Calm Before The Storm (1)

The flickering candlelight cast long shadows across the walls of my chamber.

I stood in front of the mirror, slowly buttoning the crisp black shirt that hung perfectly over my frame. The reflection staring back at me was almost unrecognizable.

*This body…*

I had never had a physique like this. Not in this life. Not in my past one.

Back on Earth, I had been *fat and ugly,* a shut-in author with nothing to my name except a keyboard and an overactive imagination. When I arrived in this world, I inherited the body of Julius Vaelorian—a weak, sickly noble, his frame frail and brittle from years of neglect.

Now?

Now I was something *else entirely.*

My muscles were lean and defined, packed with strength yet maintaining the agility I had drilled into my movements. My shoulders were broader, my posture exuding an aura of absolute confidence. My skin no longer clung to my bones, but instead held the hardness of a body *forged through battle.*

I had done this.

With *nothing* but my own will, I had shaped this body through *days upon days* of relentless training in the woods, forcing myself to the brink of exhaustion. Every spar with Joseph, every brutal lesson, had honed me into something deadly.

For the first time in *either* of my lives, I had the body I had always *wanted.*

A sharp, choked sob pulled my attention away from the mirror.

I turned.

Tied to a chair in the corner of my room, her wrists bound, her silver hair disheveled and clinging to her tear-streaked face, was the last surviving Windrider.

**Elaine Windrider.**

Her emerald eyes, filled with pure hatred and grief, glared up at me even as fresh tears slipped down her cheeks.

"You…" Her voice was hoarse from hours of crying, yet it still carried venom. "You *murderer.*"

I sighed, rolling my sleeves up. "You're still on that?"

Her body trembled, but not from fear. From *rage.* "You killed my brothers. You took everything from me!" Her voice cracked, her breathing ragged. "You monster!"

I walked toward her slowly, my presence looming over her. I crouched down until I was at eye level, my smirk cold and unforgiving.

"Everything?" I echoed. "No. *Not everything.*"

Her breath hitched.

I leaned in slightly, my voice dropping to something softer. "You still have one thing left."

Elaine's teeth clenched as I reached out, gripping her chin between my fingers and tilting her face up.

"You *belong to me now.*"

Her entire body tensed.

Then she *screamed,* thrashing violently against her bindings. "I *am not* yours! You disgusting, vile demon!"

I let out a low chuckle, shaking my head. "Demon?"

How *ironic.*

I was the opposite of a demon.

I was the **creator** of this world. Its god.

And yet, inside me lurked the remnants of one of the greatest demons to ever exist—*Beelzebub, Lord of Gluttony.*

I released her chin, standing back up and turning away. "You really are *stupid,*" I muttered.

Elaine flinched at the insult but kept silent.

"You messed with the wrong person at the wrong time." I walked over to my wardrobe, pulling out a sleek black coat and tossing it onto my bed. "And now, you're going to live with the consequences."

Her breathing was still ragged, but her voice carried something else this time.

*Desperation.*

"You can't keep me here forever," she whispered. "My people will come for me. The Windrider Clan will never—"

"They won't find you," I cut her off, buttoning my cuffs. "And even if they did, what do you think would happen? You think they'd negotiate? They'd rather see you dead than let you be my prisoner."

Her lips trembled, her confidence faltering for just a second.

I smirked. "Face it, Elaine. The moment you stepped into my house, your fate was sealed."

She looked away, silent.

Good. She was starting to understand.

Now, I had bigger things to focus on.

I grabbed a small trunk from the corner of my room and began packing my belongings. The royal banquet was coming, and I needed to prepare.

In the original story, the *banquet arc* was nothing but filler—a way to introduce political figures and let the protagonist, Alex, shine in front of the nobility. But now, with everything that had happened, it was far more important.

Merlin Ambrosius would be there.

The head of the Windrider Clan would be there.

It was the perfect stage to change the game entirely.

A sudden knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts.

I glanced at Elaine. "Make a sound, and I'll gag you."

She shot me a venomous glare but said nothing.

Satisfied, I walked over and opened the door.

Standing there, adjusting his glasses with a polite smile, was **Evan Jones.**

I raised an eyebrow. "Huh. You're alive."

Evan smirked, stepping inside. "Barely."

I had thought he'd died during Doyle's attack on the academy. The fact that he was still standing meant he was either *extremely* lucky or *extremely* useful.

He handed me a sealed envelope.

"To Julius Vaelorian," he said smoothly, before correcting himself with a knowing smirk. "Or should I say… *Lucien Dross?*"

I raised an eyebrow, taking the envelope. "This better be interesting."

Evan adjusted his glasses again. "The head of the **Golden Compass** has been invited to the royal banquet."

I blinked.

I tore open the envelope and read the name signed at the bottom of the invitation.

**Duke Blackwood.**

Arthur's father.

I chuckled under my breath.

Life just worked out for me, didn't it?

Normally, one needed an invitation to attend the banquet. I had considered manipulating Sophia into inviting me and taking Alex's place, but now?

Now, I could walk in as the head of the most *notorious* rising merchant guild in the capital.

Duke Blackwood was *very* interested in the Golden Compass.

I turned back toward Elaine, my smirk widening.

"You'll be my plus one."

Her glare could have killed me.

I just laughed.

___

The next morning, the estate grounds were filled with the sounds of carriage wheels and servants moving about, loading my belongings onto the transport.

At the entrance stood my *entire* family.

My father, Lord Cedric, was at the front, his gaze cold as ice.

"This is it," he said, voice firm. "From this moment forward, you are no longer a Vaelorian. You are no longer a noble. You are nothing."

Blake sneered. Lysandra smirked. Adrian remained silent.

My father's gaze darkened. "Your mother would roll in her grave if she saw what you've become."

I barely reacted.

My *real* mother? She had been a *murderer.* My father? A *drunken bastard.*

Even in this life, I had never had a family that loved me.

But I *didn't care.*

I had something I never had before.

**Power.**

I turned to Joseph. "You're coming with me."

Blake scowled. "You can't—"

I smirked. "It won't be kinslaying if I kill you anymore."

He paled instantly.

I stepped into the carriage, leaning back as the door shut.

Joseph sat across from me.

Elaine sat beside me, arms still bound.

The wheels turned. The estate disappeared in the distance.

And I?

I just smiled.

The world thought Julius Vaelorian was finished.

They were wrong.