The next day, a curious scroll arrived on the steps of the Great Light Sect Temple. It was not addressed to anyone in particular, but the seal bore the emblem of the forgotten Shadow Clan—a clan long thought extinct.
Elder Zhao, the strict and prideful head of the Light Sect's judiciary committee, unfolded the parchment under the golden light of morning.
His face turned pale by the third line.
By the time he finished reading, the paper trembled in his fingers.
"Impossible… this is blasphemy…"
But the evidence was compelling. The scroll held detailed accounts, witness records, and even ancient celestial ink signatures confirming that Aarav—the beloved disciple of Light Sect, the hero of the empire—was the son of a demon.
A second scroll was found later that evening in the Grand Market Square, nailed to a post.
A third was delivered to the Supreme Academy.
A fourth somehow appeared on the empress's private balcony.
Within three days, the entire capital buzzed with a single question:
"Is the hero of light actually a spawn of darkness?"
Meanwhile, in a hidden chamber beneath the palace, Priyanshu watched everything unfold through a mirror made of soul-glass.
Each whisper in the streets, every furrowed brow of the sect elders, and the hesitation in public praises—all of it delighted him.
[Quest Complete: Leak the Hero's Lineage]
Reward Gained: 500 Bad KarmaItem Unlocked: Forbidden Spell – Echo of Betrayal
Echo of Betrayal (Dark): Cast a spell that forces anyone who hears your voice to relive their worst betrayal in dreams for 7 nights. Mind destabilization: 70% chance.
Priyanshu admired the scroll before absorbing it into his system's archive. "Ah, nothing tastes sweeter than betrayal. Except maybe vengeance served cold."
At that moment, two members of his shadow organization entered.
"My Lord," said a hooded man kneeling before him, "the disciples of Light Sect have begun turning on each other. Some demand Aarav prove his purity. Others have begun praying for cleansing rituals."
Priyanshu smirked. "Soon, the sect will beg him to take a divine oath in front of the Flame of Judgement."
"And when he fails," whispered Lilya, now perched on the window ledge, "he'll be condemned as a traitor."
"No," Priyanshu corrected her gently. "He'll be condemned as the reason for their fall. A single drop of corruption in their sacred spring."
In the Sacred Mountains,
Aarav stood before a waterfall, meditating. The rumors had reached him.
His followers were confused. His mentor was silent. His nightmares had returned.
Why… why did the dreams feel real?
Why did the demonic voice in his heart keep laughing?
He opened his eyes.
"I need to find the truth… before someone else writes it for me."
But Priyanshu had already written the next ten chapters.
And they were anything but righteous.