The silence was deafening.
Zane stood on the elevated stone platform, the Dagger of the End humming faintly in his grasp. Shadows curled around his feet like curious serpents, eager and waiting. The crowd was frozen — nobles with mouths agape, guards gripping spears tighter, commoners whispering furiously behind gloved hands.
The royal official finally broke the silence, stepping forward with forced composure and a scroll in hand.
> "By decree of His Majesty, King Aldrec the Resolute, the bearer of the blade shall be granted two honors: A single wish—of anything within reason—excluding matters of royal matrimony..."
"...And the position of Royal Blade, personal protector to the Crown."
The noble who had just been flung from the platform was still groaning in the background.
All eyes turned to Zane.
He looked at the official, blinked slowly, then tilted his head.
> "Yeah, no thanks," Zane said, waving a hand dismissively. "I don't need your wish. And I refuse to become your glorified guard dog."
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd like a tidal wave of disbelief.
Even the king, who'd emerged onto the balcony above the platform, narrowed his eyes. His ornate crown tilted forward, and his fingers curled slightly around the railing.
> "Young man," the king called, voice stern, "you do realize what you are turning down? This is the highest honor—"
Zane interrupted with a smirk.
> "I've got better things to do. Like not being shackled to a throne I don't sit on."
The crowd murmured. Some laughed nervously. Others looked horrified.
A noblewoman fainted in the second row.
The guards instinctively moved forward, unsure if this was blasphemy or treason.
Zane, dramatic as ever, let his shadows snake upward like living tendrils, swirling around his shoulders like a cloak made of midnight. His void energy pulsed faintly, the black crown from earlier briefly flickering above his head once more like a phantom of authority that mocked every royal present.
> "If you'll excuse me..." he said, turning slowly, dagger now sheathed across his back. "I've got another relic to find. And unlike your kingdom..."
He looked over his shoulder with a smirk.
"It doesn't bore me."
With that, Zane walked forward, each step echoing unnaturally as he activated Voidwalk—his figure distorting with every footfall, shadows blooming beneath his boots and devouring light.
People parted instinctively.
Even the guards didn't dare move.
And as he passed the palace gates, a royal advisor whispered behind trembling lips:
> "What... what even is he?"