Primordial Heir: Nine Stars-Chapter 377: Return to the Academy

The tram glided smoothly through the early morning light, carrying the three cadets back toward the academy. The city outside the windows slowly gave way to greener landscapes, the buildings thinning, the horizon opening up.

Inside, silence reigned.

Elreth sat by the window, her orange eyes fixed on the passing scenery but seeing none of it. She was lost in thought, still processing the night with her mother—the quiet peace, the training, the words of pride that still echoed in her heart. Her body ached from the punishment she had received, but beneath the soreness was a deep, quiet satisfaction.

Khione sat across from her, eyes closed, her breathing slow and even. She had slipped into a light meditative state, drawing in the ambient prana, letting it cycle through her core. Her face was calm, peaceful, the Ice Queen in repose.

Nero sat beside Khione, watching them both for a moment. Then his gaze shifted to Elreth.

His God’s Eyes activated. [A/N: Divine Eyes if you prefer]

The golden translucent window appeared before him, floating in his vision, superimposed over the real world. The information was clear, detailed, and more comprehensive than before.

[Name: Elreth Samael]

[Gender: Female]

[Law: Fire]

[Strength: Late Red Knight Level]

[Potential: 9★]

[Arrogant and Strong Willed]

[Decent Compatibility]

Nero studied the information carefully. There was a new addition—those descriptors at the bottom. Arrogant and Strong Willed. A personality assessment? And Decent Compatibility—a measure of how well she might work with him, perhaps. Or something deeper.

"Huh," he mused silently. "New additions. I need to research this more, understand each term properly."

He was pleased to note that using his eyes this time caused no headache. The earlier pain, the bleeding, the intense sensations—those had been part of the evolution process. Now that his eyes had settled into their new form, the power came more easily. It still drained him, but the cost was mental focus rather than physical agony.

He dismissed the window and leaned back in his seat, but his mind didn’t rest. He was thinking about his eyes. About all the abilities they might hold that he hadn’t yet discovered.

This morning, for example, during his training on the inn’s rooftop, he had noticed something strange. When he swung his sword, the world around him sometimes seemed to slow down. Not literally—the birds still flew at normal speed, the distant city sounds remained unchanged—but his perception of his own movements shifted. Sometimes his sword felt sluggish, as if it were moving through molasses. At other times, it felt lightning fast, as if the air itself parted to accommodate him.

He had finally understood what was happening. His eyes weren’t just seeing information about others. They were accelerating his cognitive ability. In moments of focus, his perception of time stretched, allowing him to process information faster, react quicker, and see the paths of attacks before they fully formed.

In actual combat, this would be devastating. He would see enemy strikes in slow motion and would have precious extra moments to plan his counters. And there might be more—deeper applications he hadn’t yet uncovered.

But the morning held another achievement, one that made his heart race just thinking about it.

°°°

Earlier that morning, on the inn rooftop...

The sky had been pale with the first hints of dawn, the city below still sleeping. Nero had stood alone on the rooftop, the cool air brushing against his skin, his sword in his hand.

He had been working toward this for days. Ever since stepping into the Purple realm, ever since awakening his third law, ever since understanding the true nature of his power—he had been reaching for this moment.

A domain.

The hallmark of a Purple Knight. A sphere of absolute control, where one’s law became reality, where the wielder’s will was law.

But Nero wasn’t aiming for a single domain.

He wanted two.

Fire and Lightning. The most destructive and the fastest. He had spent hours in meditation, feeling the flow of both laws within him, understanding their natures, their rhythms, their points of connection. Fire was explosive, hungry, all-consuming. Lightning was swift, precise, electric. They seemed opposed—chaos versus control—but deep down, they shared something. They were both forces of overwhelming power.

He had closed his eyes, reaching deep into his inner world. The first star, large and steady, pulsed with crimson fire. The secondary star, the golden star, crackled with golden lightning.

He had pushed them together. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

The first attempt had been disastrous. Fire and lightning had clashed violently, nearly burning him from the inside. He had coughed smoke, his skin tingling with uncontrolled static.

He had tried again. And again.

Slowly, painfully, he had begun to understand. They couldn’t be forced together—they had to be woven. Like threads of different colors creating a tapestry. Like two melodies becoming harmony.

On his seventh attempt, something clicked.

Fire and lightning flowed from his cores simultaneously, not fighting, but dancing. They spiraled around each other, weaving into a single, unified energy. And then, with a surge of will, he pushed it outward.

The world changed.

A sphere of power erupted from him, expanding in a perfect circle. It stopped at twelve meters, its edge sharp and defined. Within that space, he was master.

The temperature rose dramatically, the air itself shimmering with heat. But it wasn’t just heat—it was a specific, targeted warmth that seemed to slow everything within the sphere. His own movements, he noticed, were unaffected. But when he tossed a small pebble into the air, it fell slowly, as if moving through honey.

And within the sphere, lightning crackled at the edges of his perception, ready to respond to his slightest command. His reaction speed within the domain was magnified, his thoughts translating into action faster than should have been possible.

Fire to slow his enemies. Lightning to speed himself. A combination that made him nearly untouchable within his twelve-meter world.

He had stood there, surrounded by his own domain, feeling the power thrum through every cell of his body. It wasn’t complete—he knew that. There were refinements to make, improvements to discover. Merging two laws into one domain was unprecedented. He was charting unknown territory.

But for now, for this moment, it was enough.

He had a domain. His first domain. And it was unlike anything the world had ever seen.

°°°

Back on the tram...

Nero opened his eyes, the memory fading. Khione still meditated beside him. Elreth still stared out the window.

He looked at his hands, flexing his fingers. The power was still there, waiting, ready. His domain. His eyes. His three laws.

The pieces were coming together. Slowly, painfully, but surely.

The academy waited ahead. The interclass competition was held in two months. It was going to be fun there was no doubt about this. He would eventually find out about himself, he had no desire to dance on somebody else’s turn.