Nyx vanished from her spot.
She had used an artifact — a prototype created by Jeremy — that allowed instant teleportation to a preset location.
The technology was still in developnt… at least for ordinary people.
Monts later, she arrived at her destination.
Her apartnt.
Without hesitation, she dragged Alden's unconscious body across the room toward one of the spare bedrooms.
"Why is he so heavy?" she muttered.
With a grunt, she threw him onto the bed and turned away imdiately.
She didn't want to stay in the sa room as him.
Not right now, at least.
Her face was still burning.
I'm such an idiot.
She slapped her cheeks lightly in frustration.
It doesn't matter.
"It was just a… kiss, nothing much."
She mumbled, stamring more to herself than to the empty air.
It wasn't like anyone was watching.
But the warmth in her cheeks remained, and so did the confusion.
She turned and entered her own bedroom.
There was a ssage she needed to send to Jeremy — and probably a hundred things she needed to process — but first…
A shower.
Her body was soaked in blood and sweat.
Stripping off her clothes, she stepped into the bathroom and turned on the cold water.
The water droplets slid down her porcelain skin, washing away the dust and slowly, calming the chaos in her mind.
The tension in her shoulders began to fade.
Clarity returned.
What was that back there…?
The image of Alden appeared in her mind —white hair, golden eyes, raw power radiating from his very form as if a deity had descended on the mortal realm.
He had been stronger than he should've been.
Far stronger.
Does he have a supre ability?
That would make sense… almost.
But even the Supre Ability holder didn't start off that powerful.
She knew — she was one of them.
Supre abilities were balanced at the start. Their real strength only surfaced later, as one grew.
Alden was different.
She had sensed his rank. Apprentice Interdiate. Not even advanced.
But just days ago, he had been an initiate.
Two breakthroughs in such a short ti?
That was unheard of.
And yet… it wasn't just the strength.
There had been sothing else in him.
Sothing deeper.
Ancient.
Primal.
And most of all — sothing dangerous.
She had felt fear.
Real fear.
Alden… Could he be HIM?
He's definitely not normal.
After finishing her shower, she stepped out and dried off.
Once dry, she dressed in a fitted black tank top and jeans.
Dressed and focused, she grabbed her ManaSync.
She typed a single ssage to Jeremy:
__
Investigate what happened in Lustra.
__
No nas. No context.
She could've ntioned Alden.
But she didn't.
Jeremy was a trained dog of the clan. He was bound by oath. But that didn't an he didn't have secrets.
Nyx didn't fully trust him. She had seen the gleam in his eyes… he was planning sothing.
He couldn't disobey her. But that didn't an he couldn't sche around her orders.
Especially if Alden was HIM.
Her ManaSync buzzed a mont later.
It was the reply from Jeremy.
__
Yes, Miss. Give an hour and I'll investigate everything.
Also, here are the docunts you requested earlier.
__
Two files were attached.
One labelled Alden Draven.
The other — Amyra Celestrian.
Nyx ignored Amyra's file for now and tapped on Alden's.
It was straightforward at first.
His official record, background, and recent activities.
But as Nyx kept reading… her expression changed.
From impassive to confused and finally — to pity.
Nyx's eyes scanned the docunt, each line unravelling a piece of Alden's past.
Na: Alden Draven
Status: Illegitimate son of the Draven Family — one of the Four Great Families.
Illegitimate.
She had known about this. Almost all of the noble students looked down on Alden, muttering he was an illegitimate son.
She knew the aning of the word. There were many illegitimate children in her clan as well.
Many elders had affairs resulting in such children.
But all of them were treated equally as legitimate heirs.
So she didn't think much about it and skimd past it.
Mother: Unknown. Vanished imdiately after childbirth.
Father: High Lord Alaric Draven. No recorded interactions or acknowledgents.
The file was clinical, devoid of emotion — but Nyx could read between the lines.
His father didn't just neglect him.
He denied his very existence.
And that wasn't all.
Sibling: Cedric Draven — Second son of the House. Multiple incidents of docunted abuse against Alden. No disciplinary actions recorded.
There were photos attached—captured by surveillance or perhaps hidden recorders by servants.
Alden, no older than nine, huddled in a corner, bruised and bloodied.
Another image: a teenage Alden with a split lip and one eye swollen shut, surrounded by three other youths in Draven family insignias.
Her chest tightened.
Daily physical assaults. Solitary confinent. Restriction from formal training.
It continued, line after brutal line.
He had been raised like a prisoner in the shadows of the Draven mansion — a bastard child hidden from the world, punished simply for existing.
And then—
Status Update:
Officially exiled.
Charges: Tarnishing the House's image.
Date: Two weeks prior.
Nyx stared at the last entry in silence.
She rembered how she'd first thought about him.
A playboy who chard his way around.
She'd believed her own delusions. Dismissed him as another arrogant noble-born.
But this…
There was no charm here. No privilege. No shelter. No love.
Just scars.
And pain.
She closed the file slowly.
Sat there for a while — motionless.
Her mind drifted back to their trip. His awkward smiles.
The way he always stayed slightly apart.
Was that really soone raised as a pampered flirt?
No.
Was it a misunderstanding? A cover-up?
Or…had he played into that role — the charming mask — because it was easier to wear than letting anyone see the truth?
The mory of her first kiss flashed again — sudden, chaotic, unintended.
An accident.
And yet… behind that mont… Was there more?
Nyx leaned back against the headboard, fingers pressed to her temple.
Did he just want to be loved?
Is that why he acted like that?
Like a playboy?
Who are you really, Alden Draven?
Her earlier certainty wavered.
He wasn't just strange.
He wasn't just strong.
He was broken. And sohow, still standing.
And suddenly… that made him even more dangerous.
Or perhaps…
Even more human.
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