Kletis simply stared at him for a few moments as his expression gradually changed into a pleased look.
"You did?"
Evander nodded.
"My understanding of the Law of Darkness finally advanced." A wide grin immediately spread across his father’s bearded face.
"Ha!" He slapped his thigh in a crackling slap. "I knew you could do it!"
Evander couldn’t help smiling slightly. His father’s reaction was surprisingly genuine.
"How far?"
"Far enough." He looked into his palm, flexing his fingers into a fist, before releasing it into an open palm and forming a compressed, pulsing ball of darkness that immediately sucked the light out of the standing lamp on the table," But still not enough to catch up to Xavier."
He snapped his fingers shut once again, dispersing the ball of darkness, but the lamp didn’t light up again, leaving just the diagonal rays of sunlight seeping through the windows as their only source of light.
"Forget the Dawncrest boy for a moment." Kletis waved his hand. "You’ve been stuck on that boy for years. You finally made a breakthrough you’ve been chasing for an entire week, and the first thing you do is compare yourself to him?"
Evander fell silent as Lord Kletis shook his head.
"You’re improving. That’s what matters." He studied his son for a moment before nodding approvingly.
"The Legacy World is about to open. This breakthrough came at exactly the right time."
Evander’s eyes sharpened like blades.
"That’s what I thought as well."
"Then make good use of it. And try not to come back looking like you’ve been beaten to death by Xavier again."
Evander let out a wry laugh.
"I wasn’t beaten that badly."
Kletis laughed.
"Of course not, son."
The mocking tone made Evander’s eyebrow twitch.
’Why did I even bother telling him?’
...
A similar, though not entirely identical, reaction could be seen within the other great noble houses of the Veloria Kingdom when news of the crowned princess of the Vampire Clan’s betrothal inevitably reached them.
Until now, the aftermath surrounding Elion had largely been associated with rumors of heresy.
The story of a talented first-year student who had managed to make a name for himself within the academy had gradually been twisted into a cautionary tale about the consequences of losing oneself to greed and the pursuit of forbidden power.
Then came the more recent incident involving Dawncrest’s rampage, an affair that had yet to receive its final judgment.
Until now, however, these stories had been little more than interesting pieces of information.
Information brokers sold them to curious individuals and interested factions, while the general population fed on whatever distorted rumors eventually found their way into their ears.
The great families, meanwhile, had watched from the sidelines.
Some had been curious, while others had been quietly investigating, especially those that had been present during the tournament.
A few had already begun positioning themselves in preparation for whatever consequences might eventually emerge.
But none of them had been truly invested.
That changed the moment news of Celeste Chronos’ betrothal began spreading.
Suddenly, the entire situation had become relevant. Regardless of how one looked at it, the implications were impossible to ignore.
The crowned princess of the Vampire Clan had chosen someone named Elion Nova.
Could it be the same Elion Nova who had been accused of heresy?
The same Elion Nova who had been involved in the incident that had sent Dawncrest into a rampage.
The same Elion Nova who had been summoned to Haven to stand trial.
And now, that very same young man was apparently going to become a member of the Chronos Royal Family through an eventual marriage.
Many questions emerged.
They spread through noble estates, merchant circles, academies, guilds, and eventually into the streets.
How did this happen?
Was the betrothal planned before the tournament?
Did the Vampires know something everyone else didn’t?
And perhaps the most important question of all....
Who is going to take the loss?
No matter how many different interpretations people came up with, one fact remained painfully obvious.
This was going to be a political confrontation.
By accepting Elion into their royal family, the Vampire Kingdom had effectively placed their authority behind him.
And that meant the situation was no longer merely a dispute between Elion and Dawncrest.
It was a challenge to Dawncrest.
A challenge to those who had demanded that Elion come to Haven and stand trial.
The balance had tilted as those who had once watched the situation with detached curiosity were now paying very close attention.
Because someone was going to lose.
The only question was who.
...
Meanwhile...
Far off the southern coast of Haven, deep within the vast waters of the Southern Ocean, a pair of drunken fishermen cast their nets into the dark waters below.
They were among dozens of other fishermen aboard a massive fishing vessel, its broad wooden hull creaking beneath the constant rhythm of the waves.
The night was calm, and the sea was unusually quiet.
One of the fishermen, a burly man named Sam, leaned against the railing with a half-empty bottle in his hand.
"Say... Ramon"
His companion glanced over.
"What?"
Sam scratched his beard thoughtfully.
"What do you prefer in a woman? A big, smothering bosom to sink your face in, or a fine, crushing backside that you can slap whenever you feel like it!?" He made a twisting, groping gesture as he said the last part.
His companion stared at him for several seconds, then he took another swig from his bottle.
"Why are you asking me this while we’re fishing?"
"Well, for one, fishing is boring. And, well, I’ve been thinking about which of the women at that fancy brothel I’m going to spend the next coin I get on."
Sam scratched his chin.
"The problem is, they’re all so beautiful, and as much as I like that Rachel girl..." He put his fingers together and kissed them dramatically, lifting them to the skies. "God bless Rachel. But it gets old, you know? Fucking the same whore every time. Her cunt certainly knows my shape by now."
Ramon snorted, but he let Sam continue without interrupting.
"The only reason I even stuck with her for six months was that she had some damn good stories to tell, when you know, I go limp in between rounds. But I feel like I need something... Fresh now."
His face was flushed, and he could barely stand upright without leaning against the railing. One could only wonder how men this drunk were capable of fishing in the dark.
His companion, Ramon, remained silent for a moment before bursting into uproarious laughter.
"Hahahahahaha! Fresh, you say!? My friend, trust me, there is nothing fresh about women who work at a brothel! Their cunts take dozens of cocks each day before you even think of going there! I hear some of them even take five at the same time! Hahahahahah... Fresh, he says! How naive of you! And here I thought you were the whore expert! Hahahahahah!!!"
Sam opened his mouth, managing to look somewhat embarrassed despite his drunken state.
"Well! You know what I mean!" he protested.
Unbeknownst to him, and everyone else on the ship, the air suddenly distorted a few metres ahead of the ship.
At first, it looked like nothing more than a slight shimmer against the darkness of the night, then the distortion twisted rapidly.
The surrounding air began spiralling inward, forming a small, rotating sphere of darkness that was somehow even more bleak than the darkness of the night.
It expanded to well over three metres, but shockingly enough, it didn’t stop growing in size.
Within seconds, the strange sphere had grown to several metres in diameter, silently churning in the air above the ocean.
The fishermen remained completely oblivious.
Most were still focused on their work, while others were too drunk to notice anything unusual.
Fortunately, their captain wasn’t as blind. The old sailor’s wizened eyes widened as he stared through the darkness.
"What in the..."
His hands tightened around the wheel, and then his expression quickly contorted in horror.
"TURN THE SHIP!"
His roar tore across the deck.
"WHAT!?"
"MAN THE OARS! TURN THE SAILS!" The sailors scrambled into action.
"What happened, Captain!?"
"There’s something ahead!"
The captain pointed toward the rapidly expanding sphere.
"Move!"
Men rushed toward the oars while others hurried to adjust the sails, their earlier drunken chatter replaced by frantic shouting.
Sam turned around.
"What the hell is that?"
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