Attack on Royalty

Nolan's hand was clasped firmly in Lady Vivian's as they swayed to the rhythm of the orchestra. The grand hall was filled with the shimmer of silk gowns and polished shoes, yet despite the outward opulence, Nolan couldn't shake the feeling of being watched, scrutinized from every corner of the ballroom. As Lady Vivian chatted animatedly about the latest court gossip, while swaying to the music, Nolan found his attention drifting to the far end of the hall, where Nova Bright stood.

Nova's sharp eyes, colder than usual, were fixed not on the dance floor but on the emperor and his own grandfather, Grand Duke Joseph Bright. They stood together, speaking in hushed tones, their expressions a mix of seriousness and urgency. Nolan, although unfamiliar with the exact nature of their conversation, could feel the undercurrents of tension in the air. Something was wrong, and it had nothing to do with the nobility twirling around him. His intuition was blaring dangerous red coloured, and for over a thousand years of his past life it never gave a false alarm.

Vivian gave a soft laugh, breaking Nolan's focus. "You're quite the mysterious one, aren't you, young Anderson?" she said, tilting her head to look at him with an inquisitive smile. "One moment you're here, the next you seem miles away." Although laughing, that inquisitive look in her eyes was not fooling anyone.

Nolan forced a smile, masking the unease that had settled over him. "My apologies, Lady Vivian. I must admit, the grandeur of the banquet is a bit overwhelming."

She chuckled, though her expression softened slightly. "Yes, these events can be… suffocating at times. But a little charm and grace can make it more bearable."

Before Nolan could reply, his gaze flickered once again toward Nova. This time, Nova was stealing glances in his direction, though not for long. His grandfather and the emperor had drawn him back into their conversation. For a fleeting moment, Nolan caught a glimpse of something strange in Nova's expression. Was it… interest? No, it couldn't be. He quickly dismissed the thought, shaking his head slightly.

"Careful," Vivian teased. "You might lose your place in the dance."

Nolan refocused on the steps, leading her smoothly through the final turns of the waltz. Yet his mind remained split between the dance and the strange tension brewing in the background. As the music began to fade, he offered Vivian a polite bow, excusing himself.

"Thank you for the dance, Lady Vivian. I'll have to take my leave for now."

Before she could respond, the ground beneath them trembled slightly—a low rumble that felt out of place in the perfect elegance of the banquet. The hall fell into a brief, confused silence, but then the music resumed, and the nobles returned to their conversations. Only Nolan, it seemed, had noticed something off. His heart raced as he instinctively turned toward Nova once again.

The unease solidified as he saw Nova's expression shift from mild concern to alarm. At that moment, Nova gave a subtle signal to the men stationed behind him—four of them, who immediately split off in different directions, moving swiftly out of hall and toward the four wings east, west, north and south of the palace. The emperor's hand went to the glass orb beside him, filling it with mana. Two energy domes shimmered into existence above the palace: one encasing the entire palace complex, and the other, more focused, covered the banquet hall itself.

Nolan's pulse quickened. This was no mere ballroom affair anymore. Something serious was happening.

Without a word, Nova flicked his fingers, his formal banquet attire dissolving into a sleek black combat uniform. A mask slipped over his face, transforming him from the poised heir of the Bright family into a soldier ready for battle. Nolan's breath caught as the nobles around him reacted to the sudden shift in atmosphere. Lady Vivian walking right behind him, wide-eyed with panic, excused herself and rushed toward her family, while other nobles quickly huddled with their relatives, eyes darting around nervously.

Nolan turned instinctively toward his own family. He saw them moving toward a safer corner of the room, his father and mother both guiding his siblings with calm but hurried gestures. Just as he was about to follow, his tie pin—a small, inconspicuous magic accessory to call his family secretly when need, Elspeth had given him earlier—began to glow softly. Her voice crackled through the enchanted object, clear and urgent.

"Nolan, get to the others, now. Move to where Father and Mother are. Stay with them."

His body moved before his mind caught up, stepping toward the direction his family had taken. Yet something made him hesitate, his feet planted halfway between two paths: the safety of his family, or the unknown danger following Nova. He looked toward Nova once more, who was slipping out of the hall quietly, unnoticed by most.

The voice in his head—the one that had always driven his decisions in the past—urged him to follow his family, to ensure their safety. But something else, something deeper, kept pulling him toward Nova. He couldn't shake the feeling that whatever was happening outside the hall is extremely dangerous and Nova although strong may not be safe as well. And Nova, for reasons Nolan couldn't explain, seemed to be set in his mind, he just don't want anything to go wrong with him.

Thinking whether he should join his family or go after Nova where his heart was leading him to, Nolan felt the weight of the moment pressing down on him. His stomach twisted as he stood frozen, both choices leading to drastically different outcomes.

But as the sound of distant explosions echoed through the palace, and the light from the mana barrier flickered ominously, Nolan made his decision, ran behind a curtain and a clone of his appeared beside him, "you know what to do." He said to the clone.

"Damn it," he muttered under his breath, before turning illusory and heading after Nova running through walls without being detected, meanwhile his clone ran towards his family.

He moved quickly but cautiously, weaving through the panic-stricken servants and some nobles in hallways, making sure not to draw attention to himself. He slipped past the palace guards, whose focus was entirely on running to secure the perimeter of the banquet hall. In the confusion, Nolan managed to reach the side door where he saw Nova had just gone through.

As soon as he stepped out, the air around him felt different—tenser, heavier with the threat of violence. He followed the faint trail of mana Nova had left behind, his senses heightened as he navigated through the winding palace corridors. He knew that the palace was heavily fortified, but the explosion and the energy fluctuations in the air told him that something had breached even the strongest of defenses.

Ahead, he saw Nova's dark figure slipping through a shadowed archway, leading toward the palace's northern wing. Nolan quickened his pace, silently praying he wasn't too late to find out what was going on.

When he finally caught up, Nova was crouched low near the entrance to the northern tower, his eyes scanning the surroundings with deadly precision. Nolan reappeared, though still unsure of what he was walking into, stepped forward quietly, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Nolan Anderson?" Nova's voice was sharp, though not surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I… had a feeling something wasn't right," Nolan replied, his voice low, he couldn't really explain his power of intuition completely. "And I was right, wasn't I?"

Nova hesitated for a moment before nodding, his gaze returning to the entrance of the tower. "This isn't a place for you to be right now. Go back to your family, Nolan. You're not up for this and adults will take care of these things." He tried to pursuade him to go back like an adult to a child.

Nolan's jaw tightened, for once he felt like punching Nova 'I may not look like it but I am a over thousand year old hag almost a ancestor to you brat' but still tried to reason with him. "I've seen enough today to know that whatever is happening isn't just some isolated incident. If there's danger, I can't stand by and do nothing. You should know that duke Anderson's family to is family of strong mages"

Nova glanced at him, his eyes unreadable behind the mask. "You have no idea what kind of danger you're stepping into, and I know the Anderson family pretty well and also the fact that it's only been few months since you woke up, now listen to me kid, you better return now or even the duke himself may not be able to save you."

"I don't know the danger yet but I may be more qualified to tackle it KID, " Nolan fired back, "also I never asked for your protection i will help either way."

Nova's lips pressed into a thin line, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes—maybe respect, maybe frustration. He exhaled sharply, then stood, turning toward the entrance. "Stay close to me. Don't make any noise, and don't try to be a hero."

Nolan nodded not defying him this time, there is a line between stupidity and bravery after all, he might have been a arch mage in his previous life but his new body is still adapting to his powers, so he followed Nova into the shadowed hallway. Whatever lay ahead, he knew there was no turning back now and he was confident enough even at one hundredth of his power level he could at least protect the people in this palace, just he needs to be cautious as to not to expose himself.