The evening sky above Caelora burned like molten copper, its reflection glimmering off glass spires until the whole capital looked as if it were built from light itself.Elara walked briskly beside Sylveras, her expression still tight after the incident with the arrogant prince earlier.
"Why did you stop me?" Sylveras finally asked, his voice low but still edged with heat.
Elara shook her head. "Because if you'd hit him, it would've proved everything he said was true."
Syl snorted, glaring toward the castle gates that grew busier by the minute. "Still. I hate his face."
"Then hate him later—after the trial is over."Her tone was gentle, yet firm. The light blue of her eyes caught the sky's last shimmer."We didn't come here for anger, Syl. Remember why we're really here."
Sylveras fell silent. Her words stung, but they also steadied him.He let out a small laugh. "You always know how to make me feel guilty."
"Good," Elara replied with a faint smile. "That means you're still learning."
They walked through the crowd, unaware that a pair of eyes watched them from the rooftops across the square.
Scene Shift — The Demon Spy
In an abandoned tower on the western edge of Caelora, the air smelled of rust and ash.A figure crouched by the cracked window, eyes glowing dark violet with slit pupils like a serpent's.His left hand was half-covered in faint black scales beneath a torn glove.
"Interesting…" he muttered, watching the two young figures in the distance."The girl and the elf… their aura feels different."
He raised his hand, tracing a sigil in the air.The mark pulsed and tore reality itself open, forming a swirling rift of black mist.
A voice came through—deep, cold, and utterly devoid of emotion.
"Report."
The spy bowed his head. "My lord, they have arrived in the capital. The girl you sought—Elara—is participating in the Sage Candidate Trials.She travels with a young elf named Sylveras."
Silence. Then the voice spoke again, smooth as oil.
"Both survived the village we destroyed?"
"Yes, my lord. It seems they were rescued… and trained by Gorion. They've grown stronger—much stronger."
A faint chuckle echoed from beyond the rift.Not human laughter, but something that carried the tone of two worlds colliding.
"Hmph. I see… Let them grow.""Flowers bloom best when surrounded by poison."
The spy lowered his head further. "Do you wish for me to act?"
"Not yet. Watch their every move. Observe their power. Their emotions."
"And one more thing—""—stay hidden. Remain in your human disguise."
The rift began to close, shadows twisting inward like smoke being inhaled.But before it vanished entirely, the figure beyond turned slightly—just enough for the spy to glimpse a dark hall filled with hanging chains, and a kneeling figure bound in their midst.
Scene — Rael
Rael knelt on the damp stone floor, his body carved with fresh wounds.Black chains pierced through his shoulders, anchoring him to the ground.Blood dripped steadily, pooling beneath him in a dull crimson mirror.
He raised his head weakly, voice trembling between breaths.
"Forgive me... I swear I'll do better... please... make me stronger…"
The figure before him—Numrath, King of the Demon Dominion among men—moved closer, his steps silent, his cloak dragging across the floor like creeping fog.
"Be silent," Numrath said coldly. "You have no right to speak."
He placed one hand upon Rael's head.The bleeding stopped—not healed, but frozen, as if his blood had turned to stone.
"You want power?" Numrath's voice sank lower, almost a whisper of death."Do you believe you deserve to live? Then stay here… and remember that feeling."
He turned away slowly, heading toward the swirling rift behind him.His shadow stretched across the floor, swallowing the dim light.
"You've grown quickly these past months," he murmured, almost amused."Hahaha… fascinating."
The portal closed around him, consuming his figure entirely—leaving behind only silence, the rattle of chains,and the faint sound of Rael's ragged breathing echoing through the darkness.