In a quiet, candlelit chamber deep within the inner sanctum of the Graveyard of the Dead Academy, four figures sat around a circular obsidian table.
The room radiated an air of authority and tension. Among them was Dela Wragton, the daughter of a powerful noble family and the owner of the academy. Beside her sat three men one of them was radiating dark energy, his name was rarely spoken aloud. The other two were cloaked in mystery, known only by their first names and reputations.
The air grew heavier with the silence that followed their intense discussion. Then, breaking the quiet, a man stood abruptly. His chair scraped against the polished stone floor as he slammed his hands onto the table. "What are we going to do about the murder of those two apprentices?" he asked, his voice sharp and accusing.
Everyone fell into a tense hush.
Dela's gaze was steady. Her voice remained composed as she replied, "Jonna father has instructed that let his daughter handle this matter by herself. He instructed me to stay close and observe, but not interfere."
The man's eyes blazed. "What if she gets hurt?!"
Dela's tone cooled. "Clark, I know you're close to the Velran family. But rest assured, her father has dispatched someone. They're already about to reach here. To protect her and remember we are instructed not to interfere."
Clark clenched his fists but ultimately sat back down. The veiled concern in his voice hinted at something more than duty perhaps a personal connection to Jonna Velran, the academy's most volatile student.
The conversation shifted. "Now that that's out of the picture," another man said quietly, "what about Grace of Sun? They've been preparing to strike. It won't be long before they make a move."
The tension mounted again.
.
.
Far from the meeting, on the opposite side of the main building, sunlight filtered through a crystal window into a lavish room. A girl with soft pink hair stood by the windowsill, her delicate hands resting on its edge. Her beauty was undeniable, but her serene expression was fractured by something simmering beneath a seething rage, contained but barely.
Ten days had passed since the two students were killed.
Jonna Velran, the girl at the window, hadn't received any updates from her father. No enforcers. No assassins. No word. And worst of all Kai had vanished without a trace.
She started suspecting that Kai was not Rank 3,but has a low Rank like her or even below her.
She wanted him dead. She needed him dead. But doubt kept her still.
What if he really is Rank 3? That thought kept clawing at her. What if he's not hiding from fear, but because he's waiting to let her make move first?
Her hand tightened on the windowsill until her knuckles turned white. And then, suddenly, the light in her room dimmed. Shadows lengthened unnaturally, swallowing the corners of her space.
She didn't flinch. Instead, a slight smile played on her lips.
"So you're finally here," she said.
A distorted voice echoed from the swirling darkness. "Yes, my lady."
.
.
Far away, hidden from the eyes of civilization, ten hooded figures sat in a circular chamber. Nine of them occupied plain wooden chairs, while one sat on a throne of dark crystal, slightly elevated and imposing.
"Who's our next target?" asked the man on the throne. His voice was calm but carried the weight of authority.
From the shadows, a woman answered, her voice velvety and smooth. "The Graveyard of the Dead Academy. It houses a Rank 7 Magus and ten Rank 6, no cultivator present."
A murmur of interest spread through the group.
"Good," the man replied. "Order 'him' to do the job. And remind him not to forget the relic this time. He forget about it when he wiped out that Silver-ranked clan what was its name again? Cracker... something."
They fell silent, they knew that he was bad at remembering names.
"How many months before he will attack." the man siad.
"At least 4 months." same women said.
"Sigh" the man sighed "It is better to let one of us handle this but our enemy is also seizing a chance to attack us."
After some brief silent
"Make it 3 months." he said while others stood up and leave without listening to her response.
.
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In a remote cave filled with quiet death Qi, Kai sat in deep meditation. Ten days of silence. Ten days of darkness. Ten days of without moving.
His legs were crossed, eyes closed, as his spirit familiar Nyx coiled beside him in silence. Thanks to her aid, Kai's Reverse Meditation technique had grown ten times more effective, and the death essence of Rotpit flowed into him with unprecedented speed.
But on the tenth day, something changed.
An unbearable pain struck him, centered in his chest and navel. He gasped, nearly breaking his trance. The sensation of his bones shattering echoed through his body. The pain was sharp raw and it carved through every nerve in his flesh.
Kai fell forward, groaning, clutching his stomach as the power surged uncontrollably. His bones twisted and cracked under the sheer force of transformation. Nyx hissed and circled him anxiously.
Just as suddenly as it had started, the pain ebbed. Kai's body, drenched in sweat,and it began to radiate a red aura.
He had reached Rank 1 as a Warlock.
The cleansing effect of the advancement had forced all impurities from his body, black liquid oozed from his pores, leaving his skin faintly glowing in the darkness.
But the changes weren't over.
A radiant white light burst from the corner of the cave. Kai turned with wide eyes Nyx was engulfed in the light. Her body elongated, her black scales turning deeper, almost obsidian, and her eyes glowed faintly.
She was evolving.
When the light faded, Nyx had grown slightly larger. Kai could feel the bond deepen as the tattoo on the back of his palm darkened, pulsing faintly.
"You're Rank 2 now," Kai whispered, awestruck.
NYX nodden in cute way but full of pride.
Suddenly, an overwhelming surge of knowledge filled his mind. His Qi circuits had changed. A new meditation technique one far more refined than the Reverse Meditation formed in his consciousness. This one was twice as effective.
He observed it's effect and found out that it would only take him four months to advance to Rank 2 warlock.
He couldn't help but feel grateful toward Nyx. She had helped him very much.
After staring at her with gratefulness Kai stood and punched the wall to test his strength. A small crater formed where his fist had landed.
Observing his strength he smiled and said
"Rank 1... finally."
He returned to his worn spellbook. While most apprentices could cast a few Rank 1 spells, they lacked the capacity to analyze Rank 2 spells. But Kai was different.
His magus core could now cast Fireball nearly fourteen times before running dry.
He began his experimenting immediately.
Rank 1 spell analysis now took only three hours per spell. Within a short time, he had mastered five Rank 1 fire spells.
But his real prize was Fire Protection, a Rank 2 spell, it surrounds it's user in flame for three minutes, shielding them from harm. It took him two full days to analyze it.
He could only cast it twice before exhaustion, but when combined with his Warlock strength, he now had created a deadly blend of close combat offense and magical defense.
Kai looked down at his hands, the flames dancing around his fingers.
He needed to practice and meditate to get familiar with his new strenth and learn how to use his vast ressovoir of death Qi.
And some time to stabalize both of his core.
He was now somewhat ready but still feared what would Joanna threw at him. He had taken a lesson now never let emotion get better of you.
But even if he was thinking normally he still would have killed those to apprientce.
Because they crossed the line that they shouldn't have.