Three days after his public manipulation of Prince Roderick, Kael sat in Advanced Magical Theory class, pretending to take notes while actually cataloging the weaknesses of every student in the room. The original Kael's memories provided the basic information, but Marcus's criminal experience let him see the opportunities those memories had missed.
Take Lyralei, for instance. She sat two rows ahead, silver hair catching the light from the floating crystal chandeliers. The original Kael had seen her as an untouchable friend who was kind to him out of pity. Marcus saw a lonely duke's daughter whose father was too busy with politics to give her attention, whose mother had died when she was twelve, and who threw herself into academic achievement to fill the void.
Classic daddy issues wrapped in overachiever syndrome. Responds to validation and protective gestures. Current attraction level climbing steadily.
Professor Aldwin droned on about the theoretical applications of elemental fusion magic, but Kael's attention was focused on the system interface that only he could see.
[VILLAIN POINT BALANCE: 1,247]
[NEW ABILITIES AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE:]
[ENHANCED CHARISMA - RANK 1: 500 VP]
[BASIC MIND READING - RANK 1: 750 VP]
[IMPROVED PHYSICAL CONDITIONING - RANK 1: 300 VP]
[ILLUSION MAGIC - BASIC: 600 VP]
The Enhanced Charisma was tempting, but mind reading would be more immediately useful for his plans. He was about to make the purchase when a commotion near the door caught his attention.
"I'm sorry I'm late, Professor Aldwin," a breathless female voice called out. "There was an incident with some wild boars near the forest path."
Every male head in the classroom turned toward the newcomer, and Kael immediately understood why. The girl in the doorway was stunning in that dangerous, predatory way that screamed trouble. Black hair with crimson highlights, amber eyes that seemed to catalog threats even as she apologized, and the kind of lean, muscled build that came from years of combat training. Her academy robes couldn't quite hide the hilts of various weapons strapped to her body.
Zara Nightshade. Assassin's Guild scholarship student. Parents murdered when she was eight, raised by the Guild as a weapon. Officially here to study "advanced magical applications" but everyone knows what she really specializes in.
The original Kael had been terrified of her. Marcus was intrigued.
"Take your seat, Miss Nightshade," Professor Aldwin said with obvious reluctance. The faculty tolerated her presence because the Guild's political influence made rejection impossible, but they clearly weren't comfortable having a trained killer in their classrooms.
Zara's eyes swept the room, cataloging faces and potential threats in the automatic way of someone who'd learned paranoia as a survival skill. When her gaze lingered on him for a moment longer than the others, Kael felt a familiar thrill. She was evaluating him as a potential target or asset.
Time to become an asset.
He caught her eye and gave her the slightest nod of acknowledgment—not the fearful glance most students offered, but the respectful recognition of one professional to another. Her eyebrows raised a fraction of an inch before she took the only empty seat available, which happened to be directly behind him.
[OPPORTUNITY DETECTED: ZARA NIGHTSHADE]
[WARNING: TARGET IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS]
[ATTRACTION LEVEL: 12% - MILD PROFESSIONAL INTEREST]
[SUGGESTED APPROACH: MUTUAL RESPECT - AVOID APPEARING WEAK OR PREDATORY]
[SUCCESS RATE: 23%]
Twenty-three percent? Challenge accepted.
Professor Aldwin resumed his lecture on elemental theory, but Kael was already formulating his approach. Zara wasn't like Lyralei—she wouldn't respond to wounded nobility or protective instincts. She was a weapon trained to kill, which meant she'd only respect strength. But the original Kael was weak, which created an interesting puzzle.
How do you demonstrate strength when you don't have any yet?
The answer came to him as he remembered yesterday's "mentorship session" with Prince Roderick. The prince had been stiffly polite but clearly uncomfortable as he'd shown Kael some basic sword forms in the training courtyard. It had been obvious to everyone watching that his heart wasn't in it, but he couldn't back out without losing face.
Information. That's strength in any environment.
Kael pulled out a piece of parchment and quickly scribbled a note, then pretended to drop his quill. As he bent to retrieve it, he placed the note on Zara's desk without looking at her directly.
The note was simple: Wild boars don't attack during daylight unless something drives them from their territory. What really made you late?
For several heartbeats, nothing happened. Then he heard the soft rustle of parchment being unfolded.
A minute later, his own note was returned with additional text in precise, angular handwriting: Tracking practice. Someone's been watching the Academy. Why do you care?
Because I'm planning to own this place, and I need to know about all potential threats.
He wrote back: Because most people here don't think past their next meal or exam. You do. I find that interesting.
This time the response came faster: Meet me after classes. North tower, seventh floor. Come alone.
Kael suppressed a grin. Hook, line, and sinker. She was curious about him now, which was the first step toward everything else he had planned.
The rest of the lecture passed uneventfully, but Kael noticed several things that would be useful later. Marcus Blackthorn kept glancing at Lyralei with obvious interest—potential rival or useful pawn. Princess Avaline sat in the front row taking meticulous notes while her bodyguard watched the room for threats—daddy's perfect little political asset with rebellion simmering under the surface. Derek Thornfield's expensive robes couldn't hide the fact that his family's fortune was built on blood money from the recent border conflicts.
So many pieces on the board. Time to start moving them.
After class, Lyralei approached him as he packed his books. "Want to study together in the library? I could help you with the elemental theory applications."
"I'd like that," he said, meaning it. Having her assistance would save time, and the more time they spent together, the stronger her attachment would become. "But I have something I need to take care of first. Could we meet there in an hour?"
"Of course." Her smile was radiant. "I'll save us a table in the advanced section."
As she walked away, Kael noticed Derek Thornfield watching their interaction with calculating eyes. Another potential complication to monitor.
The north tower was one of the older parts of the Academy, with narrow stone stairs and windows that looked out over the surrounding forest. Kael climbed to the seventh floor, noting the defensive advantages of the position—multiple escape routes, clear sight lines, and far enough from the main buildings that conversations wouldn't be overheard.
She chose the location carefully. Good tradecraft.
Zara was waiting for him in the circular chamber at the top, standing near one of the windows with her hand resting casually on a dagger hilt. The late afternoon light streaming through the glass turned her amber eyes molten gold.
"You came alone," she observed. "Either you're braver than you look, or stupider."
"Possibly both," Kael admitted. "Though I prefer to think of it as calculated risk-taking."
"Calculated." She turned the word over like she was tasting it. "Most students here wouldn't know calculation if it bit them on their pampered asses."
"Most students here have never had to think beyond their next allowance from daddy." He moved to another window, keeping distance between them while maintaining eye contact. "You and I understand that comfort breeds weakness."
"Do we?" Her voice was skeptical, but he caught the slight relaxation in her posture. "What could the third son of a disgraced house possibly understand about real hardship?"
Time to play the poverty card, with modifications.
"Have you ever gone three days without eating because the creditors took everything, including the kitchen supplies?" The memory wasn't his—it belonged to the original Kael—but the emotions felt real enough. "Have you ever had classmates laugh while you mended the same robes for the fourth time because you couldn't afford new ones?"
Zara's expression didn't change, but something shifted in her eyes. Recognition, maybe.
"Hardship builds character," she said neutrally.
"Hardship builds survivors." He turned to face her fully. "The question is what kind of survivor you choose to become. The kind who endures, or the kind who ensures they're never vulnerable again."
"And which kind are you, Kael Vorthak?"
The kind who burns down the world rather than accept defeat.
"The kind who learns from every slight, every humiliation, every moment of weakness." He let some of Marcus's old fury bleed into his voice—the rage that had driven him from street punk to crime lord. "I remember every face that looked down on me, every laugh at my expense, every door slammed in my face. And someday, they're all going to pay for it."
For the first time since he'd met her, Zara smiled. It was a cold, sharp expression that transformed her beautiful features into something predatory and dangerous.
"Now that," she said, "sounds like the truth."
[BREAKTHROUGH ACHIEVED]
[ZARA NIGHTSHADE ATTRACTION LEVEL: 31%]
[RELATIONSHIP STATUS: PROFESSIONAL INTEREST → POTENTIAL ALLY]
[VILLAIN POINTS EARNED: 200]
"You mentioned someone's been watching the Academy," Kael said, pressing his advantage. "Care to elaborate?"
She studied him for a long moment, weighing risks and benefits with the calculation of a born killer. Finally, she nodded.
"Three separate incidents over the past week. Someone with professional training has been observing student routines, guard rotations, defensive preparations. Too skilled to be a simple spy, too careful to be an amateur."
"Any theories?"
"Several. Could be advance scouting for a raid—the Academy has some valuable magical artifacts. Could be intelligence gathering for a political move against certain noble families. Or..." She paused.
"Or?"
"Or someone is specifically watching for individual students. Building profiles, learning habits, preparing for targeted action."
Kael felt a chill that had nothing to do with the tower's temperature. In his original world, that kind of surveillance usually meant someone was planning a kidnapping, assassination, or recruitment attempt. None of those possibilities were particularly appealing from his current position.
"Have you reported this to the faculty?"
Zara's laugh was bitter. "And tell them what? That my Guild-trained paranoia is picking up threats they're too civilized to notice? They'd dismiss it as bloodthirsty fantasy."
"But you don't think it's fantasy."
"I know it's not." Her hand tightened on her dagger hilt. "Whoever's out there is good. Really good. The only reason I've detected them at all is because I know what to look for."
This could be a problem, or it could be an opportunity.
"What do you need?" he asked.
The question seemed to surprise her. "What?"
"You're telling me this for a reason. You could handle a simple reconnaissance problem yourself, which means this is bigger than that. So what do you need?"
She looked at him with new interest, as if seeing him clearly for the first time.
"Information," she said finally. "I need to know who at this Academy might be valuable enough to justify professional surveillance. Which students have enemies, which families have political vulnerabilities, which individuals might be worth taking risks for."
And there's my opening.
"I might be able to help with that," Kael said carefully. "The original targets would be obvious—Prince Roderick, Princess Avaline, the heirs of major houses. But if someone's being this careful, they're probably after something less obvious."
"Go on."
"Lyralei Starweaver's father controls the kingdom's magical research budget. Zara Nightshade has connections to the Assassin's Guild that most people don't realize extends to several neighboring countries." He let that sink in before continuing. "Even someone like me could be valuable under the right circumstances."
"How so?"
"Disgraced noble with nothing to lose makes an excellent pawn. Desperate enough to take risks, invisible enough to move freely, smart enough to be useful." He met her eyes. "The perfect inside man for someone with ambitious plans."
The silence stretched between them as Zara processed the implications. Finally, she spoke.
"You're not what I expected, Kael Vorthak."
"What did you expect?"
"A victim playing at being dangerous." Her smile was sharper now. "Instead, I find someone who thinks like a predator."
[CRITICAL SUCCESS ACHIEVED]
[ZARA NIGHTSHADE ATTRACTION LEVEL: 47%]
[RELATIONSHIP STATUS: POTENTIAL ALLY → ACTIVE INTEREST]
[VILLAIN POINTS EARNED: 500]
[NEW ABILITY UNLOCKED: ENHANCED DANGER SENSE]
"I should go," Kael said, checking the position of the sun through the windows. "I promised Lyralei I'd meet her in the library."
"Of course you did." Zara's tone was amused rather than jealous. "Building your network of assets?"
"Building relationships with people who matter." He moved toward the stairs, then paused. "If you need help with your surveillance problem, let me know. I have a feeling our interests might align more than either of us expected."
"I'll consider it."
As he descended the tower stairs, Kael felt the satisfaction of a plan coming together. Zara was dangerous, but danger could be channeled and directed toward useful ends. More importantly, she'd confirmed that something was happening around the Academy—something that could provide opportunities for advancement if he played his cards right.
Time to go charm some more information out of Lyralei, then start putting together a clearer picture of what we're dealing with.
The system hummed approvingly in his mind as he walked back toward the main Academy buildings. Two potential assets acquired, valuable intelligence gathered, and reputation slowly shifting from victim to player.
Not bad for day three of my new career as a multiversal villain.
But as he approached the library, Kael couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something important. The surveillance Zara had detected could be a threat, but it could also be an opportunity. The question was whether he'd be hunter or hunted when the situation finally came to a head.
Either way, it's going to be interesting.