"You're going to get yourself killed."Marco looked up from the fortress blueprints spread across his desk. Fiora stood in the doorway of his new warehouse headquarters, her arms crossed, her green eyes sharp with concern. Behind her, the renovation crew's hammering echoed through the building—the first wave of workers had arrived at dawn, and the warehouse was already transforming."Good morning to you too," Marco said dryly. "Come in. Close the door."Fiora stepped inside, pulling the door shut behind her. The hammering faded to a distant rhythm. "I'm serious, Marco. Dominic's betrayal has everyone on edge. Lord Vincent knows about your system. Isabella's deadline is sunset. And you're sitting here looking at blueprints like nothing's wrong.""Nothing is wrong." Marco leaned back in his chair. "Dominic is a coward who sold us out because he was afraid of his father. Lord Vincent is a bully who's used to crushing people who can't fight back. And Isabella's deadline?" He smiled. "Isab

"The mysterious sponsor has been identified."Marco looked up from the stack of Undercroft preparation notes spread across his desk. Morwen stood in the doorway of the warehouse office, his shadowed face barely visible beneath his hood. Behind him, the night sky pressed against the windows—midnight was approaching."Finally," Marco said, setting down his quill. "Who is it?"Morwen stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. "Princess Seraphina. The King's exiled sister."Marco's blood went cold. "The King's sister?""The same." Morwen's voice was low, careful. "She was banished five years ago for attempting to overthrow her brother. Everyone thought she was dead—executed in secret, murdered by the King's agents, something along those lines. But she's been alive this whole time, hiding in plain sight, building a network of allies.""And she chose me.""She chose your system." Morwen pulled a folded parchment from his coat. "This is everything I've been able to uncover about her

"You want me to do what?"Marco looked up from the stack of Undercroft preparation notes spread across his desk. Isabella stood in the doorway of his warehouse office, her white hair catching the lamplight, her ice-blue eyes wide with disbelief. Behind her, the night sky pressed against the windows—midnight was two hours away."I need you to recruit an Adept-rank awakener," Marco said calmly. "Someone loyal. Someone who isn't afraid of Lord Vincent or the King's spies."Isabella stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. "You're insane. Adept-rank awakeners don't just grow on trees. They're the elite—the top one percent of the top one percent. They have their pick of employers, and none of them are going to work for a commoner with a fancy system.""Then I won't offer them gold." Marco stood, walking around the desk. "I'll offer them something better.""What?""Purpose." Marco met her gaze. "The Watchers' Legion isn't just another mercenary company. It's going to change the w

The Undercroft's second level was warmer than Marco remembered—or perhaps the Fire Elemental's presence was affecting the temperature. He stood at the edge of the chamber where he'd left her, the red glow of the walls casting strange shadows across the stone floor.She was waiting for him."Three hundred years," the Elemental said, her voice echoing off the walls. "That's how long I've been trapped in this place. Three hundred years of watching the academy's students come and go. Three hundred years of hoping someone would free me."Marco kept his distance. "Why haven't you freed yourself?""The wards are keyed to human mana. I can't touch them without destroying myself." She stepped closer, her form flickering like a candle flame. "But you can. You have the system—the Infinity Money System. It's the only thing in this world that can bypass the wards."Marco's blood ran cold. "How do you know about my system?"The Elemental smiled—a sad, bitter expression. "Because I was the one who b

The warehouse was quiet when Marco returned from the palace. Too quiet. His footsteps echoed off the newly reinforced walls, and the workers who had been renovating the space just hours ago were nowhere to be seen. Vargas stood near the entrance, his massive frame tense, his hand resting on his sword.“What happened?” Marco asked.“You have a visitor.” Vargas’s voice was tight. “She’s in your office. She asked for privacy.”Marco’s blood ran cold. He walked toward the stairs, his mind racing through possibilities. When he pushed open the door to his office, he found Princess Seraphina sitting in his chair, her dark hair cascading over her shoulders, her ember-bright eyes fixed on him with an intensity that made the air feel heavier.“You met with my brother,” she said.“News travels fast.”“News is my business.” She stood, walking around the desk. “You offered him a deal. Access to his System Cores in exchange for destroying his enemies. Including me.”Marco didn’t deny it. “I’m playi