The training room was quiet, save for the soft hum of energy that filled the air, thick with anticipation. It was a place Simone had come to know better than any other. Here, in the darkened space, he could push his limits without fear of failure, without the need to perform or appease anyone. There were no expectations, no eyes watching him—just the weight of his thoughts and the endless void of darkness that had become his constant companion.
The room was large, the walls constructed from the strongest stone, reinforced with layers of metal to withstand any force. Torches flickered along the walls, casting dim light in the corners, but Simone rarely paid them any attention. His focus was on the shadows, the consuming darkness that had become an extension of himself. The same darkness that he now commanded with an effortless flick of his wrist, shaping it into forms that defied logic, bending reality itself to his will.
Simone stood in the center of the room, his arms loose by his sides. The air around him was charged, thick with the power that simmered beneath his calm exterior. He hadn't slept, hadn't eaten, yet his body was more resilient than ever. His muscles rippled with strength, but it was the stillness within him that made him unstoppable.
He inhaled deeply, and the darkness seemed to respond, swirling around him like a living entity. He was no longer the hesitant, fearful boy he had once been. The boy who had felt overwhelmed by his father's expectations, the boy who had only dreamed of a life outside the palace. Now, he was a force, a singular entity capable of shaping the world with a mere thought.
Simone raised his hand, and the shadows seemed to bend toward his palm, coalescing into a dense mass. The darkness swirled violently, moving with a life of its own. He focused, narrowing his thoughts, and the mass began to take form. It became a twisting, writhing serpent, its body made entirely of shadow, its eyes gleaming with a faint red glow. It hissed and lashed out at the air, but Simone stood motionless, as if the creature were a mere extension of his will.
His breath came steadily, his heartbeat calm and measured. This was his sanctuary, the one place where he could release the frustration, the anger, the emptiness that churned inside him. He didn't need anyone. He didn't need sleep. He didn't need food. His power was enough to sustain him, and in this room, he could strip away the layers of politeness, of masks, and let himself feel the rawness of his existence.
As the serpent moved through the air, Simone's thoughts turned inward. His father. His siblings. The empire. All of them had shaped him, molded him into something he could no longer recognize. What had once been his weakness—his inability to wield power—had been taken from him, forcibly reformed into something cold, calculating, and unyielding. The boy who had once been a slave to his own emotions now stood in complete control of everything around him.
But at what cost?
The serpent reared up, its shadowy form shifting into a massive wall of darkness. Simone raised his hand again, and the serpent turned, striking out at the wall with a speed that defied the senses. The collision was deafening, but Simone didn't flinch. He simply watched as the darkness clashed with itself, as the power he wielded continued to grow stronger with each passing moment.
And still, there was emptiness.
Simone lowered his hand, and the serpent dissolved into the air, leaving nothing behind but the faint echo of its hiss. The room returned to its stillness, the shadows pulling back into their natural state. He stood in the center of the room, breathing steadily, his face blank, his thoughts distant.
He didn't know how long he had been here, training, pushing himself further into the darkness, but it didn't matter. Time no longer had any meaning for him. Everything was an abstraction, an unimportant detail in the grand scheme of things.
There were no voices in his head anymore, no doubts about who he was or what he had become. There was only the power, the endless potential that his father had unlocked within him. And yet... it wasn't enough.
Simone didn't know what he was searching for anymore, or if he even wanted to find it. All that mattered was the work, the empire, and the cold certainty that he had surpassed everyone around him. His intelligence. His power. They had become tools, nothing more. He had no emotions left to hold onto, nothing but the sharp, raw edge of his own existence.
With a final glance at the empty training room, Simone walked toward the door, his footsteps echoing through the silent space. The darkness lingered, a part of him, a part of everything he touched. He didn't need to look back. He didn't need to see the shadows that had shaped him.
They had all faded into nothingness—just like the boy he used to be.