The pale autumn moon hung low in the dark sky, casting a cold, liquid silver light across the room as the candles finally flickered and died.
It was already well past midnight, but my mind refused to settle. Silently slipping my boots out from beneath the sagging frame of my cot, I quietly made my way out into the corridor. The ancient wooden floorboards let out rhythmic, high-pitched squeaks under the slightest pressure, forcing me to tiptoe past the doors of the other dormitories, where the exhausted breathing of sleeping scholars echoed in the dark.
Reaching the bottom of the creaking staircase, I found the main hall bathed in the amber glow of wall-mounted oil torches. The heavy scent of rotted cedar and faint, dried mountain florals saturated the air. Seeking air that didn't taste of age and stagnant dust, I pushed through the heavy wooden rear door, stepping out into the crisp night.
The rear of the inn opened up into a sprawling, frozen vegetable patch bordered by a few skeletal, wind-battered trees. The minute I stepped clear of the awning, a fierce, howling northern gust tore through the valley, sending a violent chill straight down my spine. I instantly regretted leaving my heavy woolen traveling cloak draped over the foot of my bed.
Squeezing my arms tightly against my chest, I marched toward a massive, gnarled oak tree at the edge of the field. I sat down against its rough bark, pulling my knees to my chest. From this vantage point, I could maintain a clear, unobstructed view of the entire property—the dark fields, the main inn, our heavy transport wagons, and the silent stables at the rear.
"How do you like your solitude?"
The disembodied voice sliced through the howling wind. My reflexes, honed by years of surviving on the razor's edge, took over instantly. My head snapped toward the frozen field as my fingers silently wrapped around the hilt of the iron dagger hidden in my boot, sliding the blade free, ready to strike.
The silver moonlight slowly illuminated the figure emerging from the tree line. It was Lady Suan Ming. Her long, stark hair danced wildly in the gale, and her deep, knowing eyes seemed to pierce straight through the darkness. The heavy fabric of her wine-red dress swayed violently, synchronized with the bitter wind.
Relaxing my grip on the dagger but keeping my guard up, I turned my gaze back toward the moon. "Walking away from the world seems like a rare luxury nowadays," I noted, my voice low and flat against the wind.
"Make the most of the peace while it lasts, child," she murmured, her voice carrying a haunting, melodic weight. "It will never stay for long."
The cryptic nature of her words hung heavily in the freezing air. I offered a slow nod, staring up at the celestial glow before letting out a soft sigh. "My insolence earlier in the hall... I apologize for the words I spoke regarding your establishment."
A faint, ghostly smile played on her blood-red lips as she sat down gracefully beneath the trunk of a neighboring tree. "I have lived a very long, bloody life, Dan Weicheng. I have witnessed things that would break a normal mind, I have heard the unspoken words of kings, and I have felt the true weight of men's souls. This shabby little inn of mine has long served as the absolute median between total peace and absolute chaos. I stand directly in the middle of the empire's ups and downs; before any traveler can hope to conquer the peak of the northern mountains, I am the mandatory path they must walk. In a way, I suppose my shabby home has become a home away from home for those about to bleed."
I nodded slowly, absorbing her words.
"But," she continued, her eyes locking onto mine with an instant, suffocating intensity that made my breath hitch, "I am far beyond a mere keeper of a shabby inn. I can read precisely between the lines of fate. I know with absolute certainty that my purpose in this lifetime is predestined: to meet the critical players of history in the middle, right before the chaos tears the world apart."
"I don't believe in that mystical nonsense," I retorted flatly, completely unbought by her grand philosophical musings. "There is no such thing as a predestined fate. Everything we do, every path we take, is a conscious choice."
Her dark eyebrows arched slightly, her red lips curling into another amused smile. "Oh? Do you wish to wager on that, young candidate?"
I narrowed my eyes, shaking my head firmly. "That is an impossible bet."
"I, too, was once a fierce nonbeliever in fate and destiny," she whispered, her gaze drifting toward the jagged mountain peaks. "I used to believe that things being 'meant to happen' were nothing but comforting lies for the weak. But when you eventually reach my age and bear witness to the brutal, unchanging mechanics of the world as they truly are... enlightenment will find you. That realization inevitably forces us to perform the exact deeds we were born to execute in this lifetime. No matter how deeply you hide, no matter what mask you wear... time is the only absolute truth-teller."
I offered a thin, skeptical smile, lowering my eyes to the frozen earth as I idly reached down to pluck a blade of dead grass.
"Well—" Lady Suan Ming drew a deep, rattling breath, filling her lungs with the icy mountain oxygen before rising to her feet. "The moment your boots cross the threshold of the Northern Kingdom, a devastating rumor will fracture the peace, triggering a chain of events that will permanently alter the course of the entire Arghon Empire. Only then will you truly comprehend why I chose to speak with you tonight."
My eyes narrowed into slits as I looked up at her. "What exactly do you mean by that?"
"The phases of the moon never stay static for long," she stated simply, turning her back to the oak. "If you happen to find yourself drowning in questions later, you are always welcome to return to this inn. Assuming you survive."
She paused, looking over her shoulder. "I won't have the luxury of sending your class off in the morning. Have a safe and long journey, Candidate Dan. The daybreak is rapidly approaching."
Before I could even blink, her silhouette dissolved into the shadows of the tree line. I frowned, looking up at the sky. The night was still incredibly young, and the sun wouldn't rise for hours. Why did she say daybreak was nearing?
As I quietly retraced my steps back through the creaking corridors of the inn, my fingers instinctively drifted to the inside of my vest, pulling out the silk pouch the Empress had bestowed upon me. I stared at the green drawstring in the dim torchlight. I had absolutely no desire to assist the Empress or protect her royal bloodline; the wind was blowing in a completely different direction now.
Yet, I needed to formulate a meticulous strategy to weaponize this situation. If I could successfully resolve this northern crisis, I would completely secure the Empress's absolute, unyielding trust. In the grand game of rebellion, gaining the blind favor of the Empress was equivalent to holding the administrative reins of the entire empire. I would ensure she became my primary debtor, completely blind to my true motives.
Silently slipping back into Dormitory 5's room, I crawled into my cot and allowed sleep to finally claim me.
Part II: The Citadel of the Vanguard
The subsequent trek through the treacherous Northern Mountains was an unmitigated nightmare of physical exhaustion. General Niu drove our caravan relentlessly, forcing us to ride day and night through freezing mountain passes. The desolate, rocky peaks became our brief, icy stopovers.
When our carriages finally rattled to a halt at our final designated rest station, the landscape had completely transformed. This secondary inn was vastly superior to Lady Suan Ming's dilapidated structure; it was thriving, lively, and packed to the brim with rough-faced travelers, fur-clad merchants, and frontline scouts—a clear indication that we had finally breached the outer perimeter of the Northern Citadel.
Meanwhile, inside the monolithic stone walls of the Northern Kingdom's capital, the royal court was a hive of frantic, high-stakes preparation. Word of the Hill Academy caravan's arrival had already thrown the palace into motion. The Northern King had systematically deployed his elite city guards to secure the main thoroughfares, while the ruthless Queen Ni Xua had aggressively summoned the entire council of state ministers to assemble within the grand palace chambers.
Princess Feng Chin Xiao rushed through the towering, arched corridors of the King's Court, her silk robes rustling loudly against the stone. Her first cousin, Prince Tae Hua, and her second cousin, Yun Ji Wok, were among the arriving students, and her aristocratic composure was completely slipping under the weight of her excitement. She had spent her entire childhood training alongside the two of them under the exact same elite military instructors.
"Your Imperial Highness, please, I beg of you to slow your pace!" her elderly royal nanny wheezed from behind, desperately trying to catch her breath as a retinue of frantic maids struggled to keep up with the princess's unusually rapid stride. Princess Chin Xiao was globally renowned for her flawless, lethal elegance; it was an extraordinary rarity to see her rush for anything.
When the herald finally announced her grand entry into the banquet hall, the princess instantly composed herself, smoothing down the intricate layers of her heavy winter gown before gliding down the long, carpeted central aisle. The assembled State Councilors immediately dropped into deep, deferential bows as she passed. At the high dais, the Northern King and Queen smiled warmly down at their daughter.
A chorus of quiet, admiring whispers rippled through the gathered nobility. Princess Chin Xiao was a flawless, terrifying mirror image of her ruthless mother. Her exceptionally long, perfectly maintained dark hair was adorned with heavy golden ornaments that clicked softly with every step. Her eyes were striking—sharp, calculating, and inherently lethal, like a concealed dagger. Her smiles were famously half-hearted; one could never truly discern what was happening behind that beautiful visage—whether she was meticulously plotting the absolute execution of your entire lineage, or preparing to grant you a massive plantation in the fertile southern territories.
She took her designated seat directly below her father, sitting in rigid, immaculate posture as they awaited the arrival of the vanguard.
Suddenly, a royal messenger burst through the heavy iron doors, dropping to his knees. "Reporting to Your Majesties! The imperial carriages from Hill Academy have successfully breached the inner gates of the Citadel!"
As the transport carriages rolled down the grand avenues of the Northern Capital, a heavy, suffocating wave of dissatisfaction settled over the freshman class. The transition in the weather was brutal; the air was biting, bitter, and freezing. But it was the state of the city itself that made our blood run cold.
The streets were completely desolate, devoid of the bustling commerce one would expect of a capital city. The few citizens who lined the cobblestone roads were emaciated, wrapped in ragged furs, their hollow eyes begging the passing carriages for a single drop of fresh water.
Unable to watch the suffering in silence, the students began throwing open the carriage windows, aggressively handing down their remaining travel rations. Dried meat, hardtack, bundles of grain, and surplus traveling clothes were desperately handed out to the freezing crowds.
"The socioeconomic conditions here are catastrophically alarming," Bai Ku Ji noted, his sharp eyes recording the structural decay of the shops.
"We must systematically organize an immediate, large-scale feeding initiative the moment we establish our basecamp," General Niu ordered grimly, his own hands flying as he emptied his personal supply carriage, distributing food to the desperate lines of citizens. He offered sincere, heavy-hearted apologies to the citizens who were left empty-handed, fiercely promising that the academy would return to distribute more provisions.
When the caravan finally reached the massive, iron-reinforced Kingdom Gates, the heavy beat of war drums echoed through the air as the monolithic barriers slowly ground open. Escorted by a massive contingent of heavily armed royal marshals, the carriages finally halted in the palace courtyard.
The students spilled out onto the stone, groaning as they aggressively stretched their locked muscles.
"I swear to the gods, if I don't get to sleep in a lavish, stationary bed within the next ten minutes, I am going to lose my mind," Qiu Run groaned loudly, throwing his arms toward the sky.
"If you lacked the constitution for a military march, boy, you should have stayed behind at Hill Academy to play with the scholars," his father, General Niu, barked past him, causing Qiu Run to instantly grimace and drop his head.
The students quickly fell into formation behind General Niu as the heavy palace doors swung open, leading us directly into the grand banquet hall.
"Presenting the elite candidates of Hill Academy, under the supreme command of the Master of Martial Arts and Warfare, General Niu!" the herald's voice boomed.
The Northern King rose from his throne to welcome us as we dropped into a synchronized formal bow. The servants immediately began flooding the hall, placing massive, steaming platers of food and overflowing chalices of fine northern wine before us.
Princess Chin Xiao stood up from her seat, her lethal eyes narrowing as she swept the crowd, explicitly searching for a single face. It had been years since Wang Tae Hua had last set foot in the Northern Kingdom. Her eyes flashed with a brilliant, genuine glimmer the exact second her gaze locked onto his stoic face.
But her smile died instantly. Tae Hua merely offered her a cold, unreadable glance before deliberately averting his eyes, looking directly past her.
As the students took their seats at the lavish banquet tables, General Niu marched up the steps of the high platform, respectfully presenting the Emperor's golden-threaded imperial scroll to the King. The monarch unrolled the heavy parchment, his voice echoing across the silent hall as he read the supreme edict:
"Tell me and I shall forget. Show me and I shall remember. Involve me and I shall understand. These candidates represent the absolute future leadership of the Arghon Empire. To provide them with a stellar education within the safe walls of an academy is an undeniable accomplishment; but to directly involve them in the brutal, shifting matters that affect the survival of the state is a flourished and undeniable feat.
These students have been thoroughly trained in advanced military strategy, the absolute art of war, complex political discourse, and global history. By violently removing them from their comfort zones, we are forging them into an unbreakable foundation for the future of the throne.
Therefore, I hereby command these students to actively apply their knowledge, wisdom, and martial rigor to the immediate resolution of the internal conflicts plaguing the Northern Kingdom.
The internal rebellion is far too massive to be ignored any longer; we must strive with absolute severity to maintain a better empire, ensuring our citizens enjoy freedom and harmonized peace. I look forward to receiving news of your swift victory."
The Northern King abruptly closed the scroll, his face freezing completely as his mind went entirely blank for a fraction of a second. Swallowing hard, he forced himself to speak, his voice strained under the weight of the throne. "I hereby decree, by absolute Imperial Edict, that this rebellion shall be systematically addressed by the combined force of these elite candidates and our supreme Military Fleet. For all subsequent operational obligations, I am fully prepared to address any tactical concerns and authorize whatever imperial funds are required to support the vanguard."
Sitting at our table, Laohu leaned in close, his voice a barely audible whisper against my ear. "The Northern King has always been a complete, spineless pawn in the capital's game. If it weren't for the Queen's utterly ruthless, blood-soaked method of handling state affairs, this entire kingdom would have fractured decades ago."
OOF.
Laohu let out a sharp cough as I violently rammed my elbow into his ribs, silently warning him to shut his mouth. My eyes drifted up toward the royal dais. Queen Ni Xua was shifting uncomfortably in her gilded seat, her fingers tightening around the arms of her throne until her knuckles turned stark white.
The Queen's eyes narrowed into absolute slits as she calculated the contents of the scroll. She had meticulously ensured that the true, devastating scale of the northern rebellion remained entirely hidden from the capital. How had the Emperor found out?
Her sharp gaze drifted down to the Third Prince. A sickening realization washed over her: the Empress must have orchestrated this entire expedition to manufacture a massive, undeniable military victory for Tae Hua, securing his path to the throne. A cold, predatory smile slowly stretched across the Queen's face as her mind began spinning. If the capital wanted a war, she would give them one. She just needed to establish a covert line of communication with the supreme leader of the insurgent tribes to ensure the academy failed spectacularly.
General Niu's sharp eyes tracked the shifting expressions of the Queen. He knew precisely what poisonous thoughts were brewing behind her elegant facade. He let out a silent breath of relief, silently thanking the gods that Tae Hua had possessed the foresight to demand the dissolution of the grouping system. If the class had remained divided, the ruthless Queen would have utilized every asset in the North to systematically sabotage the other dormitories just to elevate her nephew. Now, with the entire class operating as a single unit, any sabotage against them would mean a direct attack on the empire itself.
Part IV: The Illusion of Luxury
Following the tense, suffocating feast, the exhausted freshman class was escorted across the palace grounds to the sprawling Shun Palace to establish our temporary quarters. The second our boots cleared the threshold of our assigned barracks, the gray northern sky completely ruptured, unleashing a torrential, deafening downpour against the stone tiles outside.
"Queen Ni Xua is an absolute, terrifying viper," Pei Hang muttered irritably, slamming our heavy wooden door shut to block out the roaring rain before tossing his travel pack onto a cot.
"So the rumors in the capital were actually true?" Laohu asked, unbuttoning his heavy traveling vest as he looked toward Eun Jo. "The official betrothal between the Second Prince, Nu Lee, and Princess Chin Xiao was completely called off?"
Cha Eun Jo offered a solemn nod, leaning his tall frame against the stone wall. "Completely dismantled."
"Why?" I inquired, wrapping a dry blanket around my shoulders to ward off the biting chill of the room.
"When we were children growing up in the capital, Prince Nu Lee and Prince Tae Hua were absolutely inseparable," Eun Jo explained, his voice dropping into a serious, historical cadence. "Prince Nu Lee was the older brother—endearing, profoundly intelligent, and a literal tactical genius capable of drawing up flawless strategic plans to conquer neighboring territories. He was globally recognized as the Emperor's most favored son, the undisputed awaited Crown Prince of Arghon. Because of his status, he was formally betrothed to Princess Feng Chin Xiao to solidify a massive military alliance between the North and the throne."
Eun Jo sighed, looking toward the window. "But everything shattered during that infamous assassination attempt on the royal family years ago. When the investigations concluded, the absolute blame for the security breach was pinned directly on an event orchestrated by Prince Nu Lee's birth mother. The Emperor was utterly furious; he systematically executed her entire lineage and stripped Nu Lee of his favor, transferring his affection entirely to Tae Hua. From that bloody day onward, Nu Lee has utterly loathed his younger brother."
Pei Hang chimed in, his expression grim. "The moment Prince Nu Lee was neglected by the throne, the Queen of the North aggressively moved to completely dissolve the engagement. To her, having her daughter marry a fallen prince who will never inherit the Dragon Throne is a catastrophic blow to her pride."
"Absolute power and family loyalty," Pei Hang muttered, settling onto his mattress with a heavy sigh. "Two entirely different concepts, yet they breed the exact same bloody struggle."
I offered a slow nod of agreement, my mind mapping out the volatile dynamics of the royal family.
Laohu was in the middle of yanking his muddy traveling boots off when a violent, thunderous knock rattled the wooden door. I couldn't help but let out a dry laugh as Laohu froze, holding his boot mid-air, his face contorting into pure, unadulterated fury at the sudden interruption.
"What do you want?!" Laohu roared, unceremoniously hurling his heavy leather boot straight at the door.
"General Niu demands the immediate attendance of every single candidate inside the Strategic Military Hall!" a guard's voice boomed through the wood.
"Understood!" we shouted back in unison.
The second the guard's footsteps faded, Laohu violently pulled at his own hair, letting out an enraged, animalistic growl. "This is literal, psychological torture!" he screamed, violently snatching his boot back up as we began filing out of the room.
Looking at my roommates, I noticed the heavy, dark circles forming beneath their eyes. The thirty hours of continuous riding had pushed everyone to their absolute physical limits.
"Are we ever going to be permitted a single hour of decent, uninterrupted sleep in this frozen hellhole?" Chou Xi groaned miserably as we turned down the left corridor.
By the time General Niu finally dismissed us from the grueling tactical briefing, the clock had ticked past 7:00 PM. We had been locked inside that claustrophobic military hall for six continuous hours, our stomachs roaring with hunger.
"Are they systematically trying to murder us before the rebels even get a chance?" Laohu muttered, his energy to complain completely unphased by his exhaustion. He and Chou Xi were aggressively leading our small unit down the grand corridors toward the formal dining hall, their desperation for food driving them forward.
"Death by absolute sleep deprivation and a manufactured hunger strike? I suppose that's an efficient way to clear out the freshman class," Chou Xi shot back, the two of them mock-crying as they threw the double doors open. I merely grimaced, stepping into the massive, high-ceilinged room.
I nodded a greeting to several of my exhausted classmates who were already entering the space, but the moment my eyes scanned the room, I froze in complete, unvarnished fascination.
The hunger in my stomach instantly vanished, replaced by a cold, burning wave of absolute disgust.
The imperial princes had not yet arrived, but the massive banquet tables were completely overflowing with an obscene, disgusting level of wealth. Every single dish was served on massive, heavy golden platters. Exotic, out-of-season delicacies, roasted meats dripping in expensive spices, and rare southern fruits were piled high—luxuries that required an astronomical amount of gold to transport into a freezing northern winter.
The palace eunuchs and royal attendants politely gestured for us to take our seats just as Prince Tae Hua and Yun Ji Wok walked through the entrance.
The exact second their eyes swept across the golden platters, a flash of profound confusion and immediate tension rippled across their features. Tae Hua's traditionally stoic face hardened into a severe, dark frown. The two cousins immediately searched the room for their inner circle, their eyes locking onto Qiu Run, who was staring down at the lavish food before letting out a slow, deeply disappointed shake of his head. Qiu Run knew precisely what this meant, yet he simply shrugged his shoulders, picking up his golden utensils to eat.
A sharp, mocking laugh forced its way past my lips. I couldn't contain my absolute disdain a second longer.
"My, my... what an absolutely exquisite, lavish display of royal living," I stated, my voice cutting sharply through the quiet room, deliberately projecting my words so that every single noble and royal descendant could hear me clearly.
"Are we truly expected to drop to our knees and offer our heartfelt gratitude for this?" Eun Jo added seamlessly, his voice dripping with equal venom as he stood by my side. "While the citizens literally inches outside these palace walls are actively rotting and dying of starvation?"
A heavy, suffocating silence fell over the dining hall. The surrounding classmates slowly lowered their eyes, unable to even look at the golden platters before them, the reality of the dying people they had fed hours ago burning in their minds.
Tae Hua and Ji Wok sharply snapped their heads in my direction. I locked eyes with the Third Prince, a cold, dangerous smirk spreading across my face.
"I have explicitly decided that I will not pollute my body by consuming a single bite of this filthy, blood-soaked palace luxury," I stated clearly, my voice ringing with absolute defiance. "Enjoy your disgusting feast, Your Highness."
With a sharp flick of my hand, I violently shoved my golden utensils across the table. I turned on my heel, entirely intent on marching out of the hall, when a powerful, vice-like grip slammed onto my left arm, violently jerking me backward.
Tae Hua stood before me, his face a mask of pure, unbridled fury. Without breaking eye contact, he grabbed his own golden utensils and violently hurled them directly into the heavy bronze garbage urn behind him. He closed the remaining distance between us, his massive frame towering over me as his fingers tightened around my arm with a crushing, agonizing pressure. His dark obsidian eyes glistened with a lethal, volatile rage.
He raised his free hand, his fingers twitching as though he were about to violently rip me forward by my collar, when Yun Ji Wok instantly stepped between us, firmly placing a hand on Tae Hua's shoulder to hold him back.
"Are you deliberately mocking me, Dan Weicheng?" Tae Hua demanded, his voice dropping into a dangerous, terrifyingly low vibration that vibrated through the stone floor.
"Am I?" I challenged right back, throwing my head back as I raised my voice, refusing to give an inch of ground to his royal authority.
"YOU ARE!" he snarled, his chest heaving.
"Well, if your royal conscience feels that incredibly guilty, Prince, then by all means... suit yourself," I spat coldly.
With a sharp, calculated twist of my wrist, I violently ripped my arm out of his grasp. Turning my back on his volatile fury, I marched out into the rain-slicked corridor. Laohu, Eun Jo, Chou Xi, and Pei Hang immediately fell into formation right behind my steps, followed shortly by a massive line of other academy students who silently abandoned the feast, leaving the golden platters to rot in the empty hall.
"I cannot comprehend the absolute, sociopathic madness required to throw a festive celebration while an entire kingdom is dying of famine," I muttered fiercely as our boots slammed against the stone corridor leading back to our quarters. "It is already more than enough that we have a solid roof over our heads for shelter. But to live a festive, luxurious life built on the backs of starving peasants? That is utterly absurd."
We slammed our dormitory door shut, the roaring northern rain outside matching the absolute fury burning in our blood.