The room was as quiet as a sacred tomb.
White marble pillars stood like sentinels around the testing hall, marked with ancient runes and a magic circle carved into the floor. From above, colored stained glass filtered the sunlight, tinting the space with golden, blue, and scarlet hues. It was a place reserved for revelations, where blood and talent were weighed in silence.
In the center of the circle, Elyandra stood erect, hands clasped in front of her body, expression contained. Her formal clothes betrayed the rigor of the occasion — and the importance of the moment. His eyes, however, were alive. Hungry.
Kael Thorne, magic knight of the High Magic Council's appraisal branch, was making the final preparations. The focal stones pulsed around the girl like enchanted hearts. His voice, low and formal, filled the room:
— The test will be divided into three stages: magic reaction, elemental affinity, and channeling. Old blood tends to distort readings... therefore, I need you to take a deep breath and just concentrate.
Elyandra acenou, obedient.
A few meters away, his parents watched in silence. Altheria, wrapped in a pearly white cloak, kept her hands clasped on her lap. His eyes were calm but attentive—like those of one who reads the signs before they are spoken. Lord Valemortis, on the other hand, leaning back quietly but with the same noble tenor as always in his elevated seat, had the expression of a man watching the rain fall: natural, inevitable, almost boring.
The test has begun.
First came the magical reaction. The rocks floated, swirling around the girl. One by one, they lit up... until two, simultaneously, exploded in light.
A golden-white one. Another deep purple.
Kael stopped. He frowned.
"Double reaction... Not ordinary, but within the margins..." he murmured. However, when he looked at the color registers, his expression changed. "Ah... No.
He spun toward his parents, holding the chip with trembling hands.
"Dominant reaction in Divine Magic... and... Spirit Control Magic.
The silence that followed seemed to weigh more heavily than the walls.
Altheria gasped, subtly. His eyes moved from the daughter to the wizard, then back to the daughter. She was waiting for divine magic—she had already felt the whispers of blessing in Elyandra's silent prayers. But spiritual control...? That was another territory. Former. Wild. Almost profane.
Lord Valemortis, for his part, only raised an eyebrow.
"As expected." Go on.
Kael swallowed.
"Both are affinities considered ultra-rare, and the presence of the Ancient Blood — 98%, if the data is correct — amplifies not only the strength of the manifestation but also the speed of learning. This child, with proper cultivation, can reach levels reserved for geniuses... or entities.
Elyandra, in the center of the circle, lowered her head slightly, feigning humility. But inside...
"Perfect."
"Divine for fools who want saints. Spiritual for fools who fear demons. I'll use both."
Kael approached, slowly depositing the two stones at the girl's feet, as if handing relics to a sleeping deity.
— Tests closed. We don't need to see anything else. Madame Valemortis... milord... This child is above known standards.
Altheria stood up, walking to her daughter. He knelt before her, tucking a strand of her silver hair behind her ear.
"You... it's very special, Ely. But... This will bring looks that we cannot control.
"I know, Mommy," the girl replied sweetly.
"And that's what I want."
Lord Valemortis did not move.
"Keep the records inside the House. No data goes to the Council until I authorize it.
Kael hesitated, but nodded. There was something in this man's eyes that made his knees tremble.
While everyone talked to each other, Elyandra remained silent.
"This is the beginning. One step at a time. Now I have the bait... The web is missing."
The hall was empty now. Except for him.
Kael Thorne stood before the magic circle that still pulsated with the residues of tested magic. His fingers touched the base of his chin, his brow furrowed as if he were facing a centuries-old enigma. He couldn't take his eyes off the stones resplendent in their golden-white and ancient purple.
"This... It's impossible," he murmured, more to himself than to anyone else.
The pen trembled in his hand as he tried to record the data. He paused mid-sentence. "Spirit Control Magic." That was not even officially taught anymore. And this child... at just six years old?
He took a deep breath, closed the evaluation library, and looked in the direction the Valemortis family had gone.
"What exactly are you preparing?"
The carriage advanced through the inner avenues of the Valemortis Domain, its axles creaking softly in the soft evening glow.
Inside, the silence was as thick as the leather lining the seats.
Elyandra sat next to her mother, hands crossed on her lap, posture impeccable. The dress still exuded the lavender scent of the morning bath, but the air was charged with something more... something indefinable.
In front of him, Lord Valemortis watched the landscape through the windows, eyes half-open as if meditating—or sleeping with his eyes open.
Altheria, on the other hand, kept a faint smile on her lips. A maternal, serene smile... but that did not reach the eyes.
Elyandra watched them out of the corner of her eyes. That expression in the mother. The absolute silence of the father. Everything was a stage. A game. She knew. And she would play well.
The creak of a wheel on the gravel broke the tension. And then, the mother's voice:
"Ely, from now on, you should be more careful about what you say... and who he talks to.
The girl turned her face slowly, nodding gently.
"Okay, Mom.
Altheria sighed, her gaze lost for a moment in her own memories.
"Even with rare affinity... You can still learn other forms of magic, such as fire, ice, wind... But the force will be much smaller, you know? It is as if his blood opens noble paths, but keeps others as narrow paths. You'll feel it when you try it.
Elyandra blinked once, tilting her head with carefully rehearsed curiosity.
"So... Why does this happen?
Before Altheria could answer, Lord Valemortis's steady voice cut through the air.
"Because everything in the world is limited. Even magic. Talent determines the road. Blood dictates the shortcuts.
He then looked up toward his daughter for the first time since they entered the carriage.
"I'll arrange for a tutor.
Silence.
Elyandra kept her expression soft, the tip of her feet swaying slightly under her dress, as any child would.
"I'm going to make an effort...
The father just nodded, looking out the window again.
"A tutor, hmm? Excellent."
"Someone with power. Someone who teaches me the system... so I can destroy it the right way."
She kept her sweet smile, her childish look... But inside, the invisible crown over his head was firmer than ever.
Two years had passed since the magic affinity test.
Elyandra Valemortis, now eight years old, continued to wake up under the silk sheets of the room reserved for the daughters of nobles. His routine began even before the sunlight touched the stained glass windows, and ended only after the bells of the ninth hour of night echoed through the mansion.
She didn't complain.
Studying had become his first battlefield and his mind, a well-polished blade. During this time, his instruction in politics, economics, religion, and social etiquette was intensified. He mastered the history of the Empire, the intrigues of the smaller houses, and knew the seven doctrinal books of the Church almost by heart. He knew where to step and where not to step. What to say. And what just insinuate.
She had also devoted herself zealously to swordsmanship training, supervised by an old instructor who looked unassuming, but whose precision in raising his sword reminded her of the stories of imperial heroes.
With him, he learned early on that you don't win a fight only with strength but with intention.
She had already been authorized to participate in mock combats against another student of her age, a daughter of a minor nobleman. Nothing that put his physical integrity at risk, of course. But enough to understand the reaction time, the angles of attack, and the brutal difference between training and real confrontation.
However, there was one thing that deeply disturbed her. A gap left open. A deferred promise:
The magic.
She waited. And he waited. And then he waited a little longer.
He had imagined that as soon as they discovered his rare affinity, he would immediately begin casting spells capable of bending the heavens and spirits. But instead, he received only soft smiles... and the answer he hated the most:
"It's not the time yet."
At first, she thought it was her father's fault who might want to test her, or control access to knowledge. But no. The decision was not his.
Outside of Altheria.
His mother, always serene, had held his hand one night, and said in that sweet but firm voice:
"I asked us to wait a little longer, Ely. You're still a child... And I wish you had time to be a child, before the world decided who you will be.
Elyandra smiled that night. He said he understood. He said it was fine.
But inside...
Inside, he hated it.
Not badly. But because each day of waiting was like a blank page in his plan. A plan that she wove with the care of a tame, patient spider... but voracious.
Now, two years later, the moment had finally arrived. She was about to take her first formal magic control lesson.
The guardian appointed by the family had already arrived. He was said to be a veteran arcane of one of the most respected academies in the Empire. And her? She was excited. But also cautious.
He couldn't just show everything he knew or everything he was. Not yet.
Today, he would begin another layer of his mask.
And, with it, another stage of his hidden reign.
"The carriage is at the east entrance, Miss Valemortis. The maid said, leaning discreetly.
Elyandra, dressed in a simple but refined outfit for the meeting, followed with light steps down the corridor to the outdoor area. There, in the shadow of the golden columns, awaited a woman with a firm posture, crossed arms and a countenance between stern and bored.
She wore a gray military-cut cape, unadorned. Dark, short hair, tied in a loose braid that hung over his shoulder. Violet eyes, a magical color. Striking. They observed Elyandra with surgical precision.
"You're smaller than I imagined. The woman said, neither bowing nor smiling.
"Miss Elyandra Valemortis." Elyandra replied, with an innocent smile and an impeccable bow. "Nice to meet you, tutor.
The woman raised an eyebrow.
"My name is Dalia Vernhardt. Call me what you want, as long as you pay attention to what I teach.
His voice was firm as stone. Without hesitation, without sweetness.
"Do you know why I'm here?"
Elyandra tilted her head slightly, feigning innocence.
"Why do I have so much to learn?"
Dalia smiled from the side, just for a moment. Like someone who reads between the lines.
"Yes. And also because you carry something that almost no one on this continent has: double affinity for magic rare enough for all the upper echelons to want to get their hands on you. She crossed her arms again. "Vaelric has asked me personally to take care of you."
Her father's name, said in a direct and reverently manner, made Elyandra wink. It was rare to hear anyone treat him like that.
"Do you know him?"
"More than I would like. Dahlia replied dryly. "And less than he thinks.
Silence. The wind blew gently through the gardens, bringing with it the smell of honeysuckle.
"Starting tomorrow, we will start with magical control, theory of spiritual manipulation and divine foundations. You'll sweat, fall, bleed, and you'll thank me when you're alive on a battlefield.
Elyandra just smiled. He lowered his head in respect and murmured:
"If possible, I'd like to avoid the bleeding part."
But inside, his mind vibrated in restrained ecstasy.
"Finally. An important piece on the board. Now, the match really begins."