A murmur spread through the Daizen Hall like dry leaves scraping across stone. Children who moments earlier were laughing now clung to their parents. Elders exchanged glances sharp enough to cut silence. Even the seasoned hunters—men and women who had stared down monsters—stood unsettled.
Arden Daizen was missing.
At a ceremony where every minute was tradition… this absence had weight.
Kuro finally raised his hand, intent to dispatch a search party.
The doors thundered open.
A wave of cold air surged in, brushing past everyone's skin. A few candles flickered; some went out entirely. In the half-dimness, a line of figures entered.
Arden walked at the front.
But it was not his presence alone that shifted the atmosphere.
Behind him marched his personal squad—the Daizen Shadow Unit. Twelve men and women, armored lightly but coated in an aura of silence that screamed danger. Their movements were precise, their eyes sharp, their presence predatory. They looked less like soldiers and more like ghosts carved out of night.
Whispers snapped through the hall.
"Kuro wasn't joking… Arden's unit really is deadly."
"Why bring them here?"
"Is this necessary for a successor ceremony?"
Arden ignored every word. He bowed formally to his family and elders, then straightened with soldier-like discipline. Kuro gestured him forward.
But Ren… felt something shift.
Yume glanced at him. Even she sensed the wrongness in the air.
The succession ritual began.
Arden and the Fourth General's intended successor sat facing each other, hands extended, palms meeting. Both closed their eyes.
The moment their breaths synced—
Darkness spilled into the hall.
The lights dimmed until only faint outlines remained. Shadows thickened, crawling along the walls like living ink. The floor vibrated subtly, as though an ancient creature had awakened beneath their feet.
The entire hall slipped into the edge of a shadow realm.
Then—
From Kuro's body, the Fourth General materialized.
He emerged like a specter carved from the deepest abyss. His aura pulsed outward in waves, bending the air. Eyes glowing with an ancient luminescence locked onto Arden.
He folded his arms, floating slightly above the ground. The shadows around him swirled in obedience.
"With the presence of the Ninth King…" he began, his voice echoing as if spoken by multiple unseen mouths.
His gaze shifted for a brief moment toward Ren, acknowledging his authority… before returning to Arden.
"My next successor will be Arden Daizen. For he has proven himself capable of wielding my strength."
The hall shivered with the declaration.
"But before I entrust my power… I have one question."
The shadows stilled.
"Arden Daizen… why do you seek power?"
His voice stretched through the darkness like a blade.
"Is it for pride? For coin? For fame?
Is it for justice, or to surpass all who stand above you?
From the core of your soul… speak.
Why do you desire power?"
Arden lifted his head.
Shadows curled around him like serpents recognizing their king. His lips curved into a smirk—not arrogance alone, but honesty sharpened into a weapon.
Then he answered.
"If I said I have no pride… that would be a lie."
His voice carried clean and sharp through the realm.
"I am arrogant.
I know my worth.
And I refuse to hide it behind false humility."
Gasps rippled. Even Yume blinked at the brutal honesty.
"But arrogance alone is empty," Arden continued. "Power gained merely for ego… rots a man from within."
He pressed a hand to his chest.
"I seek power because I must.
Not because I simply want it."
His eyes hardened, glowing faintly in the shadow-light.
"Yes, I want to stand above others.
Yes, I want the world to know my strength."
A breath.
"But not so it can fear me."
He leaned forward slightly—controlled, not dramatic.
"…but so no one can ever place chains on me,
or on those I choose to protect."
The shadows pulsed with his words.
"Pride pushes me forward.
Wisdom directs me.
Responsibility anchors me."
His voice softened, yet gained weight.
"I seek power so I will never again stand helpless.
So that I can carve my own path.
So those who walk with me… never need to bow."
He looked directly at the Fourth General.
"That is my truth.
Not flawless.
Not glorified.
But real."
Silence. Thick. Absolute.
The shadows froze mid-air, as if holding breath.
The Fourth General finally moved—unfolding his arms with deliberate slowness. His gaze pierced Arden as though reading every line of his soul.
Then he spoke.
"Arden Daizen…"
His voice was winter incarnate—cold, ancient, unstoppable.
"You admit your arrogance without shame."
Shadows rose at Arden's feet, swirling like smoke around his boots.
"You see pride not as weakness… but as a truth to master."
He stepped forward, each stride echoing thunder.
"You seek power not for purity… but for humanity."
"You know your hunger, your ambition… and you restrain them with purpose."
A faint, nearly invisible smile touched his lips.
"That is the mark of a leader."
His aura exploded outward, rattling the hall.
"Those who came before you spoke of destiny, justice, glory. All hollow."
"But you…"
He extended his hand.
"…you know exactly what you are."
A vortex of shadows erupted behind him.
"Arrogant.
Prideful.
Self-aware.
Controlled.
Dangerous for the right reasons."
He raised his glowing hand toward Arden.
"I require no purity from my successor."
"I require truth."
"And your truth… is enough."
His proclamation cracked the air:
"Arden Daizen, son of the Daizen bloodline… I accept you."
"From this moment, my power is yours."
"Wield it well… or it will consume you."
He vanished into Arden's body.
Immediately, Arden's form ignited in swirling darkness. The shadows roared like a hurricane, cocooning him in power so dense it bent the air. The hall trembled like a living thing.
Then—
Stillness.
Light returned slowly.
Arden stood—breathing heavily, eyes burning with new power.
"This power… it's overwhelming," he whispered.
"Indeed it is," Kuro replied. "But remember—your duty is to serve the Ninth King. And… live a normal life when you can. Life does not offer second chances."
Arden nodded.
But the moment he turned—everything changed.
He looked at Yume.
Not with arrogance.
Not with dominance.
With clarity.
With intent.
Ren felt something inside him collapse.
He already knew.
Arden walked forward.
The room shifted around him.
The shadows parted as though making way for the truth he carried.
He stopped before Yume.
The hall became a graveyard of silence.
"Yume Akegami," he said, voice steady. "Before the families and the Four Generals, I must speak."
Yume's fingers trembled.
Ren's jaw locked.
"I have admired you for a long time," Arden continued. "Your strength, your grace, your resolve."
He bowed his head slightly.
"And when you refused my offer to dance… I realized something deeper."
A ripple went through the audience.
Arden inhaled.
"So today, with sincerity and respect—"
He bowed.
Deeply.
Formally.
Traditionally.
"I, Arden Daizen, place a marriage proposal before you."
The hall exploded in gasps.
Ren felt a sharp pressure in his ribcage—like someone had driven a blade between his bones.
Arden kept speaking, unaware of the wound he'd just inflicted.
"This is not just political. Nor purely emotional. It is both."
"You are someone I believe could walk beside me… in life, in leadership, and in the future I build."
He lifted his head, eyes gentle.
"I do not ask for an answer today. Such decisions require time."
"But I will not hide my feelings anymore."
"Yume Akegami… if you choose to accept my hand, I will be honored."
He stepped back.
Calm.
Confident.
Respectful.
And completely unaware of the truth.
Ren tried to move—Daiki held him still.
Althric stepped forward—Daiki blocked him too.
Ren's voice never found the air.
He slipped away.
Quiet.
Unnoticed.
Wounded.
The balcony was cold. Wind tugged at his clothes, carrying away the heat in his body.
"A marriage proposal…" he whispered, leaning on the railing. "Huh. It feels… numb."
His voice cracked—not loudly, not weakly—just enough to reveal the weight pressing on his chest.
The wind shifted.
Soft footsteps approached.
Yume.
She stepped beside him quietly.
"Why do I always have to find you when you walk away like this?" she murmured.
Ren turned. His eyes—usually steady—held a storm.
"Yume…" he breathed. "My beloved Yume."
He swallowed.
Then—
In a voice heavier than steel:
"Tell me… what will be your answer…
to Arden Daizen?"
To be continued…