**Two Months After the Debut Ball (Sixteen Months Total Training)**
The first letter arrived on a morning when frost still clung to the mountain peaks.
Anthonio sat in his study, reviewing cultivation notes from the Codex of Primordial Essence, when Selene entered carrying an envelope sealed with the Nightshade family crest—a snowflake rendered in silver wax.
"This arrived by courier," she said, setting it on his desk. "From the capital."
Anthonio recognized the handwriting immediately—elegant, precise, unmistakably feminine. He broke the seal and read:
---
*Anthonio,*
*I hope this letter finds you well in your mountain exile. I've been thinking about our conversation at the ball, and I find myself curious about how your cultivation is progressing. You mentioned barely controlling your lightning essence—have you made any breakthroughs since we spoke?*
*My own training continues at the expected pace. Father has hired additional tutors to prepare me for the Royal Academy entrance. They're competent but unimaginative—they teach techniques by rote memorization rather than encouraging experimentation. It's frustrating.*
*I've been researching crimson lightning variations in the family library. Did you know there are only three recorded instances in the kingdom's history? All three were classified as "primordial essence manifestations," though the texts don't explain what that means. Is your lightning similar to these historical cases?*
*I'm probably boring you with technical questions. Feel free to ignore them if you prefer. I'm just curious about unusual cultivation phenomena.*
*Write back if you have time. Or don't. I understand if correspondence with an ice princess feels like another tedious noble obligation.*
*- Seraphina*
---
Anthonio smiled at the carefully constructed casualness. She was interested but maintaining distance, curious but not desperate, reaching out while giving him multiple opportunities to decline without offense.
*Perfect. Exactly as I designed her character—proud but genuine, cautious about vulnerability.*
He pulled out fresh paper and began composing his response:
---
*Seraphina,*
*Your letter is the most interesting thing that's happened in weeks. Mountain exile is peaceful but lacks intellectual stimulation. Most days consist of cultivation practice, combat training, and conversations with servants who find my presence uncomfortable.*
*To answer your question: yes, some breakthroughs. I've advanced to Manifestation 7-Star, which even I find surprising. The crimson lightning is becoming easier to control, though it still has moments of volatility. Yesterday I accidentally set fire to a training dummy during meditation. The cook was not amused.*
*Your research into primordial essence is fascinating. I've encountered similar references in old texts, but they're frustratingly vague. "Essence that predates divine power" is poetic but not particularly useful for practical cultivation. If you discover anything more specific, I'd be grateful for the information.*
*As for your tutors—have you considered that their rote memorization approach might be intentional? Teaching creativity in ice cultivation to someone with a Divine Essence could be dangerous. You might accidentally create techniques beyond their ability to contain or counter.*
*Not boring me at all. Write whenever you want. I promise to respond, even if my letters mainly consist of stories about setting things on fire accidentally.*
*- Anthonio*
*P.S. - Corresponding with an ice princess isn't tedious. It's one of the few reminders that interesting people exist outside these mountains.*
---
He sealed the letter with the Crimsonhart crest and gave it to Selene to send via courier. The response was carefully calibrated—friendly without being flirtatious, intellectually engaging without showing off, vulnerable enough to invite continued contact.
"Young master," Selene said as she took the letter, "you've advanced to Manifestation 7-Star? When did this happen?"
"Three days ago. Quiet breakthrough during morning meditation." Anthonio stretched, feeling the increased power flowing through his veins. "At this rate, I'll reach Manifestation 9-Star within two months. Then the push for Transcendence."
"You're already at Transcendence 5-Star," Selene pointed out. "Why maintain the fiction even in private?"
"Practice. If I get sloppy about the deception even once, it could slip at a crucial moment." Anthonio stood, moving to the window. "Besides, I want Seraphina to believe I'm Manifestation level. The letters need to reflect that reality convincingly."
"So you'll lie to her in writing."
"I'll tell her the truth she's ready to hear. There's a difference." Anthonio watched the mountain mists swirl below. "When the time comes—when we're both at the Academy and the reveal happens—she'll understand why I hid my power. But for now, gradual advancement from Manifestation 5 to 7 to 9 creates a narrative of hard work and progress."
"A narrative," Selene repeated. "You really do think of this as writing a story."
"Because it is. I'm just writing it in real-time with real consequences." Anthonio turned from the window. "What news from the capital? Anything about Kael Stormborn?"
"He broke through to Manifestation 1-Star last week. Duke Aldric held a celebration. All the major nobles attended."
"Manifestation at sixteen with three Divine Essences. Impressive but not exceptional." Anthonio did the mental calculation. "He's four months behind where I claimed to be in my letter to Seraphina, six months behind my actual level. The gap is widening."
"Young master, what if Kael also attempts to court Lady Seraphina? What if he discovers your correspondence?"
"Then he competes, and may the better suitor win." Anthonio smiled coldly. "But I have advantages he lacks. I know what she wants—authenticity over performance, intellectual engagement over flattery, someone who sees her as a person rather than a prize. Kael, for all his divine blessings, thinks like a traditional protagonist. He'll approach her with grand gestures and heroic deeds."
"And you'll approach her with letters and genuine conversation."
"Exactly. By the time we reach the Academy, she and I will have six months of correspondence. Six months of building rapport, sharing thoughts, creating connection. Whatever Kael tries to establish will be starting from zero while I'm already embedded in her life."
It was manipulative. Calculated. Completely strategic.
But it was also exactly how relationships formed in reality—through consistent, genuine interaction over time. The fact that Anthonio was engineering that interaction consciously didn't make the resulting connection any less real.
---
**Four Months After the Debut Ball (Eighteen Months Total Training)**
The correspondence had become regular—letters exchanged every two weeks, each one longer than the last. Anthonio sat in his study reading Seraphina's latest:
---
*Anthonio,*
*Your observation about ice cultivation creating emotional distance was disturbingly accurate. Father has been lecturing me about maintaining "proper noble composure," which apparently means suppressing all genuine feeling in favor of political calculation. It's exhausting.*
*I told him I preferred honest conversation with a Manifestation cultivator over strategic flattery from Transcendence nobles. He was not pleased. Said I was letting my standards drop. As if cultivation level determines someone's worth as a person.*
*Your story about the Lightning Clone technique backfiring made me laugh. I can't imagine accidentally creating five duplicates that all immediately started arguing with each other about proper meditation posture. Did you ever get them to dissipate, or are there still rogue clones wandering the mountains?*
*I've been experimenting with ice crystallization patterns in my free time. Nothing practical, just seeing what shapes I can create. It's strangely meditative—letting the ice form according to its natural tendencies rather than forcing specific structures. Attached is a sketch of my favorite pattern. What do you think?*
*The Academy entrance is in six months. I'm actually looking forward to it now. The chance to escape Father's constant supervision and meet interesting people. I hope you'll be there. I think I'd enjoy having someone to talk to who doesn't treat every conversation as a political negotiation.*
*- Seraphina*
*P.S. - I had a brief conversation with Kael Stormborn at a noble gathering last week. He asked about you. Seemed concerned that you might be "a bad influence" on me. I told him you were the most honest person I'd met in months. He didn't seem reassured.*
---
Anthonio smiled at the postscript. Kael was getting worried, which meant the protagonist was beginning to realize something was happening outside his predictions. The Eye of Destiny could show possible futures, but it couldn't account for variables it didn't know existed—like an author rewriting his own story.
He composed his response carefully:
---
*Seraphina,*
*Your father isn't entirely wrong about emotional distance. Ice cultivation does tend to create detachment—it's part of the essence's nature. But there's a difference between healthy emotional regulation and complete suppression. One makes you stronger. The other makes you a puppet.*
*The rogue clones eventually dissipated after about six hours. By then, they'd organized themselves into a meditation circle and were debating the philosophical nature of being temporary constructs. It was surreal. I'd created an entire council of myself arguing about existential questions.*
*Your ice pattern is beautiful. The way you've let it form organically creates complexity that forced structures can't match. Have you considered that this might apply to more than just decorative ice? Natural formation versus forced construction could be a revolutionary approach to combat techniques.*
*I will definitely be at the Academy. Manifestation 8-Star now, advancing steadily. At this rate, I might reach Manifestation 9-Star before entrance exams. Not sure if that's fast enough to be truly competitive, but it's better than I expected fourteen months ago when I was still F-Rank trash.*
*As for Kael Stormborn's concern—I'm honored to be considered a bad influence. It suggests I'm having some impact on your thinking, which means our conversations matter. Tell him not to worry. I'm not corrupting you. Just reminding you that ice doesn't have to be cold in every sense.*
*- Anthonio*
*P.S. - If Kael continues to be concerned, feel free to make it worse. I find his worry entertaining.*
---
He sealed and sent the letter, then returned to his cultivation practice. Manifestation 8-Star was secure, and he could feel Manifestation 9-Star approaching. The next breakthrough would come within weeks.
But more importantly, the correspondence was working exactly as intended. Seraphina was opening up, sharing thoughts and feelings she clearly didn't express to others. She was mentioning Kael in her letters now, which meant the protagonist was becoming a point of comparison—and by her own assessment, Anthonio was winning that comparison.
*Six months until the Academy. Six months to reach Manifestation 9-Star in my false narrative while actually pushing my true cultivation toward Transcendence 6-Star or higher.*
*Six months to solidify this connection until Seraphina sees me as the person who understands her, supports her, treats her as an equal.*
*And when Kael tries to compete at the Academy, she'll already be mine.*
---
**Six Months After the Debut Ball (Twenty Months Total Training)**
The letter that arrived that morning was different—longer, more personal, more vulnerable:
---
*Anthonio,*
*I'm writing this at midnight because I can't sleep. Father announced today that he's arranging a marriage contract with House Stormborn. Duke Aldric's son, Kael, would be the groom. The contract isn't finalized yet, but Father says it's "politically advantageous" and "dynastically sound."*
*I hate this. I hate that I'm property to be traded for political advantage. I hate that my Divine Essence makes me valuable rather than valuable making me valuable, if that makes sense. I hate that Father looks at me and sees a game piece rather than his daughter.*
*Kael is... fine. Powerful, blessed by gods, destined for greatness according to everyone who meets him. But when I talk to him, I feel like I'm being evaluated. Like he's calculating my worth as a partner rather than knowing me as a person.*
*When I talk to you, I forget about cultivation levels and family politics and Divine Essences. You treat me like I'm Seraphina, not Lady Nightshade the Valuable Asset. That's rare. That matters.*
*I don't know why I'm telling you this. You can't change anything. You're exiled mountain trash (your words, not mine), and I'm the ice princess with obligations to family and kingdom. But I needed to tell someone, and you're the only person I trust to understand without agenda.*
*I'm sorry. This letter is too personal. Ignore it. I'll send a proper one tomorrow.*
*- S.*
---
Anthonio read the letter three times, his mind racing. A marriage contract with Kael Stormborn. In the original timeline, this happened—Duke Nightshade and Duke Aldric arranged the match to cement a political alliance. Seraphina had accepted it reluctantly, and over time, genuine feelings developed between her and Kael.
But that was the original timeline. This was the rewrite.
And Anthonio had just been handed the perfect opportunity to solidify Seraphina's loyalty before the contract could be finalized.
He wrote his response immediately:
---
*Seraphina,*
*Don't apologize for honesty. You can trust me with your actual thoughts—I've never shared our correspondence with anyone, and I never will. What you tell me stays between us.*
*I understand your situation better than you might think. Being evaluated for worth rather than known as a person—that's been my entire life. F-Rank at the Awakening Ceremony? Suddenly I'm worthless. Manifestation 8-Star now? Suddenly I'm interesting. Nothing about who I actually am changed. Just the power others perceive.*
*You're right that I can't change the political reality of your situation. Marriage contracts, family obligations, dynastic considerations—those are forces beyond both of us. But I can offer you something: honesty. When you're at the Academy, when you're surrounded by people calculating your value and positioning for advantage, I'll be the person who still sees Seraphina rather than Lady Nightshade.*
*Kael Stormborn is blessed by gods and destined for greatness. I'm exiled trash who got lucky with cultivation. On paper, he's obviously the superior choice for someone of your status. But superiority on paper doesn't equal happiness in reality.*
*Whatever you decide about the marriage contract, I'll support it. But don't let anyone—including your father—tell you that political advantage matters more than your own wellbeing. You're a person, not a game piece. You deserve to be treated as such.*
*And if you need to vent at midnight about the absurdity of noble politics, my door is always open. Metaphorically speaking. I'm several hundred kilometers away, so the door is technically closed.*
*- Anthonio*
*P.S. - You signed this letter "S." instead of "Seraphina." I noticed. It suggests a level of comfort with me that makes me irrationally happy.*
---
He sent the letter immediately, then sat back in his chair, processing the implications.
Duke Nightshade was accelerating the political timeline, probably because Kael's reputation from the assassination incident made him a valuable ally. The marriage contract was logical from a dynastic perspective—combining the Stormborn family's rising influence with the Nightshade family's established power.
But Anthonio had been building emotional connection for six months. Where Kael offered power and destiny, Anthonio offered understanding and genuine regard. Where Kael represented political advantage, Anthonio represented personal freedom.
*This is the critical moment,* Anthonio thought. *How Seraphina responds to this letter will determine whether I've successfully stolen her from the protagonist, or if she'll choose duty over desire.*
The response arrived three days later:
---
*Anthonio,*
*Thank you. I don't know what I expected you to say, but that was exactly what I needed to hear.*
*I told Father I wouldn't sign the marriage contract. Not yet. I told him I wanted time to know Kael Stormborn as a person before committing to spend my life with him. Father was furious, but he agreed to delay finalization until after we've all attended the Academy for at least one semester.*
*This buys me time. Time to figure out what I actually want versus what's expected of me. Time to see if the man everyone says is destined for greatness is someone I could actually share my life with.*
*Time to see if the exiled trash who treats me like a person might be worth more than the blessed hero who treats me like a prize.*
*Four months until the Academy. I can't wait to meet you again in person. There's something I need to tell you face-to-face, something I can't write in a letter.*
*- S.*
---
Anthonio set down the letter, a slow smile spreading across his face.
*Hooked. Completely hooked.*
Seraphina had delayed the marriage contract, bought herself time, positioned herself to make a choice rather than accept obligation. And in doing so, she had created an opening for Anthonio to become a viable alternative to Kael Stormborn.
"Young master?" Selene entered the study, noting his expression. "Good news?"
"The best. Seraphina delayed her marriage contract to Kael Stormborn. She wants time to make her own choice." Anthonio stood, energy coursing through him. "Which means when we reach the Academy, she'll be evaluating both of us as potential partners. And I have a six-month advantage of built rapport."
"Kael won't accept this easily. The Eye of Destiny likely showed him a future where he and Seraphina marry."
"Let him struggle with the divergence. Let him wonder why reality isn't matching his visions." Anthonio moved to the window, looking out at the mountains. "Four months until the Academy. I need to advance my actual cultivation to Transcendence 6-Star, while maintaining the fiction of reaching Manifestation 9-Star."
"That's aggressive timing, young master."
"I have the Primordial Red Lightning and Heaven's Recognition precedent. I can achieve it." Anthonio's eyes gleamed with determination. "When I walk into that Academy, I need to be strong enough to protect what I'm claiming. Because once Kael realizes I'm a genuine rival, the kid gloves come off."
"You think he'll become hostile?"
"I think he'll do what protagonists always do when their predetermined story is disrupted—he'll try to force it back on track. And that means eliminating variables that shouldn't exist." Anthonio's smile turned cold. "Variables like me."
"Then you'll need more than just cultivation advancement. You'll need combat techniques refined, political allies secured, strategic positioning optimized."
"Exactly. Which is why we have four months of intensive preparation." Anthonio turned from the window. "Selene, I need you to gather intelligence on the Academy's structure, the instructors, the other students who'll be attending. I want to know everything before I arrive."
"I can do that. What else?"
"I need to claim at least two more artifacts before Academy entrance. There are several in the kingdom that Kael was supposed to find in the original timeline. I'll take them first." Anthonio pulled out his mental map of the kingdom, locations memorized from his author's knowledge. "The Blade of Eternal Frost in the Northern Glaciers. The Shadow Heart in the Forgotten Catacombs. Both are artifacts that would have made Kael stronger. Both will make me unstoppable instead."
"Young master, those locations are extremely dangerous. Even at Transcendence 5-Star—"
"Then I'll reach Transcendence 6-Star before attempting retrieval." Anthonio's voice carried absolute confidence. "Four months. Two more artifacts. One more cultivation breakthrough. And psychological warfare against a protagonist who's just realized his predetermined future isn't so predetermined after all."
He looked at Seraphina's letter again, at the signature "S." that suggested intimacy and trust.
*You're mine now, Seraphina. You just don't fully realize it yet. By the time we meet at the Academy, you'll have spent eight months building connection with me while Kael remains a stranger with political obligations.*
*And when you're forced to choose between the blessed hero destiny assigned you and the exiled trash who actually knows you...*
Crimson lightning crackled across Anthonio's knuckles.
*I think we both know which way that choice will go.*
---
**Two Months Later (Twenty-Two Months Total Training)**
The Northern Glaciers were exactly as Anthonio had written them—vast expanses of eternal ice, temperatures cold enough to kill normal humans in minutes, winds that could strip flesh from bone. The perfect location to hide a legendary artifact.
Anthonio stood at the entrance to the Frozen Tomb, a massive ice cavern that descended deep into the glacier. According to his author's knowledge, the Blade of Eternal Frost waited at the bottom, sealed in ice for three thousand years.
In the original timeline, Kael would have discovered this location during his second year at the Academy, guided by visions from the Eye of Destiny. He would have braved the tomb's trials, claimed the blade, and used it to defeat a major antagonist.
But Anthonio was here two years early, and the Blade would become his weapon instead.
"The entrance is protected by ice formations that drain essence from intruders," Selene warned, her spiritual sense sweeping the cavern. "Manifestation cultivators would be dead within minutes. Even Transcendence cultivators would struggle."
"Good thing I'm Transcendence 5-Star with primordial essence." Anthonio stepped into the cavern, and immediately felt the pull—ice essence trying to drain his power, to convert him into another frozen statue to decorate the tomb.
The Primordial Red Lightning resisted automatically, its heat countering the extreme cold. Where normal cultivators would have their essence leeched away, Anthonio's power simply burned hotter, creating a barrier of crackling electricity that kept the draining effect at bay.
They descended into the glacier, passing frozen corpses of previous treasure seekers—cultivators who had attempted this trial and failed. Anthonio examined them with clinical interest. Most were Transcendence 3-Star or 4-Star, powerful by normal standards but insufficient for this challenge.
*This tomb was designed to be claimed by someone at Transcendence 7-Star minimum. Kael would have reached that level by the time he arrived. I'm attempting it at 5-Star.*
*But I have primordial essence. That makes the difference.*
The cavern opened into a massive chamber, and Anthonio stopped, breath catching despite himself.
The Blade of Eternal Frost hung suspended in the center of the chamber, encased in a pillar of ice that glowed with inner light. The blade itself was beautiful—crystalline, translucent, radiating cold so intense it warped the air around it.
"Magnificent," Selene whispered. "Young master, the power signature from that blade... it's divine level. Only someone with a Divine Essence should be able to claim it."
"Or someone with primordial essence that predates divine power." Anthonio approached the ice pillar carefully. The temperature dropped with every step, cold enough that his breath turned to frost instantly.
He extended his hand toward the pillar, letting the Primordial Red Lightning flow outward. Where crimson electricity met eternal ice, steam exploded outward, the fundamental conflict between heat and cold manifesting as visible energy.
"Young master, if you touch that blade, it might freeze you solid!"
"Then I'll have to not let it freeze me." Anthonio pressed his hand against the ice pillar.
Pain. Immediate and overwhelming. The eternal cold fought against his primordial heat, two absolute forces struggling for dominance. Anthonio gritted his teeth, pouring more power into the conflict, refusing to yield.
The ice began to crack.
*That's it. Primordial fire against eternal cold. Neither can completely overcome the other, but I don't need to win. I just need to break through.*
The pillar shattered, fragments of divine ice scattering across the chamber. The Blade of Eternal Frost fell, and Anthonio caught it by the hilt.
The moment his fingers touched the weapon, he felt it—divine power, attempting to claim him, to convert him into its wielder. Most cultivators would have been overwhelmed, their consciousness subsumed by the blade's accumulated power.
But Anthonio had the Primordial Red Lightning. When divine power met primordial essence, the blade's consciousness faltered, confused. This wasn't supposed to happen. Divine artifacts could only be wielded by those blessed by gods.
"Submit," Anthonio commanded, forcing his will into the blade.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, reluctantly, the Blade of Eternal Frost acknowledged him. Not as its chosen wielder—he lacked the Divine Essence of Ice for that—but as someone with enough power to claim it by force.
The blade's form shifted, adapting to his essence. The eternal ice coating it developed veins of crimson lightning, primordial and divine power merging into something new.
Anthonio raised the blade, feeling its weight, its power. With this weapon, his combat capabilities had increased dramatically. The Blade could cut through any defense, freeze enemies solid, create ice formations that could reshape battlefields.
"Young master, your cultivation..." Selene's eyes widened.
Anthonio checked his internal state and smiled. The act of claiming the blade had forced a breakthrough. The strain of resisting eternal cold while maintaining primordial heat had pushed his cultivation base past its limits.
**Transcendence 6-Star.**
"Perfect timing," Anthonio said, dismissing the blade into the Ring of Crimson Shadows' storage space. "One artifact claimed, one cultivation breakthrough achieved. Now for the second artifact."
"The Shadow Heart," Selene said. "Young master, that's located in the Forgotten Catacombs beneath the capital. The entrance is guarded by the Royal Knights. How do you plan to access it without being detected?"
Anthonio smiled that predatory smile.
"Leave that to me. I've been planning this infiltration for months."
---
**END OF CHAPTER 11**
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