**[WARNING: EXPLICIT R-18 CONTENT]**
The Royal Aethermoor Academy rose from the landscape like a small city unto itself. Towering spires reached toward the sky, their peaks adorned with spiritual formations that glowed faintly even in daylight. Vast training grounds stretched in all directions, divided into sections for different cultivation disciplines. Residential halls capable of housing thousands stood like fortresses, their architecture a blend of functionality and grandeur.
Anthonio stood at the main gate, taking in the sight he had imagined countless times while writing his novel. The reality was somehow more impressive than his imagination—every detail sharper, more vivid, more *real* than words on a page could ever capture.
Hundreds of students moved through the grounds, their cultivation auras creating a tapestry of power. Consolidation-level students clustered together, their energy signatures like gentle waves. Manifestation-level students walked with more confidence, their power radiating outward. And scattered among them, the rare Transcendence-level students who drew attention simply by existing.
But to Anthonio, with his Transcendence 7-Star cultivation and dual primordial essences hidden beneath the Ring's suppression, they all felt like candles next to a bonfire. Weak. Insignificant. *Mortal.*
"Young master," Selene said quietly beside him, dressed now in the simple attire of a servant rather than revealing her true capabilities as a Sovereign 6-Star cultivator. "Your assigned dormitory is in the eastern wing, Manifestation section. The registration office is that building ahead."
"And Seraphina?"
"Western wing, Transcendence section. Separate facilities for students above Manifestation level—better rooms, private training areas, dedicated instructors." Selene paused. "Young master, meeting her alone on your first evening might raise questions. The nobles gossip, and word spreads quickly in environments like this."
"Let them gossip." Anthonio adjusted his travel bag, feeling the weight of the Blade of Eternal Frost concealed within his storage ring. "I've waited eight months for this conversation. A few wagging tongues won't stop me now."
They proceeded through the main courtyard, passing groups of students engaged in animated conversations. Anthonio noted several recognizing the Crimsonhart crest on his luggage—expressions ranging from curiosity to contempt flashing across their faces.
*The exiled trash arrives at the Academy. How entertaining for them.*
"Is that really Anthonio Crimsonhart?" a female voice whispered nearby, not quite quiet enough. "I heard he had Broken Veins at the Awakening Ceremony. How did he even get admitted?"
"Manifestation 9-Star, apparently," another voice responded. "Must have found something during his exile. Lucky bastard."
"Still trash compared to real talent. Look at him—barely holding his head up. Knows he doesn't belong here."
Anthonio smiled slightly, letting their words wash over him without reaction. They saw what he wanted them to see—a barely adequate cultivator who'd gotten lucky. None of them could perceive the truth hidden beneath the Ring's suppression.
The registration office was crowded with new students processing paperwork. Anthonio waited his turn, observing the social dynamics. Nobles clustered with nobles, commoners with commoners, powerful students attracting followers like gravity wells.
And then he saw him.
Kael Stormborn stood near the center of the room, surrounded by at least a dozen students all vying for his attention. He looked exactly as Anthonio remembered from their last meeting—taller now, more muscular, his three Divine Essences creating a pressure in the air that made weaker students unconsciously step back.
The protagonist held court like a king receiving supplicants. A beautiful girl with fire essence was laughing at something he said. Two noble sons were nodding enthusiastically at his words. Even some of the staff members were glancing his way with obvious admiration.
*The blessed hero. The chosen one. The protagonist everyone expects to reshape the kingdom.*
Kael's silver eyes—the Eye of Destiny—swept across the room and landed on Anthonio. Recognition flashed, followed by something that might have been concern.
Anthonio offered a small nod of acknowledgment. Polite. Respectful. The gesture of someone who knew his place.
Kael nodded back, but his attention lingered a moment longer than necessary before returning to his admirers.
*He's suspicious. The Eye of Destiny showed him something, some possible future where I become significant. But he can't reconcile that vision with the Manifestation 9-Star cultivator standing before him.*
Perfect.
"Next!" the registration clerk called.
Anthonio stepped forward, presenting his admission papers. The clerk—a middle-aged woman with Consolidation 7-Star cultivation—barely glanced at him.
"Anthonio Crimsonhart. Manifestation 9-Star. Eastern wing, room 237." She stamped his papers with practiced efficiency. "Orientation is tomorrow morning at dawn in the central arena. Miss it and you're expelled. Next!"
Just like that, he was processed. Another student among hundreds, nothing special, nothing noteworthy.
Exactly as planned.
---
Anthonio's assigned room was modest but functional. Single bed, desk with cultivation cushion, small wardrobe, window overlooking the eastern training grounds. The walls were bare stone, enchanted with basic sound suppression and spiritual shielding.
He set down his bag and immediately began establishing his cover. Cultivation manuals for lightning techniques—purchased specifically to appear authentic—arranged on the desk. Training clothes hung in the wardrobe. Personal effects scattered naturally, as if he'd lived here for weeks rather than minutes.
The room next door was occupied by someone at Manifestation 7-Star—Anthonio could sense the cultivation signature through the walls. Probably a noble's third or fourth son, talented enough for the Academy but not exceptional enough for special treatment.
Selene had secured quarters in the servant's wing, a small room she would share with three other attendants. It was beneath her actual capabilities, but necessary for maintaining cover.
*Two years,* Anthonio thought, settling onto the cultivation cushion. *Two years at this Academy, hiding my true power, stealing every opportunity meant for Kael, claiming every heroine destined to fall for him.*
*And it all starts tonight.*
As the afternoon wore on, Anthonio explored the Academy grounds. The library was impressive—five stories of accumulated knowledge, restricted sections for advanced students, meditation chambers for research. The training facilities were state-of-the-art, divided by element and cultivation level. The dining hall could feed thousands simultaneously, with separate sections for nobles and commoners.
He encountered other students during his exploration. Most ignored him, focused on their own concerns. A few introduced themselves—fellow Manifestation cultivators looking to form study groups or training partnerships. Anthonio was polite but noncommittal, making no promises.
One encounter stood out.
A young woman with shadow essence stopped him near the library entrance. She was beautiful in a dangerous way—black hair, dark eyes that seemed to see too much, a cultivation base at Transcendence 2-Star that radiated controlled menace.
"You're Anthonio Crimsonhart," she said. Not a question.
"I am. And you are?"
"Lyra Shadowmere." She studied him with unsettling intensity. "I know your servant, Selene. We're... related."
*The butterfly effect character Selene mentioned. Someone who didn't exist in my original novel.*
"Related how?" Anthonio asked carefully.
"Distant cousins. Same bloodline, different branches." Lyra's dark eyes narrowed. "Selene's been missing from family circles for years. Now she appears as a servant to exiled nobility. That raises questions."
"She serves of her own choice."
"Does she? Or is there debt involved? Obligation? Coercion?"
"You'd have to ask her." Anthonio kept his voice neutral. "If you're concerned for your cousin's wellbeing, speak to her directly. I don't interfere with my servants' personal relationships."
Lyra studied him a moment longer, then nodded slowly. "Perhaps I will. Enjoy your time at the Academy, Anthonio Crimsonhart. I suspect you're more interesting than you appear."
She walked away, leaving Anthonio with uncomfortable questions. How much did Lyra know? Could she sense that Selene's cultivation was far above servant level? Was this going to become a complication?
*Deal with problems as they arise. For now, focus on tonight.*
As sunset approached, Anthonio returned to his room and changed into fresh clothes. Nothing too formal—simple shirt and pants that could belong to any student. He wanted to appear casual, as if this was just a friendly meeting rather than the culmination of eight months of carefully built connection.
The eastern gardens were easy to find. Most students were in the dining hall for dinner or settling into their dorms, leaving the grounds relatively empty. Perfect for a private conversation.
The fountain came into view as Anthonio rounded a hedge—white marble carved with intricate patterns, water flowing in crystalline streams that caught the golden light of sunset. And beside it, waiting exactly as she'd promised, stood Seraphina.
She wore a simple blue dress rather than the formal noble attire she'd had at the debut ball. Her white hair was unbound, falling past her shoulders in waves that caught the light. Her ice-blue eyes were fixed on the water, lost in thought.
*She's nervous. After eight months of letters, after everything we've shared, she's still afraid I might reject her.*
"Seraphina," Anthonio called softly.
She turned, and her entire face transformed. The nervous tension melted into genuine joy, her smile bright enough to rival the setting sun.
"Anthonio," she breathed, moving toward him. "You came. I was afraid—I thought maybe—"
"I told you I'd be here." He closed the distance between them, maintaining the respectful space noble propriety demanded even as every instinct screamed to pull her close. "Eight months of letters, and you said there was something you needed to tell me in person."
"There is." Seraphina glanced around, confirming they were alone. The garden was empty, most students occupied elsewhere. "But first, I need to know something. Everything you've written to me over these months—was it real? Or was I just another noble lady you were trying to charm for political advantage?"
"It was real," Anthonio said without hesitation. "Every word. Every conversation. I have no political advantage to gain from you, Seraphina. I told you that at the ball—I'm exiled trash with no family influence. Associating with me only complicates your life, creates problems with your father, makes everything harder."
"Then why did you keep writing? Why spend eight months corresponding with someone who could never offer you anything useful?"
"Because you're interesting." Anthonio took a step closer, closing the gap to merely improper rather than scandalous. "Because talking to you made exile bearable. Because somewhere between letter three and letter four, I stopped thinking of you as Lady Nightshade and started thinking of you as Seraphina—the woman who questions everything, who resents being treated as property, who creates beautiful ice patterns just because the process is meditative."
Seraphina's breath caught. "You remember that? The ice patterns I mentioned once in passing?"
"I remember everything you've told me. Every frustration with your father, every cultivation breakthrough, every midnight letter when you couldn't sleep and needed someone to talk to." Anthonio smiled slightly. "I told you—I don't have much happening in mountain exile. Your letters were the highlight of my weeks. Sometimes the only thing that made the isolation bearable."
"Anthonio, I..." Seraphina stepped closer, eliminating the remaining distance between them. They were inches apart now, close enough that he could feel the subtle cold radiating from her ice essence. "I need to tell you something. Something I realized during these eight months but couldn't write in a letter because it felt too important to trust to paper."
"Tell me."
"I'm in love with you."
The words hung in the air between them, raw and honest and utterly vulnerable. Seraphina's ice-blue eyes held his, and Anthonio could see everything—the fear of rejection, the hope that he felt the same, the terror that she'd misread eight months of correspondence.
*This is it. The moment where I either claim her completely or lose her forever. The moment where the timeline diverges irrevocably from what I wrote.*
"Seraphina," Anthonio said carefully, "your father wants you to marry Kael Stormborn. Duke Aldric's blessed son with three Divine Essences, destined for greatness according to every prophecy and vision. On paper, he's everything you should want—powerful, politically advantageous, blessed by the gods themselves."
"I don't want what's on paper," Seraphina said fiercely. "I don't want the politically advantageous match, or the blessed hero, or the man everyone expects me to choose. I want what's real. What's genuine."
"And what's that?"
"You." Her voice trembled slightly. "These eight months, getting to know you through letters, learning who you actually are beneath the exiled trash reputation—Anthonio, you're the first person who's ever treated me like I matter beyond my Divine Essence and family name. The first person who sees Seraphina rather than Lady Nightshade the valuable asset."
"You do matter. Far more than you realize."
"Then say it." Seraphina's hands came up to rest on his chest, her cool fingers trembling. "Please. Tell me if you feel anything for me, or tell me I've made a fool of myself so I can start trying to move on. I can't bear the uncertainty anymore."
Anthonio's hand came up to cup her cheek, his thumb brushing across her pale skin. Seraphina leaned into the touch like she'd been starving for physical contact, her eyes closing briefly.
"I'm in love with you too," Anthonio said quietly. "I have been since somewhere around letter ten, when you told me about arguing with your father about your own autonomy and I realized you were willing to fight for the right to make your own choices. You're beautiful, powerful, intelligent—but more than that, you're genuine. You're yourself, unapologetically, even when the world wants you to be someone else. How could I not fall in love with that?"
Seraphina's eyes filled with tears—not of sadness, but of overwhelming relief. "I was so afraid you'd say this was just friendship. That I'd misread everything, that you were just being kind to a lonely noble girl."
"You didn't misread anything." Anthonio's thumb brushed away a tear that had escaped down her cheek. "But Seraphina, if you choose me over Kael Stormborn, over political advantage, over everything your father wants for you—it won't be easy. People will question your judgment. Your family will be furious. The other nobles will gossip endlessly about the ice princess who chose exiled trash over a blessed hero."
"I don't care." Seraphina's hands fisted in his shirt, pulling him closer. "I've spent my entire life doing what others expected. Being the perfect daughter, the dutiful noble, the valuable asset with a Divine Essence. For once—just once—I want to choose something just because I want it. And I want you, Anthonio. I want you more than I've ever wanted anything."
"Then you have me. Completely."
Anthonio kissed her.
It started gentle—testing, exploring, giving her room to pull back if this wasn't what she wanted. But Seraphina responded immediately, her arms wrapping around his neck, pulling him closer with desperate need. The kiss deepened, months of pent-up longing and desire finally finding release.
When they finally broke apart, both breathing hard, Seraphina's ice-blue eyes had darkened with an intensity that made Anthonio's pulse quicken.
"My room," she whispered against his lips. "Now. Before I lose my nerve or someone sees us and this moment gets ruined by reality."
"Seraphina—"
"I know what I'm asking. I know what it means." Her fingers traced down his chest, feeling his heartbeat through the fabric. "I'm seventeen, legally an adult in every way that matters, fully aware of my choices and their consequences. And right now, I choose you. Completely. In every way."
---
**[EXPLICIT R-18 CONTENT BEGINS]**
The walk to Seraphina's dormitory felt surreal—moving through the Academy grounds as sunset faded into twilight, her hand gripping his tightly enough to leave marks. They passed a few students, but no one paid them much attention. Just two people walking together, nothing unusual.
If only they knew.
Seraphina's room in the Transcendence wing was significantly more luxurious than Anthonio's. Larger bed with high-quality linens, better furnishings crafted from expensive wood, a private bathroom with running water, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the western gardens. The cultivation formations embedded in the walls were more sophisticated too—sound suppression, spiritual shielding, temperature control.
The moment the door closed behind them, Seraphina turned to face him, nervous energy radiating from her entire body.
"I've never..." she started, then stopped, biting her lip. "I mean, I'm not experienced with..."
"Neither am I," Anthonio admitted, moving closer. "But we'll figure it out together. There's no rush, no pressure. We can take this as slow as you need."
"I don't want slow." Seraphina's hands came up to his chest again, her cool fingers beginning to work at the buttons of his shirt. "I've been thinking about this for months, Anthonio. Every time I got one of your letters, I'd imagine what it would be like when we finally... I want you. Right now. I need you."
He kissed her again, this time with none of the earlier restraint. His hands slid down to her waist, pulling her body flush against his. Seraphina moaned into his mouth, her hips grinding against the hardness already straining his pants.
"Help me with this," she murmured breathlessly against his lips, tugging at her dress. Anthonio found the laces at the back, working them loose with shaking fingers. The dress fell away, pooling at her feet in a puddle of blue fabric, leaving Seraphina in thin undergarments that did absolutely nothing to hide her body.
She was perfect. Slender but toned from years of cultivation training, her skin pale and luminous like moonlight on snow. Small, pert breasts with pink nipples that had already hardened into peaks. The curve of her waist, the flare of her hips, the long legs that went on forever.
"You're staring," Seraphina said, but she was smiling, clearly pleased by his reaction.
"You're beautiful," Anthonio breathed. "Absolutely fucking perfect, Seraphina."
"Your turn," she said, her hands already working at his remaining clothes. Between them, they managed to strip him quickly—his shirt hitting the floor, pants and undergarments following until they were both bare.
Seraphina's gaze traveled down his body, lingering on his cock which stood hard and already leaking. Her hand reached out tentatively, fingers wrapping around his length.
"It's so hot," she murmured, stroking slowly. "I expected cold from ice essence, but you're like fire."
"The lightning," Anthonio gasped, his hips jerking into her touch. "Primordial essence runs hotter than normal cultivation."
"I like it." Seraphina stroked faster, her grip tightening. "Tell me what you want, Anthonio. I want to make you feel good."
"Touch yourself," he commanded, his voice rough with need. "Show me how you've been thinking about this."
Seraphina's eyes widened, but she obeyed. Her free hand slid down her body, finding the heat between her thighs. She gasped as her fingers made contact, her hips jerking forward.
"That's it," Anthonio encouraged, watching her touch herself while she continued stroking his cock. "Fuck, Seraphina, you're so beautiful like this. So perfect."
They moved to the bed, a tangle of limbs and desperate kisses. Anthonio's hands explored everywhere—her breasts, her waist, her thighs—learning what made her gasp, what made her moan. When his fingers finally slid between her legs, replacing her own, they both groaned at the wetness he found there.
"You're soaked," he breathed, circling her clit with his thumb while two fingers pressed inside her tight heat. "So fucking wet for me already."
"Anthonio," Seraphina gasped, her hips rolling against his hand. "More, please, I need more..."
He worked her methodically, alternating between slow, deep thrusts and quick circles on her clit. Seraphina's thighs trembled around his hand, her fingers fisting in the sheets as pleasure built higher and higher.
"I'm going to—oh gods, I'm going to—"
Her first orgasm hit suddenly, her back arching off the bed as she cried out. Her pussy clenched around his fingers in rhythmic pulses, wetness flooding his hand as she came.
"Beautiful," Anthonio murmured, working her through it until she collapsed back against the mattress, breathing hard. "Absolutely fucking beautiful when you come."
"I want to taste you," he said, already moving down her body before she could protest. "I want to know what you taste like when you come on my tongue."
"Anthonio, you don't have to—"
"I want to."
He settled between her thighs, using his hands to spread her open. She was beautiful here too—pink and glistening and utterly exposed. Anthonio leaned in and licked, slowly, from bottom to top, savoring her taste.
"Oh fuck," Seraphina moaned, her hands flying to his hair. "Anthonio, that's... that feels..."
He didn't let her finish, focusing instead on her clit, alternating between broad licks and focused suction. Seraphina's thighs trembled around his head, her fingers tightening in his hair as pleasure built again.
"Don't stop," she gasped. "Please don't stop, I'm so close..."
He added his fingers back, two thrusting deep while his tongue worked her clit mercilessly. The dual stimulation pushed Seraphina over the edge, her second orgasm crashing through her with even more intensity than the first.
"Anthonio!" she screamed, her hips bucking against his mouth. "Fuck, fuck, fuck..."
He worked her through it, only pulling back when her body went completely limp, her thighs falling open in exhausted surrender.
"That was..." Seraphina breathed, staring at the ceiling with dazed eyes. "I didn't know it could feel like that. The books don't... they don't describe it right."
"We're not done yet." Anthonio moved back up her body, his cock leaving a wet trail across her thigh. "I need to be inside you, Seraphina. I need to feel you around me."
"Yes," she breathed, spreading her legs wider in invitation. "Please, Anthonio. I want you inside me. I want you to fuck me."
He positioned himself at her entrance, the head of his cock pressing against her wetness. "This might hurt at first. Tell me if it's too much and we'll stop."
"Don't you dare stop," Seraphina commanded, her hands gripping his shoulders. "I want all of you."
Anthonio pushed inside slowly, feeling her virgin tightness resist him at first. Seraphina winced, her nails digging into his skin as he stretched her.
"Breathe," he murmured, holding perfectly still despite every instinct screaming at him to thrust. "Just breathe through it, beautiful. Your body needs time to adjust."
She did, taking deep breaths while her internal muscles gradually relaxed. After what felt like an eternity, Anthonio felt the resistance ease. He pushed deeper, inch by careful inch, until he was fully seated inside her.
"Oh gods," Seraphina gasped. "You're so big. So deep. I can feel you everywhere."
"You're so tight," Anthonio groaned, his control hanging by a thread. "So fucking perfect around my cock. You feel incredible, Seraphina."
"Move," she commanded, her hips shifting experimentally. "Please, Anthonio, I need you to move. Fuck me."
He started slow, careful thrusts that let her body adjust to the intrusion. But as Seraphina's moans grew louder, as her hips began meeting his movements with increasing eagerness, Anthonio's control began to slip.
"Harder," she gasped, her nails raking down his back hard enough to leave marks. "Fuck me harder, Anthonio. I want to feel you."
He obliged, his hips snapping forward with increasing force. The bed rocked beneath them, headboard hitting the wall with rhythmic thuds that anyone passing in the hallway would definitely hear. But neither of them cared anymore.
"Yes, yes, just like that," Seraphina moaned, her legs wrapping around his waist to pull him deeper. "So deep, you're so fucking deep inside me... Don't stop, please don't stop..."
Anthonio leaned down, capturing her mouth in a brutal kiss while his cock pounded into her. One hand slid between their sweat-slicked bodies, finding her clit and rubbing in tight, fast circles.
"Come for me," he commanded against her lips. "Come on my cock, Seraphina. I want to feel your pussy milk me when you come."
She shattered with a scream, her entire body convulsing as the most intense orgasm yet tore through her. Her pussy clenched around him like a vice, rhythmic pulses that pushed Anthonio past the point of no return.
"Fuck," he groaned, burying himself as deep as possible. "Seraphina, I'm going to—"
"Inside," she gasped. "Come inside me, I want to feel it..."
That permission destroyed what remained of his control. Anthonio came with a roar, his cock pulsing as he filled her with his release. They clung to each other through it, both trembling with the overwhelming intensity.
When it finally ended, they collapsed together in a tangle of sweaty limbs, both gasping for breath.
---
They lay in silence for several minutes, Anthonio's fingers tracing idle patterns on Seraphina's bare shoulder while both of them recovered. Eventually, Seraphina propped herself up on one elbow, looking down at him with an expression that mixed satisfaction with determination.
"Again," she said simply.
"Again?" Anthonio laughed. "Seraphina, you just lost your virginity. Your body needs time to—"
"Again," she repeated, her hand already sliding down to wrap around his softening cock. "I've waited eight months for this. I'm not stopping after just once."
To Anthonio's surprise, his cock responded immediately to her touch, hardening again despite having just come. The benefit of youth and cultivation-enhanced stamina.
"On your hands and knees," he commanded, his voice rough with renewed desire. "I want to take you from behind."
Seraphina's eyes widened, but she obeyed, rolling onto her stomach and rising to all fours. The position exposed her completely—her ass raised in the air, her pussy still dripping with their combined fluids.
"Beautiful," Anthonio breathed, positioning himself behind her. "So fucking beautiful like this."
He entered her in one hard thrust, drawing a cry from Seraphina that was equal parts pleasure and surprise.
"Oh gods," she moaned, her arms trembling. "It's so deep like this. Anthonio, you're..."
He didn't let her finish, setting a brutal pace immediately. His hands gripped her hips, pulling her back onto his cock with each forward thrust. The sound of flesh slapping against flesh filled the room, mixed with their moans and gasps.
"You like this?" Anthonio asked, one hand sliding up to tangle in her white hair. "You like being fucked like this?"
"Yes!" Seraphina cried out. "Yes, I love it! Harder, fuck me harder!"
He obliged, his hips pistoning with enough force to rock her entire body forward. One hand released her hip to reach around, finding her clit and rubbing mercilessly.
"Come for me again," he commanded. "Show me how much you love having my cock inside you."
Seraphina came with a scream, her arms giving out as she collapsed face-first into the pillows. But Anthonio didn't stop, continuing to pound into her even as she shook with aftershocks.
"Too much," she gasped. "It's too much, I can't—"
"You can." Anthonio leaned over her back, his lips at her ear. "You're going to come again, beautiful. And then I'm going to fill you again."
True to his word, he drove her to another orgasm before his own hit. This time when he came, Seraphina came with him, both of them crying out in unison as pleasure overwhelmed them.
They collapsed together, completely spent. Anthonio pulled out carefully, both of them wincing at the sensitivity. He rolled to the side, pulling Seraphina against his chest.
"That was..." Seraphina started, then laughed breathlessly. "I don't even have words. That was everything I imagined and so much more."
"You imagined this?" Anthonio asked with amusement, his fingers tracing patterns on her sweat-dampened skin.
"For months. Every time I got one of your letters, I'd imagine what it would be like when we finally..." She blushed, which was adorable given what they'd just done twice. "Is that weird?"
"Not weird. Flattering." He pulled her closer, enjoying the feel of her cool skin against his. "Seraphina, you know what this means, right? After tonight, there's no going back. Your father will be furious. Kael Stormborn will be angry. The engagement negotiations will collapse completely."
"Good. I never wanted that engagement anyway." Seraphina propped herself up to look at him. "I choose you, Anthonio. Not because you're politically useful, not because my father approves, but because you're the person I want to be with. The person I love."
"Even though I'm still officially exiled trash with no family support?"
"Especially because of that. You achieved Manifestation 9-Star despite starting from nothing. You're brilliant, determined, genuine." She leaned down, kissing him softly. "You're everything I want, and nothing I'm supposed to have. Which makes it perfect."
*If only you knew the truth. That I'm actually Transcendence 7-Star with dual primordial essences. That I could destroy most of this Academy if I revealed my true power. That I'm not the underdog you think I am, but a predator disguised as prey.*
But that revelation could wait. For now, Anthonio simply held her, enjoying the moment of complete victory.
He had successfully stolen the first heroine from Kael Stormborn. Not through grand heroics or political maneuvering, but through eight months of genuine connection followed by one night of intense intimacy.
*One heroine claimed. Nine more to go. And the protagonist still has no idea what's happening.*
"We should sleep," Seraphina murmured, already drifting off against his chest. "Orientation is at dawn. If we're late..."
"Then we'll be late together," Anthonio said, but she was already asleep, exhausted by their activities.
He lay awake for a while longer, processing everything that had happened. Outside the window, the Academy grounds were dark and quiet. Somewhere in the Manifestation wing, Kael Stormborn was probably sleeping peacefully, unaware that his destined bride had just chosen another man.
Unaware that the exiled trash he'd dismissed as insignificant was actually the greatest threat to his predetermined future.
Crimson lightning flickered faintly across Anthonio's fingers, hidden against Seraphina's back where she couldn't see it. The Primordial Red Lightning, eager for the conflicts to come.
And deeper still, the Shadow Heart's consciousness stirred, amused by the night's developments.
*"Well played,"* the ancient voice murmured in his thoughts. *"The first piece captured. How many more before the protagonist realizes he's already lost the game?"*
*All of them,* Anthonio thought back. *Every heroine. Every opportunity. Every advantage he thinks destiny promised him.*
*This is just the beginning, Kael Stormborn.*
*By the time you realize I'm the real threat, I'll have taken everything you thought was yours.*
*Starting with the woman you were supposed to marry.*
---
**END OF CHAPTER 13**
---