Single for Eternity
Chapter 89: Seren Album

Chapter 89: Seren Album

A wave of murmurs rippled through the banquet hall the moment the golden scoreboard materialized, floating above us like an otherworldly relic.

Names shimmered across the screen in a language that seemed ancient yet perfectly legible—an arcane tongue I somehow understood. There were a hundred names in total, each paired with a numerical counter sitting at zero.

My name sat humbly in the 63rd spot: Einar Sanguis - 00

A few people glanced my way when they noticed it. Nothing too overt. Some squints of confusion, a few smirks of dismissal. I could practically hear the silent assumptions: Oh, that’s the ’useless’ Sanguis kid.

I was getting real tired of people underestimating me.

Then the golden-haired man raised his hand again, and the murmurs died down like someone had pressed a mute button. His violet eyes scanned the crowd like he was choosing who’d live and who’d die next.

"Welcome," he said, his voice infused with strange power. "To the Sovereign’s Trial—the yearly proving ground for the next generation of rulers."

So it really is a competition.

The man continued. "You have been chosen, not simply for your bloodline, but for your potential. The top ten will be elevated to a place of true power. The bottom ten... will be exiled."

The room fell into stunned silence. Even the nobles, who had once held wine with elegance and pride, were frozen in place.

"Exiled?" someone muttered.

"May the Aether be in your favor," the man finished. Then, with a snap of his fingers, the scoreboard shimmered and disappeared.

At that very moment, a door on the far end of the hall swung open with a loud creak.

And in walked her.

Silvery white hair like woven moonlight. Crimson eyes, unblinking and glacial. Regal steps, confident posture, and a flowing dress that shimmered like the edge of a blade.

A girl of seemingly my age but emitting immense pressure.

She didn’t walk like a contestant. She walked like someone already crowned. People instinctively moved out of her way. Even Kallias beside me straightened his posture, his lips twitching into a forced smile.

"That’s her," he whispered, voice reverent. "Seren Album. The Ice Sovereign. From the Album family, one of the five lords of Aetherion."

Her eyes casually swept across the room—and paused.

On me.

I didn’t look away.

Something flickered in her gaze. Recognition? Contempt? Interest? I couldn’t tell.

She made her way to the circular platform in the center of the room, standing still as golden lights cascaded down onto her.

"I accept the invitation to the Sovereign’s Trail," she declared. Her voice was cool and beautiful, like a gentle snowfall over a battlefield.

The golden-haired announcer bowed slightly. "Then your name shall remain on the board."

"I would also like to issue my first challenge as a starting ceremony for the trials," she added.

The golden haired man smiled. "Choose your opponent."

The hall went dead silent again.

My gut tightened.

Please don’t say my name. Please don’t say my—

"Einar Sanguis," she called.

My eyes twitched.

Kallias beside me nearly spit his drink. "What the fu—"

He regained his footing the next moment. "I wanted to beat you to a pulp and impress her."

Then he turned on me, looking at me with pity in his eyes. "I will definitely come to see your corpse."

’This bastard!!!’ I screamed inwardly but maintained my poker face in front.

I got up slowly, keeping my calm despite the heat crawling up my spine. Everyone stared. Judged. Whispered.

I made my way to the center platform, standing across from Seren, whose expression remained blank.

"Why me?" I asked calmly.

She blinked once, then tilted her head slightly. "Because I want to see if my supposed groom is as useless as the rumours make him."

’What!!! I’m her groom, so that’s what that bastard Kallias meant.’

I wanted to annul the supposed marriage right here and now, but the place and time wasn’t the best. As such I kept my calm, let the situation go with the flow.

’That’s why Varek hid it probably, maybe the original Einar was a marriage hater like me.’

The announcer raised both hands. "This will be a ceremonial bout. No killing permitted. The goal is to force the opponent off the platform."

I took a breath, my fingers twitching. The Symbiote inside me coiled and hissed with anticipation. Perhaps it was also as angry as me.

Seren raised a single hand. Ice crystals bloomed along her fingertips.

"Ready," the announcer said.

"Begin."

The moment the announcer’s voice echoed, the entire atmosphere shifted.

A shockwave of cold burst from Seren the instant the word "Begin" was spoken.

The ground beneath her shimmered with ice, spreading outward in jagged patterns. Frost bloomed like vines across the obsidian-black marble.

I took a step back—not from fear, but instinct. The ice was fast, hungry, and razor-sharp.

She didn’t even move her feet.

My own breath misted in front of me. My skin tingled.

’This isn’t some minor display... she’s using real aether output.’

Unlike me who was raw dogging Chaos and getting his ass kicked in the process.

I could tell. Her control over elemental affinity was absurd. The way the ice danced around her, never cutting her dress or touching her skin—was masterful.

Still, I wasn’t defenseless.

My Nascent Rift Core pulsed within me, a slow rhythmic thrum like a heartbeat within the void. Dark tendrils of shadow with stripes of red surged beneath my feet, meeting the incoming ice with a silent clash.

Steam hissed violently as chaos and frost met.

The audience leaned in, captivated. Even the announcer’s eyes gleamed with curiosity.

Seren finally moved—only her fingers.

Tiny arcs of frozen aether shimmered around her hand, and the next moment, dozens of jagged ice spears shot out from behind her in a tight arc.

They howled through the air like spectral arrows.

I snapped my hand upward.

From beneath my feet, darkness erupted, morphing into a shield of interwoven crimson strands. The spears hit—CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!—each impact causing a ripple of resistance, but none pierced through.

The last spear hit, and my shield buckled.

The moment it shattered, I lunged forward.

Seren’s eyes widened—just barely—as I appeared in front of her in a single blink.

My fist was coated in rippling crimson energy, aiming straight for her shoulder—not lethal, just to push her back.

But instead of moving, her form shattered.

Like breaking a mirror.

’An afterimage?’

Before I could process it, ice surged from beneath me—exploding upward in a massive pillar.

I leapt back just in time, flipping mid-air and landing smoothly at the edge of the platform.

She was now hovering slightly above the ground, standing on a thin layer of ice floating in mid-air. Crimson eyes locked onto me with a glint of intrigue.

"You’re faster than I thought," she said, her voice still cool, but carrying a tinge of... amusement?

I shrugged. "And you’re holding back."

She raised a brow. "Perhaps. But I’ve seen enough."

She lifted her hand again, slowly, deliberately.

And just like that, all the ice on the platform melted. Gone in seconds. No lingering water. Not even a chill.

Silence took over the hall.

"I retract my challenge," Seren said aloud. "This much should be enough...the audiences are entertained."

’She what?’

The announcer nodded. "Challenge retracted. Duel concluded."

Just like that, it was over.

The crowd didn’t cheer. They were too stunned. Whispering filled the silence. A few astonished gasps.

I walked off the platform, passing Seren as I did.

For just a second, she leaned slightly closer, her voice low enough only I could hear.

"That was interesting... Einar."

Then she turned and walked away, like nothing had happened.

Kallias rushed to me the second I sat down. "What the hell was that?! You just survived the Ice Sovereign’s opening attack and made her smile?! She’s never done that! Not even once!"

I ignored his outburst, staring ahead as my heart began to settle.

’She wanted to test me. And now she’s watching.’

A new name had entered the playing field.

Me.

And I had the attention of one of the most powerful figures of my generation.