Chapter 4 — The Power That Should Not Exist

"RUN!"

Lyra dragged me through the crowded streets.

People screamed as we passed.

The city bells continued ringing above us.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Guards poured through the streets.

"Stop them!"

"Don't let the elf escape!"

"Capture the human alive!"

I looked over my shoulder.

"Why do they want me alive?"

Lyra didn't slow down.

"Because they don't know what you are!"

"That's not an answer!"

"It's the only one I have!"

Nero ran beside us.

His enormous body knocked over a wooden stall.

"Sorry!"

The merchant stared at the destroyed stall.

"MY SHOP!"

"Definitely not paying for that!"

We turned into a narrow alley.

Lyra slammed her hand against a stone wall.

A circle of blue light appeared.

"Move!"

I stepped through.

The wall disappeared behind us.

We emerged into another street.

I stared at her.

"You can teleport?"

"No."

"Then what was that?"

"An illusion."

I looked behind us.

The soldiers ran past the alley without noticing us.

"Okay."

I nodded.

"That's useful."

Lyra looked exhausted.

"You're surprisingly calm."

"I've already died once."

She stopped.

"What?"

I kept walking.

"Nothing."

We reached the western district.

The streets became quieter.

The buildings were older here.

Some were abandoned.

Lyra led us into a ruined warehouse.

She closed the door.

For several seconds, neither of us spoke.

Then she punched my shoulder.

"Ow!"

"What was that for?"

"You destroyed the gate!"

"I didn't mean to!"

"You destroyed six magical crystals!"

"I touched one!"

"You exploded it!"

"I noticed!"

Lyra stared at me.

Then she sighed.

"You're impossible."

I smiled.

"Thanks."

She sat against the wall.

"What exactly happened?"

I looked at my hand.

"I don't know."

"Your Authority?"

"I think so."

"Do you know what it can do?"

"No."

She frowned.

"Then we need to find out."

Before I could answer—

Nero growled.

I turned toward the door.

"What is it?"

His ears pointed upward.

Footsteps.

Multiple.

Lyra immediately stood.

"Someone followed us."

I heard them too.

Boots.

Slow.

Heavy.

A voice came from outside.

"Kai."

I froze.

The voice was calm.

Almost polite.

"Come outside."

Lyra whispered.

"Don't answer."

The man continued.

"You don't understand what you are."

I looked at Lyra.

"Who is he?"

"Royal Hunter."

"What's that?"

"The kingdom's executioner."

I swallowed.

"That sounds bad."

The door exploded.

BOOM!

Wood flew across the room.

Three figures walked through the smoke.

Two wore black armor.

The third was a man with white hair and a long silver coat.

He carried no visible weapon.

Yet the moment I saw him—

My body screamed at me to run.

A system window appeared.

[DANGER]

[TARGET: UNKNOWN]

[LEVEL: ???]

[AUTHORITY: ???]

[RECOMMENDED ACTION: ESCAPE]

I stared.

Even the system didn't know his level.

The man looked at me.

"So."

He smiled.

"The Sovereign has returned."

Lyra's face went pale.

"You know what he is?"

"Of course."

The man stepped forward.

"I have spent twenty years searching for him."

I pointed at myself.

"Me?"

"You."

He raised his hand.

A golden circle appeared.

Magic filled the room.

Lyra immediately shouted.

"Kai! Get behind me!"

She summoned a barrier.

The golden spell struck.

BOOOOM!

The entire warehouse shook.

Lyra's barrier cracked.

She screamed.

I grabbed her.

"Are you okay?"

She looked at me.

"Run."

The barrier shattered.

The hunter raised his hand again.

A spear of light formed.

I looked at it.

Something inside me whispered.

Take it.

I blinked.

"What?"

The spear launched.

I raised my hand instinctively.

The black mark pulsed.

The spear stopped.

Not because time stopped.

Because something had grabbed it.

The golden energy twisted.

It bent toward my palm.

The hunter's expression changed.

"What?"

The spell disappeared into my hand.

A notification appeared.

[HOSTILE AUTHORITY DETECTED]

[ANALYZING...]

[AUTHORITY FRAGMENT ACQUIRED]

[ABILITY ACQUIRED: LIGHT SPEAR]

I stared.

"What the hell?"

The hunter's eyes widened.

"You..."

For the first time, he looked afraid.

"You can consume Authorities."

I looked at my hand.

A golden light appeared between my fingers.

The same spell he had just used.

I pointed it at him.

"Apparently."

I fired.

BOOM!

The hunter disappeared through the wall.

Silence.

Lyra stared at me.

Nero stared at me.

I stared at my own hand.

Then the system appeared.

[NEW ABILITY ACQUIRED]

LIGHT SPEAR

Rank: A

Description: Condenses high-density holy energy into a piercing projectile.

Source: Royal Hunter

I swallowed.

"That's..."

I looked at Lyra.

"That's actually terrifying."

She didn't answer.

She was staring at the hole in the wall.

Then she slowly turned toward me.

"Kai."

"Yeah?"

"Do you realize what you just did?"

"I stole his magic?"

"No."

Her voice trembled.

"You stole his Authority."

I looked down.

The black mark on my palm had changed.

A thin golden line now ran through it.

Then the system appeared again.

[SOVEREIGN HAS EVOLVED.]

[Authority Level: 2]

[New Function Unlocked.]

DOMINION

Sovereign may now temporarily suppress the abilities of targets beneath the user's Authority.

I stared at the words.

Then I heard footsteps outside.

The hunter was standing again.

His silver coat was torn.

Blood ran from his forehead.

But he was smiling.

"Now I understand."

He looked directly at me.

"You aren't the next Demon King."

He wiped the blood from his face.

"You're something much worse."

I clenched my fist.

The golden line on my palm glowed.

"What am I?"

The hunter smiled.

"I don't know."

He turned around.

"But the gods will."

A burst of light surrounded him.

Before disappearing, he said one final thing.

"Run, Sovereign."

"Because now..."

"...they know you're alive."

The light vanished.

Lyra slowly walked toward me.

"Kai."

"What?"

She looked toward the empty doorway.

"We need to leave this city."

I nodded.

"Where?"

She looked toward the distant mountains.

"To the place where the first Demon King was born."

I frowned.

"And why would we go there?"

Lyra looked at the black mark on my hand.

"Because if anyone knows what you are..."

She took a deep breath.

"...it will be the person who created the Sovereign."

I froze.

"Created?"

Lyra nodded.

"The Demon King wasn't the first Sovereign."

She looked me directly in the eyes.

"He was the second."

The black mark on my palm suddenly burned.

And somewhere far beyond the mountains—

something opened its eyes.

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