The Presence in the Dark
The library was silent.
Too silent.
The moment Isabelle uttered the name "The Sovereign," the air had shifted—cold, unnatural, watching.
Priyam’s instincts screamed at him. This wasn’t normal.
"Did you hear that?" Isabelle whispered, her usual confidence replaced with unease.
Priyam didn’t answer. His golden eyes flickered, scanning the darkness.
Then—
A voice, low and ancient, echoed through the library.
"You should not have come here."
A chill ran down Isabelle’s spine. "Who’s there?"
Silence.
Then, movement.
A shadow, shifting unnaturally along the bookshelves. It wasn’t cast by the candlelight—it moved with intent, slithering across the walls like a living thing.
Stolen novel; please report.
Priyam clenched his fists.
For the first time since arriving in this world, he felt it.
Fear.
The shadow lunged.
Priyam barely had time to react. His body moved on instinct, dodging back as something unseen rushed past him, fast as a blade slicing through air.
Books flew off the shelves. The table shook.
"Priyam!" Isabelle gasped.
The shadow twisted, reforming at the far end of the room.
Two glowing red eyes opened within it.
And then—
It spoke.
"The Sovereign’s blood has awakened again… but you are unworthy."
---
Louisa’s Arrival
Louisa was already running.
The moment she neared the library, she felt it—a suffocating energy pressing against her chest, a presence that didn’t belong in this world.
Something dangerous was inside.
She threw open the doors.
"Priyam—!"
The sight before her froze her in place.
Books scattered. Candles extinguished.
And a living shadow standing before Priyam and Isabelle.
The glowing eyes of the entity flickered toward her.
"Ah… another noble lamb, stumbling into the darkness."
Louisa’s blood ran cold.
This wasn’t magic.
Magic could be measured, understood, countered.
This?
This was something else.
---
A Power Unleashed
Priyam didn’t hesitate.
Fear meant nothing if he let it control him.
He took a step forward.
The shadow laughed.
"You dare?"
And then—
Priyam’s mark burned.
The sigil on his arm flared to life, glowing with an intensity that cut through the darkness.
A force surged through him, raw and untamed. It wasn’t magic. It wasn’t divine.
It was something older.
The shadow shrank back.
For the first time, the voice wavered.
"Impossible… The Sovereign’s Will still lingers?"
The energy within Priyam pulsed—and with a single motion, he extended his hand.
The air shattered.
A blast of unseen force erupted from him, ripping through the shadow like a blade through mist.
The entity screamed, its form distorting, unraveling—
And then—
It vanished.
The library fell silent once more.
Isabelle exhaled, her hands trembling. Louisa stared at Priyam in open shock.
Priyam?
He simply looked at his hand.
The power was gone.
But the mark remained.
And for the first time, he understood—
He was far more dangerous than he had ever realized.
---
End of Chapter 9