From Trash to Their King

A Taste

The heavy velvet curtains of the hovering imperial carriage swayed gently as it glided away from Aetherion Academy, leaving behind a courtyard of weeping nobles, clattering broomsticks, and the utterly broken pride of the academy's former elite.

Inside, Kelvin leaned back against the deep crimson cushions, staring out the darkened crystal window. Outside, the night sky was alive with the soft glow of flying griffin escorts and distant floating spires. Beside him sat the Kingmaker, his ancient hands resting quietly atop his crystal-capped dragon staff.

"You handled the academy with remarkably cold precision, Your Royal Highness," the Kingmaker observed softly, breaking the quiet hum of the anti-gravity engine. "Stripping the Valerius boy and his clique of their nobility while turning the Arch-Mage into a groundskeeper... it sends a message that will shake the high houses to their very foundations."

Kelvin didn't turn his head as he replied, "They made my life a living hell for three months, Kingmaker. I didn't give them justice but gave them a taste of their own medicine”

"And rightfully so, Sire," the Kingmaker replied, his violet eyes twinkling with subtle approval. "However, you must prepare yourself. By dawn, every major noble house in the capital will know what transpired on those grounds. House Valerius Noah’s family holds vast military influence and commands the eastern border legions. Duke Valerius is not a man who will take his son's public humiliation lightly"

Kelvin finally turned, his dark eyes fixing on the old man. "Let him try something. My whole life here, people threatened me with power because I didn't have power but now I have the whole imperial army and a vault of ancient weapons. If Duke Valerius wants a war over a spoiled bully, I'll give him one”

The Kingmaker smiled, a sharp, wolfish grin that betrayed the fierce politician beneath the venerable facade, "I expected nothing less from the bloodline of Zero but before you march on the lords, Sire, you must master the power sleeping inside you”

The old man reached out, gesturing toward Kelvin's chest. "In the clinic, when you knocked out those noble boys, you felt it, didn't you? The sudden surge of physical weight, the effortless speed? That was not a simple martial skill but the Primeval Core beginning to bleed into your body"

Kelvin looked down at his right hand, flexing his bandaged fingers, “I felt... sharp. Like the air around me slowed down, and my body just moved on its own"

"Because the Primeval Core is the absolute origin of all forces," the Kingmaker explained, leaning forward in his seat. "While standard mages draw external ether to shape fire, ice, or lightning, your Core resides entirely within your physical vessel. It does not manifest spell-circles; it consumes them, nullifies all magic in your vicinity and converts that suppressed mana directly into raw, kinetic, physical supremacy"

Kelvin blinked, taking in the explanation, "So the more magic someone throws at me..."

"The stronger and faster you become," the Kingmaker completed the thought. "To a world reliant on spellcasting, you are not merely a anti-mage, Your Highness. You are an absolute apex predator”

The carriage slowed to a smooth, silent halt. Outside, the great iron gates of the Imperial Citadel creaked open, revealing a lined path of illuminated marble flanked by thousands of royal guards, their halberds gleaming under the moonlight.

A servant stepped forward, opening the crystal carriage door and bowing so low his forehead nearly touched the step. 

"Welcome back to the Sovereign's Keep, Your Royal Highness! The high council chambers have been prepared”

Kelvin stepped out into the crisp midnight air, pulling his shadow-silk robe tighter around his shoulders. As he began walking up the grand steps, a distant, glowing raven forged from violet mana sliced through the night sky, landing directly on the Kingmaker's arm.

The old man unsealed the magic parchment bound to the raven's leg, his eyes scanning the glowing runes written upon it. His expression darkened instantly.

Kelvin stopped on the landing, looking back down, "Bad news?"

The Kingmaker crumpled the magic scroll, letting it burn to ash in his hand. "House Valerius has just called an emergency summit of the High Aristocracy at their capital estate. Duke Valerius has declared that an 'unlicensed imposter' has bewitched the Arch-Mage and usurped royal authority. They are mobilizing three elite battle-mage battalions to 'investigate' the palace by tomorrow afternoon."

Kelvin stared down the mountain at the shimmering, distant lights of the capital city. A faint, cold smile touched his lips.

"They think I'm a fraud because I don't cast spells," Kelvin said softly, turning back toward the citadel's entrance. "Tell them to bring every battle-mage they have, Kingmaker. I want to see how strong

their magic is when I blow it out.”