The capital never slept.
Even at dawn, the streets of the Drakaryx Empire hummed with life. Steam rose from stone roads as cultivators practiced breathing techniques before work. Merchants pulled open their stalls. Sect disciples passed through massive dragon-carved gates with proud steps, each wearing robes dyed with their faction's colors.
From the highest balcony of the Third Prince's palace, I watched all of it.
Cold black marble pressed against my palms. The wind brushed against my long black hair, carrying the faint scent of incense and metal from the city below. In the glass beside me, my reflection stared back — crimson eyes, pale skin, relaxed posture.
A dragon hiding inside a human prince.
The Abyssal Sovereign Fate Devourer pulsed faintly in my vision.
[Target Network: Kael Veyl]
Primary Supports: 6
Secondary Supports: 18
Emotional Anchors: 3
Still too many.
Seraphina stood behind me. Her silver hair was braided today, resting between her shoulder blades. Her emerald eyes followed the city as if searching for threats that didn't yet exist.
"You didn't sleep," she said.
"I was busy," I replied.
"Busy doing what?"
"Watching destinies rot."
She fell silent.
I could feel her presence behind me — cautious, loyal, tense. There was something in the way she stood, just a little too close, like she didn't want me out of her reach.
I turned away from the balcony. "Come. We're late."
The Imperial Cultivation Hall was a massive circular structure built from white stone and dragonbone pillars. Heat from underground fire veins kept the air warm, making Qi circulation easier. Young nobles, princes, and elite heirs gathered here every morning to train.
I entered late, as always.
Black robes. Red trim. No crown.
Whispers followed me.
"The Third Prince…"
"Why does he even come?"
"He's nothing compared to Kael…"
I ignored them and took my seat.
Seraphina remained standing behind me, hands folded, eyes sharp.
A moment later, the air changed.
Kael Veyl entered.
Brown hair tied back neatly. Steel-gray eyes focused and calm. His presence felt warm, bright, full of Heaven's favor. Cultivators instinctively straightened. Even instructors watched him with quiet approval.
He didn't look at me.
But I felt him.
That thin, uneasy awareness brushing against my existence like a frayed wire.
Training began.
One by one, disciples demonstrated their techniques. Flames roared. Wind blades cut the air. Earth cracked beneath heavy strikes.
Then Kael stepped forward.
He gathered his Qi.
For a fraction of a second, it faltered.
Barely noticeable.
But he felt it.
His brows tightened as he released the attack anyway, a powerful wave of light-infused energy that earned murmurs of praise.
It was still strong.
Just… not perfect.
I rested my chin on my hand, smiling faintly.
The first crack had appeared.
Seraphina watched Kael with quiet intensity, then glanced at me.
There was something strange in her gaze — not fear, not admiration.
Possession.
Far away, a hero felt something missing.
And here, a villain enjoyed the silence it left behind.
I left the cultivation hall before training ended.
Not because I was bored — though I was — but because Kael was beginning to notice.
And I preferred to observe him when he wasn't pretending everything was fine.
Seraphina followed me through the long marble corridors of the palace complex. Sunlight filtered through stained-glass windows, painting her silver hair in soft colors.
"You're going to see him, aren't you?" she asked.
"Not yet."
Her steps slowed. "Why not?"
"Because heroes reveal more when they think they're alone."
The outer palace gardens stretched for kilometers, filled with sculpted trees, floating lantern ponds, and cultivation flowers that glowed softly in the morning light. Nobles and disciples walked the paths, some training, some courting, some scheming.
I moved among them like a ghost.
The Abyssal Sovereign Fate Devourer pulled gently at my senses.
A thread.
Not Kael's.
One of his remaining supports.
I followed it.
A small pavilion stood near a lotus pond. A young woman sat inside, reading a jade tablet.
Black hair fell to her waist. Her eyes were a soft amber color, intelligent and wary. Her cultivation robes bore the emblem of the Azure Dawn Sect.
One of Kael's future allies.
I recognized her from the novel's memory.
Liara Sunveil.
She would become one of the strategists who helped Kael survive the empire's political purges.
For now, she was just… waiting.
I walked into the pavilion.
She looked up sharply. "Y-Your Highness?"
I smiled gently. "Relax. I'm not here to punish anyone."
Her fate thread pulsed.
I sat across from her.
"Tell me," I said, "do you believe in destiny?"
She hesitated. "I… I think effort matters more."
Good answer.
"And if someone told you that your future was already written?"
She frowned. "Then I would try to change it."
I leaned forward slightly, crimson eyes reflecting in her amber gaze.
"What if I offered you a different one?"
Her heartbeat spiked.
Seraphina stood behind me, watching silently — and I could feel her unease.
Liara swallowed. "Why me?"
"Because you're important," I said softly.
And because Kael doesn't deserve you.
Far away, Kael felt another faint tug at his destiny.
And he had no idea where it was coming from.