The air inside the North Tower felt different. It was no longer biting cold; it was still and heavy, charged with the lingering hum of the void-energy Adam had shared with Catherine. Adam sat on the floor, his breathing shallow. His body felt like an empty, scorched vessel. But inside his mind, the system was busy.[Integration: 25% complete.][New Skill Unlocked: Shadow Step.][Description: Consume a small amount of mana to step into a shadow and emerge from another within range.][Reward: Ancient Vault Card unlocked.]A notification box blinked in the air before his eyes. A small, black card, seemingly carved from obsidian, floated into his hand. It felt cold and weighted with power."You should rest," Catherine said softly. She was standing by her desk, her face calm, but her eyes held a new, intense focus. She looked at him not as a servant, but as something precious. "The Academy will be watching you now. You have shifted the balance, Adam.""I don't need rest," Adam said, his v

The air inside Catherine’s tower was heavy, smelling of ozone and dried lavender. Outside, the night was rapidly losing its light. A thick, ominous shadow began to creep across the surface of the moon. The lunar eclipse—the night when the veil between worlds grew thinnest, had arrived.Adam stood before Catherine’s massive oak desk. His black coat was still covered in the fine, white dust of the arena sand. He was tired, his muscles aching from the strain of the void-energy he had channeled during the duel, but he stood straight.Catherine paced the small, circular room. Her movements were erratic, like a bird trapped in a cage. She kept clutching her chest, where the black, smoky rot still pulsed beneath her pale skin."Ten hours, Adam," she whispered, her voice cracking. "In ten hours, the eclipse will reach its peak. If the seal isn't broken by then, the corruption will eat my heart completely. I will become a mindless husk of ice and shadow."Adam looked at her. He saw the genuin

The silence of the courtyard was broken only by the soft, distant chirping of crickets. The red moon had passed, and the normal, pale light of the stars began to reclaim the sky.Adam’s eyes snapped open.His first sensation was not the cold stone of the courtyard, but the feeling of warmth—a soft, gentle weight beneath his head. He blinked, the world blurry at first, before coming into sharp focus. He was lying in Catherine’s lap. Her face was hovering over him, her hair falling like a curtain of snow around her shoulders. She was not crying anymore; she was watching him with an expression so tender, so profoundly vulnerable, that it made his own heart ache."You're alive," she whispered. It wasn't a question. It was a prayer.Adam tried to sit up, but his body felt heavy, as if he were made of solid lead. Catherine helped him, her hands steady and gentle. She didn't let go of him, and he didn't want her to.[Mission Accomplished: The Heart of the Frost.][Status: Relationship Bound.

Adam’s heart beat fast. He was afraid, but he was also angry. "What... what do you want?" he choked out."I saw what you did to the dragon," Elara said. She knelt down on one knee so her face was closer to Adam. She did not touch the dirt. The gravity pushed the dirt away from her white dress. "You did not use a spell. Magic is about creating things. Magic is about moving energy. But you... you did not create. You ate."She pointed a finger at the frozen video of Adam. "You devoured the magic. You pulled the green fire into nothingness. There is only one power in the whole history of this world that does that."Elara leaned in. Her silver eyes were bright. "The Void."Adam closed his eyes. The secret was out. He had hidden it from the school. He had hidden it from Julian. He had hidden it from the Inquisition. But he could not hide it from the Princess."If... if you know," Adam whispered, "then kill me. Call the guards.""Oh, I could," Elara said simply. She stood up again. "The law

The heavy, dark shadows of the courtyard seemed to hold their breath. Princess Elara had stepped into the dark, but she did not leave. A few seconds later, she stepped back out into the pale light of the stars.She did not look like a person who had almost killed someone. She looked completely relaxed. Her white dress was perfectly clean. There was a small, polite smile on her beautiful face.But her eyes were cold. They were the eyes of a hunter who had caught a wild animal and was ready to put it in a cage.Elara raised her hand. A piece of paper appeared in the empty air. It was not normal paper. It was a thick, yellow parchment. It glowed with a faint, silver light.She flicked her finger. The paper floated through the air and stopped right in front of Adam’s face.Adam was still lying on the broken stone floor. His breath came out in short, painful gasps. His left shoulder was broken. Every time he breathed, broken pieces of bone rubbed together. It felt like hot glass inside hi