The Primordial Communion ritual had left an indelible mark on Lucian's mind. For hours, in the silence of the secret training room, the barriers between his soul and those of his three companions had dissolved. He had felt Aria's millennia-old thirst, Shizuka's steel-bound discipline laced with desire, and Selene's melancholic purity. It was no longer just mana flowing through him, but a symphony of disparate powers, finally harmonized under the aegis of his Primordial Blood.
On the morning of the Promotion Test, Lucian stood before the mirror in his quarters. His features seemed sharper, his eyes a black so deep they appeared to absorb ambient light. He no longer wore the attire of an auditor; instead, he donned the black-and-silver uniform of advanced-rank candidates.
— You are ready, my Monarch, murmured Aria as she adjusted the collar of his tunic.
She no longer wore her servant disguise. Draped in a dark combat leather dress, she asserted her place as his official protector. Shizuka, on the other side, checked the straps of her greaves, her expression calmer than usual. The blood bond had soothed her, transforming obsession into steady, unwavering loyalty.
— The entire Academy staff will be present, Shizuka warned. The Dean, the war masters, and even a delegation from the Council of Nobles. They seek answers regarding the Blackwood disaster. If you display too much power, they will make the connection.
— I will show only what is necessary to remain untouchable, Lucian replied. A genius is protected by utility. A pariah is expendable.
The Central Arena of the Academy was packed. Unlike regular training sessions, the Promotion Test was a public event, designed to prove the supremacy of the kingdom's magical elite. At the center of the sandy track, three Rank B combat automata awaited, their crystal eyes glowing red.
The Academy Dean, a man whose white beard reached his belt, rose from the honor balcony.
— Candidate Lucian Kurogane, step forward.
A murmur ran through the crowd. Students leaned over each other to see the "Zero" daring to request a direct promotion to Rank A. Among them, Alistair sat in the front row of the wounded, staring at Lucian with impotent hatred, his trembling fingers gripping the armrests of his chair.
— The rules are simple, the Dean announced. Survive three minutes against the automata—or destroy them. Your performance will determine your new rank.
Lucian entered the arena. He drew no weapon. He did not even assume a combat stance. He stood there, hands in his pockets, observing the war machines encircling him.
— He's crazy, laughed a student. He'll be crushed in ten seconds.
The automata attacked simultaneously. The first unleashed a volley of fire bolts, the second projected razor-sharp wind blades, while the third charged with an enchanted steel mace.
Lucian did not move. As the attacks neared, he activated a fraction of Selene's power, infused into his own mana. A barrier of blindingly pure light manifested around him.
BOOM!
The spells collided with the shield without even faltering it. As the dust settled, Lucian remained intact, a faint smile on his lips.
— My turn, he said.
He did not use his Chains of Blood—too recognizable. Instead, he employed the gravity manipulation he had stolen from his father, purified through his own mana. He raised a hand to the sky.
— [Gravity Well: Crushing].
The air above the automata seemed to solidify. In an instant, monumental pressure rained down on them. The multi-ton machines were slammed to the ground, their steel limbs twisting like paper, their crystal cores shattering under the strain. Within five seconds, the three Rank B automata were nothing more than smoking heaps of scrap.
The ensuing silence was deafening. The Dean rose, gripping the railing.
— This technique… it is the Blackwood family's gravitational magic. How can a Kurogane—
— Blood has reasons that genealogy ignores, Dean, Lucian interrupted, his voice carrying to the last row. I witnessed the fall of the Blackwoods. In the chaos, I had an epiphany. My blood awakened. Is that sufficient for Rank A?
Before the Dean could answer, a cold voice rang from the back of the honor tribune.
— Sufficient to warrant an Inquisition inquiry.
A man clad in silver plate armor and a flawless white cloak stepped forward. He bore the Seal of the Sun of Thorns. It was High Inquisitor Malphas, one of the most feared enforcers of the Church of Light.
— Lucian Kurogane, Malphas said as he descended toward the arena. Your awakening is… timely. Too timely. Blackwood blood does not awaken in outsiders without reason.
Aria stepped forward, her hand on the hilt of her dagger, but Lucian gestured for her to stay back.
— The Inquisition is now interested in school exams? Lucian asked with irony. I thought you had more important heretics to hunt.
— Heretics often hide where they are least expected, Malphas replied, stopping a few meters away. I demand an evaluation duel. If you are truly Rank A, you will have no trouble exchanging a few blows with me.
[SYSTEM ALERT]
[TARGET IDENTIFIED: HIGH INQUISITOR MALPHAS (RANK S-)]
[WARNING: HE POSSESSES SHADOW DETECTION ARTIFACT]
[OBJECTIVE: WIN THE DUEL WITHOUT USING DARK OR PRIMORDIAL MAGIC]
The duel was accepted under pressure from the Council. The atmosphere in the arena became electric. Malphas did not wield a physical weapon; he conjured a blade of pure light that seemed to burn the air around it.
The combat unfolded at a speed beyond ordinary students' perception. Malphas was a master of sacred swordsmanship. Every swing left a trail of white fire that purified everything it touched. Lucian, using agility shared with Shizuka, dodged attacks by a hair's breadth, his movements a mixture of fluidity and brutal precision.
Ting! Ting! Ting!
Lucian finally drew a training sword reinforced with mana. Each clash sparked light and gravitational bursts, creating mini shockwaves that cracked the arena floor.
— You fight well for an upstart, Malphas growled. But I sense dissonance within you. A darkness the light cannot reach.
The Inquisitor unleashed his Rank S aura. Divine pressure slammed into Lucian, attempting to immobilize him. It was both a spiritual and physical assault. But Malphas had erred: he was trying to subdue a Monarch.
Lucian closed his eyes for half a second. He did not call upon the shadows. He called upon Selene. Within his own core, he channeled the fallen angel's absolute purity.
Suddenly, Lucian's aura shifted to pale gold. His eyes glimmered with a stellar light. He countered Malphas's attack with such force that the Inquisitor's blade of light shattered into a thousand fragments.
Lucian pressed his wooden sword to Malphas's throat.
— Light does not belong to the Church alone, Inquisitor.
A new silence fell. A twenty-year-old student had just broken a High Inquisitor's weapon. The Dean rose, this time to applaud.
— Lucian Kurogane! By the power demonstrated, you are promoted to Rank A+ with immediate effect. You are awarded the title of Elite Mage-Knight!
Malphas recoiled, his face betraying barely concealed fury and suspicion. He sheathed his gauntlets.
— Congratulations, Knight Kurogane. But remember: the brighter the light, the deeper its shadow. We will meet again.
That evening, while the noble dormitories celebrated the emergence of a new genius, Lucian and his guardians withdrew to their sanctuary.
Lucian sat, examining his new Rank A+ badge. The metal shone, but to him, it was merely another political shield.
— You were impressive, Lucian, Shizuka said, sitting beside him. But you provoked the Inquisition. Malphas will not stop there. He will investigate your Kurogane "lineage."
— Let him, Lucian said. My mother truly came from a fallen branch of that clan. The documents are authentic. What they won't find is what happened in the ruins of Galthar.
Aria approached from behind, her hands gliding over Lucian's chest.
— You used Selene's power today… I was almost jealous to see that light emanating from you. It made you… so pure. Almost too pure for me.
— Don't worry, Aria, Lucian murmured, turning to her. Light is only a mask. Blood remains the truth.
He turned to Selene, who had remained silent in a corner of the room.
— Selene, Malphas sensed you. Not directly, but he recognized your type of mana. You are in danger here.
The angel lifted her eyes, determination gleaming in her silver gaze.
— I fear not their chains, Creator. If they come, they will learn that the light of vengeance burns far hotter than that of their faith.
Suddenly, the system activated with urgent new alerts.
[SYSTEM ALERT]
[SCENARIO EVENT ACTIVATED: THE EXPEDITION TO THE LOST RUINS]
[THE COUNCIL OF NOBLES ORDERS AN EXPLORATION OF GALTHAR TO FIND SURVIVING BLACKWOODS]
[YOU HAVE BEEN NAMED LEADER OF THE EXPLORATION UNIT]
Lucian let out a cold laugh.
— It seems fate—or my enemies—wants to send me back to where it all began. They want answers? I will give them a tomb.
The plan was perfect. By returning to Galthar as the expedition leader, Lucian could erase the last traces of his past existence, and perhaps recover the primordial artifact his father had failed to seize.
— Prepare your belongings, Lucian told his three companions. We return to the ruins.
The hunt would become the Monarch's hunting ground.