The game was different.
Aric was no longer operating with plain nobles playing games of politics—he was dealing with an undercover group that had been pulling the court's strings in the shadows. And at the helm was Lord Damaris.
Now, Aric had a choice.
Play their game and try to outwit them…
Or end it with one swift blow.
He chose the latter.
It was time to set the trap.
Aric wasted the next two days spreading lies.
A secret council. A cluster of powerful nobles that were becoming increasingly restive about the court's unstable power. A nascent rebellion.
All a fabrication, of course.
But it was a lie the type Lord Damaris couldn't afford to ignore.
The System buzzed inside him, reporting to him in real time.
[ Rumors spread: 40% awareness at court. ]
[ Spies of Lord Damaris have noted it. ]
[ Correct answer: He will send verification agents. ]
Great.
Aric wanted Damaris to enter.
He just had to ensure that Damaris himself entered the trap.
The meeting was at midnight in an abandoned estate on the outskirts of the nobles' quarter.
Once, it belonged to a crashed house—one that got destroyed by the same concealed hands that desired control over him now.
Nice.
Aric prepared the estate to perfection.
Hidden guards, in hiding within battered corridors.
Illusion wards—so that an appearance could be made that a mass gathering was taking place.
A forged letter, in the right hands, with the promise Damaris himself would be present.
Late at dusk, all was prepared.
And Aric waited there in darkness.
Darkness stirred through the broken manor.
Lord Damaris had arrived.
Not alone, of course. He had with him his private guard—five deadly killers, their eyes scanning for trouble.
But Aric did not concern himself.
He had better than concealed blades.
He had the System.
[ Target Confirmed: Lord Damaris. ]
[ Execute plan? ]
Aric's mouth curled into a grimace.
Yes.
The doors burst open, wind slamming them shut.
The guards tensed, hands on swords—but walls began to distort.
The illusions dropped.
Near them, the shattered hall reconstructed. The shattered furniture reassembled. Illusory nobles and conspirators coalesced—whispers in darkness.
The assassins stumbled.
Lord Damaris scowled. "Tricks."
Aric moved closer, his voice ringing in the room.
"No tricks, my lord. Just the truth in all its ugly glory."
Damaris spun around, eyes on him.
"You."
Aric grinned. "Did you enjoy the performance? I gave it special for you."
Damaris was still. "A dangerous risk, boy. But you do not know me as well as you think."
Aric cocked his head.
[ Sovereign's Embrace available. ]
[ Crush his will? ]
Not yet.
He wanted answers first.
"Tell me, Lord Damaris," Aric stated, stepping forward. "How long have you been playing this court for a fool?"
Damaris laughed. "Longer than you've lived."
"And yet here we are. You fell into my trap."
The older noble's smile seemed innocuous enough, but his gaze was razor sharp. "Did I?"
A dagger blurred past the air—in a strike at Aric's heart.
Danger detected. Phantom Step activation started.
Aric's form streaked past in a blur of movement—translating momentarily into the immaterial.
The dagger slipped through him, hitting nothing but air.
When he returned, he was behind one of the assassins.
And he didn't delay.
Crack.
A quick motion—a snapped neck.
The assassin fell.
The remaining four attacked.
But Aric had already used his next ability.
[ Sovereign's Brand. ]
His aura erupted—a force so intense it paralyzed the assassins.
Their bodies shook, eyes wide with bestial terror.
Damaris cursed, backing away. "What—what are you?!"
Aric's smile was cold. "The one thing you can't control."
And then he released Sovereign's Embrace.
The assassins collapsed to their knees. Their swords hit the ground. Their bodies were now under his control.
Damaris stepped back another pace. Fear finally creased his eyes.
Aric moved forward.
"You've ruled in the shadows long enough."
Damaris charged forward, a concealed blade flashing—his last, desperate strike.
Aric pinned his wrist. Effortless.
Damaris took a swift gasp.
"You should have killed me when you had the chance," Aric panted.
And then he plunged the blade into Damaris' own heart.
The noble's corpse spasmed. He gasped a strangled breath—his power, his influence, all that he created… lost in a heartbeat.
He fell.
Lifeless.
[ Lord Damaris Killed. ]
[ The Hidden Faction destabilized. ]
The System whirred with contentment.
Aric gazed down at the lifeless corpse.
One foe fallen.
Many more to come.