"It's your birthday, huh? So, tell me—what does my little angel like the most?" said a middle-aged man with long silver hair that had a soft blue tint. His gentle blue eyes sparkled warmly as he looked down at the little girl in front of him. This man was none other than Archduke Arthur, one of the strongest nobles in the land.
In front of him stood a small girl with the same silver hair and calm blue eyes. Her face showed a soft smile—it wasn't too bright, but it wasn't cold either. She was Cassandra, his daughter.
"I like dreaming," Cassandra said quietly in her soft, ethereal voice. "Especially lucid dreams. A world made from imagination... it really amazes me."
Arthur blinked, thinking about her words for a moment. Then, with a wave of his hand, he pulled out an essence stone from thin air. It was round, with countless thin circular lines carved into it, making it look like a tunnel going deeper and deeper.
"This is an essence stone called 'Nightmare'," Arthur said, smiling proudly. "I have it from rank E to rank A, and even the matching killer moves and support stones."
Cassandra's usually dull eyes lit up a little.
"You're so cool, Dad," she said with a slight spark of emotion. For someone as calm and unreadable as Cassandra, that one sentence showed real excitement.
Arthur laughed and scratched the back of his head.
"Of course I am! I stole it from a demon lord, the so-called 'Lord of Nightmares.' That idiot didn't even know what happened!"
He laughed for a second more, but then his face turned serious.
"But listen, Cassandra. These essence stones are powerful. If you want to use them, you have to awaken properly and grow stronger. If you don't, they'll just sit there—shiny decorations and nothing more."
Cassandra gave a tiny nod, quietly taking in her father's advice.
-------
Meanwhile, back at the academy—at the dueling ground—another battle was about to begin.
But the place was mostly empty.
Duels had become so common lately that no one really cared to watch anymore. Most students were too busy training for their own duels to bother watching others.
There was no proper referee either. Just one quiet member from the Dueling Regulation Committee was there to observe and make sure the rules were followed.
Cassandra stood calmly at one end of the field. In her hand was a silver spear, her chosen weapon. Her expression, as always, was cold and unreadable.
On the other side was Alice, gripping a blue saber. Her hands were shaking, and she kept chewing her nails in panic.
Her face was pale with fear, her eyes filled with despair.
"Why is it someone from Class A?" she cried in her mind. "I wouldn't stand a chance even against someone from Class B! Why can't I fight a Class C student instead?! This is unfair!"
Alice took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. Her hands were still shaking, but she forced them to stop. She held her blue saber tightly and pointed it at Cassandra.
"For Maruti…" she whispered under her breath.
On the other side, Cassandra looked at Alice and gave a small smile. It was faint, cold, and confident.
"Too easy," she thought.
Without any warning, Cassandra activated her killer move—"Nightmare."
There was no big flash, no heavy pressure, no special sound. Just a quiet swirl of mana. Before Alice could even realize it, the skill was already working.
Cassandra's mind entered Alice's dream.
But the moment she stepped in, her calm expression turned into confusion. There was nothing. No sky, no ground, no colors. Just endless black space stretching in every direction.
She walked forward, her footsteps silent in the darkness.
"What kind of dream is this?" she muttered, clearly puzzled.
Suddenly, a brilliant purple light flashed. Cassandra stopped in her tracks.
From the light, a huge figure appeared.
It was a **nine-tailed fox**, glowing like a ghost. Its fur was deep purple, its eyes shining with an eerie light. It looked majestic and terrifying at the same time.
The beast let out a deep, echoing roar.
"Howl..."
"Howlllll..."
The sound tore through the darkness like thunder. The air cracked around her, and the roar hit Cassandra like a shockwave. Her ears began to bleed, her body shook, and in an instant—she was thrown out of the dream world.
Back in reality, Cassandra gasped for air.
"Huff… Huff…" she panted, holding her chest as she tried to catch her breath. Her heart was racing, and her whole body felt heavy.
"What was that…? A mythical creature…?" she thought, still shocked.
She looked at Alice, who was now lying on the ground, fast asleep, lightly snoring with a silly look on her face.
"You win," said the quiet member from the Dueling Regulation Committee.
"I'm going," Cassandra replied simply and walked away without another word.
———
Meanwhile, in another area of the academy, another duel was starting.
Violet stood confidently in the center of the training ground. Across from her was Mirael, wearing his usual smug grin. Ethan, Sylvania, and Emma stood on the sidelines, watching closely.
Mirael slowly pulled out his sword, spinning it in his hand.
"Let's see how fast you really are!" he said with a proud voice.
He had the lightning element, which made him confident in his speed. He believed he could take down Violet before she could even move.
But before he could charge forward—
His body was suddenly lifted into the air.
An invisible force pulled him straight toward Violet.
"Come," Violet said in a calm but chilling voice.
Mirael's body flew toward her like a rag doll. Just as he got close—
BAM!
Violet pulled her arm back and punched him right in the face with all her strength.
The impact was so strong that a few of his teeth flew out of his mouth. He hit the ground hard, and within seconds, he was completely unconscious.
The crowd went silent.
Even the bullies from Mirael's gang stared in shock.
Violet looked at her own fist and blinked.
"I really have gotten pretty strong, I should thank Cassandra again" she said to herself, surprised by her own power.
---------
In the nurse's office, Mirael slowly opened his eyes. He gasped and quickly sat up, breathing hard. The first thing he did was touch his mouth. He could see the teeth that had been knocked out—but now, somehow, they were back in place. The healing magic must have worked.
He let out a deep sigh of relief.
But that relief didn't last long.
Right beside his bed stood Ethan, Violet, Sylvania, and Emma. All of them had their arms crossed and serious looks on their faces. They were clearly not happy.
As the memory of the duel came rushing back into Mirael's mind, his body started to shake with fear.
"Now talk!" Ethan said, his tone cold and commanding.
Mirael didn't even try to pretend. He closed his eyes and quickly said, "It was Claus Clandestine. She told me to bully you!"
Violet clenched her fists, her face dark with anger. "Her again..." she muttered through gritted teeth.
"Again?" Ethan asked, confused. He looked at Violet.
Violet froze for a second. She hadn't planned to tell anyone, but it was too late now. She let out a breath and told them everything—how Claus had thrown her into danger inside the Illusory Dungeon and left her to die on purpose.
"That's so shameless," Sylvania said, shaking her head. "How can a noble act in such a low and disgusting way?"
"But why is she doing this?" Emma asked, her eyes full of concern. "It's not like you ever did anything to her."
"Who knows," Ethan said, frowning. "But we need to do something. Either stop her now or at least find out why she's doing all this."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"But first, let's go meet Cassandra. It's already time," Ethan said, his face brightening with a smile.
Before leaving, he turned to Mirael and gave him a cold glare. "And you better remember—don't say a single word about what happened today."
Mirael began to sweat all over. He nodded his head so fast it was almost a blur.
---
That evening, a small gathering was happening in Cassandra's room. It wasn't an official meeting—just a casual get-together among friends.
Ethan and his group had arrived early. Inside the room was another girl they hadn't met before.
She had bright red hair, sharp amber eyes, and beast ears on top of her head. A long tail moved behind her, and on her face were faint black stripes like a tiger.
"She's Belta, the tiger-kin I told you about," Cassandra said with her usual calm voice.
Belta waved both hands excitedly. Her smile was big and full of energy.
"Belta is Belta! Belta loves eating and fighting! I know we'll be a great team!" she said cheerfully, her tail swishing behind her.
Everyone smiled at her lively and honest nature. The atmosphere in the room slowly became warmer.
But the warm and friendly feeling in the room broke instantly as another person stepped inside.
She had long black hair, cold red eyes, and skin as pale as fresh snow. Her body looked so delicate that it seemed like it might melt with just a soft touch.
"Esdeath?" Ethan said in surprise. Everyone turned to look at her. All of them were shocked—except Cassandra and Belta, who stayed calm.
Esdeath quietly took off her shoes and stepped inside the room barefoot. Her face was blank and expressionless.
"Yes, I told you she would be joining us," Cassandra said in her usual flat, emotionless voice.
"It's kind of hard to believe…" Sylvania and Violet thought at the same time. Only Emma smiled slightly, as if she expected it.
"Why did you add her?" Violet asked, her tone suspicious. "Isn't it too risky?"
But before Cassandra could answer, Esdeath sat down on the floor just like the others. A small smile appeared on her face.
"Don't worry about me. I have ways of knowing the future," she said calmly.
Everyone blinked in shock at her words. Then she looked at Ethan.
"Isn't that right?" she asked him.
All eyes turned to Ethan. He looked nervous and confused.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," he quickly added without hesitation.
Esdeath gave a soft laugh. "I was just joking."
The tension broke, and everyone relaxed again.
Then Cassandra took out a camera from a small box. It wasn't a very modern one, but it didn't look old either. She passed it to Esdeath.
"Here. Just like I promised."
Esdeath took it carefully and examined it. To test if it worked, she pointed it at the group and clicked. The camera didn't flash or make a sound—completely quiet and perfect for taking secret photos.
"You won't have to worry about being caught with this," Cassandra said. "But how you sneak into places… that's up to you."
Esdeath nodded quietly in response.
Cassandra looked at everyone and said, "For now, Esdeath is handling the hardest mission. The rest of us should focus on getting as strong as we can this year."
She paused for a moment before continuing, "Once we're ready, we'll start the plan and end Lortell's era in one clean strike."
The room fell silent as everyone listened carefully.
"Our other goal," Cassandra added, "is to recruit Kaelith and Princess Ravenna. Once they join us, our team will finally be complete."
Her words ended the small meeting. No one clapped, because it wasn't that kind of moment. It was more like a quiet, serious plan between trusted people.
Esdeath stood up, gave a small wave, and said, "Well then, I'm going."
She turned to leave.
But just as she reached the door, something small and soft dropped from under her skirt.
It was a chibi figure of Lortell—tiny, cute, and detailed.
Earlier, Maruti had taken Esdeath to a small shop that sold miniature figures of famous heroes and powerful people and specially Lortell's figure to motivate her. When Esdeath saw the Lortell figure, she became obsessed and bought every single one in the shop. She had even decorated her bedroom with them.
One of them had been in her pants's pocket pocket—and now it was falling toward the ground.
But just before it hit the floor and caught everyone's attention, Esdeath used her time-slowing skill.
Everything moved in slow motion.
She gently caught the figure, tucked it back into her pocket, and then left the room calmly….. without anyone noticing a thing.
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[Author's Note]
I actually wanted to talk about why I'm publishing chapters after skipping one day...Well being unlucky as always, I got chicken pox now and my situation is fucked up right now..
Maybe I'll take few days break in future and return after Fully healed or just publishing chapters one after skipping one day....
[/author]