Varion hovered above, his expression unreadable as he observed the boy below. NOX Ashborn.
For four years, this heir of the Ashborn family had been nothing more than a quiet, obedient student—one who never stepped out of line, never raised his voice, and never showed defiance.
Yet today, standing in the open courtyard, surrounded by murmuring students, he was… different.
Varion watched as NOX's lips curved into a smirk.
"Professor Varion, you're looking a little… blue. Is that the new fashion for airborne academics? Or are you just testing if you can turn into a snowflake before breakfast?"
The moment the words left NOX's mouth, a collective gasp rippled through the crowd.
"Did he just… mock Professor Varion?"
"Is he insane? Varion will flay him alive!"
"He's the Ashborn. What did you expect? Subtlety?"
[+1112 Fear….]
[+825 Annoyance…]
NOX: "..."
Seriously? It's this easy to farm Emotion Points from these brats?' NOX mused, but his brow furrowed when he noticed something strange—Professor Varion hadn't contributed a single point.
'Is this guy actually frozen up there?'
But NOX quickly dismissed the thought. He knew Varion wasn't someone who lost composure so easily.
Professor Varion - A man every student feared—a master manipulator who held grudges for years, striking only when he had an absolute advantage.
Yet, NOX was taunting him.
Varion, however, remained still. He had seen and experienced far more in his thousand-year existence. He was a Rank 6 Awakener, a figure who had long surpassed the concerns of mere insults.
The titles of Ashborn or Heavenhart meant little to him.
With the Human Supreme Society backing him, why would he fear a mere 'Ashborn'?
If NOX was proven to be a Devil, then it was only a matter of time before his entire lineage fell.
After a moment of silence, Varion finally spoke, his voice cutting through the murmurs below.
"Nox Ashborn. The Society has presented compelling evidence suggesting your… nature may not be as it appears."
He deliberately avoided saying it outright. Accusing someone of Devilry wasn't something to be done lightly—especially not when dealing with the Dark Heaven Clan.
Even if he did not fear them, he was not foolish enough to provoke unnecessary trouble.
NOX smirked, immediately grasping Varion's character—'one of those who believed they had seen it all'.
Tipping his head slightly, his blindfold seemingly fixed on Varion, he mused, "My nature? Oh, you mean my charming personality? Or are we talking about something else… like being a 'Devil' perhaps?"
Varion stiffened.
Something was off.
He couldn't read NOX.
Based on his knowledge, the boy was supposed to be docile—someone who would rather endure than openly retaliate.
But the NOX standing before him today was neither timid nor reserved. If anything, there was a whimsical sharpness in his tone, as if he found the entire situation amusing.
Had NOX been feigning submission all along?
If so, then underestimating this young man was a mistake. For four years, he had concealed himself within the academy, playing the role of a tame house cat.
Varion exhaled lightly. The cold approach hadn't worked—perhaps a softer touch would. 'How could a mere 17-year-old brat outmaneuver a thousand-year-old veteran in scheming?'
"NOX," Varion's voice turned smoother, but his authority remained firm. "You are a student of this academy, and you have always followed its rules. The academy only wishes to help you—it would never harm you. So… if you've mistakenly accepted a Devil's power, just come clean. We all know how Devils tempt mortals; it wouldn't be your fault. You're a victim here. But if you don't tell us what kind of power the Devil granted you… we won't be able to help."
His words were carefully woven to coax a confession. If NOX were truly a naïve 17-year-old who had succumbed to temptation, he might have taken the bait.
But NOX had witnessed the schemes of entities capable of shaping Destinies, of erasing entire Creations.
And Varion thought a mere Rank 6 Awakener could deceive him?
NOX nearly laughed at the attempt. 'This kid genuinely thinks he can trick me into admitting I took Devil's power.'
The students shifted uneasily, their gazes flickering between NOX and the professors. The weight of the accusation hung thick in the air.
The word "Devil" carried an ominous undercurrent, a blight upon the academy's pristine image. If left unchecked, NOX's so-called 'Devil Power'—or, more precisely, Evil Energy—could corrupt the entire school.
That was the true terror of Devils. Their power wasn't just dangerous—it was infectious.
No matter how powerful one became, resisting the corruption of Evil Energy was impossible—just as no one could escape their [Destiny].
That was why an accusation of accepting Devil Power was so damning. It didn't just taint the accused; it cast a shadow over those around them.
There were entire Lower Planes that had been consumed by Evil Energy, entire civilizations lost to its spread. If one had to compare it to something, the simplest explanation would be this: Evil Energy was a virus—one potent enough to infect an entire universe if left unchecked.
And today, NOX was being accused of embracing that corruption.
Truth didn't matter. Fear did.
And the Human Supreme Society was weaponizing that fear as an excuse to move against NOX's family.
Varion's gaze shifted to Histaria, whose face had paled with frustration. Regret weighed heavily on her—volunteering to handle this mess had been a grave mistake.
But now that she knew NOX's true status, how could she dare act against him? And yet, if she failed to produce results, she would inevitably offend the Human Supreme Society.
Her fingers curled into her palms, nails digging deep into her flesh.
Steeling herself, she stepped forward. "NOX, this is not something to be taken lightly. The Society's concerns are… substantial. And the Academy genuinely wishes to help you rid yourself of this Devil power."
She paused, locking eyes with his blindfold, yet she couldn't decipher his expression.
The NOX standing before her was not the one she had seen yesterday.
'Did the students push him too far… to the point that he simply stopped caring?' she wondered.
Even so, she pressed on. "You understand how dangerous Evil Energy is, don't you? If you don't purge it soon, it could spread—to those around you, to your family, even to your mothe—"
But before she could complete the last word, everything around her fell into an eerie stillness.
She saw it—NOX's frown.
A simple shift in expression, yet it seemed to silence the world itself.
His blindfold remained in place, but she felt it—his gaze locked onto her, pressing down like an unseen force.
Histaria's breath hitched.
He released no aura, no pressure—nothing that could be felt. Yet that single frown carried an authority that made the air grow heavy.
"Complete your speech…" NOX's voice was calm, yet it sent a chill down her spine. His frown deepened, and the weight of his presence only grew.
Then she saw them.
Countless crimson eyes.
They emerged from the void, from the unseen depths of his being, staring into her soul.
'I will die…'
The thought struck her like a blade, terror bleeding into despair.
[Despair gazing at you!]
It was as if despair itself had taken form, manifesting through NOX's unseen gaze.
The eyes did not simply watch—they crawled.
Like writhing parasites, they burrowed into her soul, feeding on her desires and her very being, consuming the last remnants of her will.
NOX's gaze shifted upward to Varion as he spoke, "Congratulations! You've successfully managed to stir my emotions."
Though his tone remained casual, his presence was anything but.
Varion watched as Histaria—someone on par with him as a Rank 6 Awakener—collapsed to the ground, sobbing in despair. Yet, despite witnessing it firsthand, he could not understand—could not even sense—what NOX had done.
A creeping unease settled over him.
Just moments ago, NOX had been taunting them with amusement, indifferent to their accusations. But without warning, he had shifted—his demeanor turning sharp, unreadable.
And now, Varion understood.
He could not handle NOX.
Because NOX was not someone bound by reason or restraint. He acted on whims, and nothing was more terrifying than a man whose next move could never be predicted.
Varion's gaze flickered toward the void, his unease deepening.
The Human Supreme Society needed to act. Fast.
Because if they didn't…
He had no idea what NOX would do next.
The silence that followed Histaria's collapse was thick with a suffocating tension. Students, frozen in place, watched with wide eyes as their once formidable professor crumbled before the unseen power of the Ashborn. Whispers, hushed and fearful, snaked through the crowd.
"He… he broke her."
"Just with a look?"
"What kind of monster is he?"
"Devil! He's a devil!"
[+2300 Fear…]
[+1500 Dread…]
[+800 Awe…]
NOX, his blindfold unwavering, stood as a dark sentinel, a harbinger of the storm that was about to break…..