The celebration had ended. The plaza that once echoed with cheers for Aarav was now silent, bathed in moonlight. Priyanshu Yadav stood before the Moon Pavilion Library, the most sacred and restricted archive in the entire Pritampur Empire.
Only those deemed "Righteous of Soul" were permitted to enter.
Naturally, Priyanshu walked in like he owned the place.
The guards at the gate didn't even blink. They had been replaced with shadow puppets—creations of his system and his manipulation of the Imperial Guard for the past two months. They looked alive, breathed, saluted… but they weren't real.
Once inside, the ancient library smelled of dust, old parchment, and the secrets of ages. Crystals floated around shelves, illuminating sacred texts, spell scrolls, and handwritten memoirs of long-dead cultivators.
"System," he whispered. "Search: Aarav. Target: Family History. Timeline: 15 years past."
[Initiating Archive Decryption...]
Found: One forbidden scroll, titled 'The Orphan Who Wasn't'
Warning: This file was sealed by Divine Edict.
"Bypass it," Priyanshu commanded.
Overriding Celestial Protocol… Decryption in progress… Success.
The scroll unraveled mid-air. Lines of golden ink revealed what the world never knew.
Aarav wasn't an orphan.
He was the son of the late Demon General Azareth—the very same warlord whose invasion took millions of lives before he was defeated by the alliance of Righteous Sects.
Aarav's mother was a Saintess from the Light Sect, who died under mysterious circumstances shortly after his birth.
The righteous child the world admired… was born of light and shadow.
No wonder Aarav possessed both healing magic and a rare demonic aura he thought was a "blessing."
Priyanshu's eyes narrowed.
"This… is better than I expected. He's not just a puppet. He's a time bomb."
[New Quest Unlocked: Reveal the Hero's True Bloodline]Objective: Leak Aarav's demonic lineage to the right faction and observe the collapse.Bonus: Manipulate Light Sect Elders into denouncing him.
Reward: 500 Bad Karma, 1 Forbidden Spell – "Echo of Betrayal"
"And so," Priyanshu smiled, "the righteous one becomes the empire's greatest threat."
Suddenly, footsteps echoed behind him.
He turned, half-ready for an ambush—only to see Lilya, the sly fox-eared rogue from his harem, leaning against a pillar.
"I knew you'd be snooping around," she purred. "So... what'd you find, my evil genius?"
"Enough to light a fire under heaven," Priyanshu replied. "Get the Dark Ink Pavilion ready. We'll spread the truth in whispers. No accusations, just rumors… the deadliest weapon of all."
Lilya grinned. "And while the world tears itself apart deciding what's true, we'll stay in the shadows and feed the flames."
In a distant holy mountain
A white-robed old man, blind yet all-seeing, opened his ancient eyes.
"Aarav… you must not learn the truth," he whispered to the stars. "Or the villain behind the curtain shall win."
But the villain had already begun writing the final act.