CHAPTER 15: THE NEED FOR SSS-RANK

King Cillian waved a hand. "No need for formality, Edric. Sit."

Edric did not sit. "Apologies. I wasn’t expecting you."

The king stepped deeper into the room, his gaze drifting over the open ledgers and the smudged chalkboards listing arcane calculations.

"I see you’re already cleaning up the mess." Cillian said. "Diligent as always."

Edric exhaled through his nose. "The ritual was a failure."

Cillian raised a brow. "It summoned heroes. Strong ones. That alone is worth the effort."

The High Magus’s voice dropped. "Yes, but not the one we needed."

Cillian placed a hand on his shoulder. "Then we try again. Keep refining the ritual. When the stars align next year, we cast it again."

Edric closed the ledger. "As you command."

He hesitated. Then, almost reluctantly, he added, "You know the Demon Lord grows stronger by the month. The latest scouts report he’s reached SS-rank. And worse, he’s begun preparing his own ritual."

Cillian nodded grimly. "He’s trying once again to summon the Demon King."

Edric’s eyes darkened. "If he succeeds... and that thing arrives, an SSS-rank being, we’ll have no way to stop him. We really need an SSS-rank hero. And soon."

The king folded his arms. "Then let’s make sure we’re ready when they come."

Edric looked away, then back. "And what of the heroes we did summon?"

Cillian’s tone lightened. "A promising crop. Several with S-rank potential. They’re starting their first year at the academy now."

Edric’s expression shifted. "Ah... yes. The girl with wings... the vampire... that other one."

He blinked. "Wait. Isn’t your daughter—?"

"S-rank." Cillian confirmed. "Princess Ines. First year. She insisted on attending the academy."

"She’s headstrong." Edric said with a chuckle. "She takes after her mother."

"There are also some noble heirs in the mix." The king added. "All ranked S. All trained from birth."

Edric’s gaze narrowed. "But none of them are our real hope, are they?"

The king nodded once. "No. That title belongs to the only SS-rank potential mage in this generation. They’re already enrolled. Quiet. Watched."

Edric’s shoulders lowered, relief softening his features.

"So the stars haven’t abandoned us yet."

He looked down at the empty vial of voidroot and smiled faintly.

"I only hope," he said aloud, "that our SS-rank student grows strong enough to stop the Demon Lord... before he finishes calling the thing that comes after."

Cillian didn’t reply.

Because they both knew that once the Demon King arrived, there would be no more second chances.

After a few seconds with both men lost in their thoughts, Cillian finally exhaled. "Anyways, that’s not the only reason I’m here."

Edric looked up. "Sire?"

Cillian turned to him fully now, his voice settling into something firmer, more practical.

"I’ll be returning to the frontlines within the week." He said. "The eastern fortress needs reinforcement, and morale is thin. We lost two battalions last month, and the third is holding on by grit and empty hands."

Edric’s face hardened. "How bad?"

"Bad enough." Cillian replied. "We’ve been stretching our reserves too thin. The soldiers need advancement reagents, now. The ritual mixtures. Strength tonics. Stabilizers for their cores. All of it."

Edric nodded, stepping to the side table and pulling out a new scroll. He dipped his quill without delay.

"I’ll have the request passed to the Alchemist Guild by evening." He said. "My assistants will handle the distribution orders. The apprentices can prepare the catalysts for field travel."

"Good." Cillian paused, then added, "Make the priority batches fire and earth attuned. That’s the majority of the frontline casters right now."

Edric made a note, the quill scratching quickly. "Understood."

Cillian gave him a nod. "Thank you, Edric. You’re holding more than just this court together."

The High Magus didn’t reply immediately. He simply bowed once more, quietly, and returned to his writing.

As the king turned to leave, the tension in the room thickened again, unspoken but shared.

Because both men knew, reagents and reinforcements might buy time.

But they would need something much greater if they were to survive what was coming.

[][][][][]

Noah snapped awake, heart pounding.

The floor beneath him trembled, low and steady, like something massive shifting beneath the earth. Dust drifted down from the ceiling, falling in faint spirals through the air. His straw mattress creaked beneath him.

Then, as suddenly as it started, the rumbling stopped.

He sat up in the dark, breath even, listening.

Silence.

He crossed the room in two steps and pulled open the narrow window.

But beyond it, there was no moonlight. No starlight. No outline of the academy grounds.

Just black.

Not the darkness of night.

Something deeper and unnatural. He couldn’t even see the bushes beneath his window. It was as if the world itself had been swallowed in darkness.

Noah’s eyes narrowed.

He turned away and walked to the door, pulling it open.

The hallway outside was filled with quiet movement. Other first year Stone-tier students were stepping out of their rooms, murmuring and exchanging uneasy glances. The walls trembled faintly still, like the air hadn’t settled yet.

"What was that?"

"An earthquake?"

"No... it felt different. I heard earthquakes are more violent than this."

Then... silence filled the air.

It wasn’t just quiet.

It was wrong. Thick. Heavy. Even the air felt like it was holding its breath.

Then came the sound.

Click!

Boots, slowly climbing the stairwell at the far end of the hall.

No one spoke.

They all turned, eyes fixed on the shadows above.

The footsteps continued, one step at a time.

Then... he appeared.

Damien Krell.

The Silver-tier noble Noah had dealt with in the morning. His uniform was immaculate. His pale hair slicked back. And his smile? Too wide. Too smug.

He stood at the top of the stairs, eyes scanning the startled students.

"What’s he doing here?" Someone whispered.

"Isn’t this the Stone dorm?"

Noah didn’t move.

Damien’s gaze found him.

"Well, well, well." He said, grinning. "Did you think you could humiliate me and just walk away, Noah Webb?"