Selene Varis had always been an enigma wrapped in grace. The heir of House Varis—one of the Twelve High Houses that shaped the political, technological, and magical
direction of the continent—she was not just nobility. She was power, wrapped in
elegance, intelligence, and icy detachment.
She walked the academy's marble halls like a myth incarnate, her midnight hair flowing behind her like a river of stars, violet eyes calm, cold, and unreadable. Selene was
the kind of presence that made time slow. People either admired her from a
distance or feared her. There was no in-between.
And today, she stood at the Observation Deck of Sector 4, her arms crossed over her academy uniform, her eyes locked on the training grounds below. Her neural lens flickered softly against her right iris—an enhancement only the most elite possessed.
"Zoom: Section Delta—individual anomaly."
[Subject: Eliar Thorne – Status: Active] [Readings: Pulse stable. Mana
flow—anomalous. Power level: Currently suppressed.]
Selene narrowed her eyes. The boy everyone mocked, bullied, ignored... The same one who had just decimated Kyren Vellore with such precision that even the Vellore family hadn't found a single trace of his identity.
She had her suspicions. She always had.
Three Days Earlier
Eliar Thorne stood atop the academy's secluded cliffside training ground, drenched in sweat, shirt torn at the collar, fists bloodied. The system had been silent all day, but his training was anything but.
He wasn't the same boy anymore.
After Kyren's death,
Eliar realized something: his anger was no longer a weapon. It was a weakness.
If he wanted to stand against the noble houses, to remain a ghost and yet
dismantle giants, he had to evolve.
He was evolving.
The system had unlocked a new stat: Intelligence. It wasn't just for solving problems—it was for strategic manipulation, calculating weaknesses, predicting outcomes, and building subtlety.
That's why when he sensed another presence watching him from above, he instantly shifted gears. He let his shoulders slump, his breathing grow heavier, and he winced like he was in pain.
He was hiding in plain sight.
Meanwhile…
Luthan Vellore had
been watching Eliar for two days. As Kyren's younger brother, and next heir of the Vellore family, it was his responsibility to find the one who killed his brother.
At first, he suspected everyone but Eliar.
But when he caught Eliar training something about the boy's form, his explosiveness, his precision—had unsettled Luthan. Still, after
gathering data, all records screamed the same thing: "Eliar Thorne – Slum-Class, Mana Rank: F-, Potential: None."
He scoffed. "Someone like him? Can't even scratch Kyren's armor. Must be coincidence."
And so, Luthan ignored him.
Just as Eliar wanted.
Back to Selene…
She turned away from
the window, her face unreadable. "He's learning," she whispered. "Fast."
Her neural lens saved the recording, and she walked off.
Selene had a rule: never involve herself in petty politics. But the death of Kyren had shifted the academy's power structure. The nobles were rattled. The professors whispered in staff-only corridors. Students speculated. The campus wasn't safe anymore. The balance had been broken.
And then there was Eliar.
Selene remembered
him.
Two years ago, she saw him in the slums during a diplomatic mission. He was different even then. Cold eyes. Sharp posture. Like a lion caged among lambs.
She had marked him then.
Not because of his
strength.
But because hebdidn't look afraid. Everyone else in the slums did. Not him.
Later That Night…
In the moonlit corridors of the library wing, Eliar walked alone.
He felt it again.
[Notification: Ally Candidate #001 is tracking your movement.]
He turned sharply,
but the hallway was empty.
Nothing but silence
and shelves.
"Selene Varis," he whispered.
The name burned in his thoughts.
She was watching. He knew it. Not just today—for a while now.
He sat at a hidden table in the shadows and opened a book—not to read, but to listen. He activated the system's newly unlocked perk: Hyper-Perception.
His ears tuned into footsteps... one by one... disappearing before they got too close.
Observation Deck – Elsewhere
Selene stood before
the holographic projector, reading data.
[Profile: Eliar Thorne – Observational Candidate]
Suspicion Level: 74%
She didn't trust coincidence.
And now, she would investigate.
"Candidate #001 has become aware.
Initiating Passive Encounter Protocol…"
[To Be Continued…]