The hovercar glided through the clouds, leaving streaks of gold light behind it. No wheels. No noise. Just power contained in perfection.
I leaned against the window, watching the world stretch out below — endless rivers gleaming like molten silver, spires of obsidian rising from floating cities, airships drifting lazily between hovering islands.
You know... this world gives "medieval royalty" but with "sci-fi billionaire" flair.
Magic lamps, enchanted roads, flying cities... It's like someone took the Middle Ages and slapped advanced tech on it until it gleamed.
And me?
I was rich.
Obscenely, beautifully, unapologetically rich.
Whoever said money doesn't buy happiness is a stupid and an irrational liar . Yes , there was emotional trauma but being rich is still awesome.
I didn't need to worry about food, about rent, or about survival. My home wasn't a "mansion" it was an estate built into a mountain, guarded by runes and storms. Our name alone bent the knee of half the continent.
Being a Valecrest wasn't just privilege , it was a statement of dominance and I loved it . Now this is not boring.
The car slowed to a stop, hovering above the glowing platform that marked the entrance to Elarion Academy. The floating island itself looked like an entire kingdom suspended in the air waterfalls pouring endlessly into the clouds below, crystalline towers spiraling into the sun, and a massive, shimmering dome surrounding it all.
Inside that dome? The most powerful prodigies in the world. The future of every race.
And me — walking straight into the middle of it.
The door opened.
Aria stepped out first.
Her hair fell like molten silver, catching the sunlight and scattering it across her porcelain skin. Emerald eyes sharp enough to slice through glass gleamed with quiet danger. Her beauty was so precise it hurt to look at, but her expression was cold, unbothered, detached.
Darius followed tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in black. His eyes matched Aria's but darker, calmer the kind of gaze that could make generals flinch. He wore his pride like armor, his silence louder than any threat.
And then me.
I stepped down last, caught between them their shadows falling over me like two blades.
The crowd that had been roaring moments ago fell completely silent.
It wasn't awe. It was fear.
Every student, noble, and even a few instructors froze as the Valecrest siblings walked through the gates. Even the wind seemed to hesitate. It seemed like my siblings have a reputation.
I looked at them both the same siblings who teased me daily and for a moment I saw why everyone feared us.
Their smiles were gone. Their warmth replaced by something... regal and lethal.
Aria's eyes scanned the crowd like she was selecting which life to ruin next. Darius's jaw was set, expression unreadable. They didn't need to speak. The Valecrest bloodline spoke for them.
And me?
Yeah, I might've been the youngest, but walking between them in my black coat embroidered with silver threads I didn't look weak. I looked untouchable.
Or at least, that was the plan.
Until someone spoke.
"Hey," a voice called from the crowd sharp, smug, and laced with stupidity.
"It's the coward of the Valecrest house ".
The words hung in the air for a second.
And then silence again.
That awful, suffocating kind of silence before a storm.
Aria didn't blink. She just turned her head slowly, gracefully. Her emerald eyes locked on the boy.
The boy froze instantly. His mouth opened, maybe to apologize but it was already too late.
A faint shimmer rippled through the air.
No light, no sound just gone.
One blink, and his body crumpled to the ground, lifeless. Not a mark. Not a scream.
The crowd went pale. No one dared to breathe.
Darius's voice was low almost gentle.
"Know your place before you speak a Valecrest's name."
No one moved. No one dared to.
And that... is my family.
They don't care about rules, or politics, or mercy. You disrespect a Valecrest you disappear.
We kept walking.
Heads bowed. The whispers never came back.
I glanced sideways at my siblings. Aria's lips had curved into the faintest hint of a smirk. Darius didn't even look back.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised.
They grew up as predators. I grew up learning how to survive them.
Still, I had to admit the power, the fear, the elegance it was mesmerizing.
Being a Valecrest was like being part of a storm. You couldn't control it. You could only become it.
I'm getting to like this world... maybe too much.
I looked ahead at the shimmering gates of Elarion Academy, at the thousands of eyes watching, at the destiny waiting inside.
I remembered the night before all my training, my calculations, my sleepless thoughts about who the "hero" might be.
If this world follows its cliché, the hero's a commoner. Probably born under some weird prophecy.
Whatever. I'll be ready. I've been ready.
System.
The blue interface appeared before my eyes. Lines of light raced across the screen, data unfolding like scripture.
[HOST: LUCIEN VALECREST]
Race: Human
Rank: Expert (Low Tier)
Age: 18**
Strength: 56
Agility: 40
Intelligence: 120
Mana: 40
Aura: 50
Overall Evaluation: C– (Low Tier)
Talent Grade: SS (White)
Bloodline: Architect Bloodline
Architect Level: Tier 1 (Level 1)**
Architect Skills:
Time Genius — Comprehend, analyze, and break down aura and techniques in seconds.
Copy — Replicate analyzed abilities.
Merge — Fuse abilities into higher forms.
System Points: 0
Acquired skills :
Reactive steps : Host can react fast and and evade strikes .
Gravemind pattern: Host has the ability to release aura to instill fear on enemy and provides host with a burst of aura .
Vyre sweep : Host can move with stealth and strike with precision. Host's dark aura helps this skill incredibly.
Battle aura defense: Forms a defensive barrier made from aura.
[Quest Active]
Obtain First Position in the Academy Trials
Rewards:
• Upgrade to Architect Tier 1 (Level 2)
• +200 System Points
• Full Skill Merge Unlock
Failure:
• Loss of all acquired skills
• Power sealed for one year
• –200 System Points
Well… all of Father's beatings weren't for nothing.
Time to crush this.
The gates shimmered open.
And just beyond them destiny waited.
Little did I know, fate has a sick sense of humor .