After finishing his training session, Ben, still crackling faintly with residual electricity, made his way back inside the royal quarters, intent on taking a well-earned bath.
His muscles ached slightly, but there was satisfaction in the steady refinement of his new lightning spell.
Just as he was about to turn the corridor that led toward his private bath chamber, a familiar flap of wings caught his attention.
"Hm?"
From above, Nero swooped down gracefully—
Her feathers ruffled, and her eyes were sharp and focused.
She looked like she'd been out for days, darting in and out of the castle grounds lately like she was chasing something.
But this time… her expression was different.
She landed neatly on Ben's shoulder, her small talons barely making a sound.
In her beak, she held what looked like a small, shimmering green crystal.
With a faint chirp, she dropped it into Ben's open palm and fluttered slightly,
staring up at him as if expecting a reaction.
Ben blinked.
At first glance, it looked like a beautiful jewel—
clean-cut, luminous, and pulsing faintly with an inner glow.
"____"
But as he examined it more closely, his brows furrowed.
"...This isn't just a gemstone."
The energy signature… it was faint, but familiar.
He turned the crystal slightly under the light, eyes widening.
"A Magic Stone…?"
After all, he knew about this stone, the canon events and the story from the memory of his past life through anime and manga.
Though useless to humans, these stones held immense significance to the elves, particularly in their resurrection ritual and the reincarnation magic that tore through the Clover Kingdom in the original history.
"[System Notification: Hidden Item Detected – Magic Stone (1/10)]
Ben's jaw tightened.
"Why would Nero bring this to me now...? Has she been searching for them on her own all this time?"
Nero gave a tiny chirp in confirmation, fluttering off his shoulder and circling above him before landing on a nearby windowsill,
watching him carefully.
"So the pieces have already started moving..."
He muttered, fingers closing around the crystal.
A strange feeling stirred in his chest.
The elves, the Eye of the Midnight Sun, the forbidden resurrection magic—
All of it might already be shifting in the shadows.
And now… he had the first piece.
"Thanks, Nero. Good work."
She let out a proud little puff of feathers.
As Ben stared at the magic crystal in his hand, another thought stirred in the back of his mind—
One he'd been suppressing for a while now.
He slowly turned his gaze toward Nero,
who was still perched quietly on the nearby windowsill, her tiny body silhouetted by the fading afternoon light.
She tilted her head as if waiting for his next move, but Ben didn't speak right away.
"____"
He looked back at the Magic Stone, the gentle green light reflecting in his eyes.
He knew.
This wasn't just a relic of ancient elven magic.
Not to him.
It was a key.
A piece of the lock binds Nero to this cursed form.
He remembered the history, both learned and inherited—
The moment Nero, once known as Secre Swallowtail,
had sealed herself into a bird form to stop forbidden magic from destroying the kingdom.
She had sacrificed more than anyone else, and while time had marched forward, her burden remained unchanged.
Ben's fingers curled slightly around the stone.
Even if he didn't show it outwardly, his heart was heavy.
"...You've been alone a long time, haven't you?"
He gently reached out, petting Nero's head with a light, careful touch.
Nero let out a soft chirp, leaning into the gesture.
Ben's expression remained calm on the outside, but inwardly, a firm resolve was solidifying in his mind.
'I'll find the rest of them, Nero,'
He promised silently in his mind.
'No matter how long it takes… I'll gather all the Magic Stones and break your curse. You won't be trapped in silence forever.'
[Ding...]
[System Notification:
Hidden Quest Activated – "Freedom for the Sealed One"
Objective: Collect all 10 Magic Stones.
Reward: ???, 450 FP.
Progress: 1/10]
With the stone now safely tucked away, Ben stood tall once more.
He gave Nero a small nod.
Nod~
"Let's do this together."
Even though Nero felt Ben could see through her burden, and became confused.
She gave a faint chirp in return—
soft, but filled with trust.
Golden Dawn's Secret Base...
William's Room...
Inside the captain's quarters,
William Vangeance stood in silence before a tall mirror, his cloak set aside, revealing the distinct birth curse mark that crawled along the upper side of his face.
His eyes stared at his reflection, but there was a distance in them—
as though he were looking through the mirror, not into it.
For a moment, the mark seemed to throb faintly, as if reacting to his thoughts.
A cold shiver ran down his spine.
He exhaled slowly, and his past played in flashes through his mind—
his childhood isolation, the whispers behind his back, the burden of disgust, and the constant internal war within him...
Lately, sleep came more easily, but rest did not.
His hours of slumber had stretched long into the morning, sometimes lasting nearly a full day, and when he dreamed…
He always saw a man cloaked in shadow, radiating a hatred so pure and absolute that it shook William to his core.
The hatred wasn't directed at him.
It was through him.
Like a mirror of something within.
He reached up, gently touching the edge of the curse mark.
"Is this my fate? Or something more…"
He had begun meditation and internal focus,
following guidance from healers, believing the curse mark to be the root.
But even meditation only gave temporary peace.
"Or is it… Me?"
He whispered to his reflection.
"The part of me that still resents everything… hiding beneath the calm."
Knock~ Knock~
There was a knock on the door—
But he didn't respond.
The visions, the dreams, the fatigue—they were getting worse.
'Was I losing control again?'
Were the only question in his mind.
After some thought, he went to do his job as a magic knight captain.
Midnight...
The halls were silent, the only sound being the faint rustle of leaves in the wind outside the windows.
Inside Captain William Vangeance's chambers,
The candlelight flickered gently as he slept peacefully beneath the covers…
until—
His eyes snapped open.
A sudden sharp inhale echoed in the room.
His pupils, once calm and brown, began to shift into a glowing yellow hue.
Slowly, his body began to change.
His white hair lengthened, cascading down to his shoulders.
His frame broadened, becoming lean and athletic—
like that of a trained warrior.
The familiar curse mark on his face vanished, and in its place,
crimson tattoos snaked their way around his eyes and across his brow like ancient war paint.
He sat up with eerie precision.
A cold smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
There was no trace of the gentle, burdened William Vangeance.
Only something else.
Someone else.
"____"
He rose to his feet and walked toward the closet, his footsteps nearly soundless.
He reached in and pulled out a white hooded robe, its fabric lined with ancient symbols, long hidden from the eyes of others.
As he slowly pulled the hood over his head, he muttered under his breath:
"The time draws near…"
Walking toward the large window of his room, he pushed it open, the cool night breeze brushing against his transformed form.
The moon hung full and heavy in the sky.
His golden eyes gleamed with loathing.
"This world… its filth… their lies… I'll cleanse it all."
"The magic stones will lead the way."
"And when the time comes…"
"…I will kill every last human."
The robe fluttered behind him in the moonlight like the wings of a vengeful spectre.
Deep Forest –
The trees stood tall and still, as if the forest itself held its breath.
A pale moon beam sliced through the dense canopy, guiding the hooded figure—
transformed William—
As he made his way through the undergrowth, the white robe brushing silently against the mossy earth.
He stopped before a jagged rock formation half-swallowed by vines.
Raising his hand, he pressed his palm against a nearly invisible sigil etched into the stone.
With a low rumble, the rocks shifted, revealing a narrow entrance.
He stepped into the darkness.
The cave was dim, illuminated only by a single glowing crystal embedded in the ceiling.
At the far end stood another hooded figure, clad in the same ancient white robes, his face hidden beneath a dark cloth mask.
Without turning, the figure spoke—
His voice was low, cold, and composed.
"You've come."
The transformed William didn't answer right away.
His golden eyes narrowed.
"____"
"I sensed you calling,"
He finally replied.
The masked man turned slightly, the flickering light revealing the edges of a twisted smile.
"I bring news."
A scroll appeared in his hand, but instead of offering it, he simply said:
"One of the stones has been located. Worn around the neck of Captain Fuegoleon Vermillion."
There was a pause—
tense and thick.
The transformed William exhaled slowly.
"A captain, huh…"
He stepped closer, his voice a deadly whisper.
"Do not engage him yet. He's not one to underestimate."
The masked man nodded.
"Of course. But if the opportunity presents itself…"
"We watch. We wait. The time isn't right—not yet."
Then, more quietly:
"But soon... the gates will open. And when they do, the elves shall rise again."
The two figures stood in eerie silence, the cave walls echoing the promise of vengeance long buried.
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(Author's POV)
(A/N): Thanks for reading the chapter!
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