"He threatened to kill me," Leon muttered, his voice hollow. "He said if I ever get in his way, he'll end me."
Ron blinked, let out a nervous little laugh, and tried to brush it off with a smile. "Huh? Hey, chill, Leon. He's a Prince—he's probably just being dramatic or joking."
Leon watched Lloyd's retreating figure from a distance, his golden eyes narrowing. "I don't think he was joking."
The following morning, the atmosphere in the classroom was electric. When Instructor Mason walked in, he wasn't alone. Walking beside him was a woman who seemed to command the very air around her. She had raven-black hair that flowed down to her waist and wore a gown so long it swept the floor like a shadow.
"Everyone, settle down," Mr. Mason announced, his voice filled with uncharacteristic reverence. "Welcome Mrs. Nyx Claymore. She is one of the fifteen Legendary Ranks in existence. As you know, the Academy brings in a Legend every year to show the new students the pinnacle of power—a standard for you to aim for."
The students sat in stunned silence. For many, even seeing an S-Rank was a rare event; standing in the presence of a Legend was both terrifying and breath-taking.
Nyx stepped forward, her presence cold and absolute. "I am the Goddess of the Night, the Primordial Nyx," she began, her voice echoing. "I have attained the pinnacle. There is nothing beyond this rank." She paused, her dark eyes scanning the young faces. "Tell me... have any of you ever seen a Soul Palace?"
The room remained deathly quiet. A Soul Palace was the ultimate manifestation of a Legend's power; none of them had ever been close enough to a Legend to witness one.
"So, none of you. As expected," Nyx said with a faint, knowing smile.
Inside his mind, Leon reached out to his guardian. Yudris... are you a Legendary Rank? You seem to have so much control over your powers.
"No, Young Lord," Yudris answered instantly, her voice resonating only for him. "I am not a Legendary Rank."
But then why are you so— Leon started to ask, but Nyx's voice cut through his thoughts like a blade.
"Now, I shall show you the pinnacle of true power," she declared, stepping into the center of the room. The students leaned forward, their hearts racing. Nyx took a deep breath, and the shadows in the corners of the room began to writhe and grow.
She began her incantation, her voice dropping into a rhythmic, haunting chant:
"In a world void of light, where darkness threads and blinds one's sight...
Look and behold Nyx's night, for in the darkness you shall meet your end."
"Soul Palace: The Primordial Void!"
The reality of the classroom shattered. In an instant, the students found themselves suspended in an endless, suffocating abyss. There was no floor, no ceiling—only a vast, obsidian silence where Mrs. Nyx Claymore reigned supreme.
"The Soul Palace is the pinnacle of power," Nyx's voice whispered from every direction at once. "It is achieved only when you become one with your unique skill, merging your very essence with your skill. In this state, you are the power, and the power is you. Only through this union can you manifest a domain like this."
"Does this place... even have an end?" Ron asked, her voice trembling in the vastness.
"Is this even still our world?" Prince Lloyd demanded, his usual composure cracking as he stared into the infinite dark.
"A Soul Palace is a separate dimension," Instructor Mason explained, his own breath hitching. This was only the third time he had witnessed such a feat, even as an A-Rank. "It can be as vast as a universe. It is why attaining the Legendary Rank is often called 'Godhood.' You are no longer just a skillful user; you are the creator of your own reality."
With a sudden flash, the void collapsed, and the students were back in their wooden chairs. The transition was so jarring that several students gripped their desks to steady themselves. The absolute authority Nyx had held over their lives in that void was a terrifying revelation.
As the Legend took her leave, Mr. Mason addressed the stunned class. "That is the goal. Not everyone will reach it—some may never even see S-Rank—but I urge you to strive for it. I want to see this entire class among the legends one day."
"We won't disappoint you, sir!" the class shouted in unison, their ambitions ignited.
That evening, unable to stop thinking about the void, Leon summoned Yudris to his room. He needed to understand the true nature of what he had seen.
"Yudris," Leon began, his curiosity burning. "Do you have a Soul Palace? You said you weren't a Legendary Rank, so... is it even possible for you?"
"I am not required to have one, Young Lord," Yudris replied with her characteristic calm. "However, the concept of a domain is not limited to those you call 'Legends.' I can create one if you wish to see it."
"Please," Leon asked, his eyes wide. "I want to see how it compares."
Yudris nodded and stepped into the center of the room. She didn't grow dark or menacing like Nyx; instead, she seemed to become a focal point of pure, shimmering light. She stretched her hands forward, and her incantation felt less like a threat and more like a command to existence itself:
"A plane void of narration, bound only by decision...
The realm of absolute construction, where only my will reflects."
"Soul Palace: White Canvas of the Architect!"
"Wow... it's beautiful," Leon whispered, floating in the center of the brilliance. "Comparing this to earlier... Yudris, what exactly can Nyx do inside her Void?"
"Many things, Young Lord," Yudris replied, her form shimmering against the white backdrop. "She is omnipresent within her realm. She can summon an immortal army of shadows, drain the life force of any intruder, and bend the very laws of physics to her whim."
"Really?" Leon gasped. "She's that powerful... then what about yours? What can this place do?"
Yudris paused, a familiar flicker of hesitation in her eyes. "Apologies, Young Lord, but I am restricted from giving you a complete detail of this realm. I can only summarize it for you in a single sentence."
That weird restriction again, Leon thought, frustrated but curious. "Fine. Summarize it."
Yudris looked at him with an unreadable expression. "It is a void of infinite possibilities, where all realities are woven into existence."
Leon froze. The weight of those words felt heavier than Nyx's entire abyss. "Wait... what?"
"That is all I can say," she replied firmly.
Leon stood in silence, processing the scale. If Nyx's realm was a kingdom of death, Yudris's realm sounded like the workshop of a god. "Tell me one more thing," he muttered. "Between your palace and Nyx's... which is stronger?"
"I cannot answer that directly, Young Lord. But based on my summary, you should be able to deduce the truth."
Leon didn't need a direct answer. If Yudris controlled the very fabric of how realities were woven, then Nyx's darkness was just a tiny thread in Yudris's hands. "You can remove it now," he said quietly.
With a shimmer, the white dimension dissolved, and they were back in the cramped hostel room. Leon collapsed onto his bed, staring at the ceiling as his mind whirled. Suddenly, he sprang up, his golden eyes burning with a new fire.
"Yudris! Can I create a Soul Palace?"
Yudris's voice turned uncharacteristically grave. "You possess the power to do so, Young Lord. But I do not believe you have the mental capacity to survive the process. I strongly advise you against it."
Leon walked to the center of the room, his jaw set. "If the power is there, I have to try. There's no harm in testing my limits."
"Young Lord," Yudris warned, her light flickering sharply, "in your specific case, there would be significant harm."
"I have you here to pull me back if things go wrong," Leon replied, stretching his hands forward just as he had seen Nyx and Yudris do. "If I don't try, I'll never know what I'm truly capable of."
He took a deep, heavy breath, closing his eyes. He reached past the "Theft" skill, past the elemental training, and deep into the core of the power he had unleashed in the woods. His voice dropped to a low, guttural tone as he began to mutter his own incantation...