polished coffin trying to mask what was festering inside.
Stumbling toward the bathroom, he turned on the shower.
Hssshhh…!!
Steam filled the glass enclosure instantly. Hot water poured over Ryker, grounding him. Slowly, the fog in his mind began to lift.
'Focus. Vael is expecting me.'
His fingers dug into the ceramic tiles.
'This isn't a game anymore. One wrong word, and I will be a corpse.'
Ryker stepped out of the bathroom, water dripping from his hair and he dried himself quickly. Pulling on the Nexus Academy uniform a black, form fitting combat bodysuit beneath a high collared, long tailed coat. He adjusted the silver emblem on his chest, a battle ram skull, carved with precision and polished to a dull gleam.
Clack!!
His boots echoed against the marble flooring as he exited the dorm.
Outside, morning light painted the academy in hues of gold and gray. Students bustled across the courtyards in tightly knit groups, their laughter and chatter echoing faintly. Faculty members moved with sharp precision, their eyes scanning everything and everyone.
Ryker moved alone.
Each step brought a steady rhythm to the storm churning in his mind. His thoughts spiraled through everything he knew about her.
Chancellor Seraphina Vael.
"A woman of veiled cruelty, elegant in power, ruthless in silence."
"The Crimson Queen"
No one knew the full extent of her power. No one dared. Her name wasn't just feared. It was revered. In every hidden lore drop, every footnote of the original novel, she existed like a shadow behind every major event.
A Monarch among Wolves.
And she was terrifying.
Ryker crossed the arched blackstone bridge that connected the dormitories to the central academy island. The Chancellor's Office Tower loomed ahead, its crimson tinted spire piercing the sky like a god's dagger.
Standing before the twin mahogany doors was Arthur.
The white haired boy gave him a worried look with his unusual smug smirk dulled to a serious glint.
"You look like hell."
"Feel like it too."
Arthur gave a dry chuckle. "She is something else, that woman. Careful what you say in there."
Ryker gave a tight nod.
Arthur clapped him on the shoulder once. "Good luck."
He turned to leave just as Ryker raised his hand to knock on the door,
"Come in, Ryker Case," a voice rolled out, calm, powerful.
Click!!
The doors opened on their own with a heavy groan, like ancient stone shifting.
Thud!!
Ryker stepped in.
The air changed.
It pressed down on him. Power throbbed within the chamber, like a second heartbeat echoing from the walls.
The room was circular and vast. Scarlet drapes pooled like blood beside tall windows. Ancient grimoires and tomes floated in midair around a black obsidian desk. Magic whispered from every corner like unseen eyes watching.
And then,
There is Her.
Seated behind the desk was Seraphina Vael.
Amber eyes, sharp and liquid like molten metal, locked onto his.
Her dark orange hair spilled down in waves over her shoulders. She wore a tailored crimson blazer over a black lace blouse, each thread gleaming faintly with mana. A mantle of white fur draped across one shoulder like a trophy from something long dead.
She was beautiful.
But not in the way fragile things are.
No.
This was the beauty of a storm. Of fire trapped in crystal. Controlled chaos.
Thump!!
His heart kicked against his ribs.
For a second, just a second, Ryker couldn't breathe.
"Ara," she purred softly, her voice like silk across steel. "Did you fall in love the moment you saw me? How troublesome."
Snap!!
Ryker blinked, shaking off the fog and stepped forward with a cool smile.
"I fall for death just as easily, Chancellor. And you... remind me of both."
A pause.
Her eyes flicked with amusement. "Hoh… a sharp tongue. Careful. It cuts both ways."
Ryker bowed. "Sharp is better than dull, I hear."
She gestured and a chair slid behind him with a low screech across marble.
"Sit."
Ryker obeyed.
The moment he did,
WHOOM!!
The temperature in the room dropped.
Cold.
Thick.
Heavy.
"So," Chancellor Vael said, walking around the desk with slow, deliberate steps, "Tell me. What did you see in the simulation?"
"I saw chaos," Ryker said, steady. "Orchestrated chaos. Beasts no student should have faced. That wasn't a test."
"It was a battlefield. Someone wanted us broken."
Her gaze narrowed slightly.
"Interesting. And you, what did you learn?"
"That I should never trust the script."
Crk…!!
A tiny crack formed in one of the floating tomes.
She chuckled softly. "Well said."
Then, without warning, Chancellor Vael asked a question,
"You are an Esper. You are given the chance to save a hundred gifted Espers or a thousand ordinary people. Who do you save?"
Whirrr…!!
A book beside her fluttered, waiting.
Ryker didn't hesitate.
"I choose neither."
She stopped.
"I kill the cause threatening both."
"And if it cannot be killed?"
Ryker rose from the chair.
"Then I decide based on one thing,"
"Who can change the world after surviving?"
Silence.
Then,
Smile.
"Cold," she said.
"Calculated," Ryker replied.
Tap....Tap.....
Her heels echoed faintly as she circled back behind the desk.
"You are not what you seem, Ryker Case."
Ryker tilted his head slightly. "Would you believe me if I said I wasn't even meant to be here?"
Chancellor Vael raised an eyebrow.
Ryker stepped forward.
"Chancellor," he said slowly, voice calm, "Do you remember the Whispering Dagger incident? Eight years ago. Central Enclave. A classified mission. All records sealed by the Council."
She stilled.
"I know what really happened. I know who betrayed you. And I know the name of the man you personally want to erase from existence."
Thud!!
The air froze.
Ryker didn't blink.
"You shouldn't know that. No student should. But here we are"
Snap!!
Crimson power surged.
WHOOM!!
The room shook.
Books scattered.
Cracks splintered across the floor.
Kneel…!!!
Ryker's knees buckled.
Thud!!
He hit the floor hard, pain ripping through him. But his eyes never broke from hers.
'That's why they called her the Lion.'
'Because even monsters bowed when she roared.'
Her aura crushed the space between them. Reality warped. The chair behind him exploded into wooden shards.
But Ryker kept staring.
And he smiled.
"…One more thing."
Vael's eyes narrowed.
"Yes?"
Ryker's voice was ragged, but unflinching.
"What would you do… if I say I could give you that man?"
"What would you do if I said I could help you complete your most yearned wish?"
Silence.
For the first time,
Chancellor Seraphina Vael didn't smile.
She stood still.
And she thought.
And the Crimson Queen never thought lightly.