CHAPTER 192: A GATHERING OF BLADES [4]

Author’s Note: This Chapter is Seris’s POV after the Council meeting. You can skip it if you prefer as some readers found Aurelia’s POV repetitive in Chapter 64 and 65.

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[Seris’s POV]

Seris Voidcrest stepped out of the portal. Her boots clicked softly against the polished marble floor of her office.

The quiet scent of old books and ink drifted through the air. Wrapping around her like something familiar and steady.

Moonlight poured through the tall arched windows. Casting pale silver lines across her desk and shelves.

Everything was exactly as she’d left it. Tidy, calm, untouched.

Stacks of reports waited for her on the desk, lined up in perfect order.

She stood still for a moment, just listening.

The distant murmur of late-night students echoed through the academy halls.

A soft breeze rustled the leaves outside, carrying the cool smell of autumn with it.

Seris let out a long breath, slow and quiet.

Then she crossed the room and lowered herself into her chair. The leather creaked beneath her, cool and smooth.

’That could have gone worse.’

She’d expected the council to push.

To dig deeper into Kyle Valemont.

Why a first-year student had drawn such dangerous attention.

And they had. Some of them, more than others.

But she had steered the conversation. Nudged it away from him.

Make it about her. Make it about the threat.

And it had worked.

For now.

Her fingers tapped lightly against the armrest as she thought back on the meeting.

Duke Veyl’s sharp eyes had lit up when Kyle’s name came up.

King Sylas, his jaw had tensed the moment the hospital was mentioned.

And Illyria... she had clutched her pendant tightly. As if waiting for it to give her an answer.

But in the end. All of them had turned their focus to Vesper.

To the bigger danger.

’Good.’

That’s what Seris wanted.

Because Kyle wasn’t ready.

Not for the games nobles played. Not for the quiet way they tore people apart just to see what was inside.

He was strong, much stronger than most gave him credit for.

But strength wouldn’t protect him from politics.

And she wouldn’t let him become just another tool.

Not while she could help it.

——

[A Few Days Earlier]

Kyle had stood in this very office.

The sun had been shining through the windows, catching the white of his hair.

It was different now—white like snow, with soft blue streaks at the ends.

His eyes, once two different colors, now matched. Bright and sharp, both electric blue.

He shifted slightly. The leather of his boots making a quiet creak on the floor.

"You wanted to see me, Vice Principal?"

Seris had watched him from her chair. Taking in the way he stood.

There was something new in his posture.

Not fear. Not weakness.

Awareness.

"Sit," she said. Nodding toward the chair across from her.

He paused for a moment, just a heartbeat.

That slight lift of his chin showed he didn’t like taking orders.

But he sat.

No fidgeting. No glancing away. Just quiet, steady eyes on hers.

She leaned forward, folding her hands on the desk.

"Tell me everything," she said, voice calm but firm.

"From the moment you woke up in that hospital to the second Vesper disappeared."

And he did.

Kyle told her everything. No hesitation. No holding back. His voice steady, calm.

He described the strange space, Vesper’s domain.

How the air inside had felt thick and heavy, like it didn’t belong in this world.

The way it smelled sharp and metallic. Like blood and rust.

Vesper had spoken to him like it was all a joke. Like none of it mattered. Like Kyle’s life was just another piece on a board he was playing with.

And worse, Vesper had talked about demons like they were insects. Nothing to fear.

Like something even worse than Demon war was coming.

Then came the hooded figure.

Kyle said they had appeared from the shadows without a sound.

That their blade, made of pure darkness. Cut through Vesper’s domain like it was paper. The clash between them had nearly torn the room apart.

"You don’t know who the hooded figure was?" Seris asked when he finished.

Kyle shook his head. "No. But they saved my life."

Seris leaned back in her chair. Her fingers pressed together under her chin. Her golden eyes studied him.

"And Vesper? He wanted you to join him?"

Kyle nodded once. "Yeah. He gave me a choice. Join him or die."

"And you refused."

"Obviously."

Something in Seris’ face softened for a brief second. Maybe it was amusement. Maybe it was relief. It passed quickly.

Then she asked the one thing she’d been holding back.

"Why tell me all this? You could have lied."

Kyle didn’t look away. "You already know about my four affinities. You’ve saved my life before. More than once."

He paused.

Then, quieter, he said, "I know you’re not the kind of person who’d sell me out."

The words hung in the air, heavier than they sounded.

Seris let out a short, dry chuckle and shook her head.

"You’re too trusting, Mr. Valemont."

"Maybe," Kyle said, with a faint smile. "But I’m still alive, aren’t I?"

She dismissed him after that. Let him go. But his words stayed with her.

"I know you’re not that kind of person."

Foolish boy.

Now, alone in her office with only moonlight spilling through the windows. Seris closed her eyes.

She tilted her head back. The cool leather of her chair pressed gently against her neck.

Demons going after talented students wasn’t new.

But this wasn’t about killing.

They hadn’t tried to end Kyle.

They’d tried to recruit him.

They saw value in him. Enough to send someone of Vesper level. Enough to risk exposing themselves.

And that changed everything.

Because the moment word spread. Once the nobles stopped being distracted. They’d turn their eyes back to him.

They’d ask questions.

They’d want control.

They’d want to use him.

Her hand curled into a fist on the desk. A soft flicker of mana sparked around her knuckles, purple and sharp like a warning.

The papers under her hand crinkled from the pressure.

’Let them try.’

The academy protected its own.

And so did she.

———