Chapter 4: Departure of the Serpent Heir
The morning mist coiled around the Rochel estate like ghostly serpents.
Three black carriages stood in the front courtyard, each engraved with the sigil of House Rochel—a silver serpent curled around a sword. Behind them, armored beast knights stood at attention, their own tamed companions flanking them in silence.
Evan adjusted his dark coat, his back to the mansion.
Nex, now reduced in size to the length of his arm, curled loosely around his shoulders, his scales shimmering with a faint black-blue glow. No one dared come too close to him—not even the most seasoned beast handlers. Not after the binding ritual.
Behind him, the grand doors of the mansion opened with a creak.
Duke Leonis Rochel approached in full formal armor, his cloak trailing behind him like a banner of war. His expression was calm, but his eyes were sharper than usual.
"You leave today as more than a student," Leonis said. "You carry the expectations of this family. Of an Empire."
Evan gave a small nod.
The Duke came to a stop beside him. "Do not trust anyone at Aflety. Not the professors. Not the nobles. Certainly not the royal envoys. Everyone will want something from you."
"Even you?" Evan asked.
His father cracked the ghost of a smile. "Especially me."
There was a pause.
Then Leonis reached into his coat and pulled out a crystal orb the size of a fist. The inside shimmered with blue and black essence—eerily similar to Nex's aura.
"This is an old relic from the Serpent Archives," Leonis said. "It reacts to divine beasts… and to unclean bonds."
He handed it to Evan. "Keep it close. It will warn you if the Nest draws near."
Evan accepted it silently, tucking it into his satchel.
As he turned to leave, Leonis said one more thing.
"If you awaken further… if that Basilisk changes—don't hide it. Let them see it. Let the Empire remember what it fears."
Evan met his father's eyes. "I'll make sure they never forget."
On the Road – Hours Later
The carriages rolled through the southern hills, leaving the ancestral home behind.
Evan sat in the main carriage, eyes closed, feeling the rhythmic motion of the wheels beneath him. Lilith sat across from him, one leg elegantly crossed over the other. She had changed into her traveling cloak, but her presence was just as regal—and unnerving.
"You're calm for someone going to a school full of potential enemies," she said after a while.
"I'm used to it."
Lilith raised an eyebrow. "You say that like a man twice your age."
He didn't answer.
Outside, the trees began to twist into unfamiliar shapes—branches like claws, leaves tinted faintly red. They were entering the outer edge of the Serpent Veil, a cursed forest bordering the old empire ruins.
That's when the carriage suddenly slowed.
A knock came at the window.
"Master Evan," the lead knight called, urgency in his voice. "You'll want to see this."
Evan stepped out, Lilith following close behind.
The forest clearing ahead was dead silent.
Crows perched on broken stones. And in the middle of the road—blocking their path—stood a single black-robed figure.
Their face was masked. Bone-white, with a single crimson eye etched into the forehead.
Lilith tensed instantly. "That symbol… that's—"
"I know," Evan said quietly.
The Black Nest.
The figure raised one hand, not in aggression, but as if inviting.
Then, without a word, the masked agent dropped something on the ground.
A black feather… and a scroll sealed with bloodwax.
Evan stepped forward before anyone could stop him.
He picked up the scroll.
It read:
To the one who walks with the Serpent King,
We see the path you tread. We know what lies beneath your beast.
The gods you defy… are not as dead as you think.
When the stars fall, so too shall your fate.
– The Cardinal watches.*
A strange pressure pulsed through the air. Then the masked figure stepped back… and vanished into mist.
Lilith let out a soft curse. "They're testing you."
Evan looked down at the scroll once more, then at the feather.
"No," he said quietly. "They're inviting me."
Nightfall – Just Outside Aflety Magic Academy
The silhouette of Aflety Academy loomed ahead—towers carved from obsidian stone, floating sigils tracing the perimeter, great elemental beasts patrolling the skies like guardian spirits.
Evan's eyes narrowed.
The Academy was far larger than he imagined. More a fortress than a school.
And yet… it would become the heart of everything. Rivalries. Secrets. War.
And it begins tomorrow.
Nex stirred on his shoulders and whispered into his mind.
This place stinks of fate. Of blood. And old gods. Be ready, Master. Not all awakenings are kind.
Evan said nothing.
But he felt it, too.
In the far distance—hidden in the spires—a single masked figure watched the approaching carriages from the shadows of a bell tower.
And the Cardinal smiled.
[End of Chapter 4]