Chapter 3: Nemesis in the Shadows
The sun had barely risen over Aelthar Academy, but already the courtyard buzzed with chatter. Students compared magical duels, spell mastery, and their family connections. Everyone talked… except Cael Renard, who quietly observed from a shaded bench near the fountain.
His eyes, calm and calculating, caught movement across the courtyard Kryos Valen, the academy's self-proclaimed "future hero," surrounded by sycophants. The boy exuded confidence, every word a calculated jab at those he deemed inferior. And today, he had a new target: Cael.
"You there, background noble," Kryos called, smirking. "I've heard whispers about you. You look ordinary, but your aura… is strange. Tell me, are you the Phantom everyone's talking about?"
Cael merely tilted his head, expression blank. "Whispers are just wind," he replied softly. His voice held no malice, no arrogance exactly the tone that made Kryos uneasy.
But Cael wasn't here to fight at the academy. His night mission awaited: a corrupt guild leader had kidnapped innocent merchants, planning to sell them to slavers outside the city. The Umbra Circle operatives were ready, waiting for his command.
"Do you think the Phantom would reveal himself to you?" Cael continued, almost teasing. "Or are you just chasing shadows?"
Kryos scowled, flustered that the boy he considered "weak" seemed unshaken. "I'll prove it. You'll regret underestimating me."
Cael's lips curved into the faintest smile. "We'll see. Tonight, perhaps."
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Cael slipped through hidden alleys, joining Liora and the Umbra Circle. The night air was cool, filled with the scents of the city the perfect cover for a shadow operation.
"Targets secured?" Cael asked, voice calm, almost casual.
"All set," Liora replied. "They won't see us coming."
Within minutes, the guild leader's hideout was surrounded. Cael raised his hand, and shadows moved like liquid, binding the criminals with supernatural precision. Spells struck silently, traps immobilized, and within moments, the threat was neutralized. Not a single innocent was harmed.
Meanwhile, a figure watched from a rooftop Kryos, convinced he would finally face the Phantom in battle. He saw only shadows moving, attacks that seemed impossible. Every move was precise, every action anticipated.
And yet, when the last enemy fell, the shadows vanished, leaving behind no trace of the Phantom only rumors and fear.
Back at his dorm, Cael recorded the night's mission in his hidden ledger. "Kryos is curious," he mused. "Good. A nemesis makes the game interesting. But he will never discover the truth… not yet."
The next morning, Kryos stormed into the academy's courtyard, frustrated and humiliated. Students whispered rumors, blaming the "Phantom" for mysterious justice. Cael, seated quietly in the back of the classroom, feigned ignorance.
No one suspected that the quiet, background noble was the very force controlling events from the shadows.
And that was exactly how Cael liked it.
Because in the shadows, he was untouchable.