Journey to Become the Zenith

Pride Standing at the Edge of Ruin

Still now that all of the fallen nobles in Fantom City had joined their cause, the actual nobility in Fantom City should have already caught wind of what was happening.

Nothing this large stayed hidden.

Not in a city built on whispers.

Not in a place where information flowed faster than blood.

Lane walked beside Brinda through a quiet street, the late afternoon sun stretching their shadows long across the stone path. The air carried a strange stillness—like the calm before something inevitable.

”They know,” Brinda said casually, breaking the silence as she brushed a strand of purple hair behind her ear. ”Maybe not everything... but enough.”

Lane didn’t look at her.

”I know.”

Her voice was steady.

Unbothered.

But her mind was already moving ahead.

Most nobles would dismiss it.

Weak gathering with weak.

Fallen nobles clinging together like broken blades trying to feel sharp again.

Pathetic.

Harmless.

That’s how they would see it.

And that... was exactly what made it dangerous.

Because the ones who didn’t dismiss it—

Would act.

”They’ll send spies,” Brinda continued, her tone light but her eyes sharp. ”Not immediately. Not loudly. But they will.”

Lane gave a slight nod.

”And if they interfere...”

Her fingers brushed lightly against her side.

A subtle motion.

But one filled with intent.

”We respond.”

Brinda smiled faintly at that.

”Self-defense,” she said, almost amused. ”Such a convenient excuse.”

Lane didn’t reply.

But inside—

She was already certain of one thing.

Victor has already thought of this.

There was no way someone like him would overlook something so obvious.

Every move he made... had layers.

Every step... calculated.

Even the chaos.

Especially the chaos.

And that—

Was what made him terrifying.

A day passed.

The city didn’t explode.

No retaliation.

No open conflict.

Just silence.

The kind that pressed against the skin and whispered that something was coming.

As promised, Lane returned to the Redcliffe estate.

This time—

Brinda walked beside her.

Lane didn’t like it.

Not entirely.

There was always something about Brinda’s presence that irritated her... the way she spoke, the way she moved, the way she played with people like pieces on a board.

But she couldn’t deny the truth.

Brinda was useful.

More than useful.

Necessary.

And Lane wasn’t foolish enough to ignore that.

As they approached the old mansion, the air shifted.

Lane felt it immediately.

Eyes.

Watching.

From above.

Her gaze lifted slightly.

The archers were there.

On the roof.

Same positions.

Same people.

But different expressions.

Yesterday—confidence.

Today—

Fear.

Frustration.

They didn’t raise their bows.

Didn’t even pretend to threaten.

They just watched her.

Warily.

Carefully.

Like prey that had learned what stood in front of them.

Lane said nothing.

She simply walked forward.

The door opened before they could knock.

Xavier stood there.

Alive.

Recovered.

But not unchanged.

There was a stiffness in his posture now.

A quiet caution in his eyes when they landed on Lane.

”Welcome back Lady Lane. Please come in, the master has been waiting for you.”

His voice was polite.

Measured.

Controlled.

He didn’t even look at Brinda.

Didn’t acknowledge her presence.

Just turned and gestured for Lane to follow.

Brinda noticed.

Of course she did.

But instead of reacting—

She smiled faintly.

Unbothered.

Pride... even now.

Fallen nobles still clinging to the illusion of dignity.

How amusing.

And how predictable.

They entered.

The mansion felt the same.

Yet not.

There was tension in the walls now.

In the air.

In every quiet step echoing through the halls.

Ramona Redcliffe was already waiting.

Seated.

Composed.

Watching.

Her green hair fell neatly over her shoulders, her posture straight despite everything that had happened the day before.

Her eyes moved between the two women.

One she expected.

One she didn’t.

And the difference between them...

Couldn’t have been clearer.

”Oh, Lady Brinda... what a surprise,” Ramona said, her tone polite—but not warm. ”What brings you here? If you have something to say, please tell me later. I have something important to discuss with Lady Lane.”

There it was.

Distance.

Disapproval.

Barely hidden.

Lane spoke before Brinda could.

”It’s alright. I was the one who brought her here. She’s one of the people who recently joined under Victor.”

Silence followed.

Not long.

But heavy.

Xavier’s eyes flickered.

Ramona’s fingers tightened slightly.

That one piece of information—

Changed everything.

Under Victor...?

Her thoughts shifted instantly.

So it’s true.

This wasn’t just some scattered effort.

This wasn’t random.

Victor was gathering everything.

Not just fallen nobles.

Not just strength.

But influence.

Reach.

Control.

And that—

Was dangerous.

Her jaw tightened.

Have we fallen this far...?

To stand alongside people of the underworld?

To serve under someone who embraced them?

The thought stung.

Sharply.

Deeply.

But—

Another thought rose just as quickly.

If we refuse... we disappear.

She already knew what happened after Lane left yesterday.

Every family.

Every refusal.

Every death.

No mercy.

No exceptions.

Not even children.

That truth sat heavy in her chest.

Cold.

Unforgiving.

This wasn’t negotiation anymore.

This was selection.

Join—

Or be erased.

—

Lane didn’t wait.

Didn’t soften the moment.

Didn’t ease the tension.

She stepped forward slightly, her voice calm.

”So Ramona Redcliffe, will you join us or will you perish?”

No emotion.

No pressure.

Just fact.

Ramona looked at her.

Really looked.

At the woman standing in front of her.

Beautiful.

Cold.

Unshaken.

A blade wrapped in human form.

This... is what we’re facing.

Her nails dug slightly into her palm.

This isn’t a choice between pride and submission...

This is a choice between existence and extinction.

Her chest rose slowly.

Then fell.

She thought of her family.

Their name.

Their history.

The weight of everything they had already lost.

If I choose wrong...

This would be the end.

Not just for her.

For all of them.

And history—

Would remember her as the one who buried the Redcliffe name.

Her eyes hardened.

Steady now.

Resolved.

Even if she was the weakest head to ever lead them—

She was still their head.

And this decision...

Was hers.

She lifted her gaze to Lane.

Met her eyes directly.

And for the first time—

There was no hesitation left.

Only determination.

Her lips parted.

”I—”