Chapter 46: Calculations and Shadows

[Evelyn’s POV]

Hidden behind the thick trunk of an ancient oak, Evelyn kept her sight fixed on the horizon where the ruined village once lay.

A massive, towering perimeter wall now swept across the plains, perfectly circular, seamless, and imposing. Her eyes widened slightly as she took in the raw scale of the structure—a construction birthed in mere minutes through the strange, incomprehensible authority anchored to Ren’s core.

’Who is he really?’ Evelyn thought, her gaze locking onto the high ramparts. ’How can a mere human wield a power like this? Does this trace back to NYX as well?’

According to the deep imperial archives restricted to royal bloodlines, NYX was exclusively an entity of mass destruction and martial dominion. The dark god commanded legions of Aberrants, wielded supreme authority over all primal elements—fire, ice, storm, earth, lightning—and possessed cosmic spatial phenomena like localized black holes. The records framed NYX not merely as a terrestrial terror, but as an outer cosmic god whose true depth defied mortal comprehension.

Yet nowhere in those ancient texts was there any mention of NYX possessing the power to craft, build, or manifest functional architecture from thin air. Creation was completely alien to the dark god’s nature.

Evelyn crossed her arms, leaning back against the rough bark as she pondered the anomaly standing before her eyes.

The crisp, rhythmic click of high heels pressing into the soft meadow grass broke her concentration.

Evelyn glanced sideways through the edge of her vision.

"Princess Evelyn," a soft, melodious voice called out. A young woman stepped into the shade of the tree canopy, bowing with practiced elegance. Long, silver-white hair cascaded down to her waist, framing a pale, delicate face with grey-blue eyes. She wore a tailored white-and-silver dress accented with faint runic embroidery that complemented her poised demeanor.

It was Sylvara Elenith, Evelyn’s chief strategist and personal aide.

"You called for me, Princess? How may I serve?" Sylvara asked.

Evelyn didn’t turn around immediately, keeping her eyes pinned to the newly raised wall. "Sylvara, you’ve spent years cataloging historical phenomena and power classifications across the five realms, haven’t you?"

Sylvara stepped up to Evelyn’s flank, her gaze drifting toward the distant horizon. Her brow furrowed as her eyes landed on the massive grey barrier standing where open ruins had been hours prior.

"I have, Princess," Sylvara replied simply.

"Walk me through the established spectrum of human power in this world," Evelyn instructed.

Sylvara adjusted her posture, her voice calm and precise. "Human capability is primarily split into two main frameworks: elemental mastery and spiritual cultivation. Elemental manipulation covers the primal forces—fire, water, wind, earth, and lightning. Through advanced refinement, these can evolve into secondary and tertiary states. Water compresses into glacial ice; natural flame intensifies into blue blaze and eventually unholy black fire; wind sharpens into localized atmospheric typhoons."

She paused slightly, tilting her head as she elaborated on the second path. "Beyond elemental refinement lies spiritual cultivation—the systematic cleansing of the soul core through high-tier meditation and internal mana cycling. By fusing raw elemental mana directly with an awakened spiritual consciousness, mages break into higher realms of power. This synthesis creates unique bloodline arts—such as the Skyblade technique preserved by House Grace. Because spiritual cultivation leaves a permanent imprint on the soul, these refined arts can be inherited by descendants, granting higher natural affinity to successive generations."

Evelyn listened quietly before asking, "In all your studies, have you ever encountered an elemental branch or cultivation path capable of instant structural synthesis? A power that builds and creates functional objects from nothing?"

Sylvara lowered her gaze, thinking carefully. "None, Princess. Since the cataclysm swept Lumiris, human evolution has adapted purely for combat and survival. Creation magic of that nature simply does not exist in any record."

The confirmation settled heavily in Evelyn’s mind. She looked back at the wall, her expression grim.

Sylvara followed her gaze, her eyes narrowing as she studied the seamless concrete surface. "Princess, if I may ask... why bring up such an impossible power?"

"Ren Celestial," Evelyn stated flatly. "He possesses it."

Sylvara blinked, processing the name. "The survivor from the expedition? The one hosting the dark god NYX within his soul core?"

Evelyn gave a single, quiet nod.

Sylvara examined the massive wall once more, mapping the geography. That sector had been an empty wasteland filled with broken timber and scorched earth just this morning.

"Did you order him to erect this boundary?" Sylvara asked, turning back to her mistress.

"I did," Evelyn replied.

"Why grant him freedom of movement outside the capital?" Sylvara asked, her tone laced with genuine concern. "Why defer his trial? If NYX breaks the seal while we are unequipped to handle it, the consequences will be catastrophic. Is this risk truly calculated?"

Elysia stood tall, her posture immaculate as she turned to face her strategist directly.

"I intended to execute him immediately when the dark core was exposed," Evelyn admitted. "But when Elysia reported his ability to manifest complex structures and items out of thin air, the strategic value shifted."

She looked back toward the horizon. "During my confrontation with NYX inside Vora’s sub-space, something felt off. The dark god didn’t fight at full capacity. It felt as though its core power was constrained, held back by a secondary seal within Ren’s physical body. It was not operating at its legendary strength."

She turned her sharp blue eyes back to Sylvara. "And on the other side of that danger sits a man who can construct infrastructure in seconds."

It was a dangerous gamble, but Evelyn was a ruler born in an era of ruin. If Ren’s dark side threatened extinction, his constructive side offered something humanity hadn’t seen in centuries: rapid expansion.

"If he can raise a fifty-kilometer fortress wall in an afternoon," Evelyn continued, her voice firm, "he holds the key to rebuilding human civilization faster than any manual effort ever could. His utility to our survival is immeasurable."

Sylvara studied her princess, taking in the quiet resolve on Evelyn’s face. "So you are betting the kingdom’s safety on his self-control?"

"I am," Evelyn confirmed without a trace of hesitation.

Giving him the ruined village wasn’t an act of charity—it was a field test. She wanted to see how far his abilities could stretch, and whether his human will could maintain dominance over the ancient dark god coexisting inside his chest.

[Vora’s POV]

On a high, grass-covered ridge far beyond the protective perimeter of Starlight Kingdom, Vora sat with her knees drawn to her chest.

Below the bluff, the plains were crawling with life—nightmarish, mutated forms shifting across the red dirt. Aberrants of all shapes and sizes, from small chittering crawlers to massive, multi-limbed behemoths, swarmed the valley floor in an endless, shifting sea.

"Velista," Vora called out, her voice cold as she kept her knees pulled tight against her black off-shoulder gown. "When are you launching the strike on Starlight Kingdom?"

Standing at the edge of the cliff, Velista’s purple-accented black dress fluttered gently in the wind.

"Launching the strike?" Velista let out a low, melodic chuckle, a cruel smile touching her lips. "Tomorrow, my dear. Tomorrow, we bring absolute ruin to their gates."

Vora shifted her head, watching Velista stand against the backdrop of the monster-infested valley.

"Velista... help me pull Ren out of there," Vora requested, her brow furrowing with irritation. "I want him separated from them."

Velista glanced back over her shoulder, her dark eyes glittering with amusement. "Vora, darling... you can’t be so narrow-minded. Chasing after a single boy while he’s guarded by the royal military will only get you killed."

She turned her body completely, her smile widening. "If you want to claim him, you don’t pick him out of a crowd. You tear the crowd to pieces first."

Velista stepped closer, her tone dropping into an icy register. "Have you forgotten why you swore your allegiance to me in the first place?"

Vora went rigid, her hands digging into the mountain grass until dirt caked beneath her fingernails.

"No," Vora muttered, her voice trembling slightly. "I haven’t forgotten."

Velista smiled softly, stepping up behind Vora and bending down until her lips rested mere inches from the girl’s ear.

"Good," Velista whispered, her voice dripping with poisonous intimacy. "Remember how those nobles treated you. Remember how they mocked your pain, laughed while your family burned, and left you with nothing. They deserve every horror coming for them."

Vora’s dark purple eyes flared with raw, unchecked hatred, her breath hitching as the memories surged to the surface.

Behind her, Velista stood tall once more, a faint, sinister smirk playing on her face as the horde below roared into the sky.

[REN POV]

Ren stood in the center of the ruined clearing, his eyes sweeping over the charred wooden beams and shattered stone foundations scattered across the soil.

’The raw material density here is terrible,’ he thought, running a quick mental calculation. ’Stripping these broken houses won’t yield nearly enough Chaos Matter to build a proper settlement.’

Elysia stepped up beside him, resting her hands on her hips as her eyes drifted from the ruined floorboards to the colossal barrier encircling the horizon. "The perimeter is locked down. Are you planning to reconstruct the houses next?"

Ren shook his head. "I’m out of resources."

Elysia’s brow pulled low, her expression shifting to pure bewilderment. "What do you mean, out of resources?"

She looked up at the fourteen-meter concrete wall towering in the distance, then back at Ren. "You just raised a fifty-kilometer fortress from thin air, and now you’re telling me you don’t have the materials for a few wooden shacks?"

Ren’s eye twitched slightly. "Do you think I can just spam this power without a supply line?"

He stepped past her without waiting for a reply, heading straight toward the outer gate.

Elysia stood frozen for a split second before her eyes widened. "Hey! Don’t tell me your ’supply line’ is literally just piles of discarded scrap iron!"

She spun around, her high heels clicking sharply against the stone as she gave chase. "Wait up! Don’t walk away while I’m talking to you!"

Ren kept his pace steady, cutting through the massive gateway and stepping onto the main road leading back toward the capital. A heavy squad of fully armored Starlight Kingdom guards lined the entrance, their polearms raised in silent vigilance, ready to seal the heavy iron gates at the first sign of an Aberrant surge.

Ren and Elysia walked shoulder-to-shoulder as the quiet outskirts gave way to the dense, bustling thoroughfares of the lower district. Crowds of merchants, laborers, and armed mercenaries moved along the cobblestone paths, their chatter filling the warm afternoon air.

"So that’s why you made that bizarre request when we first met," Elysia noted, her tone laced with realization as she adjusted her stride to match his. "You insisted on visiting the scrap yards and armor dumpsters because you needed to feed that creation power of yours."

Ren let out a short, quiet chuckle. "Took you long enough to put it together."