Chapter 30: Chapter 30: Return to the Academy

Morning came slowly.

Golden sunlight filtered through the curtains of the hotel room, casting long shadows across the tangled sheets and ruined bed. The city outside was already beginning to wake, distant traffic and muted voices drifting upward from the streets below, but inside the room everything remained quiet.

Kael stared silently at the ceiling.

Lillith slept against his chest peacefully, her black hair scattered messily over his arm while one of her legs rested across his waist possessively. Her breathing was calm, steady, completely unlike the dangerous half-demon she became when fighting.

For a while, Kael simply watched her.

Then his gaze shifted toward the silver ring on his finger.

The moment his eyes landed on it, his expression became thoughtful.

Even now he could feel the demonic mana moving beneath his skin.

Heavy.

Violent.

Alive.

The ring was suppressing most of it, but not completely. Tiny traces of dark pressure still leaked unconsciously into the room, making the atmosphere feel strangely heavy.

Last night had changed everything.

The Demon King Seed inside him had awakened.

And unlike the original timeline—

He survived it.

Kael slowly closed his eyes.

In Abyssal Chronos: Veil of Ruin, the real story only began after the protagonist, Leon, entered Astraea Academy.

That same night, Kael Draven lost control.

The Demon King Seed hidden inside his body awakened violently during the night, transforming him into a monster consumed by demonic mana. Leon was forced to kill him before the situation escalated further.

That event became one of the first major tragedies in the Academy Arc.

Lillith witnessed Kael’s death personally.

Afterward, she disappeared from the Academy entirely while the Velvet Gang secretly began targeting Leon throughout the story.

But now everything was changing before the plot had even started.

The seed awakened early because of Lillith’s blood.

And somehow, instead of becoming a monster, Kael adapted.

"Infinite Adaptation really is absurd," Kael thought quietly.

Lillith stirred slightly before slowly opening her crimson eyes.

For a moment she simply stared at him sleepily before realization hit her and her cheeks immediately flushed red.

"...You’re awake already?"

Kael looked down at her calmly.

"You were crushing my ribs."

"That’s a lie."

"You literally had me trapped."

Lillith buried part of her face into his chest to hide her embarrassment.

Kael smirked faintly before slowly sitting up.

The blanket slid slightly down his body, exposing faint black markings spreading across his collarbone for a brief moment before the ring pulsed softly and the markings faded again.

Lillith immediately noticed.

Her expression changed.

"...It’s still there."

"Yeah."

Kael stared quietly at his hand.

The Symbol of Demon Royalty had disappeared after he wore the ring again, but the power itself remained inside him.

Waiting.

Growing.

Lillith slowly sat up beside him, watching him carefully.

"...You’re really not scared."

Kael glanced toward her.

"Should I be?"

"You became something demons would kill each other over."

Kael chuckled softly.

"I’m like you now, aren’t I?"

Lillith froze slightly at those words.

For a moment she simply stared at him silently.

Most humans feared demons.

Most humans hated them.

But Kael looked completely indifferent about it.

Almost accepting.

Lillith lowered her gaze quietly.

"...You’re strange."

"I’ve heard that before."

Kael stood from the bed calmly before grabbing his clothes from the floor.

The room itself still carried traces of lingering demonic pressure. The air felt unnaturally heavy, faint distortions occasionally flickering around the corners of the walls before disappearing again.

Even suppressed, the Demon King Seed was affecting the environment around him.

Lillith watched him quietly while fixing her hair.

Neither of them mentioned the events from the underground arena.

Neither mentioned Simon.

And neither mentioned the terrifying implications of Kael becoming a possible Demon King Candidate.

Some things didn’t need to be spoken aloud yet.

Eventually, the two left the hotel together.

The city streets were already busy by the time they stepped outside. Mana-powered vehicles crossed the roads while holographic advertisements flickered across the towering buildings overhead.

Kael walked calmly beside Lillith with his hands inside his pockets.

For several minutes silence followed them peacefully.

Then Kael suddenly turned toward her.

"So how strong are you really?"

Lillith blinked.

"...What?"

"Your demon side."

Lillith froze briefly before leaning closer toward him slightly.

"If I fully transform..." she whispered carefully, "...I’m probably entry-level C-rank."

Kael raised an eyebrow.

"That strong?"

Lillith looked slightly proud for a moment before sighing.

"But I’m probably still not the strongest first-year."

"Aurelia Voss?"

Lillith visibly shivered.

"Her eyes are terrifying."

Kael nodded slightly.

That made sense.

Aurelia Voss was one of the Academy’s future monsters.

Even in the game, her Eyes of Ruin were considered terrifying abilities specialized entirely for killing. She wasn’t called talented.

She was called dangerous.

The taxi eventually arrived before the massive gates of Astraea Academy.

The Academy looked almost unreal beneath the morning sunlight.

Gigantic towers stretched high into the clouds while magical barriers shimmered faintly around the campus boundaries. Hundreds of students moved through the grounds wearing black and silver uniforms marked with the Academy crest.

The moment Kael stepped out of the taxi, he felt it immediately.

Normalcy.

As if the chaos from last night belonged to another world entirely.

Lillith quietly hugged his arm again.

Kael glanced down at her.

"You know people are staring, right?"

"I know."

"...And?"

"I don’t care."

Kael looked mildly surprised.

Lillith hesitated briefly before reluctantly loosening her grip.

"...Actually maybe I should."

Kael already understood why.

She’s a spy and staying too close publicly to the son of Countess Draven would attract unnecessary attention.

Especially within Astraea Academy.

Kael didn’t question her decision.

Instead he simply started walking toward the dormitory buildings.

Lillith followed quietly beside him.

"I’m skipping class today," Kael suddenly said.

Lillith stared at him.

"...Seriously?"

"I almost died yesterday."

"That’s your excuse?"

"It’s a good excuse."

Lillith covered her mouth trying not to laugh.

Students continued moving around them while conversations filled the Academy grounds.

Everything looked peaceful.

But Kael knew the truth.

The real story hadn’t even started yet.

Leon hadn’t entered Astraea Academy.

The original Kael Draven hadn’t died.

And the future was already changing.

Kael’s expression slowly turned thoughtful again.

If the timeline was shifting this much before the protagonist even appeared—

then there was no guarantee the future events of Abyssal Chronos: Veil of Ruin would happen the same way anymore. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Lillith suddenly stopped walking.

Kael turned slightly toward her.

"What?"

She hesitated before quietly speaking.

"...You’re thinking too much again."

Kael blinked before lightly flicking her forehead.

"And you’re reading my face too easily."

Lillith smiled faintly.

"I’ve been watching you for a while."

Kael immediately looked away.

"...That sounds suspicious."

"It wasn’t supposed to."

"It definitely does."

Lillith pouted slightly before following beside him again.

Neither of them noticed the faint pulse of dark mana that escaped from beneath Kael’s skin for just a brief second—

before the silver ring suppressed it once more.