The Prince's arrival

The sky above the academy split in two—one half glowing with divine light, the other swallowed by creeping darkness. The highest tower, once a symbol of peace, had become a battlefield between righteousness and betrayal.

Olivia stood tall, her divine sword glowing like a beacon of judgment. Across from her, Arthur knelt in ruin—his parchment of corruption torn apart, his once-golden eyes now hollow voids.

His lips curled into a wicked smirk, despite the golden blood trailing down his cheek. "You've won nothing," he rasped.

Olivia's blade pressed against his neck, the searing radiance burning his corrupted skin.

"Any last words before I end this?" she asked coldly.

Arthur chuckled. "Go ahead. Kill me. But just know—if I die... Charlotte dies with me."

Olivia's expression shifted slightly.

His grin widened. "Ah. That got your attention."

"I don't believe you," she replied, but her voice was cautious now. "You're bluffing."

"Am I?" he said smoothly, reaching into the folds of his coat. A glimmer of black mana swirled in his palm, forming a projection.

It was Charlotte—bound by thick black chains, motionless, her dress torn and stained. She was lying in a crumbling chamber, surrounded by arcane glyphs glowing in a deadly pattern.

"She's still alive," Arthur said. "But if I die… well, let's just say she becomes nothing more than a red smear on the floor."

Olivia's hands trembled—but only slightly.

"Show me her now," she said.

Arthur frowned, confused. "What?"

"Show me a live feed—right now."

He waved his hand again, the illusion shimmered—

But Charlotte wasn't there.

His heart stopped.

"What…?" He tried again. This time the projection showed only the empty chamber—broken chains, scattered magic glyphs, and silence.

"No. No, no no—where is she?!" he shouted, panicking now. "She was right there!"

"You lost her," Olivia said with a touch of disbelief.

Arthur's face twisted in panic. He yanked a small, black trigger crystal from around his neck and crushed it in his hand.

A beat of silence.

Nothing happened.

No explosion. No burst of mana. Not even a flicker.

"WHY?! WHERE DID THE BOMBS GO?!"

His voice echoed off the tower walls.

A cold voice answered him.

"Are you looking for these?"

A new presence stepped forward from the shadows of the tower stairs. Silver hair fluttered in the wind, his crimson eyes gleaming with controlled fury.

Noah.

In his hand were several blackened mana bombs—dead, defused, and harmless.

Arthur staggered backward. "You…?"

"I told you before, Arthur," Noah said. "You've already lost."

Arthur fell to his knees, horror in his eyes. "How… how did you—"

But Noah said nothing more. His eyes were not filled with anger. They were calm. Cold. Resolved.

He tossed the defused bombs at Arthur's feet. They clattered like stones.

Olivia glanced at Noah, her eyes softening just slightly.

Then she turned to Arthur, her expression hardening once again.

"No more tricks. No more manipulation."

She raised her glowing sword high, mana swirling like a divine storm around her.

"You've fallen too far. There is no redemption left for you."

Golden symbols danced in the sky behind her.

She began to chant.

"By the divine light that governs all—

I cast judgment upon the corrupted,

Let the wicked be cleansed from the earth—

Eternal Judgement!"

A storm of golden radiance gathered above them. Her sword ignited, and a column of light descended from the heavens, engulfing her like a goddess of justice.

Arthur stumbled backward, raising his arms.

"Don't—no—please—!"

But Olivia's blade was already swinging toward his neck, glowing with the might of her divine will.

Arthur's eyes widened. In his final desperation, he reached out with his consciousness, calling to the shadows—

"Shadow Prince—help me! I did everything you asked—!"

But the reply was cold and cruel:

"There is no place for failures in my kingdom."

Arthur's final hope crumbled.

Yet in his madness, he whispered the only thing he had left.

A whisper.

So soft. So desperate.

"..She....Vespara was killed by her"

The divine storm trembled.

Noah's eyes widened.

A crack split the sky.

The atmosphere darkened like ink spilled across the heavens. Thunder rumbled. A pressure descended over the academy so heavy it forced the air from their lungs.

"No…" Olivia muttered, stepping back, her instincts screaming.

Reality itself distorted behind Arthur.

A small portal tore open—unnatural, wrong.

From the darkness within, a massive, clawed hand emerged—masculine, twisted, layered in endless shadows. Its fingers ended in long, razor-like talons, humming with pure malevolence.

Before Olivia could react, the hand pierced straight through her chest.

SCHLK—

"AH—!"

Pain. Sharp. Instant. Blinding.

She looked down. The hand had pierced clean through my chest.

"OLIVIA!!" Noah's scream tore through the air as her body jerked violently, golden blood splattering the ground.

Her blade dimmed. The light in her eyes flickered.

"No…" Arthur gasped, frozen in shock, even he had not expected this.

From the portal, a voice murmured—a whisper deeper than death itself.

"You killed the only light I ever had… so now, I'll drown your world in shadows."

The Shadow Prince had arrived.

And the true nightmare was about to begin.

To be continued…