A punch landed.
Wham!
Raven hit the ground, half-laying, blood pooling on his cheek. Yet, even in pain, his grin remained—a cruel mockery of defeat.
In the shadowed corner of the third building of the teacher's dorm, Alex stood over him, his fist still hovering in the air. Poised for the next strike. Unrelenting. Unforgiving.
The twilight swallowed his breath, the air thick with the scent of blood.
"Gonna tell me now, or not?"
Alex's voice was calm—too calm. Beneath it, a quiet impatience, like a blade waiting to sever.
Raven gasped, then laughed—a faint, bubbling sound through bloodied lips. "Ha… ha… I can't tell you that." He wiped the crimson from his mouth with trembling fingers. "But I can tell you this—I'm here for the same purpose as you… or something slightly… different."
His words were weak. But his eyes? Sharp. Knowing.
The room seemed to hold its breath.
Then—his smirk widened, his body trembling, yet his voice unwavering. "You didn't die last time… but this time? You're dead meat, Alex Agniverta."
And in a heartbeat—
Something twisted.
Raven's bloodied form shuddered, cracked, and reshaped. The sight was grotesque, wrong in ways the human eye wasn't meant to witness. His limbs softened, frame shrinking, the hard angles of his face smoothing.
A woman stood in his place.
Same red hair. Same sharp eyes. Yet, the presence had changed—alien, unfathomable.
Alex's mind snapped into focus.
Shapeshifting? No. Something deeper. Something worse.
Before he could react, Raven leaned in close, her breath warm, sweet, laced with something almost… predatory.
"You are a hindrance to the lord," she whispered.
A voice like silk wrapped around a dagger.
"I'm going to wipe you from the face of this earth ALEX AGNIVERTA."
And then—she dissolved.
Slowly.
Like dust caught in a breeze, her body scattered into the air. White specks fading into nothingness.
The room stood still.
Alex stared at the empty space, his fingers twitching at his side. His heart was steady—his mind was not.
A hindrance? And the same words…. the same Name that creature he fought that day spoke about…. they were the same words…THE LORD??
His fists clenched. Not in fear. No hesitation. Only with raw, replenishing anger inside him.
"What is her game?"
His thoughts whirled. Raven wasn't normal. That much was clear. In class, he had swayed every student except Rizark, something Alex hadn't ignored.
But this? This wasn't human.
A god? No. The scriptures of this world made it clear—the gods had sworn an oath, barring them from descending.
Then… an apostle? Or she could be from the tower?
The idea pressed against his mind like an iron weight.
His jaw tightened. It didn't matter.
No enemy is undefeatable. No opponent is absolute.
But he wasn't ready yet.
He needed more information. He needed power.
The artifact.
That was his first goal. His priority. Yet—
He was weak right now.
He exhaled slowly, pressing the thought into the back of his mind. Focus. Prioritize. Conquer.
"The weight on his shoulders wasn't just from Raven. It was the world itself pressing down on him."
A den of problems clawed at him from all sides.
First—the Dragon Kingdom. If they found out who he was, they would hand him over to Leventha without hesitation. The entire kingdom believed he was his mother's murderer and the culprit behind the incident of that day "How amusing. How absurd. They truly believed a twelve-year-old boy could orchestrate such a massacre, kill his own mother with his bare hands? Did they ever stop to wonder—if it were them, standing where he stood, would they have done the same? No. They wouldn't have. And yet, they judged. Condemned. Without thought, without hesitation."
"People were selfish. Their justice? A farce. Their truth? A lie. None of them had suffered as he had. None of them deserved to be saved."
Second—Leventha itself. Carlas had warned him: the whole kingdom wanted him dead.
Except Carlas. The only comfort he had left.
And the third threat?
Simple.
If Raven was a god—or worse, an apostle…
There was no guarantee Alex could win.
Despite that
Alex didn't fear being captured. Nor did he care about the false murder charges hanging over his head.
No bounty, no accusation, no fear will sway me. I am seeking The path ahead and that is all I care. Even if I stand at death's door—so what? I was born with nothing. Everyone was. This body? Just a mere shell. There is nothing to lose. Nothing to fear.
His mind was eternal.
Step by step, he climbed the second floor of the library. Each step was heavier than the last.
Outside, the golden sunlight faded.
A shadow crept over the sky.
Then—crimson.
The heavens bled.
Alex paused. His fingers twitched.
Something shifted.
A hand landed on his shoulder.
Cold. Unfamiliar.
He spun around, his heart hammering.
And standing behind him—