Harem System In A fantasy World

Chapter 259: Darius Von Noir

The figure standing before her looked to be around her age, though perhaps a few years older, and while his build made it clear that he was a man, almost everything else about him blurred that distinction in a way that made him strangely androgynous at first glance.

His facial features were smooth, almost delicate, carrying a faint femininity, and his voice, when he had spoken, had been refined and soft, though there was still a subtle masculinity beneath it that anchored his presence.

His attire removed any remaining doubt.

He wore a sleek black suit, perfectly tailored to his frame, with a deep red shirt beneath it and a bow neatly fastened at his neck, giving him the appearance of a noble attending a formal gathering rather than someone standing in an infinite void.

His hair was just as immaculate, a deep black styled neatly back with a glossy sheen, as if every strand had been placed with intent.

His posture was composed, elegant, and perfectly controlled.

Celeste tensed the moment he moved a little.

Her guard rose instantly, her body ready to react at the slightest sign of hostility, but instead of attacking, the man did something completely unexpected.

He bowed deeply.

One hand came to rest over his chest while the other swept behind him, his movement fluid and practiced, like someone who had performed that gesture countless times in life.

“Darius Von Noir, at your service,” he said with a small, polite smile.

Celeste’s eyes narrowed sharply.

She knew that name.

It was not just a name—it was a legend.

One of the youngest monarchs to ever ascend to power in the history of their race, and at his peak, one of the strongest to have ever existed. A progenitor at his peak.

And yet, he stood before her in her first trial.

Her heartbeat quickened despite herself, a subtle surge of tension running through her body, though her expression remained calm, controlled, betraying nothing of the storm beneath the surface.

Unfortunately for her, he noticed.

With a single glance, Darius could sense the rhythm of her blood, the faint acceleration of her pulse, the quiet tension coiling beneath her composure.

He sighed softly.

“Is this, perhaps, your first battle in this trial?” he asked, his tone almost conversational.

Celeste’s eyes narrowed further, and she began to think.

’I thought—’

He cut her off.

“You thought that since your opponents are nothing more than vestiges of your ancestors’ consciousness, we would not be aware of the trial,” he said smoothly, tilting his head slightly, “or perhaps that we are not sentient beings at all.”

Celeste fell silent.

“Well,” he continued calmly, “you are correct… to an extent.”

“This version of me is nothing more than a sliver of my soul, and I am not truly sentient,” he explained, his voice steady, “however, we retain the knowledge of our original selves at the time they underwent this trial.”

He straightened slightly.

“It is only natural, then, that we would be aware that copies of us would one day be used to test future descendants.”

A faint smile touched his lips.

“In fact, your presence here means that one day, your own essence will be copied and used in the same way, to test those who come after you.”

“That is how things work here.”

Celeste gave a small nod.

“You have my thanks, Ancestor Darius,” she said respectfully.

He waved her off lightly.

“Do not concern yourself with that,” he replied, though his tone shifted slightly, becoming sharper.

“I ask only one thing.” His eyes hardened. “Do not disappoint me, descendant.”

There was weight behind those words.

A quiet pressure that settled into the space between them.

Then, just as quickly, his expression softened again, curiosity flickering in his gaze.

“Though…” he continued, a faint smile returning, “I must admit, I am curious.”

“Not to boast,” he added lightly, though there was no false humility in his tone, “but I am among the stronger ancestors our race has produced, and I would even go so far as to say that I am one of the final vestiges you would face should you reach the last stages of this trial.”

He gestured slightly.

“Not this version of me, of course… but the stronger one.”

His eyes met hers directly. “The version of me who ascended to become a progenitor.”

“So tell me,” he said, his voice calm but probing, “how is it that you have drawn me as your opponent… for your very first battle?”

“I—” Celeste was just about to admit that she did not know, her lips parting as she tried to form an answer, but Darius cut her off once again.

His gaze sharpened as he probed her with his magic, and something seemed to click in his mind.

“…Oh.”

He paused.

Then a faint smile spread across his face, one filled not with amusement but intrigue. “Now this is truly curious…” he said slowly, his tone lowering slightly.

“You are taking a trial for two?”

Celeste blinked.

For a split second, she did not understand what he meant by that. Then her eyes trembled violently.

Of course!

How had she not realised it?

Of course, the trial would not ignore the life new within her!

Even if it was barely formed, even if it was still fragile and undeveloped, it was still a life, still a being with blood, and that alone was enough for the trial to recognise it as a participant.

Her expression darkened slightly.

“…How inconvenient,” she muttered under her breath.

She had not considered it, and neither had her parents, because the notion itself sounded ridiculous and too far-fetched, and yet here she was.

Darius let out a soft laugh, clearly reading her reaction.

“I can see from your expression that this was not intentional,” he said lightly.

Celeste said nothing.

“Well,” he continued, straightening slightly, “that is unfortunate.”

His gaze sharpened. “However… it seems we must begin.”

A faint tension crept into his posture.

“The trial is already urging me to attack,” he added calmly, “it would seem I have spoken long enough.”

’He is quite the loudmouth,’ Celeste exhaled softly and nodded.

There was nothing she could do about it now. What was done was done.

If anything, this was her own fault for proceeding despite the risks, and now she would bear the consequences of that decision.

She steadied herself.

’Focus.’

Her thoughts sharpened instantly, her earlier distraction fading as her expression returned to that eerie calm, that cold, controlled composure she was known for.

She was ready, and despite the situation, things were not as dire as they seemed. She could see it clearly in her eyes, whether it was the trial’s intention or not.

Darius’s strength and his bloodline, it was all visible for her to see. He was a true vampire and an advanced mage.

This version of him was many times weaker than the version who was more widely known in the history books. Only true vampire bloodline. and not a progenitor bloodline, not even an ancestor.

And while his techniques might be superior, which she had seen from the simple way he had appeared before her, and while his experience was probably greater, there was a gap between them that could not be ignored.

Sometimes, overwhelming strength was all you needed. Still, underestimating him would be fatal.

Even now.

The fact that her first opponent was not a lower-tier bloodline was already telling, and combined with the fact that the trial had recognised two participants, it was obvious that the difficulty had been scaled accordingly.

Even so, this fight…

She was not going to lose it. Her bloodline was vastly superior. If she lost, it would be a shameful scar on her record.

’Not a chance.’

Darius moved.

His feet skimmed across the surface of the water, sending faint ripples outward as he began casting, his hands moving with fluid precision as two spells formed simultaneously, one drawn from blood, the other from time.

A mass of blood gathered from nowhere, coalescing into a dense sphere as he compressed it into a single point, its surface trembling with contained power.

At the same time, time bent as it slowed around Celeste, and at the same time, it accelerated around him.

It worked for a fraction of a second.

Then—

She recognised what he was trying to do. Synchronous casting like that, ’As expected of ancestor Darius,’ She thought.

’But.’

The time lock spell shattered.

“Blood Marionette.”

Celeste’s voice was calm as she raised her hand and clenched it into a fist.

Darius stopped mid-step with his eyes widened, and the light within them vanished instantly. His body froze and then stilled completely.

He was dead.

The fight was over before it had even begun. And yet somehow he managed to speak even after he seemed to have died.

“…So,” his voice echoed faintly, detached from his unmoving form, “you have time magic too…”

There was a brief pause before he spoke again. “…Perhaps I was worried for nothing…” And then his body disintegrated where he stood.

It broke apart into countless particles of darkness that scattered into the infinite void, leaving nothing behind.

“What…?”

Celeste’s eyes trembled.

’Time magic…?’

She stood there, frozen, her mind racing as she tried to process what he had just said. She didn’t have time magic!

’…Right?’

…

Meanwhile, outside the trial, the cavern had grown quiet once more, the pulsing glow of the basin continuing in its steady rhythm as Lucius remained seated with Celeste resting against his chest, her body limp in his arms, her breathing slow and even as if she were nothing more than a sleeping child.

Lilith had already taken her leave not long after the trial began, stepping away to handle other matters in Lucius’s stead, because while he had made it clear he would not move from Celeste’s side, there were still responsibilities that could not be ignored, and so she carried that burden for the time being.

Only a few minutes had passed since Celeste had lost consciousness, though within the trial itself, time was already flowing at a completely different pace, and Dorian remained standing nearby.

“I have a task to entrust you with, Dorian,” Lucius spoke at last, his voice calm but carrying a quiet authority as his eyes remained on Celeste.

Dorian shifted his attention to him.

“I want you to go find this boy,” Lucius continued, his tone steady, “and bring him to us without fail.”

Dorian nodded without hesitation. “Of course.”

Lucius paused briefly before adding, “I am sure Maximus will be understanding.”

His eyes narrowed slightly. “And inform him that Celeste Chronos… will not be returning to the academy.”

“As you wish,” Dorian replied simply, and then he vanished without a sound. His body simply dissolved into nothingness, as if he had never been there at all.

Silence returned.

Lucius remained where he was, his attention softening as he reached up and gently brushed a loose strand of hair away from Celeste’s face.

She looked peaceful, as if she were simply asleep. However, a storm raged within her mind.