The air inside the stone chamber was heavy and damp, with barely enough light slipping through the slit window to distinguish shadow from wall. Serena sat cross-legged in silence, her wrists marked with faint bruises from the energy-suppressing cuffs they had fastened around her. No one had spoken to her since she'd been dragged here.
The moment she had instinctively unleashed a pulse of darkness energy after the match with Alina, the entire mood of the Valen estate had shifted. Whispers turned to silence. Glares turned to fear. She hadn't even realized what happened until her system flared in her mind like a scream:
> [Alert: Darkness Affinity detected publicly!]
[Public suspicion increased.]
And so they locked her away.
Serena clenched her fists, her body aching from the earlier injuries. The fight with Alina hadn't been meant to end that way. She had fought with only one technique—Sweeping Gale Palm—and even that was enough to give her an edge. Alina had lost. But when Serena had turned to walk off the stage, Alina had attacked her from behind—furious, wounded, unwilling to accept defeat.
That reckless strike had nearly hit her. Serena had only reacted on instinct.
And that one instinct had exposed her greatest secret.
---
Far above her, in the main estate hall of House Valen, the atmosphere was tense.
The council of inner family members—elders and advisors of the clan—sat in a semicircle, while Caelan Valen, Serena's father and current Patriarch of House Valen, stood before them in quiet thought.
"She carries the Darkness affinity," one elder said with disapproval. "It's no longer speculation. The entire audience saw it. Whispers are already spreading across Valeria."
"It was an uncontrolled release," said Caelan evenly. "Not a display of mastery."
"Uncontrolled or not, the damage is done," another snapped. "You know how this land views Darkness. The other families will strike while our reputation trembles."
One of the older advisors—the same man who had guided the family during the war years ago—sighed and placed a scroll on the table. "This letter arrived just after the match. It bears the seal of House Ravenhart."
Caelan's eyes narrowed.
The scroll was opened, and the hall fell silent as the contents were read aloud.
> To the Noble House of Valen,
In light of the events at your recent trial match, and with the emergence of a known darkness wielder under your protection, the Ravenhart Family proposes urgent action. We advise swift distancing from the girl Serena Valen to preserve the honor and legitimacy of your house.
We have contacted our liege family, House Vaelcrest, to begin negotiations regarding her custody. Should you refuse to cooperate, House Valen may be viewed as a breeding ground for corruption.
—Lord Aldric Ravenhart.
Silence lingered like a noose.
Caelan read the final line again, slowly.
> Breeding ground for corruption.
The implication was clear. If they refused to hand over Serena, House Valen itself would be cast under suspicion—isolated politically, economically, and perhaps even militarily. They were a mid-tier family. House Vaelcrest was high-tier. There would be no contest if it came to war.
Caelan's jaw tensed, but he said nothing. He looked out the tall window, toward the vast lands that bore his family's banner, and the daughter locked in darkness beneath his very estate.
---
Far away, in the heart of Ravenhart territory, a young woman sat in front of a glowing crystal orb. Her lips curved upward in a knowing smile.
"Just as planned," Celeste Arvendale whispered. Her eyes sparkled with ambition. "Let the noble House Valen tremble."