Heir of the Darkgod in the Holy Academy

Chapter 3: Night One's Vengeance

"Douse it with oil now! Don't leave a single drop!" Valen barked from the corner of the deserted alley.

Valen leaned against the stone wall, impatiently twisting the gemstone ring on his finger. His two personal guards and three muscular mercenaries were sloshing foul-smelling magic fuel onto the wooden walls of the orphanage.

"Young Master, once this catches fire, the entire orphanage will burn to the ground in ten seconds," the head guard whispered with a cruel smirk.

"Good," Valen replied curtly, a cold chuckle rasping in his throat. "Let that trash Leon wake up tomorrow morning to see his filthy home turned to ash."

Valen pulled out a polished fire-starter engraved with his family crest. He struck it, sparking a brilliant red flame.

But before the spark could hit the ground, pitch darkness suddenly swept through the entire alley. In an instant, the flame in Valen's hand snuffed out completely.

It didn't just flicker out—it was swallowed whole by something horrifyingly dense. The temperature in the narrow passage plummeted so violently that the mercenaries' breath turned to frost in the air.

"What the hell is happening?!" one mercenary yelled, staring at the torch in his hand that had suddenly died. "Why won't my fire magic ignite?!"

Measured footsteps reverberated heavily from the shadows of the alley. The rhythmic strike of boots hitting wet cobblestones echoed slow, deliberate, and chilling.

From behind the writhing shadows on the wall, a figure stepped forward with icy calm. A billowing black cloak wrapped around his form, devouring every stray ray of moonlight trying to pierce the alley.

The figure’s face was fully concealed by a pitch-black skull mask etched with ancient runes that glowed with a faint purple light. Two burning purple flames ignited inside the mask's eye sockets, staring directly at Valen and his crew.

"Who are you?!" the head guard barked, drawing his steel sword. "How dare you interfere with the affairs of House Crest!"

The masked figure—Erebus—didn't answer. He simply tilted his head slightly, letting a suffocating silence fall over the alley.

"Kill him!" Valen commanded, panic creeping into his voice. "He's just some tough-act intruder! Kill him already!"

The three mercenaries lunged forward as one, swords raised high. Wind and fire magic flared from their blades, slicing through the night air.

Yet Erebus didn't move an inch. He merely raised his left hand, slowly splaying his fingers.

Snap!

The shadows beneath the mercenaries' feet shot upward like living iron chains. The black shadow chains wrapped violently around their necks, arms, and legs, suspending them in midair.

"Aaghh!" Stifled screams tore from their throats as their ribs cracked beneath the brutal pressure of the void magic.

Their steel weapons snapped in half like dry twigs. Within seconds, the three high-grade mercenaries slammed onto the ground, unconscious and foaming at the mouth without ever brushing Erebus's cloak.

Valen’s head guard trembled violently, backing away until his spine slammed against the stone wall.

"Monster..." he whispered, his eyes wide with horror. "He's no ordinary mage!"

Valen stumbled backward, pale as a corpse. The aristocratic arrogance usually plastered across his face shattered to pieces.

"You... what do you want?!" Valen shrieked, his voice nasal as he tried to channel every last drop of his fire magic into his palms.

Two massive fireballs blazed to life above Valen's head, radiating heat intense enough to melt iron.

"Die, you bastard!" Valen screamed, hurling both fireballs straight at Erebus's chest.

Boom!

The two massive fireballs streaked forward, striking dead-center on Erebus's black cloak. A blast wave of searing heat exploded in all directions.

Valen laughed hysterically, wiping cold sweat from his forehead as he panted heavily.

"Hahaha! Got you! Nobody survives my full-power fire magic!"

But Valen's laughter died instantly. The smoke parted in two. Erebus stood tall in the exact same spot, completely unblemished. His black cloak didn't even bear a trace of singe.

Floating before his chest, a purplish-black void vortex swirled slowly, devouring every last drop of heat from Valen's fire until nothing remained.

Void Absorb worked flawlessly.

"Your fire magic..." an ethereal voice echoed from behind Erebus's skull mask, so deep and resonant that Valen's knees nearly buckled. "...is not even warm enough to light a candle."

Tap!

Before Valen could even blink, Erebus shifted positions, standing mere inches from Valen's face. The speed defied human perception. Valen shrieked in terror, reflexively swinging a gemstone-adorned fist straight at Erebus's face.

Crack!

Erebus didn't dodge. An invisible shadow hand clamped onto Valen's wrist in midair and twisted it 180 degrees without a shred of mercy.

"AAAAGHHH!" Valen's piercing shriek ripped through the night air.

The bones in his forearm shattered completely. Erebus swept his leg in a cold kick that smashed straight into the noble's knee.

Crunch!

Valen's kneecap disintegrated instantly. The young noble, once so arrogantly refined, slammed to his knees on the wet ground, kissing the mud right at the tip of Erebus's boots.

Tears and blood mingled across Valen's face. Searing agony burned through every nerve in his shattered arm.

"Please... mercy..." Valen sobbed hysterically, crying like a helpless child. "I have money... my family is rich... I can give you anything!"

Erebus stared down coldly at Valen's body squirming in agony beneath his feet. A profound sense of satisfaction flowed smoothly through Leon's chest.

This was repayment for every kick, every whip, and every bit of suffering Valen had inflicted on him and Mia over the years. Valen's remaining head guard tried to crawl away along the dirt, but shadow chains snapped around his neck and slammed him into unconsciousness.

Now, only Valen remained conscious. Erebus grabbed the collar of Valen's expensive academy uniform with one hand, hoisting the young noble high off the ground until his feet dangled helplessly in the air.

Valen choked and sputtered, his eyes wide as he stared into the twin purple flames burning behind the skull mask just inches from his face.

"Every drop of magic fuel you brought tonight..." Erebus whispered in a tone capable of crushing a man's very soul. "...came close to burning the people I intend to keep alive."

"I was wrong... I promise I won't ever touch that orphanage again! God please, mercy!" Valen shrieked, weeping hoarsely. His body shook so violently that he pissed his pants, utterly consumed by blind terror.

Erebus pulled Valen's head close to his ear. The shadow hand around Valen's throat tightened just enough to leave a sliver of air so the noble could keep breathing.

Erebus leaked a fraction of the God of Death's suffocating aura, shattering Valen's mind and shaking his soul to its core. Valen no longer saw a mage in front of him. He felt as though he were staring into the eyes of a hellish ruler capable of reaping his life with a single glance. The chilling aura seeped into Valen's very bones, planting the seeds of an incurable trauma.

Behind the mask, Erebus parted his lips, whispering a final, indisputable verdict:

"Tomorrow morning at the academy, act as if nothing happened... or you die."