The palace courtyard had become a battlefield between realities. Interdimensional raiders moved with inhuman coordination while royal guards struggled to fight enemies whose capabilities defied conventional tactics. Some attackers phased through solid walls, others manipulated gravity to walk on vertical surfaces, and several appeared to be immune to normal weapons entirely.
This is what fighting entities from other realities looks like. No wonder they've been so successful at acquisition operations.
[COMBAT ANALYSIS: INTERDIMENSIONAL HOSTILES]
[ENEMY CAPABILITIES: REALITY MANIPULATION, PHASE SHIFTING, GRAVITY CONTROL]
[CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS: 23% EFFECTIVENESS]
[RECOMMENDATION: EXPLOIT MAGICAL VULNERABILITIES]
Kael moved through the palace corridors with Princess Avaline and Captain Morrison, heading toward the Academy student quarters where Lyralei and the others had been housed for safety.
If Professor Aldwin was right about targeting priorities, they'll go for the most magically gifted individuals first.
"Your Highness," he said as they reached the guest wing, "we need to evacuate the Academy students immediately. They're not random targets—they're specifically valuable to the interdimensional organization."
Princess Avaline's ice magic flared as she reinforced the corridor's defensive wards. "All Academy students, or specific individuals?"
"Anyone with rare bloodlines, exceptional magical talent, or strategic family connections." Kael's enhanced senses detected movement beyond the ward barriers. "Which describes most of the students who were brought here tonight."
Including everyone I've been manipulating for weeks.
The guest quarters were in chaos when they arrived. Academy students huddled in groups while royal guards attempted to maintain defensive perimeters against enemies who could bypass physical barriers.
"Kael!" Lyralei called out with obvious relief as she spotted him across the room. "Thank the gods you're safe. These creatures—they're not from this world, are they?"
She can sense the dimensional displacement. Her magical sensitivity is higher than I realized.
"No, they're not. Which is why we need to evacuate everyone immediately."
But as Kael began coordinating student evacuation, he noticed that several Academy students were missing from the group.
Marcus Blackthorn, Elena Thornfield, and two others I'd been cultivating. Either they're hiding, or they've already been taken.
"Princess Avaline," he said urgently, "we're missing four students. They could already be captured."
"Or they could be defending themselves elsewhere in the palace," she replied, though her expression suggested she understood the more likely scenario.
Time to make a choice that will define my priorities permanently.
Kael could evacuate the remaining students and ensure their safety, or he could hunt for the missing ones and risk losing everyone to save a few.
The tactical choice is obvious. Protect the certain assets and write off the possible losses.
But as he looked at Lyralei's trusting face and remembered Marcus Blackthorn's genuine admiration from earlier that evening, the decision became personal rather than tactical.
Damn it. I'm getting attached to these people.
"Your Highness, can you coordinate the evacuation of the students who are here? I'm going to search for the missing ones."
"Absolutely not," Princess Avaline said firmly. "You're the primary target of this operation. Separating from the group makes you maximally vulnerable."
She's right from a security standpoint. But she doesn't understand what I'm actually capable of.
"Princess, I have advantages in this situation that conventional security doesn't provide."
Like power absorption abilities and interdimensional system access.
"What kind of advantages?"
Time to reveal a bit more of what I actually am.
"The kind that let me banish Greater Demons and infiltrate criminal organizations without backup." His voice carried the absolute confidence that had made Marcus Chen's followers trust his judgment in impossible situations. "Trust me."
[EMOTIONAL MANIPULATION: TRUST EXPLOITATION]
[PRINCESS AVALINE ATTACHMENT LEVEL: MAXIMUM]
[SUCCESS PROBABILITY: 87%]
Princess Avaline studied his expression for a long moment, clearly weighing security protocols against personal trust.
"Take Captain Morrison and two royal guards," she decided. "And stay in constant communication through the emergency crystals."
Acceptable compromise. I get the operational freedom while maintaining political cover.
As Princess Avaline began organizing student evacuation, Kael moved deeper into the palace with his assigned security team. His enhanced senses immediately detected the trail left by interdimensional entities—a distinctive magical signature that felt like reality itself was slightly wrong in their vicinity.
They're not just from another dimension. They're from a dimension with fundamentally different physical laws.
The trail led toward the palace's lower levels, where ancient storage chambers and forgotten passages created perfect conditions for holding captives during extraction operations.
Smart choice. Isolated locations with minimal foot traffic and multiple escape routes.
"Mr. Vorthak," Captain Morrison whispered as they approached the lower levels, "are you certain about this approach? We're moving away from reinforcements and toward unknown hostile capabilities."
"I'm certain that four Academy students are going to die horribly if we don't reach them in time," Kael replied quietly. "Everything else is secondary."
Also, I need to test my power absorption ability against interdimensional entities. This is the perfect opportunity.
They found the first interdimensional raider in a storage chamber that had been converted into a makeshift prison. The entity stood eight feet tall with elongated limbs and skin that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. Marcus Blackthorn hung unconscious from energy restraints while the creature performed what looked like magical analysis.
Probably determining his suitability for personality replacement.
The battle was brief and educational. The interdimensional entity was faster and stronger than human opponents, but it relied on capabilities that assumed its enemies operated under standard physical laws.
It didn't expect someone with power absorption abilities and system-enhanced reflexes.
[COMBAT VICTORY: INTERDIMENSIONAL RAIDER]
[POWER ABSORPTION ACTIVATED]
[NEW ABILITIES ACQUIRED: PHASE SHIFTING, REALITY PERCEPTION]
[WARNING: INTERDIMENSIONAL ENERGY INTEGRATION UNSTABLE]
The absorption process felt different from previous experiences—instead of simply gaining the entity's capabilities, Kael found himself processing sensory information from multiple dimensional layers simultaneously.
I can see this reality overlaid with at least three others. That's either incredibly useful or completely overwhelming.
"Sir," one of the royal guards said with obvious amazement, "what did you just do to that creature?"
"Eliminated it through superior tactics," Kael replied, helping Marcus Blackthorn down from the energy restraints. "How many more storage chambers in this section?"
"At least dozen, plus connecting passages that extend throughout the palace's foundation."
Which means the other missing students could be anywhere in a maze of underground chambers.
Marcus regained consciousness as they moved toward the next potential location, his expression shifting from confusion to gratitude as he recognized his rescuer.
"Kael? How did you... those things aren't human, are they?"
"No, they're not. But they're not invincible either." Kael helped him stand, noting that Marcus's magical signature showed signs of interdimensional analysis but no permanent damage. "Can you walk?"
"I think so. But Kael, they were asking questions about you specifically. They wanted to know about your capabilities, your relationships, your magical signature."
Confirmation that I'm the primary target. Everyone else is secondary acquisition or leverage.
"What kind of questions?"
"Details about your combat abilities, your political connections, which students you're closest to." Marcus's expression grew troubled. "They seemed particularly interested in Lyralei and Princess Avaline."
Of course they are. My emotional attachments make me predictable and exploitable.
[TACTICAL VULNERABILITY CONFIRMED]
[ENEMY STRATEGY: LEVERAGE EMOTIONAL CONNECTIONS]
[RECOMMENDATION: ELIMINATE EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENTS OR EXPLOIT THEM STRATEGICALLY]
Option three: protect my attachments so thoroughly that threatening them becomes counterproductive.
They found Elena Thornfield in the next chamber, unconscious but unharmed. The interdimensional entity guarding her was in the process of establishing some kind of communication link with what appeared to be a dimensional portal.
They're reporting back to their headquarters in real-time.
This battle was more challenging than the first—the entity had observed the previous combat and adapted its tactics accordingly. But Kael's newly acquired phase-shifting ability gave him advantages the creature hadn't anticipated.
Fighting enemies who can phase through walls is much easier when you can phase through walls yourself.
[SECOND INTERDIMENSIONAL COMBAT VICTORY]
[ADDITIONAL ABILITIES ACQUIRED: GRAVITY MANIPULATION, DIMENSIONAL COMMUNICATION]
[WARNING: RAPID ABSORPTION OF ALIEN ABILITIES AFFECTING COGNITIVE FUNCTION]
The dimensional communication ability activated automatically as Kael absorbed the entity's capabilities, suddenly connecting his consciousness to what felt like a vast network of interdimensional operatives.
I can hear their communications. They're coordinating a systematic sweep of the palace to locate and extract specific targets.
But more disturbing than their tactical communications were the casual discussions about personality replacement procedures and client requirements in other realities.
They're not just kidnapping people. They're shopping for bodies to fill orders from customers in other dimensions.
"Mr. Vorthak," Captain Morrison said urgently, "we need to move. Palace security is reporting massive interdimensional breach attempts throughout the complex."
They're not just targeting me anymore. This has escalated to a full-scale interdimensional invasion.
As they prepared to locate the remaining missing students, Kael's enhanced dimensional perception detected something that made his blood run cold.
There's a familiar magical signature moving through the palace's upper levels. Someone I recognize, but who shouldn't be here.
"Captain, we have a problem. There's someone else in the palace who's working with the interdimensional raiders."
"Who?"
Someone whose magical signature I absorbed just hours ago.
"Professor Morvaine. She's alive, and she's guiding the raiders toward specific targets."
[MAJOR TWIST DETECTED]
[PROFESSOR MORVAINE: ALIVE DESPITE APPARENT DEATH]
[IMPLICATION: DEATH WAS STAGED OR REVERSED]
[THREAT LEVEL: CRITICAL]
The revelation hit everyone simultaneously—the demonology expert they'd believed dead was not only alive, but actively facilitating the interdimensional invasion.
Which means everything I absorbed from her includes intelligence that she wanted me to have.
"Sir," one of the royal guards reported through his communication crystal, "we're receiving reports that Professor Morvaine has been seen directing hostile entities toward the Academy student quarters."
She's leading them straight to Lyralei and Princess Avaline.
Kael felt the familiar fury that had driven Marcus Chen to eliminate anyone who threatened his people, amplified now by interdimensional abilities and genuine emotional attachment.
Time to demonstrate why threatening my assets is always a fatal mistake.
But as they raced toward the upper levels to prevent Professor Morvaine from completing whatever she had planned, Kael's newly acquired dimensional communication ability detected incoming intelligence that changed everything.
Darius is here. In the palace. And he's not fighting the interdimensional raiders—he's coordinating with them.
The family reunion was about to become a three-way battle between realities, with everyone Kael cared about caught in the middle.
Perfect. Time to find out if blood is thicker than interdimensional politics.