<div> Chapter 140: Mari’s Decision
 The night clung tightly to the spires of the Academy, a veil of mist drifting across its stone pathways. Kai moved like a whisper between shadows, the Umbral Mantle clinging to his form like liquid night. His heart pounded.
 He reached the north tower, the girl’s dormitory, where the walls pulsed faintly with wards meant to detect male intruders. Kai’s fingers twitched as he passed under the enchanted archway, the Mantle barely holding its illusion against the magical field. The pulse of the ward flickered once... then dimmed.
 He was in.
 He crept slowly as the hallway monitor, one of the teacher’s golems, patrolled the dorms.
 One door at a time.
 Quiet.
 Controlled.
 Some girls stirred in their sleep, others muttered fragments of their dreams as he slipped silently through the halls. Room after room, none of them hers.
 Then, on the fourth floor, third door down, he found her.
 He knew. That level of divinity was unmistakable.
 He opened it slowly.
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 </div> Inside, a soft candle flame danced atop a bedside shelf. Mari lay asleep in the left bed, the other occupied by a blond girl curled up under thick blankets.
 As Kai stepped inside, the Umbral Mantle began to fray around the edges of his body. His cloak shimmered, flickered, then dissolved into the air like smoke in the wind. The roommate stirred, eyes blinking open. She saw him. Gasped.
 ’Damn it.’
 With a flash of movement, Kai crossed the room and pressed his hand against her mouth, preventing her scream. With a quick motion, he struck her neck and knocked her unconscious.
 He checked for her pulse.
 She was still breathing.
 Mari jolted upright. "W-what the-? Who are you?!" Her eyes, wide with panic, locked on his. Recognition flickered beneath the fear. "Luke?"
 He raised both hands, stepping back. "I come in peace."
 "You-! You can’t just-! You broke into the girls’ dorms! You knocked her out! I should scream!"
 "Please don’t," Kai said, his voice low and urgent. "Just listen to me for a moment. That’s all I’m asking."
 She paused. Her breathing heavy. Her hand twitched near the drawer at her bedside-where Kai guessed she kept a divine artifact or her sceptre.
 He didn’t flinch.
 He just said her name.
 "Mari. Please."
 Her hand froze. Her face twisted, unsure. "Why are you really here, Luke?"
 He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he glanced at the sleeping roommate, then back at her.
 "I need your help."
 She blinked. "What?"
 "There’s someone. A friend. Vepice. They’re... hurt. Disfigured. They saved me once, dragged me out of the forest and into a cave when I was half-dead, fed me, cleaned my wounds. They didn’t ask who I was or what I’d done. They just helped."
 "And now you want me to help this friend of yours?" Mari asked, skeptical. "Why me? Why not someone else?"
 "Because you’re the only one I know who still has divine magic strong enough to heal what they’ve been through. And because you’re not a coward who runs from pain, or a challenge."
 Mari stood, arms crossed. Her tone sharpened. "And why should I help you? You disappeared for weeks. Everyone thought you were dead. And now the entire city’s been plastered with wanted posters saying you killed the princess. So tell me, Luke, if that’s even your real name, why should I trust you?"
 For a moment, the silence hung heavy between them. Kai could feel the edge of his rage gnawing at him. The temptation to kill her, or seize her soul, crush her will, force her to obey...
 ’No.’
 He closed his eyes, drew in a breath, and spoke.
 "I didn’t kill the princess. I was framed, and I know who killed her. But this isn’t about me, or the princess. It’s about someone who deserves to live. To smile. To not be trapped in agony because the gods decided their fate."
 Mari stared at him. Her brows furrowed.
 ’Maybe mentioning the gods was a mistake...’
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 </div> Her shoulders slowly lowered.
 "You’re asking me to break curfew. To sneak out. To trust someone who just broke into my room and knocked out my roommate."
 "I am."
 "...Why?"
 "Because you still believe in healing," Kai said.
 Something in her eyes shifted. They softened. "You’re a bastard," she muttered.
 He allowed a small smile. "I’ve been called worse."
 She sighed, rubbing her temple. "Fine. One week. I’ll meet you outside the academy gates. The teleportation gates should be active for the students, and they will probably still work for you. But if you’re lying, if this is a trap-"
 "It’s not."
 "I’ll gut you with a holy blade."
 "Fair. Very fair."
 ’Not that you’d stand a chance anymore.’
 They stared at each other for a beat longer. Then Kai nodded and melted back into shadow, leaving the room as silently as he’d come.
 ---
 An hour later, the Coliseum of Forne loomed like a slumbering beast under the moonlight. Its grand stone arches bore banners of recent victors, and torches burned in iron sconces, defying the night.
 Kai approached the front gate, hood drawn low.
 "I’m here to see Rael Drakethorne," he told the guard.
 The man eyed him. "You got an appointment?"
 "Yes."
 After a few murmured words through their compass-like communication device, the gate creaked open.
 Rael was waiting near the dueling sands, dressed in a tunic and leather armor. The man looked tired, but his eyes sharpened when he saw Kai.
 "You’ve been gone a while. Even got you a job."
 "I had business, and I already got a job," Kai replied.
 Rael frowned.
 Kai extended his gloved hand and they shook hands, briefly.
 "I need information," Kai said. "About someone taken into the Palace’s main tower. A servant girl saw Firra dragged in, but no one’s seen her since."
 Rael frowned. "You’re chasing shadows, Kai. Shadows that are probably best left in the dark. But... I’ll ask around."
 He handed Kai a parchment, folded and sealed.
 "What’s this?"
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 </div> "A tournament sign-up. One month from now. You’ll need coin and attention soon. Especially if you want to get near the nobles without suspicion."
 ’If the king or any of the royal court is involved, he might be right.’
 Kai unfolded it and scanned the page. His name would be added to the list of competitors. The winner would gain prestige, and more access. An audience with the king.
 The same king the servants said was unwell.
 "What’s the rules?"
 "No external magic. Only what you can produce from within," Rael said. "Other than that? No rules."
 Kai sighed. He thought of Vepice. Of Mari. Of Firra’s disappearance. Of Sala and the long journey ahead.
 He needed to learn spatial magic first, before crossing the sea. No way he’d survive getting stranded again.
 A tournament wouldn’t hurt. It might even help. And if someone he faced knew spatial magic, he could kill them after the tournament and absorb their soul.
 ’If I meet Mari in a week, we could use the teleportation gates in the academy to get to Vepice and return the day after. Only a day with Vepice would suck, but at least they’ll be healed.’
 He signed his name.
 Rael smiled faintly. "Welcome to the Arena of the Gods."This chapter is updat𝓮d by fre(e)webnov(l).com</div>
 

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Chapter 140: Mari’s Decision

Chapter 140: Mari’s Decision The night clung tightly to the spires of the Academy, a veil of mist drifting across its stone pathways. Kai moved like a whisper between shadows, the Umbral Mantle clinging to his form like liquid night. His heart pounded. He reached the north tower, the girl’s dormitory, where the walls pulsed faintly with wards meant to detect male intruders. Kai’s fingers twitched as he passed under the enchanted archway, the Mantle barely holding its illusion against the...

Reborn with a Necromancer System

Chapter 140: Mari’s Decision

Reborn with a Necromancer System - Chapter 140: Mari’s Decision