Chapter 9 Chapter 9: The Chosen Vessel
The Chosen Vessel
Deep under the capital, darkness filled an underground chamber while several presence sat on a stone table.
All of them wore black robes while it radiated with dangerous mana, dark mages, deadly killers and monsters hiding behind human faces.
At the center I saw a familiar presence, it was scorpion, his yellow eyes glower under his hood, his body looked weaker than before.
The damage I caused still remained on his body, but the hatred inside him had only grown stronger.
A robed presence spoke. Cedric wants the boy dead."
Scorpion's smile widened. "Good." Another presence leaned forward.
"Can you kill him?" Silence followed, immediately Then Scorpion laughed.
A terrible laugh, The room became colder that moment "I'll do more than kill him."
His yellow eyes glowed more brighter"I'll make him beg first."
The dark mages smiled, One by one. Because they understood. Scorpion wasn't hunting Rowan anymore.
He was obsessed, and obsessed enemies were the most dangerous kind.
I was already back at the academy, before I knew it night slowly approached which made students return to their dormitories, professors instantly finished their lessons.
The campus became quieter, But something felt wrong, Very wrong.The system suddenly flashed.
[WARNING.] [Multiple Hostile Signatures Detected.]
I stopped walking. The academy courtyard was empty.
Yet the warning remained, my instincts immediately activated, Phoenix Eyes which made golden light flashed, then I saw them again.
Several presence hidden across nearby rooftops, watching me and following every of my move
My heartbeat slowed they were lots of Assassins. The system confirmed it.
[Threat Identified.] [Dark Mage Operatives.]
[Estimated Threat Count: 12.] Twelve? My expression hardened. The academy was supposed to be secure.
Yet dark mages had already infiltrated it. How? The answer appeared immediately.
They might have bribe them with money, this corruption and fear must stop, someone inside the academy was helping them.
The realization made my stomach tighten, then one final notification appeared.The moment I read it, my blood ran cold.
[Emergency Event Initiated.] [Scorpion Has Entered Imperial Arcane Academy.]
I froze, Scorpion. Again.The system continued. [Objective Updated.]
[Survive.] Then everything went dark immediately.
For a split second, I couldn't see anything. The academy courtyard vanished, the moonlight disappeared.
Even the sounds around me faded away, a cold sensation crawled across my skin.
My heart pounded heavily.Then—The darkness shattered.My vision returned instantly, I as still standing in the courtyard.
The academy buildings stood where they had always been. Students walked through distant pathways.
Nothing looked different.Yet my instincts screamed that something had changed.
The system remained silent afterward. That only made me more nervous.
Whenever the system stopped talking after a warning, things usually became much worse.
I slowly exhaled. Twelve assassins, Dark mages hidden inside the academy.
Scorpion somewhere nearby.BAnd now an emergency event.
Great.Just great.BMy life was becoming more complicated every day.
I activated Phoenix Eyes. Golden light flickered inside my pupils.Immediately, the world changed.
Mana flowed through the academy like rivers of glowing energy.
Enchantments covered every wall.NProtective formations surrounded important buildings.
Students carried unique magical signatures. But among them...I noticed several strange presences.
They looked like students. They dressed like students.Yet their mana felt wrong.
It was Dark, cold, predatory I quietly lowered my gaze. No reason to alert them.
I turned and continued walking toward the dormitory area.
But before I could leave—"Rowan." A calm female voice stopped me.
I froze. Because I already knew who it was. Lyra Valeheart.
I turned around. There she stood under the silver moonlight, with her long dark blue hair flowed behind her.
Her silver eyes seemed capable of seeing through every secret.Several students immediately noticed her presence.
Whispers spread instantly."The Ice Queen."
"Lyra Valeheart." "One of the strongest academy geniuses." Most students avoided her naturally.
Not because she was cruel. Because she was intimidating, very intimidating.
She slowly approached, with every of her step looking elegant, controlled and really dangerous.
I remained calm, at least outwardly. Inside, I was already preparing for trouble.
Lyra stopped a few feet away, then she stared directly into my eyes.
.
Almost as if she was searching for something hidden inside them.
Neither of us spoke for a while ,
Finally—she said something out of the blue "You've changed."
Straight to the point. Just like Cedric. I sighed internally.
Why did everyone keep saying that? "I hear that a lot lately."
Her expression didn't change. "Because it's true."
I shrugged. "People change, but not overnight."
There it was. Suspicion. Lyra wasn't stupid. She was one of the smartest students in the academy.
Maybe even smarter than most professors. And she had been watching me, observing me and analysing me for a while now.
But that made her dangerous really dangerous Her silver eyes narrowed slightly.B"The old Rowan couldn't defeat Scorpion."
I remained silent. "The old Rowan couldn't heal his wounds."
"The old Rowan couldn't move the way you move."The pressure in the air increased.
Not magical pressure. Mental pressure.Then she said something unexpected.
"I investigated you." That caught my attention.
"Oh?" She nodded. "I spoke with servants." My heartbeat remained steady.
"I spoke with students."I kept my face expressionless.
"I spoke with academy officials." Interesting. Very interesting.
Lyra continued. "Everything points to the same conclusion."
I almost asked. Instead I waited. Then she finished. "You are hiding something."
My stomach tightened. Not because she was wrong. Because she was right.
But she still didn't know the truth.Nobody did, not even Lucian, Cedric or Lucas, not even the system fully explained everything.
The truth was bigger than all of them. Lyra took another step closer. "You don't have to tell me what it is."
That surprised me. Then she smiled faintly.NThe first genuine smile I had ever seen from her.
It lasted less than a second. "I just want to know if you're an enemy."
I blinked That wasn't what I expected, Not at all. or a moment, I saw something under her cold exterior.
She genuinely cared about the academy, about the empire and the people living in it.
If I became a threat, she would stop me. No matter the cost.
I respected that."I don't want to destroy anything." Her eyes searched mine.
Phoenix Eyes activated automatically.I noticed something strange. Lyra wasn't lying either.
A warm silver aura surrounded her soul it was really pure.
She nodded slowly. "As long as that's true, we won't have problems."
Then she turned away, our conversation over.BJust like that. Yet before leaving, she stopped.
Without looking back, she spoke one final sentence."Be careful tonight."
I frowned. "What do you mean?" Then—"I can feel them too."
My eyes widened. Then she walked away. Leaving me alone under the moonlight.
My heartbeat accelerated. So Lyra sensed them.
The assassins, that meant her awareness was far stronger than I realized.
I now fully understood why she was considered one of the academy's greatest talents.
She wasn't just powerful, But she was incredibly observant.I watched her disappear into the distance.
Then the system suddenly flashed.
[Notice.] [Lyra Valeheart Affinity Increased.]
[Current Status: Interested.] I almost laughed.
Interested? What exactly was that supposed to mean?
The system refused to elaborate. Typical.
It was already a late night hour already the night already deepened.Most students returned to their dormitories.
The academy slowly became quiet. I sat alone inside my room. Phoenix Eyes remained active.
The assassins hadn't moved yet, neither had Scorpion.
That worried me, people like Scorpion weren't patient. Which meant he was planning something.
A knock sounded at my door. Three soft taps. I immediately became alert.
The system flashed. [Visitor Detected.]
I opened the door carefully. Mira stood outside. The young maid looked relieved after seeing me.
"Young Master Rowan." I smiled slightly.
"Mira." Her eyes became watery. "You disappeared after the tournament."
"I was busy." She crossed her arms. "That's not an excuse."
I laughed. A genuine laugh. Mira relaxed slightly. Then her expression became serious.
"I heard rumors." Of course she did. Rumors traveled faster than magic.
"What rumors?" Her voice dropped. "They say dark mages entered the academy."
I remained silent. Fear appeared in her eyes. "Is it true?"
"Partially." That wasn't comforting. Not even a little. Mira grabbed my sleeve.
"Please be careful." Something about her voice made my chest tighten.
After everything.. She still worried about me.
I nodded. "I'll be careful." Mira smiled weakly.
Then left. But before she disappeared down the hallway Arcane Academy, she turned around.
"Promise?" I paused. Then nodded. "I promise."
Only after she left did I realize something. I actually meant it.
Which was strange. Because in my first life... I had stopped making promises a long time ago.
Promises usually ended with betrayal. A familiar memory surfaced.
Selena, The woman who betrayed me. The woman who helped kill me.
Pain flashed through my chest, what was she doing, I felt really bothered, trying to plan my revenge. But I quickly pushed the memory away.
There were more important things to worry about. Such as surviving.
Midnight arrived. Then everything changed. The system exploded with warnings.
[WARNING.] [WARNING.] [WARNING.] Every notification glowed crimson.
My heart skipped. [Hostile Movement Detected.]
[Multiple Targets Approaching.]B[Threat Level Increasing.]
I stood immediately.
Then Phoenix Eyes activated fully. Golden flames filled my vision. And I finally saw them.
The assassins All twelve of them moving through the academy, slowly and silently, like ghosts.
Their targets weren't random, every one of them was heading toward the same location.
My location, The dormitory, my blood ran cold, they were coming.
Right now, I rushed toward the window. The academy looked peaceful from the outside.
Students slept peacefully while some professors rested. Nobody realized what was happening.
Nobody except me, then another notification appeared.
[Additional Threat Detected.] [Scorpion Located.]
My heart sank. Where? The answer appeared instantly.
[Distance: 120 Meters.]
It way too close. I scanned the academy grounds.Then I found him, standing atop the academy clock tower.
Moonlight illuminated his dark robes.His yellow eyes glowed like those of a monster.
And he was smiling. Even from that distance... I could feel his hatred, It was almost alive.
The man hadn't forgotten his defeat, not even slightly.
He wanted revenge, No. He wanted obsession. He wanted suffering.
His gaze locked onto mine. Across the entire academy.
Then slowly—He raised one finger. Pointing directly at me.
My heartbeat thundered.Scorpion knew exactly where I was.
The system flashed again. [Emergency Event Updated.] [Phase Two Beginning.]
I didn't like the sound of that, Not even a little. Then something even worse happened.
The sky above the academy suddenly darkened which made clouds gathered, making the moon disappear, students began waking up.
confused voices sounded through the campus, professors emerged from buildings.
Everyone looked upward, nobody understood what was happening.
But I did, because the system gave me the answer. The notification that appeared next made my blood freeze completely.
[Crimson Monarch Influence Detected. [Ancient Seal Weakening.]
[Warning.] [Warning.] [Warning.]
Then the final message appeared. The one that made my entire body go cold.
[The Crimson Monarch Has Chosen A Vessel.]
For several seconds, I couldn't breathe.
A vessel? Who? The answer appeared slowly.
One glowing word at a time. And when I read the name... My heart nearly stopped.
[Candidate Identified.] [Lyra Valeheart.]
The world seemed to freeze around me and instantly a terrified scream suddenly sounded through the night.
