The temple lights were dazzling—yes.
But no matter how bright the light you shine on a place, there are always bound to be a few corners left in shadow.
Deep within one of the temple's alleys, an empty space occupied by nothing but rats…
The clicking of high heels echoed through the darkness, revealing the presence—and gender—of the approaching figure. She walked alone, yet moved with confidence, as if she knew these dark paths by heart.
After a few turns and a descent underground, she finally arrived in a wide chamber.
He was there, waiting for her.
"You finally came…"
A seventeen-year-old boy, with platinum blonde hair and golden eyes. His clothes were far too casual for someone of his status, but clearly chosen for comfort.
Prince Aegon Valerion.
His smile appeared almost sinister in that heavy darkness.
The girl standing before him didn't look the least bit happy to see him—and she didn't try to hide it.
"Where are they?"
"Easy now… why the rush?"
Aegon stepped toward her slowly.
"The night's still young, isn't it? My dear Selina…"
The girl was none other than the witch Selina.
Her crimson eyes stared coldly at the prince in front of her.
"I've upheld my end of the deal, Aegon. Now release my parents."
She couldn't suppress her aura as she said those words—she wanted to strike him right then and there.
But she knew that would be her end.
After all… who knew what Aegon was hiding in his shadows?
"You upheld your end of the deal, you say? Is that so?"
Selina bit her lip hard as she watched him toy with her.
Usually calm and composed, she simply couldn't keep it together when it came to her parents.
"It's Frey Starlight! I've told you over and over again—he's the one you're looking for! What more do you want?"
Indeed, the task Aegon had given her was to monitor the first-years and uncover the identity of the mysterious "X" he was after.
And Selina was the only one who had completed her mission properly.
Even so, Aegon's smile didn't fade.
"I wonder just how reliable your words are… Selina. Aren't your claims nothing more than assumptions you've made on your own? I mean, why should I believe that someone as insignificant as Frey could kill an S-class mage?"
Selina clenched her fists so hard her nails dug into her soft skin. She didn't have time for this nonsense… but she had no choice but to play along with Aegon's game.
"It's definitely him. The way he stood up to Heisenberg, an SS- class and survived the battle within the Moonlight household…"
She paused for a few seconds before delivering her strongest piece of evidence.
"And most importantly… when Frey touched me after we jumped from the train… I couldn't use my magic. It was as if some force completely nullified it the moment I tried to gather power."
Those final words had far more weight than anything else she'd said.
If she was telling the truth, then that meant Frey possessed a way to nullify magic. And if he had the audacity to face an SS- class like Heisenberg, what would stop him from taking on someone from the S class—especially a mage?
The picture was clear now. Frey was the one who killed Kai Luc and foiled Aegon's plans.
The prince nodded with satisfaction.
"Yes… that makes perfect sense."
Selina's face finally lit up with hope.
"Then…"
With a quiet chuckle, Aegon reassured her.
"There's no need to worry. I was just messing with you earlier… I was already almost certain he was the X I was looking for."
Selina was surprised by his words.
So, he'd already suspected Frey, and only needed solid proof to confirm it? And she had simply delivered that proof?
But none of that mattered now.
What mattered… were her parents. Nothing else.
Aegon was fully aware of what the young witch was thinking. So, with a wave of his hand, he ordered—
"Bring them."
Behind Aegon, torches flared to life, and a man clad in black appeared. Behind him, a couple in their forties was being led forward—Selina's mother and father.
At Aegon's signal, they were released.
Selina immediately ran toward them.
"Selina!"
Her parents, too, rushed to embrace their only daughter…
"Dad… Mom… You're okay… You're okay!! I…"
The young witch couldn't hold back her tears as she collapsed into her parents' embrace.
Behind them, Aegon watched the scene with the same amused smile.
"What a beautiful sight, isn't it?"
"…"
His words were directed at the masked man standing beside him, but the latter said nothing—silent as a ghost.
The reunited family continued their long embrace. Aegon kept watching, but a flicker of boredom began to show on his face.
It was as if he were waiting for something to happen.
"Why is it taking her this long to notice? Isn't she supposed to be the best witch?"
Aegon sighed.
And sure enough, after a few minutes, Selina began to sense something was wrong.
"What…?"
She focused on her mother's body—something was off. She could feel it. A magical aura emanating from her…
Without warning, Selina grabbed at her mother's clothes, ripping them in panic.
Her mother flinched, shocked, but Selina didn't care. She tore apart the upper half of the garments with trembling hands.
Aegon's smile widened.
"Finally…"
Selina's eyes grew wide with horror.
There it was—what she feared the most.
A blood-red magic circle had been inscribed on her mother's back, etched in symbols of intricate complexity.
Her mother had tried to hide it, but failed.
The exact same circle was carved onto her father's back as well—he turned his head away in shame.
"My daughter… I'm sorry. I truly am… sorry…"
The magical formation was high-level, extremely advanced—even Selina couldn't fully understand it just by looking.
So she turned to the only person who could answer.
"Aegon! You bastard! What the hell is this?!"
Seeing her fury, Aegon replied with complete indifference.
"Hmm… how should I put it? A time bomb, maybe?"
Suddenly, a massive fireball burst to life in Selina's palm.
Without hesitation, she hurled it at the prince.
But before it could reach him, it was effortlessly stopped by a single hand—the masked man who had stood beside Aegon mere moments ago.
He didn't stop there.
A suffocating wave of aura exploded from him, crushing Selina in place. Her body trembled violently beneath the weight.
'What is this…? This pressure… it's above S-Class…!'
Selina could barely breathe. Moving under that aura was impossible.
"Stop, stop—you'll kill her parents, you idiot."
With a casual swipe of his hand, Aegon ordered the masked man to stand down. The pressure vanished instantly.
Selina gasped for air, then snapped at Aegon once more.
"Why?! Why?! I did what you asked, didn't I?!"
Aegon nodded.
"Yes. You did your job perfectly."
"Are you kidding me? Then why did you put that thing in their bodies?!"
"You did your job perfectly. A tool as useful as you deserves more than a one-time use… Selina."
"What…?"
Selina could no longer make sense of the madness unfolding around her. But Aegon was kind enough to explain.
"I thought you'd be smarter than this. But no matter… like I said before, a marvelous tool like you shouldn't be used just once. You're better than that."
In other words… Aegon planned to use her again.
And a cautious man like him would never risk setting her free. Who knew when she might turn on him—or come back for revenge?
He needed guarantees.
Aegon removed the white glove from his hand, revealing his bare skin—and something else.
Selina saw it immediately.
The same magic circle was inscribed there—on the back of his hand.
"It's the trigger."
Aegon confirmed her fears.
"With just a command, I can blow your parents to pieces whenever I want. You understand what that means, don't you?"
Once again, a crushing despair fell upon Selina's shoulders… and she remembered, all over again, who the person standing before her truly was.
With the same unchanging smile, Aegon chuckled.
"I'm looking forward to working with you more, Selina."
And seeing just how cruel Aegon truly was… Selina suddenly remembered something…
If he treated her this way, someone who had completed the task... then what about the others who failed?
"Xavier..."
Her fellow sorcerer.
"What happened to him?"
Selina couldn't stop herself from asking.
In response, Aegon merely shrugged.
"Nothing..."
It would have been foolish to kill him.
But…
"Well... I didn't do anything to him. But he deserved to be punished. So..."
Aegon laughed as he turned to leave.
"I killed one of his parents... and kept the other as a hostage. Maybe this way, he'll put in more effort in the future, don't you think?"
Aegon left.
And there she stood, the young witch, behind him. Just when she thought she had freed herself from his grasp, she realized how naïve she had been.
Now, she had no choice but to wait for his next command.
Unknowingly, she had become a servant to Prince Aegon Valerion.