HJ_Crimson

In a world where magic is coded, weaponized, and monopolized by powerful aristocratic families, Harvey was once a rising star—a commoner-born genius who rewrote the very laws of sorcery. But his brilliance made him a threat. Betrayed, falsely accused of heresy, and erased from history, Harvey’s story should’ve ended at the gallows.

But fate has a backdoor.

Waking up three years in the past, armed with forbidden knowledge and a cold, burning resolve, Harvey activates the Cipher Protocol, a mysterious system that lets him hijack, evolve, and corrupt existing magic codes. This time, he won’t play by the rules. He’ll bend them until they break.

Enrolling in Zenith Academy—the nexus of power, privilege, and secrets—Harvey hides behind a new identity, hunting those who wronged him while uncovering the hidden rot beneath the aristocracy. As magic evolves into data and bloodlines clash with intellect, Harvey prepares to rewrite the world’s fate line by line.

He won’t just survive.
He’ll overwrite destiny itself.


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The Last Spellbreaker

The Lumina Academy wasn't just a place for learning magic—it was a battlefield of ambition, bloodlines, and politics. Every student was either a sword or a shield, and only the sharpest rose to power.

At its center was the Council Hall, where student leaders gathered beneath the symbol of the Empire—a golden phoenix encased in crystal.

This was where Harvey would strike first.

Zane Helbrecht was the perfect adversary.

He was popular, powerful, and part of a noble lineage tied to the Gilded Council. He had a gift for light magic, but more than that, he had influence—dozens of students under his banner, and an ego that made him predictable.

Harvey studied him through the system for three nights.

> "He's the type who needs applause to breathe," Harvey said, half to Sylvia, half to himself. "Take away his stage… and he'll drown."

A tradition at Lumina allowed students to challenge others for Dueling Credits, but if witnessed by enough students, a duel could be escalated to a Ranked Challenge—public and binding.

And Harvey knew exactly where to do it.

The Atrium of Stars, where hundreds gathered for weekly combat reviews.

Zane was presenting his squad's coordinated spell-formation, speaking like a war general with a choir of admiration behind him.

Harvey stepped onto the platform with hands in his pockets.

> "Zane Helbrecht," he called, voice cold and sharp, "I challenge you to a ranked duel."

> "You? You're not even ranked. Are you joking?"

> "I'm dead serious. One-on-one. No backup. Unless you're afraid?"

Zane's pride flared exactly as expected.

> "Fine. Let's give everyone a show."

The platform shifted, transforming into a dueling ring.

Rings of arcane light glowed around the two combatants as the audience watched with hungry eyes.

Zane began with a flash of holy light—blades of radiant energy shooting toward Harvey like homing missiles.

> [Mimicry – Solar Ward: Evolved]

[Nullifies all spells under Tier 3 Light Magic]

He raised one hand, and the platform bent.

Runes crawled up from the stone, forming a spell no one recognized.

> "That's… not in the database—" one professor murmured.

> "Custom spell," Sylvia whispered from the audience, eyes gleaming. "He wrote it himself."

A blade of invisible force erupted, and struck Zane directly in the chest.

His body hit the floor seconds later.

Harvey had just crushed one of the top ten ranked students… without using any elemental affinity known to the academy.

He walked past Zane's unconscious body and looked straight at the Council seating section.

In her private tower, Headmistress Alara stood before a mirror, watching the duel's replay.

Behind her, a man cloaked in blue robes emerged from the shadows.

> "He's no ordinary student," the man said.

> "No," Alara replied. "He's a ghost from an era we tried to bury."

> "No. Not yet. Let the world see what he becomes first."

Chapter 24 – First Strike