On the last day of the year, Elian woke up in his dorm room with a skull-splitting headache.

  It felt as if his head was placed on an anvil, and a blacksmith had been mercilessly hammering it for an hour straight.

  To add to the anguish, his body hadn't fully recovered from the beating Rynard dished out on him yesterday, so the side of his ribs was throbbing incessantly as well.

  "Arghh!"

  Groaning in pain, he gently clutched a fistful of his hair as the Voice inside his head started speaking, exacerbating his already worsening migraine.

  (Wakey wakey, princess! It's your last day on Earth! Why don't you celebrate this well-awaited occasion by jumping out that window? You can also try to kill a kid or two before Riftwalking away! Ooh, here's another idea! Why don't you try drinking blood again?! Remember the last time you did that? It was so fun!)

  Ignoring the distorted voice of the imaginary fiend who was shrouded in darkness as usual and standing by the edge of his bed, Elian massaged his forehead and peeled the bed sheets from on top of him.

  Despite those snarky suggestions at the end, the shadowy demon was right about one thing – Elian should try to celebrate this day.

  After all, he knew he was not going to come back to Earth alive, so he should at least leave this planet on a high note.

  With that thought in mind, he got off his bed and walked into the washroom to splash some cold water on his face and chase away the lingering traces of sleep.

  Gazing at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, he beheld a thin, malnourished boy in his teens with a short stature and slumped shoulders.

  He had short, disheveled raven hair and black patches under his deep crimson eyes that were staring back at him from the mirror, radiating a bright, eerie glow. His pupils had an otherworldly, almost magnetizing, shine to them.

  Those eyes, captivating and ensnaring, seemed capable of stripping anyone of their sense of self and bending them to his will if they dared to stare at them directly.

  They were the infamous Cursed Eyes – one of the three Bloodline Legacies created by the Ashenford family and carried by their direct descendants.

  For some people in the world, these Cursed Eyes symbolize true terror and long-forgotten fear. Yes, once upon a time, the world used to fear the Chaos Spawns.

  They weren't always bottom-class citizens with no rights and laws to protect them like they are today. During the Dark Times, the Ashenfords held the entire world in their palms.

  And why wouldn't anyone fear them? Aside from the destructive power that they hold, with just one look from their eyes, the Chaos Spawns could bewitch almost anyone weaker than themselves and add them to their army of mind-controlled minions.

  That's why, in today's times, the Cursed Eyes are either gouged out from the Chaos Spawns, leaving them blind for life, or they are forced to wear magical items that could cover and subdue the effects of their eyes.

  A majority of people, however, are revolted by these eyes instead of fearing them. After all, the world had forgotten how to fear the Chaos Spawns long ago.

  They despise these eyes because the Cursed Eyes were the result of generations and generations of inhumane magic experiments conducted by the Ashenfords on their own kin – which is obviously taboo.

  Much like them, Elian also couldn't feel anything but disgust at the sight of his own eyes. But his reason was different. To him, they were nothing more than a haunting reminder that he would never be loved by anyone. He would always be a monster.

  Well, it's not like he deserved to be loved after what he had done anyway.

  (Oh, boo-fucking-hoo! Can't you go a day without throwing a pity party, Elian? You're the son of Astrea Stormhorn and Erebos Ashenford – two of the mightiest Riftwalkers in the entire known universe! You're destined for greatness! All you have to do is unleash the chaos! Forget love; people will fear you! You can have it all – a harem of celestial beauties, priceless treasures, unrivaled power, and even an army to rival the Earthen Empire like your father's!)

  Through gritted teeth, Elian spat, "Don't call him that! That monster is not my father! I will never be like him, ever!"

  (But you already are! You have killed someone, Elian! You've killed the only person who ever truly loved you! Who does something so twisted if not a monster?!)

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  Elian frantically shook his head, covering his ears in a futile attempt to muffle the Voice. "No, no! That was a mistake! I didn't mean to do that! You know I didn't mean to do that!"

  (Yes, yes, I'm sure you mistakenly ripped out her throat and sucked the blood from her veins until she was but a pale, boney corpse–)

  Before the Voice could continue, Elian banged his hands on the rim of the sink and yelled, "Shut up! Shut the fuck up!"

  With seething fury flickering murderously in his eyes, he stared straight at the reflection of the shadowy demon in the mirror. It was standing a step behind him, whispering into his ears.

  Elian hissed, "You will not break me!"

  A wide crack horizontally appeared on the face of the dark silhouette, looking as if the shadowy figure was ominously grinning from ear to ear. It was a disturbing scene. In an amused tone, it spoke:

  (You foolish boy. I don't need to break you. You already are… broken.)

  Elian's face paled upon hearing that as the dark silhouette disappeared from his sight, yet the words it had uttered continued to echo in his ears, intensifying his headache.

  ???

  After freshening up and taking a shower, he put on a pair of specially crafted contact lenses that were made for the sole purpose of suppressing his Cursed Eyes.

  He looked at himself in the mirror again, and took a note of his now black eyes. Nodding satisfactorily, Elian ambled out of the washroom, slipped on his academy uniform – a white shirt with intricate golden embroidery on the shoulders, a formal blue coat, and plain black pants – and grabbed his wallet.

  He then left his room and took the elevator to exit the dorm building.

  "Arghh," a grimace formed on his face as he stepped into the sunlight. Yeah, his kind don't do well under the sun.

  In fact, it was almost painful to be out during the scorching days of summer. But the night makes him faster, stronger, and more perceptive. So, it was a fair trade.

  After walking for a while, he took a campus bus that was headed toward the cafeteria hall.

  The Dragonova Academy was huge, so much so that they needed an internal transportation system to travel from one end of the campus to another, which was fitting. After all, this was the best Riftwalker academy in this part of the Earthen Empire.

  Not to mention, it was owned by the Dragonova family itself – who were pretty much the rulers of the entire Earthen Empire.

  If not for his mother and on-paper father, Elian, being a Chaos Spawn, could've never gotten into this, or any other Riftwalker academy for that matter.

  Actually, if he wasn't the son of Astrea Stormhorn, his fate would've been to be someone's slave, forced to serve and have his blood harvested until he died of blood loss and exhaustion or went berserk and put down by the Special Police Force. Such was the fate of all Chaos Spawns in the Earthen Empire.

  Some would even say that he drew the lucky straw in life. But they would be wrong.

  Even if he had human rights unlike other Chaos Spawns, he wasn't treated like human in the least.

  Even inside the academy, where everyone, no matter what race or family they belonged to, were supposed to be equal, he faced relentless discrimination by his peers and even professors just because he had the vile blood of Ashenfords flowing in his veins.

  The world was not fair to him. But Elian had made his peace with that fact. After all, life could never beat him in a fair fight.

  Besides, he didn't have much life left to live for anyway.

  Today, the third-years were going to commence their first Riftwalk. They would travel to an alien world with the task of stopping an apocalypse there.

  Elian knew he was going to die there. How did he know? Well, because he can't use magic. He was marked with the Chaos Rune, meaning he could only use Chaos spells.

  But… Chaos sorcery had been outlawed by the Dragonova family throughout the Earthen Empire for centuries. He doesn't have a single spell to cast. Without magic, he was definitely going to die.

  Yes, he can try to use his eyes. Mind controlling can be an amazing power to have in one's arsenal. If he uses it cunningly, he could survive the Riftwalk.

  But to use the full scope of his Eyes' abilities, he would need to kill. He would need to kill people and drink their blood. Why? Because the fuel for the Cursed Eyes is lifeforce.

  However, if he does that – if he kills a person… again… and uses his eyes, he would be executed after returning to Earth, because using the Cursed Eyes is grounds for a death sentence even if it's done in self-defense.

  So no matter how one may look at it, the Riftwalk was a kind of death penalty for him.

  If he can't use magic, he will die. And if he does use what little power he has at his disposal, he will be killed. The end result would be the same. He had no allies to protect him or a clique to trust his back to.

  He was all alone.

  "Hah," Elian scoffed. "What a tasteless joke."

  Shaking his head, he departed from the bus and entered the cafeteria building.

  When the automatic gates opened, a warm wave of heater air tumbled out and welcomed him, offering much-needed respite from the biting chill of the winter.

  The cafeteria's interior was bright with natural light flooding the spacious hall through large windows, illuminating a variety of seating arrangements, from cozy booths to communal tables.

  The walls were adorned with colorful artwork and portraits showcasing the valiant deeds of heroic Riftwalkers.

  The serving area was displaying a diverse menu, and the aroma of freshly prepared meals filled the air.

  Elian ordered a variety of stuff, mostly the dishes that had cheese in it, and took a seat at a quiet booth.

  Usually, the cafeteria would be bustling with the cheerful chirping and chatter of students at this time of the day, yet today it was silent... and somewhat grim.

  The reason for this somber atmosphere was really simple: the first and second-years were exhausted from planning the annual ceremony all day yesterday, so they must be sleeping till late today.

  Thus, only the third-years were awake at this hour. It wasn't because of excitement or fear for their first Riftwalk that kept them up. No, they were awake because of the Whispers.

  Elian cast a glance across the cafeteria and released a soft sigh.

  He was right.

  The faces of the students around him were dark, their eyes heavy with fatigue and their heads aching. A single glance at their listless expressions would tell that they were on the brink of losing their minds.

  It was normal.

  At the end of each year, the Whispers grow more profound for the Marked Ones whose Runes have fully matured.

  Even the Voice in Elian's head had become more aggressive as of late.

  Elian's mental resilience was quite high. But if it was that troublesome for him, he could only imagine the anguish of his peers.

  Just as this thought crossed his mind, a group of students entered the cafeteria. Since he was sitting near the entrance, Elian's gaze was drawn to them on its own. When it landed, he couldn't help but groan out loud.

  It was Rynard and his group. The imposing young man was walking at the front, with Sarah at his side, as though they owned this place.

  They passed by Elian without so much as a glance in his direction. He should have been relieved to avoid trouble today, but instead he felt bitter.

  So his presence wasn't even worth acknowledging, huh?!

  (She should've been by your side, not his. Kill him. Kill him. Kill him. And when you're done with him, kill her too! Kill her for betraying you! Kill her! Kill her! Kill her!)

  "Tsk," Elian clicked his tongue and rose from his seat. "Thanks for ruining my appetite."

  He was about to leave but halted for a moment, furrowing his brow. In the next instant, he turned back around and sat down on his seat.

  He had used all his monthly allowance on this one last lavish meal. He should, at the very least, savor it to the fullest, shouldn't he?

  And so he feasted... alone.

  ???

  After enjoying a delicious breakfast, Elian returned to his dorm room.

  "...Huh?"

  There, on his unmade bed, a small cardboard box was waiting for him.

  Confused, Elian glanced around. "Did someone drop off a package? But I didn't order anything."

  With a puzzled look, he cautiously approached the box.

  But his heart skipped a beat upon reading the name of the sender written on its top.

  The person who left this box here was none other than Raphael Stormhorn... his half-brother.