[You have learned the name Kaelmorath]

[His ending is now accessible to you]

...

[Status]

Name: Kai #####

Rank: Grade 2 Awakened

Bloodline: First Son of the Primordial Night

Primordial Lock: 2 (0%)

Legacy Skill: Deep Slumber

Legacy Imprint(s): Nigh-Phantom, Dark Discharge, Black Starfall

Ending: Perfect Slash, Stone

Path: Goddess of Discord — Kaelmorath the Reckless Fray Ending

Ending Fragment: Retribution (0 / 500 exp), Reckless Ruin (0 / 3,000 exp)

Useable Exp: 910

Quest: -

...

It’s the Goddess of Discord again, same as Noxian.

Kai was expecting to see a path that belonged to another Patron God, hoping that he could see the pattern as to why these Patron Gods had anything to do with the Goddess of the Primordial Night.

Alas, he got Eris, the Goddess of Discord, again.

But considering how strong the Perfect Slash was, he doesn’t complain.

Not to mention, Kaelmorath has an ending that might pass as the Hate Ending.

Recklessness can be tied to hate, so there’s no reason for Mallory to suspect him now.

Five hundred and three thousand exp?! That’s a lot.

Kai’s gaze lowered, and he saw a glimpse of the cost he needed to pay in order to learn both of the Ending Fragments. It was a big leap in cost from Perion to Kaelmorath, and frankly, he is surprised to even find Kaelmorath on the first floor.

Then again, he attributed this luck to his sister.

She has always been luckier than him in everything she does.

It’s even higher than Noxian.

Even though that was the case, Kai knew that Noxian is very strong, so his Ending Fragments are probably on the higher end, which was impossible for Kai to learn it now. Noxian let him learn the Perfect Slash precisely because it’s a good starter Ending Fragment and also cheap.

Noxian is that kind of person.

Should I save up and learn Reckless Ruin instantly? Or should I take what I can?

Kai contemplated for a moment, but he then realized Kaelmorath was looking at him weirdly.

He had been silent after Kaelmorath’s introduction.

"Ah, sorry. I was lost in thought." Kai smiled and extended his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Yes... Son of the Final Night." Kaelmorath accepted his inviting hand.

Since Kaelmorath had seemed preoccupied earlier, almost like he was praying or reminiscing in the shrine, Kai quickly excused himself as he had intruded long enough. He murmured a quiet excuse and slipped out of the domain like a shadow fleeing dawn.

His feet carried him without pause straight to Perion’s domain, seeking sanctuary.

Inside, Perion was sitting motionlessly in a shallow pond.

Kai sat on Perion’s knee and returned his focus to the Ending Fragments.

Let’s not get greedy.

As a Lesser Angel, his life had been continuously threatened—every single day. He could be attacked at any time, so any improvement is welcome. Kai used five hundred usable exp and pumped it all into the Retribution.

Soon, a notification appeared.

...

[Ending Fragment: Retribution (Incomplete)]

You have comprehended the importance of righteous retribution. Your body now reacted with ferocious clarity upon taking damage for the weak or the dear, allowing your attack to double in strength against the attacker. Complete this Ending Fragment to develop Reckless Hardening.

...

Kai read through the description and clicked his tongue in displeasure.

He wanted something that could at least be used alone without the need for another person.

But then again, considering he would soon need to be hunting Star Beasts—for Null Gems in order to reach the grade-three Awakened Supernal rank, this might prove useful then. Not to mention, there was Matilda in his group.

From what he could piece together, Retribution demanded he intercept an attack meant for another. In that regard, Matilda’s presence was invaluable—her golden shield, lent to him at the critical moment, would make all the difference.

In addition, very soon, the academy might introduce a Sky Gate to them.

And this Retribution would certainly be useful then.

Kai decided not to fret with it, as Kaelmorath still has another stronger Ending Fragment.

One that, from its name, sounded really strong.

Having this Retribution isn’t that bad at all.

Satisfied with what he had gained, Kai prepared to return to the real world. But as he turned to leave, a thought snagged at the edge of his mind. He still has one question for Noxian that he had forgotten to ask.

A deep sigh escaped his nose as he changed course, making his way to Noxian’s domain again.

Remembering how it was rarer now to enter the House of Night, he needed to ask it now.

"It’s longer than last time," Noxian commented when he saw Kai returning.

Compared to obtaining Perion, it was noticeably longer for him to get his new Nightborn.

"You didn’t tell me it’s going to be different. Not whisperers."

"Have you considered I don’t know about that?"

"You don’t?"

"No. I knew a few constellations, but not all."

"Huh." Kai hadn’t expected Noxian to know everything—but that wasn’t the issue right now. He shook his head, clearing the distraction, and finally voiced the question that had been bugging his mind. "I have a question. Last time, you said the night was jealous... because I’m smitten by a girl."

"Yes, what about it?"

"There’s another girl who approached me, and... she was even more daring than the last one. And yet, the night didn’t do anything to her. Any reason for that?"

"Hmm?" Noxian tilted his head a little. "That’s not possible."

Kai was expecting an explanation, but he got Noxian confused instead.

And this somewhat made him more uneasy.

"But it really happened."

"No, that’s not possible—the night will always intervene whenever someone, especially a girl, hogged your attention."

"Let’s assume that it really happened," Kai intervened. Noxian was hell-bent on his answer, so he took a different approach. "If it really happened, that the night didn’t intervene despite this girl being close to me, what do you think is the reason?"

"Hmm," Noxian contemplated for a second. "I really don’t know..."

Moments later.

Kai opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling.

He stayed motionless for a good moment, letting the silence around him stretch longer.

In that silence, Noxian’s voice echoed inside his mind.

That he didn’t know the reason why the night didn’t treat Bree the same as it treated Layra.

Kai sat up with a low groan and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, the mattress creaking beneath the shift of his weight. He sat there for a moment, hunched forward, and scrubbed his face with both hands as if he could scrape away the exhaustion.

He was still contemplating the reason why Bree was special.

"She did approach me out of nowhere," He muttered into his palms. "And until now, I don’t know what her reason was. Is it because she can tell I have a mysterious bloodline?" Kai put away his hands—and stared at the floor. "She figured out I was something more... something useful, so she latched onto me to survive the academy."

A beat of silence seized the moment.

And then, he shook his head, sharp and dismissive.

"No. That’s not me talking. That’s Matilda. She’s the one who planted that in my head."

Matilda was always skeptical of Bree, and Bree never liked Matilda.

Both of them were trying to pour their dislike for each other into him.

And it seemed Matilda’s seed was blooming.

Kai pressed a hand over his mouth; his thoughts spiraled backward to the first day he entered the academy. The first day he attended class. "I heard her mumble something. She said I was perfect. I wasn’t meant to hear it, but I did." He exhaled slowly; the memory lodged inside his mind like a thorn. "What did she mean by that?"

No matter how much he thought about it, he knew he couldn’t crack it.

His only way of knowing for sure was to ask Bree about it.

"But do I want to know?" Kai massaged his forehead.

Ever since he became an Angel and enrolled in the Eventide Academy, good news had been a myth. The only blessings that ever came his way were the ones he clawed out of the dirt with his own two hands.

So, this—whatever this was—would almost certainly curdle into another disaster.

One that he wasn’t ready to face.

Kai clutched his chest with his hand.

The betrayal by Matilda and Abigail left him with a scar deeper than he thought.

Just the thought of confronting Bree made his breath shorter.

"Let’s... wait a little bit."

...

Days passed in a blur.

All Kai had been doing was doing the morning exercises and sparring, attending class, and then going mining in Grassland Grey, Maple Red—and then meeting up with the others in Fire Swamp late at night to continue mining.

It was a race against time, so the five of them focused completely on mining.

And not too long after, the bald professor introduced the students to the Winged-boots again.

Students learned to fly with Winged-boots.

Unsurprisingly, now that all of them had unlocked and reinforced their second Divine Locks, learning to fly using the Winged-boots became way easier. The bald professor explained that the earlier struggle had been by design—the boots demanded extensive mana control.

Only with two Divine Locks would an Angel use them proficiently.

Back then, the students were taught using it to fill the gaps until the Blood Rite was prepared.

All of them were destined to fail back then.

Kai also found using the Winged-boots far easier than he anticipated.

Having an extremely high mana stat made him fly steadier as he could afford to waste his mana to force better control in the air. And with the Primordial Locks inside him, mana control was never an issue.

Gauging from strictly operating the Winged-boots, he could already do that right now.

Just that he can’t be obvious about it lest he earn the bald professor’s attention.

And with enough training, he could be more efficient in using his mana.

It wouldn’t be long before he could fly for hours without needing to rest.

After training with the Winged-boots, the students returned to their rooms and freshened up to attend class. Kai showered and changed clothes before heading straight for the class. As her usual habit, Professor Hera arrived exactly when the bell rang.

Normally, she would be opening her book right now.

But today, she swept her gaze across the students instead.

"No class today," Professor Hera announced. "All of you may already feel it, but compared to when you first entered the academy, you’ve gotten stronger. Most of you even changed into a better version of yourself. For that, the academy has granted you a reward for today.

"Go to the back gate," Her lips curled into a smile. "Today, you can meet with your families."