The Villain Professor's Second Chance

Chapter 611: A Pact Forged in Shadows

Chapter 611: A Pact Forged in Shadows

"Trust takes time, Draven. I never expected immediate loyalty—only recognition."

Something about the sincerity in his words resonated deeply. Recognition. Mutual respect. Perhaps it was enough for now. I took a slow breath, acknowledging internally the dangerous gamble I had just agreed to.

"And so they tried to take it from you," I finished for him.

Kyrion inclined his head slightly, a subtle gesture filled with the calculated composure I'd come to expect from him. His voice carried no hesitation, no regret—only cold logic tempered by quiet resolve. "It was inevitable. I knew they would come for me eventually. It was never a matter of if, merely when. So I had no choice but to disappear. To ensure my survival, I had to orchestrate something drastic enough that they'd believe I was gone forever."

He spoke calmly, his words even, as if faking his own death had been no more complex than choosing an item off a menu. For a brief moment, the dissonance between the severity of what he'd done and his utterly detached tone unsettled even me. Yet the logic was unassailable. Kyrion, the Council Lord of Necromancy, would have been a target too tempting, too powerful, to ignore indefinitely. He had known exactly how the Council thought, predicted precisely how far they would go, and moved before they had the chance to strike.

I remained silent, studying him with sharp eyes. My mind dissected every word, every movement he made, carefully cataloguing it all. The man standing before me was nothing short of extraordinary—coldly rational, brilliantly resourceful, and dangerous beyond measure. My instincts whispered caution even as my logic recognized the necessity of an alliance.

Kyrion continued, sensing my quiet evaluation, unfazed by my scrutiny. "The body they studied so obsessively was not mine, of course. It was a member of the Devil Coffins, one whose capture had been orchestrated long before the necessity arose. Using illusion and advanced transference magic, I reshaped him into an exact replica of myself—down to the smallest detail. It required months of meticulous preparation, but it was the only way. A convincing corpse, a perfect deception."