---
Echoes of a Duel
The Academy buzzed.
Every corridor, lecture hall, and dining pavilion echoed with one name: Harvey.
He was no longer just the "unranked lastborn" of a disgraced aristocrat family.
He was now the boy who broke Zane Helbrecht in a single strike.
Whispers followed him like shadows.
> "Did you see how he moved?"
"What was that magic? I've never seen a Soul Sever variant."
"Even the professors couldn't explain it—he's dangerous…"
But Harvey didn't care.
He walked the halls like a man among children. His eyes were cold, his expression unreadable.
Every step he took was calculated.
The system in his mind displayed constant streams of data. Mana flow. Affinity signatures. Threat levels.
And deeper than all that—a hidden counter ticking slowly in the background:
> [Corruption Level: 3%]
[Locked Trait: Spellbreaker] – Awakening Condition: Unknown
He would find out soon enough.
---
The Council Reacts
In a darkened chamber lit by glyphs and floating scrying crystals, the Student Council gathered.
Their president, Lucien Draeven, a third-year with crimson eyes and a legacy older than the Empire itself, stood with arms crossed.
> "Zane lost," he said flatly. "And not by luck."
Vice President Sarina Vale tapped her nails against her tome.
> "You think he's dangerous?"
> "No. I know he is," Lucien answered. "And worse—he doesn't care about the rankings. That kind of indifference is lethal."
> "Should we eliminate him?"
Lucien paused. A slow, calculating smile formed.
> "Not yet. Let's give him a seat at the table first… and see what he does with it."
---
Behind the Mask
Later that night, Harvey returned to his dorm.
The door closed behind him with a faint hiss of enchanted locks.
He dropped the calm facade.
His eyes burned.
> "Too slow," he muttered. "Still too weak."
He moved to the center of the room and activated a concealed ritual circle.
The floor shifted, revealing a hidden chamber below—filled with relics, scrolls, and the broken remains of his former life.
At the heart of it all was a sword.
Or rather, a shard of one.
> "Spellbreaker," he whispered.
The moment his fingers touched it, memories assaulted him.
Screams.
Flames.
Chains.
A throne of ash.
> "They thought destroying you would erase me. But I remember everything now."
> [Memory Synchronization: 41% Complete]
> [Skill Unlocked – Shadow Casting: Phantom Step]
> [Corruption Level: 4%]
> "Come, world," Harvey murmured. "Judge me again. I'll burn the courtroom this time."
---
The Girl Who Watched
From across the dormitory complex, a figure leaned against a windowsill.
Liora Crestfallen—top-ranked duelist, heir of the Moonlight Tower, and the only one who hadn't spoken a word about Harvey since the duel.
Her silver hair swayed in the breeze. Her eyes never left his window.
> "You're not like the others," she said softly.
> "You're worse."
And somehow, she didn't hate that.
---