Chapter 5: The Name of Shadows

  In the dark alleyways of Serpent’s Rest — a small city on the outer borders of the kingdom — silence reigned. The Elcarin estate stood tall but abandoned, overgrown with ivy, its sigils chipped and faded. The noble house that once proudly bore its name had fallen long ago.

  A single candle flickered in the drawing room of the crumbling manor. Two figures sat across from each other — one cloaked in gray with tired, hollow eyes, and the other hidden entirely beneath a black robe and mask.

  “You want to borrow our name?” the man asked. His voice trembled. “Why?”

  The masked figure did not answer immediately. Instead, he slid a pouch across the table — gold coins and a silver medallion bearing the insignia of a noble judge.

  “For your silence, and your cooperation,” the figure said, voice low. “You have a daughter. I will train her. She will be your house’s hope. In return, you will make it official. The heir of House Elcarin has returned. His name… is Lucien.”

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  The man’s eyes widened. “Lucien Elcarin died… years ago.”

  “Now he lives,” the masked one replied. “Under our shadow.”

  The man hesitated, but then slowly nodded. “So be it. From this day forth, the name of Lucien Elcarin shall return to the records. I will vouch for it in the noble court.”

  The woman rose. “The girl will be sent to you in two days. Teach her how to play the noble’s game. I will handle the rest.”

  That night, a new identity was born — not from blood, but from calculation. Not from honor, but necessity.

  Lucien Elcarin — a name that belonged to a long-dead boy.

  Now reborn in the hands of a ghost.

  At dawn, Ghost arrived at Virtus Academy, wearing a uniform that bore the Elcarin crest. Frona walked a step behind him, dressed in the maid’s garb of high nobility.

  “Master,” she whispered, “the

  “Good,” Ghost replied. “Let them underestimate me.”

  The sun rose, casting golden rays over the academy grounds. Students chattered, laughed, and trained. None noticed the figure with silver eyes walking quietly among them.

  Lucien Elcarin had arrived.

  And no one knew what the name truly meant.