The Imperial Library was not just a building; it was a cathedral of knowledge. It spiraled upwards into the clouds, a massive tower of white marble where books floated in mid-air, carried by invisible currents of mana.
Kaelen walked through the massive bronze doors. He was still wearing his grey scholar robes, his white hair tied back. Beside him, Bo was looking nervously at a sign that said: "Silence. Offenders will be Muted Permanently."
"Boss," Bo whispered, barely moving his lips. "Why are we here? I thought we were going to rob the Principal?"
"Knowledge is the first step of a robbery," Kaelen replied, scanning the directory. "To kill a snake, you must find where it sleeps. The Necromancer said the Principal is involved. I need to know why."
They walked past the Common Section, where normal students were studying history and math.
Kaelen headed straight for the back, towards a heavy iron gate marked: "Sector Zero - Restricted. Faculty Only."
"Stop."
A voice, dry as parchment, drifted from the shadows.
An old woman sat behind a dusty desk near the gate. She was tiny, wrapped in a shawl that looked like it was made of cobwebs. Her eyes were milky white—blind. She was knitting a scarf with needles that looked suspiciously like small bones.
"Students are not allowed in Sector Zero," the old woman said, not looking up.
Kaelen stopped. He bowed respectfully.
"Grandmother," Kaelen said softly. "I am looking for a book on Ancient Biology. Specifically, the Era of the Red Moon."
The old woman's knitting needles paused.
The atmosphere in the library shifted. The floating books froze. The air grew cold.
"The Era of the Red Moon?" The old woman turned her blind face toward him. "That history was erased 300 years ago. Why would a boy dig up graves?"
"Because," Kaelen stepped closer, lowering his voice. "I believe the ghosts are waking up."
The old woman smiled. It was a terrifying, toothless smile.
"You smell... different," she sniffed the air. "You smell like the sea. And old blood."
She reached under her desk and pulled out a rusted iron key.
"The book you want is not on the shelves. It is in the Shadow Archive. Row 4, Shelf 13. But be warned, boy..."
She tossed the key to him.
"The books in the Shadow Archive scream. If your mind is weak, you will go mad."
"My mind," Kaelen caught the key, "is a fortress."
"We shall see," she resumed knitting. "You have one hour before the Head Librarian returns. He is not as nice as me."
Kaelen unlocked the gate. Bo followed, shivering. "She was nice? She looked like she eats children!"
...
Sector Zero: The Shadow Archive.
This section was dark. No magical lights. Only the faint, purple glow of the books themselves illuminated the narrow corridors.
And it was loud.
Whisper... kill... betray... hunger...
The books were literally whispering. They contained forbidden dark arts, cursed histories, and the diaries of madmen.
"Bo, cover your ears," Kaelen ordered. "Don't listen to them."
Bo stuffed cotton (which he always carried) into his ears.
Kaelen walked down Row 4. The pressure here was immense. It was a mental attack. A normal student would have collapsed, foaming at the mouth. But Kaelen's Emperor's Soul pushed the voices away like annoying flies.
"Shelf 13," Kaelen counted.
He found it. A black book bound in human skin. No title.
He pulled it out.
The book vibrated. It tried to bite his hand.
"Behave," Kaelen infused a trace of Dragon Qi into the cover. The book whimpered and opened.
Kaelen scanned the pages. His eyes widened.
Entry: Year 402 of the Golden Era.
Project: Solar Synthesis.
Head Researcher: Archmage Varian (The current Principal).
Goal: To create an artificial 'God' by merging Human, Beast, and Demon bloodlines.
Status: Failed. Subjects exploded. The Eclipse organization was formed to dispose of the failures and gather more 'raw materials' in secret.
Kaelen's grip tightened on the book.
The Principal wasn't just working with the Eclipse. He created it. And the "Solar Synthesis"... that was exactly what they were doing to his mother. They were trying to replicate the Solar Body.
"They are trying to play God," Kaelen whispered, rage simmering in his chest.
Suddenly, a shadow fell over the page.
"You are reading something you shouldn't, Junior."
Kaelen slammed the book shut and shoved it into his spatial ring.
He turned around.
Standing at the end of the aisle was a young man. He wore the white uniform of the Student Council. He had silver hair, glasses, and a badge that said "Rank 1".
This was Lancelot, the Top Student of the Academy. The President of the Student Council.
Lancelot adjusted his glasses. He held a rapier.
"Sector Zero is off-limits," Lancelot said, his voice smooth and cold. "Hand over the book, and I might only break one of your arms."
Bo whimpered. "Boss, that's Lancelot! They say he cut a wyvern in half with a spoon! We are dead!"
Kaelen looked at Lancelot.
'Spirit Ocean Level 5. Peak. Almost Level 6. A genius.'
"I have permission," Kaelen lied calmly. "The Grandmother at the desk gave me the key."
"Madam Pince?" Lancelot frowned. "She hasn't given a key to a student in fifty years. You are lying."
Lancelot moved.
He didn't run; he glided. One second he was ten meters away, the next he was in front of Kaelen, his rapier thrusting toward Kaelen's shoulder.
Light Element Art: Flash Thrust.
It was fast. Faster than sound.
But Kaelen didn't need to be faster. He just needed to be smarter.
Kaelen didn't draw his sword. He stepped to the left.
Zip.
The rapier tore through Kaelen's sleeve, missing his skin by a millimeter.
Lancelot's eyes widened. 'He dodged? At this range?'
"Your technique is flawless," Kaelen critiqued, as if he were a teacher. "But your intent leaks. You look at where you want to strike before you move."
Lancelot grit his teeth. "Don't lecture me, trash!"
He unleashed a flurry of stabs. Thrust. Thrust. Slash.
Kaelen wove through the attacks like a ghost. He was using the "Phantom Step"—a movement technique that relied on predicting the opponent's rhythm.
"Bo, run!" Kaelen shouted.
"Way ahead of you!" Bo was already sprinting toward the exit.
"You're not going anywhere!" Lancelot spun, aiming a slash at Bo's back.
Kaelen's eyes turned cold.
"Don't touch him."
Kaelen stepped in. He caught Lancelot's wrist.
Stop.
Lancelot froze. He couldn't move his arm. It felt like it was clamped in a vice of iron.
"You..." Lancelot stared at the white-haired boy. "Who are you?"
"Just a Class S student," Kaelen whispered.
He released a burst of Dragon Fear directly into Lancelot's eyes.
For a split second, Lancelot didn't see a student. He saw a Predator staring at him from the abyss.
Lancelot flinched. He instinctively pulled back, breaking his stance.
Kaelen used that opening. He palm-struck Lancelot's chest.
Thump.
It wasn't a lethal hit, but it carried a vibration force that knocked the wind out of the Student President. Lancelot stumbled back, gasping.
"We are leaving," Kaelen said, turning around and walking away casually. "And Lancelot... fix your footwork. You overextend on the third strike."
Kaelen and Bo walked out of the aisle, leaving the strongest student in the Academy stunned, clutching his chest.
...
The Library Entrance.
They ran past the old woman.
"Did you find it?" she asked, not looking up from her knitting.
"Yes," Kaelen paused. "Thank you."
"Be careful, boy," she murmured. "Lancelot is proud. You just broke his pride. He will hunt you."
"Let him hunt," Kaelen walked out into the sunlight. "A sharp stone polishes the blade."
...
Outside.
"Boss!" Bo hyperventilated. "You just fought the Student President! And you won! We are going to be famous! Or expelled! Probably expelled!"
"We weren't identified," Kaelen said, pulling his hood up. "He didn't see my face clearly in the dark. But now we know the truth."
Kaelen looked at the massive Principal's Tower in the center of the campus.
"The Principal created the Eclipse. He is using the students as lab rats. We need to expose him."
"How?" Bo asked. "He's the Principal! Who will believe us?"
"No one," Kaelen smiled grimly. "Unless we win the Inter-Academy Tournament."
"The Tournament again?"
"Yes. The winner gets a private audience with the Emperor," Kaelen explained. "If I can get close to the Emperor, I can present the Black Book directly to him. The Emperor hates corruption."
"So..." Bo sighed. "We have to become the best students in the school, win a tournament, and meet the Emperor. Easy peasy."
"Exactly."
Kaelen looked at the Black Book in his ring.
But deep down, Kaelen suspected something else. The Emperor... was he really unaware? Or was the corruption rotting the throne itself?
The game of shadows had just begun.
Author Note: "If you like the story, please vote with Power Stones! It helps me write faster."