The War God’s Debt

Chapter 7

The bathroom door creaked open.

A wave of cold, oppressive air spilled into the room—thick enough to sting Adrian’s skin. The shadow smoke pooled around his shoes, curling like hungry snakes as a silhouette stepped into view.

Tall.

Lean.

Wrapped in shifting darkness from head to toe.

Not a Herald.

Not a Null-Born.

Something in between—stronger than the assassins he’d faced before, but weaker than the creature that invaded the divine hall.

A Veiled Envoy.

One rank below the Herald.

Enough to kill an entire building of students without effort.

The Envoy tilted its head. Its voice echoed like three people speaking at once.

“Relax, War God. If I wanted to kill you… you wouldn’t have heard the door open.”

Adrian’s fingers twitched once.

He remained still.

Calm.

Unmoved.

“Talk,” he said. “You have ten seconds.”

The Envoy chuckled, the shadows rippling like it was amused.

“Always so abrupt. Very well.”

It lifted a hand.

A black envelope slipped from the Envoy’s palm, floating across the air toward Adrian.

He didn’t take it.

The envelope changed direction on its own and landed gently on the sink next to him.

“A message,” the Envoy said.

“A personal one. From the Herald you met earlier.”

Adrian’s jaw tightened.

So the Herald survived the Gatekeeper’s blast.

Not surprising.

Troubling, but not surprising.

He kept his gaze fixed on the Envoy.

“What do they want?”

The Envoy’s shadow swirled into a vaguely human smile.

“They want… to offer terms.”

Adrian froze.

Terms?

The Shadow Society never negotiated.

They eradicated.

They hunted.

They consumed.

“Not interested,” Adrian replied instantly.

The Envoy chuckled again.

“Ah… but you haven’t heard the terms.”

Adrian’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

The Envoy leaned closer, shadows trembling.

“Give up your mortal ties… and we let the Kaslan family live.”

The air in the room snapped.

It was subtle—no sound, no movement—but the temperature dropped instantly by ten degrees. The mirror cracked. The faucet vibrated. The light flickered violently.

Adrian didn’t move.

But the pressure rolling off him was enough to make the Envoy’s shadowform distort, as though melting at the edges.

He whispered:

“Say that again.”

The Envoy raised both hands in mock surrender.

“You heard the offer, War God. Walk away from this life… and the girl survives her final year of university. The old man continues running his company. Their debts go uncollected. Their enemies stay blind.”

Its voice darkened.

“Refuse… and we erase everything you swore to protect.”

Adrian’s fingers curled.

His voice dropped to ice.

“You think I protect them because I’m weak?”

“No.”

The Envoy’s tone shifted—lower, almost respectful.

“We think you protect them… because you’re still pretending to be mortal.”

Adrian stepped forward.

Just one step.

But the Envoy recoiled as if he’d moved a kilometer, shadows rippling violently away from him.

“Leave,” Adrian said softly.

“Before I test how quickly you dissolve.”

The Envoy regained its posture, though shakily.

“This was only a delivery, War God. A courtesy. The Herald will speak to you again… soon.”

“And next time?” Adrian asked.

“Next time,” the Envoy whispered,

“your wife won’t be so safe.”

Shadows exploded outward—

But Adrian moved first.

He reached forward, grabbing the Envoy’s throat—the shadows solidifying instantly under his grip. The Envoy shrieked, the entire bathroom vibrating as the sink cracked beneath Adrian’s tightening fist.

Then he leaned in.

“I don’t kill messengers,” Adrian whispered.

“Not because I can’t.”

His grip tightened. Cracks spread across the Envoy’s body like shattering glass.

“But because I want you to deliver this message.”

The Envoy writhed.

Adrian continued:

“Tell your Herald… that if they ever threaten Lucy again—”

The shadows condensed—

Adrian crushed its throat.

The Envoy exploded into black mist, scattering like ash in a hurricane.

Silence.

The pressure faded instantly.

Adrian exhaled once, steady and controlled.

Then he looked at the black envelope still lying on the sink.

He didn’t touch it.

But he scanned it carefully.

Old glyphs.

Shadow-carved seals.

An ancient emblem he recognized instantly.

The symbol of the Sixth Abyss.

His former battlefield.

His grave.

His rebirth.

Slowly, Adrian reached out—not touching the envelope—just brushing the air above it with divine sense.

A whisper spilled out from within.

Soft.

Female.

Terrified.

“Help… me…”

Adrian’s eyes snapped open.

That wasn’t the Herald’s voice.

That wasn’t any Shadow voice.

It was—

He didn’t finish the thought.

Because at that exact moment, someone knocked on the bathroom door from the outside.

A normal knock.

Human.

“Um… Adrian?”

A familiar female voice called timidly.

“Are you… are you okay in there?”

Sera.

Of all times—

Adrian instantly swept the shadow dust from the floor with a flick of energy. The cracks resealed. The air normalized. Within two seconds, the entire room looked completely untouched.

He grabbed the envelope and slipped it into the inner pocket of his jacket.

Then he walked to the door and opened it.

Sera stood outside, wide-eyed, fidgeting.

Her face went pale when she saw him.

“Y-Your aura just… disappeared. Like—like you were gone. I got scared.”

Adrian blinked.

She sensed that?

Her perception grew again.

Too quickly.

“Wrong bathroom,” Adrian said calmly.

She blinked.

“…You’re in the boys’ bathroom, Adrian.”

“Exactly.”

She stared.

He walked past her.

She blinked again.

“…What does that even mean?”

Adrian didn’t answer.

He was already walking down the hall.

But Sera bit her lip and quickly followed him.

“H-Hey! There’s something weird happening on campus! I saw smoke coming from—”

He stopped walking.

Sera froze.

He didn’t look back.

But his voice was low.

Controlled.

Sharp.

“Go back to your dorm, Sera.”

“But—”

“Now.”

She swallowed.

Her instincts screamed at her.

She nodded once and turned away.

Adrian resumed walking, his steps purposeful, his expression unreadable.

But inside—

He was processing everything at once:

A Herald intrusion.

A Veiled Envoy delivering threats.

A trapped woman’s voice inside a Shadow-sealed envelope.

And the Society’s next target:

Lucy.

He stepped out into the night air.

The wind carried faint traces of shadow.

They were still nearby.

Hunting.

Watching.

Waiting.

Adrian slipped a hand into his pocket.

His fingers brushed the envelope.

The whisper inside repeated, faint and agonized:

“…please… help…”

Adrian’s eyes hardened.

He opened the envelope.

Darkness exploded from within—

And a shape began to take form in front of him.

A girl.

Bound.

Bleeding.

Floating in chains of shadow.

Adrian’s heart stopped.

He knew that face.

He knew those eyes.

He knew that uniform.

It was—

Lucy.

Except she wasn’t screaming.

She wasn’t fighting.

She wasn’t even fully conscious.

Just whispering:

“…Adrian…?”

The image flickered violently—

Then collapsed.

Adrian staggered back one step.

The envelope burned away in his hand.

And a single line of fresh writing carved itself into the air before evaporating.

“Come find her.”