SPELLCRAFT: Reincarnation Of A Magic Scholar

"What are you doing here, Neron?"

The Emperor's voice was calm but carried a commanding edge. His sharp eyes landed on the bones scattered across the floor.

"And what… is this?"

The expressions of the Emperor and the rest of the Midas Royal Family were a mixture of surprise and confusion, but Neron couldn't shake the weight of suspicion in their gazes.

Neron's jaw tightened as he straightened, his body tense with barely restrained anger.

"What am I doing here? The better question is, what are you doing here?" He looked past them toward the corridor.

"How did you get in without Kido seeing you?"

"Kido?" The Empress tilted her head. "We didn't see anyone. We came here because we received your message."

Neron narrowed his eyes. "My message?"

"Yes," Kuzon chimed in, his small voice carrying an innocent lilt. "We thought you might be in danger."

Neron's fists clenched at his sides. "You're lying."

The Emperor's brow furrowed.

"Lying? About what? You're in a hidden part of our palace that even we didn't even know existed. And now, we find you standing over skeletal remains. Explain yourself."

Neron let out a bitter laugh, the sound echoing eerily in the confined space.

"Explain myself? You want me to explain? When I've uncovered your crimes?"

"Crimes?" The Emperor stepped forward, his golden aura radiating authority. "Enough of this nonsense, Neron. Tell us what you've found."

"Don't play dumb with me!" Neron's voice rose, the sharp edge of his frustration cutting through the room.

"You know exactly what this is." He pointed to the bones. "These are the remains of my friends. Your victims."

Kuzon took a step back, his face pale. "Victims? What are you talking about?"

"They're not victims!" The Emperor's voice rose, a spark of irritation crossing his face. "I can see the bodies, and I think they are the three citizens of the Empire who've been missing for months—some days before you arrived here. I never told you anything about them because I didn't want you to worry or think you were under suspicion, but—"

Neron's eyes darted between them, his anger flaring.

"Don't twist this around on me. I know what I saw. I saw you order their deaths. I saw Kuzon kill them. Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about!"

The Emperor's gaze hardened. "Neron, listen to yourself. You're becoming unhinged. We've done nothing of the sort."

"Nothing?" Neron's voice cracked with disbelief. "You're still pretending, even now? After everything I've seen? After the truth I've uncovered? You had them chained, beaten, and executed because they were 'inferior.' You called them weak, lesser beings. You forced a child to kill in your name!"

The Empress's brows furrowed as she placed a hand on Kuzon's shoulder. "Neron, please. Calm down. If there is some misunderstanding, we can resolve it together. But you're accusing us of atrocities we haven't committed."

"I don't want your lies!" Neron snapped, his aura flaring with suppressed Aether. "I've had enough of your pretenses. Enough of your manipulation. I trusted you, even trained under you, but all this time, you were monsters hiding behind a façade."

Kuzon's sister stepped forward, her voice soft but firm. "Neron, we don't know what you've seen, but I swear we're not lying to you. Please, just—"

"Don't." Neron's voice was cold as he cut her off. "I don't want to hear another word from any of you."

The Emperor's expression grew stern. "You're acting irrationally, Neron. Whatever you think you've uncovered, you're drawing the wrong conclusions. You need to stop this before you do something you'll regret."

Neron laughed darkly, the sound devoid of humor.

"Regret? The only regret I have is believing for even a second that you weren't what Kido warned me about."

"Neron…" The Emperor's voice held a warning, but Neron raised a hand, silencing him.

"You're monsters," Neron spat, his eyes burning with conviction. "And there's only one thing to do with monsters."

The room seemed to darken as the air grew heavy with tension. Neron's voice dropped, cold and resolute.

"Kill them."

The Emperor's face hardened as he stepped forward, his golden aura flaring faintly.

"Mira," he said firmly, not taking his eyes off Neron. "Take Kuzon and Seris. Leave this place immediately."

The Empress hesitated, glancing at Neron, whose trembling hands radiated power. S

he tightened her grip on Kuzon's shoulder, who looked up at her with wide, confused eyes.

"But—"

"Now," the Emperor commanded, his voice brooking no argument.

Mira nodded reluctantly.

"Come, children. We're leaving." She pulled Kuzon and Seris toward the exit, the sound of their footsteps echoing in the tense silence.

Neron's eyes narrowed, his voice a low growl. "You think they're getting away from me?" His Aether surged, a storm of raw energy swirling around him. The chamber trembled as cracks spiderwebbed across the walls and floor.

"None of you are leaving here alive."

The Empress hesitated for a split second but steeled herself and hurried the children out of sight. The Emperor, now alone with Neron, raised a hand as if to placate him.

"Neron, listen to me. You've been consumed by something—something that's twisting your perception. Let me help you."

"Help me?" Neron's laugh was cold and devoid of humor. "The only help I need is ensuring that your entire wretched race is erased from existence."

With a sharp breath, Neron raised his arms, pulling in every thread of Aether around him. The very air grew heavy, as if the world itself was holding its breath. His Aether Core glowed brightly within him, pulsating with an intensity that bordered on instability.

The Emperor's golden eyes widened slightly as he felt the overwhelming flow of energy converging on Neron.

"You're going to destroy yourself," he said evenly, though there was an edge of urgency in his tone.

"Good," Neron hissed, his voice echoing unnaturally. "As long as I take all of you with me."

He closed his eyes, and when they reopened, they were pure white—blazing with unrestrained fury and power. His voice dropped to a whisper, yet it carried through the chamber like a death knell.

"You deserve to die. All of you. And I will bring judgment upon this cursed empire."

VWUUUM!

The air froze.

Everything froze.
Find your next adventure on empire

The faint flicker of torches lining the chamber walls stopped mid-dance. Dust particles suspended in the air became immobile. Even the faint hum of life that permeated the Midas Empire ceased, as though the entire world had fallen into an eerie stillness.

Neron's Mage Mode, Martial State, and Original Magic activated simultaneously, enveloping him in an ethereal glow.

He stood at the center of the frozen world, his gaze colder than ice as he looked upon the Emperor, who stood rooted but unaffected by the temporal stasis.

The Emperor frowned, his aura rippling subtly as he took a cautious step forward.

"Neron," he began, his voice steady but softer now, "Stop this."

Neron's lips curled into a sneer.

"No."

The Emperor's golden aura intensified, his expression resolute. "What you've seen—whatever has led you here—there is more to it than you understand. You must—"

"Silence!" Neron's voice thundered as the frozen Aether around them shuddered violently.

The chamber groaned as the walls began to crack further, the sheer pressure of Neron's power threatening to tear the space apart. The Emperor's gaze never wavered, but a shadow of regret crossed his face.

"You've chosen your path, then," the Emperor said solemnly. "But know this, Neron—if you wish to destroy us, I will defend my people. Even from you."

"Defend all you want. It won't matter." Neron's cold gaze locked onto the Emperor, his voice dripping with finality.

"Today, the Midas Empire falls."