The Moon was shining through the window as Zane was looking at his status window.
"Since I got reincarnated, I don’t know how, but I feel like my original self, And the dream I had when I was on a secret altar, what does it mean, and who was that giant?" Zane thought, lying on his bed, staring up at the dark wooden ceiling.
"Well, maybe if I research about the history of this world, I can learn about those beings," he thought while closing his eyes.
Meanwhile, somewhere in a big room with a curtain covering half of the room there was a man behind.
"Master, I have returned," the woman reported. The woman was wearing all black, covering her face and leaving only her eyes visible
.
"Vespera, what brought you here this quickly?" a deep voice echoed across the room.
"I am here to report about Prince Zane, my Lord," she said while looking down.
"A report? Tell me this first: is it good or bad?"
"It’s a bad one, my Lord," Vespera replied, her voice trembling slightly.
"So why bother reporting it rather than keeping on trying to fix it?" the man behind the curtain asked.
"It’s because I am not strong enough to face the leader of the tower he has entered," she explained.
"How can you be intimidated by those brats? Isn’t one of them the one we ambushed in the treasure dungeon? And Scarlet, Aria, and Boric—although they’re strong, they are no match for me. So there is no problem," the man behind the curtain said, and his shadow showed that he was drinking something .
"I know that, but this one is the leader of the Dark Tower," Vespera explained.
"Pfft!" The man spat out what he was drinking. It fell, crossing over from behind the curtain, and it was blood.
"Damn it, I almost forgot that monster is still alive! So leave that to me and don’t even attempt to attack her," the man said, his voice dropping into a menacing whisper.
"Yes, my Lord," she replied, bowing low before turning.
"You may leave," the shadow of the man said while the curtain showed him rising to his feet.
"Damn it, I have now failed to kill that child of prophecy three times now? How am I going to report this? If it were not for that damn king who can look over his kingdom, I would have taken over long ago," the man thought while taking a big sip of blood, his fists clenched tight.
"How is the operation in capturing the ice dragon of this kingdom?" the man asked, looking into the shimmering surface of the mirror.
"We are still looking, but it seems the Royal Family already knows and they are looking for us, boss," a voice coming from the mirror replied with a hint of panic.
"Then move faster, you damn demons! We can’t afford to lose another dragon," the man said harshly.
"Don’t rush us as if we are working for you. You are just a pawn on a chessboard," another deep voice replied from the reflection, mocking him.
"Tch... if we fail, the boss will kill us all, so you have to move quickly before we go to the Demon Conference," the man said, narrowing his eyes at the glass.
"Hey, mind your own business of spying on your kingdom, you human betrayer!" the voice from the mirror snapped back.
"Fine," he said while sitting down heavily. "Damn demons," he muttered while throwing the cup he was holding against the stone floor, shattering it into pieces.
"And you, where is that dark elf, Leossa?" the man asked, looking toward the one-armed demon standing silently near the door.
"Failed," the demon said .
"You demons are so disappointing," the man said, shaking his head in disgust.
The next morning, the sunlight spilled across the courtyard as Zane woke up and started doing his morning training: running on the training grounds, doing push-ups, and cultivating to increase his mana and expand his mana core, Aura, and Holy Vessel.
"He is hardworking, just like how his mother and father were," Joy commented while watching Zane cultivate from her office , a soft, nostalgic smile touching her lips. "Maybe I can teach him one or two things I have learned over the years."
"This is good. Now I feel fresh," Zane said after removing the weight bracelets for the first time, stretching his arms as a wave of lightness washed over his muscles.
"Zane! It’s time for breakfast, let’s go!" Vane shouted through the window, waving his arm impatiently.
"Okay, I’m coming! I just need to clean up," Zane shouted back, grabbing a fresh towel.
Zane then went and cleaned up, washed away the morning sweat, changed his clothes, and put on a nice black suit and white shirt without a tie, paired with black shoes. He then headed straight to the Dining Hall where the scent of roasted meat and warm bread filled the air.
"Wow, you look so handsome when you’re not wearing armor," Lleith commented, looking up from her plate with a bright grin.
"Thanks," Zane replied with a small nod, taking a seat at the long wooden table.
He sat down and ate with his companions, enjoying the brief moment of peace, and after that, he headed to the academy to get his uniform and also visit Eveline and Lean as he had promised.
"So what do you think of the Dark Tower?" Vane asked as they walked down the stone-paved corridor.
"Peaceful, I guess," Zane replied, looking around at the quiet halls.
"The Tower Leader said you can access all the libraries in the Dark Tower," Vane said, nudging his shoulder.
"Okay, that will be for the best since I am looking for something important," Zane replied, his mind flashing back to his mysterious dreams.
They then went to the principal’s office, signed the paperwork, and got the uniforms. After that, Zane went f straight to the Martial Arts Tower.
"Hey, look at that guy wearing a black suit like students from the Dark Tower!" students who were coming in and out of the Martial Arts Tower were whispering, pointing fingers as he passed by.
"Look who is here," a soft, familiar voice said.
"Mmm... Who are you?" Zane asked while turning around, raising an eyebrow.
"You already forgot me?" Primrose stated, crossing her arms with a playful pout.
"Well, you look like Eveline, and I saw you fight her in the Arena. So, are you by any chance her big sister?" Zane said .
"So you were acting like you didn’t know me," Primrose said while getting closer to Zane, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
"Sister, you are teasing people again," Eveline said, walking toward Zane and Primrose while wearing black light armor with her sword by her side.
"Fine, fine, I will leave him alone," Primrose said with a chuckle, turning on her heel and entering the Martial Arts Tower.
Zane and Eveline then started walking side by side around the quiet, blooming school garden, surrounded with well maintained flowers and grass.
They walked for a while without saying a word to each other, letting the comfortable silence stretch between them.
"How is your tower?" they both said at the same time.
Then, they started laughing, "Pff... haa haa," they chuckled, shaking their heads.
"You go first," Zane suggested, gesturing politely with his hand.
"So, tell me why you didn’t look for me after you came back from your training in Demon Mountain," Eveline asked, stopping in her tracks and looking directly into his eyes.
"Huh? Who told you about that?" Zane asked, his eyes widening slightly in surprise.
"You answer first since I asked first," Eveline said, refusing to back down.
"I thought you had already forgotten about me since the rumor about me being sick was all over and we hadn’t seen each other since we were children," Zane answered honestly, rubbing the back of his neck. "So, how did you know about Demon Mountain?"
"Through your sisters, Princess Sofia and Princess Fraya," she answered smoothly.
"That’s a relief, I thought there was a rumor spreading about it..." Zane said while exhaling heavily, letting out a long breath of relief.
"You really hate the spotlight, but with how your growth rate is, you are going to be right in the middle of it, so why bother trying to avoid it?"
"If I go public too quickly, the people who tried to kill my mother will be notified," Zane explained.
"That’s understandable; so, do you know the person responsible?" she asked softly, stepping a little closer to him.
"No, not yet, but my arrival in the capital should have notified them enough," Zane said, his gaze fixed on the horizon.
"I see. So, what do you think of our betrothal relationship?" Eveline asked while sitting down gracefully on a wooden bench beneath the shade of an old tree.
"Well, it’s kind of complicated because this agreement was made by our parents. So if I say yes, and you don’t want..."
Before Zane could finish his sentence, Eveline interrupted him sharply, "Who said I don’t want it? If I didn’t love you, would I have looked for you yesterday?" she asked while blushing.
"Then if you love me, it’s fine by me too, but I don’t like being betrayed or being cheated on," Zane said while sitting down right next to her.
"Do I look like someone who would do that?" Eveline asked, glaring at him playfully.
"I don’t know, I am just saying. And that’s why I came here to learn more about you," Zane said smoothly while casually putting his hand on Eveline’s thigh.
They then spent hours talking, sharing stories, and laughing together up until afternoon .
As the evening approached, Zane then went back to the Dark Tower, where he headed straight to the grand library to research the strange beings he had seen in his dreams, as well as the ancient evolution of combat, while Eveline also went back to her rigorous training grounds.