The silence of Hiroshi's room was a welcome balm after the incessant, grating noise of the "school." Valerius, draped across a plush, ridiculously soft chair, idly tapped a finger against the dark pendant at his throat.
The symbol of his Shadow Guard, now a mere trinket in this pathetic age, still thrummed with a faint, familiar energy. He had felt Kaelen's gaze on it during their chess match, a flicker of recognition in those ancient, weary eyes. The fool. Always so transparent.
He savored the memory of their last encounter in the cafeteria, the brief, chilling moment when Kaelen's composure had fractured, when the emperor's soul had recognized its eternal tormentor. Oh, how he relished that fear, that dawning horror. It was a symphony to his ears.
"Such a dramatic reunion," Valerius mused aloud, his voice a low purr, utterly unlike Hiroshi's usual calm.
"He truly believed he had escaped." He chuckled, a dry, rasping sound. This body, Hiroshi's body, was a convenient vessel, pliable and unremarkable. It allowed him to move unseen, to observe, to manipulate from the shadows.
The boy's mind was weak, easily influenced, a perfect puppet. He rose and walked to the window, gazing out at the sprawling city lights that glittered like scattered jewels in the night.
This world. So loud, so bright, so utterly devoid of true power. They called their glowing rectangles "smartphones," their metal carriages "cars," their communication networks "the internet." Such quaint, primitive tools. Yet, in their own way, they were effective. They allowed him to gather information, to spread subtle whispers, to weave his influence into the very fabric of their society.
The Awakened. A minor annoyance, a necessary test. He had sent them to gauge Kaelen's strength, to see how much of the old emperor remained within that fragile shell. And then, the unexpected variable: Li Wei.
Valerius's smile tightened. "The loyal general. Always so predictable, so self-sacrificing." He had felt her presence, a sudden surge of arcane energy, a ripple in the mundane fabric of this world. Her awakening was inconvenient, certainly, but not insurmountable. In fact, it added a delightful layer of complexity to the game. Kaelen always fought better with a cause, with someone to protect. It made his eventual defeat all the more satisfying.
His gaze drifted to a large, intricate chessboard set up on a table in the corner of the room. He picked up a black queen, its smooth, cool surface a comforting presence in his hand. This world's version of chess was simplistic, crude, but the underlying principles were eternal. Strategy. Sacrifice. Checkmate.
"They believe they are fighting a war," Valerius murmured, moving the queen across the board, sweeping aside a white pawn. "How charmingly naive. This is not a war, Kaelen. This is a hunt. And you, my dear Emperor, are the prey."
His plan was slowly, meticulously unfolding. He had spent years, perhaps decades, since his own "reincarnation," subtly weaving his influence, gathering resources, identifying key points of power in this new world. The school was merely a convenient starting point, a place where the echoes of ancient souls might gather.
He had sensed the fragments of others, faint and indistinct, but present. They would be drawn to Kaelen and Li Wei, like moths to a dying flame. And then, he would collect them all.
The true goal was not merely Kaelen's final demise. That was a personal satisfaction, a delicious dessert. No, his ambition stretched far beyond simple revenge. The power of this world, its vast, untapped energies, its unsuspecting populace – it was all a resource. A means to an end. An end that would see Valerius ascend to a height of power even he had not fully grasped in their old world.
He moved a black knight, capturing a white bishop. "The pieces are falling into place," he whispered, a dark satisfaction blooming in his chest. He knew Kaelen would try to find the others, to rally them. He would try to understand this world, to adapt. It was Kaelen's nature, his fatal flaw. He always sought to build, to unite. Valerius, conversely, sought to dismantle, to corrupt, to consume.
The game was intricate, multi-layered. He had planted seeds of discord, subtly influenced minds, and now, with Kaelen and Li Wei openly revealing themselves, the harvest would begin. He would watch them struggle, watch them fight against the inevitable. He would enjoy every moment of their futile resistance.
He walked over to a large, digital map displayed on a wall-mounted screen – Hiroshi's "gaming setup." With a thought, the map shifted, zooming in on the school, then expanding to encompass the entire city. Small, glowing red dots appeared on the map, representing the Awakened he had deployed. And then, two faint, flickering blue lights, almost imperceptible, representing Kaelen and Li Wei.
Valerius smiled, a chilling, predatory expression that stretched Hiroshi's youthful features into something monstrous. "Welcome to my board, Emperor. Let us see how long your little rebellion can last in a world where you are nothing but a pawn."
He pressed a button on a remote, and the map zoomed out, showing the entire globe, crisscrossed with faint, glowing lines of energy. His true game was far larger than a school, or even a city. It was a game for the world itself. And Kaelen, the Sun Emperor, was merely the first, most satisfying piece to be removed.