Morning’s first light pierced through the canopy, casting flickering shadows over the damp thickets surrounding the Nocturne Estate.
It was impossible to tell how much time had passed, or what source of STR had carried her there. Somehow, the unconscious Elena had been moved from the outskirts of the Shadowfen Ruins to the perimeter of the Nocturne Estate, thousands of miles away. It was as if some ancient, lingering will had spent its final spark of STR to escort her home when her life hung by a thread.
She lay motionless on the muddy grass, her auburn hair matted with filth and dried blood. Cold rain washed over her face. On her left ring finger, the mysterious ring pulsed with a faint, dying glimmer.
The sound of rustling leaves approached. Jasper, ever-loyal, pushed through the brush. When he saw Elena lying in a pool of blood, he froze as if struck by lightning, the lantern slipping from his hand and crashing into the mud.
"Elena! What happened to you?!" Jasper stumbled forward, his hands trembling as he scooped her up. He turned and sprinted toward the manor.
In the estate's medical bay, a high-ranking physician withdrew a hand glowing with the remnants of a healing spell. His expression was grim, his face shadowed with worry as he shook his head at the crowd gathered around the bed.
"Well?" a middle-aged man standing to the side asked, his voice like ice.
The physician let out a long, heavy sigh. "Her Mana Core... it’s completely shattered. Every mana channel in her body has been severed. There is no hope for recovery."
At that moment, Elena’s eyelashes fluttered. She slowly forced her eyes open.
Inside her mind, the once-bright golden system interface was dead. In its place was a sea of jarring, blood-red light. Massive warning icons flashed violently, and lines of cold system text surged forward like a tidal wave.
[SYSTEM ERROR]
[FATAL DAMAGE DETECTED]
[Fate Panel - Connection Severed]
[CRITICAL WARNING]
Mana Core: Destroyed
Class System: Offline
Skill Database: Inaccessible
Leveling System: Disabled
Equipment Slots: Locked
[SYSTEM PROMPT]
Attempting to reconnect to Fate Core...
[SYSTEM PROMPT]
Reconnection failed (Attempt 1)
[SYSTEM PROMPT]
Reconnection failed (Attempt 2)
[SYSTEM PROMPT]
Reconnection failed (Attempt 3)
[SYSTEM PROMPT]
Connection permanently severed!
[FINAL MESSAGE]
You are no longer an Awakened.
System Access: Revoked
Fate Panel: Closed
Elena stared at the ruthless red text, her pupils contracting sharply.
The core was gone.
The mana was gone.
The system had stripped her of everything that made her an adventurer.
Before she could even process the magnitude of the disaster, two towering estate guards marched into the room. They seized her weakened body, one on each side, and roughly dragged her toward the central hall.
The atmosphere in the Nocturne Estate’s grand hall was suffocatingly heavy.
Massive crystal chandeliers cast a brilliant light, illuminating the dozens of family elders and noble guests gathered there.
Elena was thrown onto the cold marble floor in the center of the hall.
High above, seated on the primary throne, was the current head of House Nocturne—her father, Alaric. His face was a mask of cold fury, his eyes devoid of any warmth.
Standing just below him were Vincent, her uncle Marcus, and her cousin Vivienne.
Alaric looked down at Elena’s crumpled form. "Elena," he said, his voice low and heavy. "Explain yourself. How was your Mana Core destroyed?"
Elena lifted her head, her auburn hair veiling half her face. She forced her arm up, pointing a trembling finger at Vincent. Her voice was weak, but laced with lethal coldness. "Vincent... he ambushed me in the Trial Forest last night... He cut out my Mana Core!"
A low murmur rippled through the hall.
Vincent’s expression didn't flicker. Instead, a perfectly crafted look of shock and grief touched his face. He stepped forward immediately. "What are you saying? I was at the Celestia Arcane Academy library all night researching ancient texts after I saw you off at the teleportation hall. The academy has my attendance records, and multiple professors can vouch for me. How could I have been in the Trial Forest?"
Beside him, Marcus stepped out with a thin smile. He pulled a document stamped with an official seal from his coat and presented it to Alaric. "Lord Alaric, this is the time-log just sent over by the academy. Vincent was indeed within the academy grounds all night. It would have been impossible for him to leave."
Alaric skimmed the document, and the look he gave Elena turned utterly frigid.
"Your core is destroyed, leaving you a useless cripple, and yet you have the gall to slander your own brother in public?" Alaric’s tone was pitiless, stripped of all paternal affection.
Elena’s eyes were bloodshot. She gritted her teeth, pushing herself up with what little strength remained. "He’s lying! I was set up! Please, you have to believe me! Vincent has always wanted my core!"
"Enough!" Alaric slammed his hand onto the table. The thunderous crack silenced the room. "House Nocturne does not harbor failures, and we certainly have no need for a delusional cast-off."
Marcus chimed in at the perfect moment, a predatory gleam in his eyes. "Lord Alaric, she was once an S-Rank genius. Now that her core is gone, keeping her in the estate will only make us the laughingstock of the city when the other Great Houses find out."
Vivienne stepped forward as well, her voice dripping with mock pity. "He’s right. A former S-Rank Shadowdancer turned into a beggar... staying here wouldn't just shame House Nocturne, it would drag House Duskwood down with you."
Alaric slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they held nothing but finality.
"It is decided." Alaric waved a hand dismissively, as if disposing of trash. "Elena, pack your things and leave the Nocturne Estate immediately. For the sake of our past bond, the family will provide you with 200 gold per month for living expenses. Consider it a mercy."
"No..."
Elena’s eyes burned with a fierce mixture of hatred and defiance. She clenched her teeth against the agonizing pain racking her body and forced herself to stand.
"I’m not leaving! This is my home!"
Elena screamed, trying to ignite any lingering spark of STR within her. In her mind, she roared the names of her skills.
[SYSTEM PROMPT]
Attempting to activate skill [Void Step]...
Error: Skill Locked ❌
[SYSTEM PROMPT]
Attempting to activate skill [Lethal Blow]...
Error: Skill Locked ❌
[SYSTEM PROMPT]
All Class Skills are currently disabled ❌
[SYSTEM ERROR]
Cannot execute command!
User missing core component: Mana Core!
A cascade of red failure notices flashed before her eyes. The shadow mana that once flowed through her like a vast ocean was gone, replaced by a hollow, dead silence.
"Vincent! It was you! Admit it!"
Elena lunged at him in a desperate frenzy.
But without her Mana Core or any attribute bonuses, her AGI was a pathetic 15. Her movements were as sluggish as a toddler's.
Vincent didn't even draw his weapon. He simply smiled and gave her a casual shove.
Thud!
Elena was sent flying, crashing hard against the marble floor. A thin trail of blood leaked from the corner of her mouth.
[COMBAT LOG]
Suffered physical impact!
HP: 50 → 32 (-18)
Status Effect: [Severely Wounded] triggered.
Vincent feigned a look of deep sorrow. He knelt beside Elena, his voice rising so the room could hear his sigh. "You’ve truly lost your mind... the shock must have broken your spirit. How tragic."
Then, he leaned in closer, his lips brushing against her ear. In a voice so low only she could hear, he hissed with pure malice, "My dear sister, living like this is a special kind of hell. Now that you’re this pathetic... why don't you find a quiet corner and just give up on life?"
Elena’s eyes blazed with fury. She glared at him with a look that promised to tear his soul to shreds.
At that moment, the cold system panel expanded in front of her again, ruthlessly comparing her current reality to her past.
[STATUS COMPARISON]
═════════════════════════════
Before → After
Level: 6 → 1
HP: 320 → 32
MP: 540 → 0
AGI: 75 → 15
Combat Power: 2580 → 15
Total Decrease: -99.4%
═════════════════════════════
Seeing that crimson "-99.4%," Elena’s heart plummeted into a bottomless abyss.
"No... this can't be real..."
Around the hall, the watching nobles erupted into heartless laughter and whispered mockery.
"Tsk, tsk. An S-Rank genius just a few days ago, and now she can barely stand."
"What S-Rank? Without a core, she’s less than a commoner. She's trash."
"She was always so arrogant. To end up like this... she deserves it."
Vivienne walked up to Elena, her heels clicking on the stone. She looked down at her with the smug arrogance of a victor. "Look at you. Just make sure you don't tell anyone you're a Nocturne when you're begging in the streets. It’s embarrassing."
Jasper stood at the edge of the crowd, tears streaming down his face. He ran forward, collapsing to his knees to help Elena up. "My Lady... let me come with you! I’ll quit, I’ll take care of you!"
Elena shook her head weakly, pushing his hand away. "No... Jasper, don't. I... I can walk."
She knew how ruthless Vincent and Marcus were. If Jasper left with her, they would surely have him killed in the shadows. She couldn't let the only person who actually cared for her pay the price for her fall.
Under the cold stares and mocking laughter of the crowd, Elena took one slow, agonizing step after another until she crossed the threshold of the Nocturne Estate.
Her mind instinctively went to Adrian. How would he react if he knew she had fallen this far in a single night? But then she remembered the Lightborne family’s habit of always backing the winning side. By now, he had likely received the news and wouldn't dare touch this mess. The thought sent a fresh wave of bitterness through her, and she pushed aside all foolish hope.
A battered wooden carriage waited at the gate.
As she climbed inside, Jasper risked being seen to shove a heavy cloth pouch into her arms. "Take this," he whispered hoarsely. "It’s all the savings I’ve gathered over the years... please, you must stay alive!"
[SYSTEM PROMPT]
Item Obtained: [Jasper’s Savings] (500 Gold)
Holding the pouch, still warm from Jasper’s hands, Elena finally let the tears fall. She gave him a firm nod, unable to speak, and stepped into the carriage.
The rickety carriage jolted over the cobblestone roads, passing through the prosperous central districts before finally coming to a halt at the absolute edge of the city—the Slums District, the most dilapidated corner of the town where the Celestia Arcane Academy was located.
The driver roughly tossed her bags out, turned the carriage around, and sped away.
Elena dragged her heavy feet toward a crumbling wooden shack.
The windows were shattered, the walls were covered in foul-smelling mold, and the wooden door creaked ominously in the wind.
Compared to her luxurious chambers at the Nocturne Estate, this place was hell.
She pushed open the creaking door. The empty room was filled with dust, containing nothing but a rickety wooden bed and a table missing a leg. In the corner, a few large rats scurried into the shadows.
Elena slumped onto the edge of the broken bed, her spirit crushed.
The system panel forcibly popped up again.
[FINAL STATUS]
Name: Elena Nocturne
Class: Shadowdancer (S-Rank - Discarded)
Title: [The Fallen Genius] (Forced Equipment)
Status: [Crippled], [Homeless], [Bankrupt]
Combat Power: 15
Monthly Income: 200 Gold (Promised by family, never realized)
Below the panel, a series of mocking system logs appeared.
[NEGATIVE ACHIEVEMENT]
[Achievement: From Grace to Ruin]
Requirement: Combat Power decreased by over 99% in a single day.
Effect: None (A Mark of Pure Shame)
[NEGATIVE ACHIEVEMENT]
[Achievement: Fallen from Glory]
Requirement: First time falling from an S-Rank genius to a commoner.
Elena stared at the stinging achievements, a self-deprecating smile tugging at her lips.
Crippled. Homeless. Her power destroyed.
She was, in every sense of the word, a failure.
Just as her strength failed her and she prepared to collapse onto the bed...
A breeze drifted over the roof.
Above the shack, a blurry, ink-black silhouette crouched in the shadows. Cold eyes watched her every move through the gaps in the broken roof tiles.
A lethal pressure began to bleed into the air.
[SYSTEM PROMPT]
Status Updated: [Under Surveillance]
Sensing the sudden threat, Elena sat bolt upright, her hand instinctively clenching.
On her left ring finger, the plain, mysterious ring reacted to the faint hostility from the roof. In the dead of night, it gave a nearly imperceptible tremor.
An incredibly faint but pure ripple of shadow pulsed from deep within the ring.