THE VILLAIN'S POV

Chapter 253: Shadows Beneath the Throne (1) – Frey Starlightʼs Pov –

It took a full minute of silence—me and everyone else—just to process what had happened, before the crowd erupted into cheers for the princess who had just delivered a breathtaking display. ”Where did all these people come from?”

Snow muttered beside me, still trying to pull himself together.

None of us had suffered fatal injuries except for the deep gash across Daemonʼs chest ... but we were in rough shape.

The temple students whoʼd witnessed the match were captivated by Sansa. She had just defeated the students believed to be the strongest of their generation.

The match hadnʼt been broadcast to the Empireʼs citizens , it was limited to a handful of people .. but rumors would spread, inevitably. And without even realizing it, Sansa had just scored major points against Aegon in the race for the throne.

Speaking of the prince... he stood clapping alongside the others, a calm smile drawn across his face.

What just happened was clearly a blow to him. Because no matter how intelligent or cunning an emperor may be, those traits are meaningless without overwhelming strength.

An emperor is, first and foremost, the Empireʼs shield and sword. Their only requirement is to be strong enough to defeat anyone.

And Sansa had just shown that kind of strength ... strength worthy of the throne.

So why are you smiling, Aegon?

Where exactly does the darkness within the Imperial family lie? ”What the hell were those shadows?” ”I couldnʼt cut through them… and they were ridiculously fast.”

Daemon and Snow had already started breaking down what theyʼd just faced.

Sansaʼs shadow ability was vast in range, harder than steel, faster than the eye could follow, and disturbingly versatile.

It was, without exaggeration, an absurdly well-rounded power with no visible weaknesses.

You could almost call it a perfect shadow ability… if such a thing existed. ”Her darkness isnʼt natural. Iʼve only felt something like that once in my life.”

Snow was inching closer to the truth.

He had sensed this kind of power once ... during his fight with the masked man from the Ultras. The man who wielded an otherworldly black flame unlike anything heʼd seen.

Sansaʼs shadows carried that same energy.

It was only a matter of time before people realized she was using a demonic ability .. if they hadnʼt figured it out already. ”What about you, Frey?”

Snowʼs voice pulled me from my thoughts. ”Her shadows are definitely nothing like Ghostʼs.” ”Obviously,” Daemon muttered, sparks of lightning dancing between his fingers. ”The Valerions have always inherited light and lightning. Generation after generation.”

He clenched his fist, casting a final glance toward his cousin. ”But that cursed darkness… only the gods know where it came from.”

Different opinions, but from the outside? We probably just looked like a group of losers licking their wounds.

I didnʼt linger long. I slipped away at the first chance, distancing myself from the roar of cheers and from Danzoʼs shouting as Selena continued mocking him.

I wasnʼt even sure how I ended up at one of the templeʼs private gardens.

I sat alone on a bench, staring at the system screen and the one mission that had been haunting me for some time: – Eliminate the Darkness of the Imperial Bloodline –

Time Remaining: 23 Days

It was difficult to grasp what exactly this mission wanted from me.

If Sansa was the darkness in question… did that mean I was meant to kill her?

What if the darkness was Aegon instead? Or somewhere else entirely?

Still, I doubted the system would throw me against someone like Maekar ... not unless it wanted me dead.

No. I was almost certain that the target this time... was Princess Sansa.

So then what?

I had no intention of killing her. And I wasnʼt even sure I could.

Iʼve always hated these kinds of missions ... ones that throw me blindly into the unknown.

But this time, I had the tools to shine a light on that uncertainty.

And that tool was one of the systemʼs most broken abilities: – Glimpse of the Future –

The more I thought about it, the more terrifying it seemed.

It literally allowed me to see the future. That kind of power broke the rules of this world.

And honestly, I had no idea why I even had access to something like this.

During the Victoriad, Iʼd avoided using it .. I was too afraid of seeing myself fail.

But now? There was no reason not to use it. Except… its cost was high. Very high.

But I had enough points saved up from completing the final mission before ... so after a deep breath, and for the first time in a long while, I used my cheat ability once again.

The mission Eliminate the Darkness of the imperial Bloodline had a countdown: 23 days remaining.

I didnʼt know what that meant exactly, but I decided to look 23 days into the future to see how this would all unfold. ”Show me the fate of that damned family… please.”

It cost me a full 1,000 achievement points, but the ability activated flawlessly.

Reality tore apart around me ...like someone had taken an eraser to the world... and the colors gradually came together to form the scene I wanted to see.

My heartbeat accelerated from how violently I was yanked out of the present.

In the past, this ability would only show me a single image.

But now, what unfolded before me was a moving scene .. so vivid, so real,

I felt like I had actually traveled into the future.

It was nighttime. I floated like a ghost in the sky, watching from above the Royal District .. a place I had only seen before in photographs.

It was a region brimming with majestic castles and towering palaces.

Among them, three massive castles stood above the rest .. which I assumed belonged to Maekar and his sons.

Everything was eerily quiet.

Just another crisp, uneventful autumn night.

Seconds ticked by. Then minutes.

And I began to think I had just wasted a thousand achievement points for nothing.

But of course, that was just the calm before the storm.

How strange, how easily the world can shift ... as if someone were tampering with my vision and senses.

BOOOOOOM!

With a deafening explosion, one of the three castles erupted in flames.

Screams echoed through the night.

From beneath the rubble, pitch-black tendrils tore into the sky, as fire and shadow swallowed everything.

I watched those black tentacles shred through anything in their path, while something crawled through that cursed darkness. ”Aha… AhahahahahaHAHAHA!!!”

And at the center of it all, a creature—a demon—laughed maniacally as it slaughtered every soul in its way, painting the land with blood.

It slithered across the ground like a plague, bringing destruction and death in its wake.

And it had only one target:

From the Imperial Castle, Maekar emerged... carrying a colossal spear in hand.

His face and golden eyes were cold as ever.

Serpents of lightning coiled through the sky, illuminating the night as the Emperor hurled his weapon at the thing crawling toward him.

The bolt of lightning ...an attack worthy of an SS+ entity clashed with the cursed shadows, unleashing waves of destructive power.

I was thrown from that twisted reality and woke up, back on the garden bench— drenched in sweat, with a cold hand on my shoulder.

I could feel the sweat crawling across my skin.

My breathing was erratic.

My heart pounded against my ribs like it was trying to escape my chest.

I turned to see whose hand it was ... and within moments, I had my answer. ”...Sansa?” ”Whatʼs wrong? You look like youʼve seen a ghost.” ”How long have you been here?”

It took everything I had to keep my composure, trying to meet her gaze while silencing the primal instinct inside me screaming to get away.

Sansa, ever observant, was already watching me closely.

I had to lock down my expression fast ...or sheʼd see right through me. ”Iʼve been here for a while. I called your name a few times but got no answer.” ”Ah… I guess I got lost in thought again.” ”Thereʼs nothing wrong with that.

Itʼs actually nice to see you acting like yourself again.” ”What do you mean?”

I asked. Her reply wasnʼt what I expected. ”Youʼve looked… empty, ever since you came back.”

Such a sharp insight, as always, from the princess. ”Empty, huh? …Now that you mention it, we havenʼt really talked like this in a while.”

Every time I tried to find her, something would get in the way.

But when she came looking for me? Nothing stopped her. ”Yeah… It wasnʼt easy sneaking away from all those students earlier.” ”Canʼt blame them. You did just wipe the floor with me, Snow, and Daemon.” ”…”

She didnʼt respond immediately.

Maybe she was thinking about something.

But I didnʼt give her time ..I followed with another question: ”How have you been lately?”

Sansa tilted her head and looked at me. ”Iʼm fine… nothing out of the ordinary.” ”What about your power? Those shadows…”

The moment I added that last question and studied her expression ..it lasted for less than a second .. but even though she tried to hide it gracefully, I noticed the faint crease in her brow before she smoothed it away.

She was incredibly skilled at controlling her facial expressions.

I assumed it was one of those habits sheʼd mastered over time, likely due to her status as a princess.

Because of that, I couldnʼt tell if I was imagining things, or if Iʼd really seen it.

In response, she simply raised her hand ... allowing thin strands of shadow aura to swirl around her fingers. ”Iʼve recently reached the point where I can manipulate it freely.”

Sansa began shaping her shadow aura into different forms.

She started simple—circles, squares—while continuing to speak. ”Little by little, this power has become an inseparable part of me.”

Slowly, the shapes became more complex: a three-dimensional sword, a spear formed entirely from shadow.

The way she controlled it ..so swift, so precise ..felt almost instinctive. ”Your control is amazing,” I commented as she put on the display.

The princess smiled softly. ”Yes. I have it under control now, so thereʼs no need to worry.” ”Right…”

No need to worry?

Truthfully, I wouldnʼt have worried.

That level of aura manipulation proved how deeply sheʼd mastered it.

But…

That glimpse I saw of the future still haunted me.

Because that thing ...the shadowed monstrosity that attacked Maekar ...

I saw it.

For a fleeting second, I recognized the figure within that darkness.

That creature, that nightmare that had risen from nowhere…

Even if she looked slightly different .. it was still you, Sansa.

That abomination .. one more terrifying than any demon Iʼve seen…

Was that really you?