My Trash Talent Is Actually OP!

The city's tower was located northwest of Caer's district, off the path leading to the gates that led directly to the northern forest.

The city's tower stood at the center of the city's square, tall and jagged. A crystalline spire that pulsed faintly with the temporal runes on it. Despite the midday sun, a coolness lingered around it—a chill that Asher picked up too fast, and he knew it wasn't natural.

The van pulled to a slow halt near the base. The group alighted, eyes flicking up to the structure. Visible mana threads crisscrossed the sky above like silver lines—a reminder that the city was one of the many with a great amount of mana underneath it.

Asher stepped forward, eyes narrowing slightly the second he sensed it. Then he uttered, "He's here."

Not a moment later, Zain appeared—not as smoke, but stepping out from the shadow of the tower, as if he were peeling away like skin.

He looked casual as ever, still with that smug look on his face that made Nova nearly puke, knowing full well she couldn't carve it off and burn it.

"Miss me?" he asked.

Nova scoffed audibly. "Hardly."

"Oh, come now, Nova. You wound me." He gave her a grin, then leaned close and whispered, "Still mad about the temple?"

She snapped her head toward him. "You think this is a joke?"

Zain shrugged. "No, but I've found if I treat it like one, it hurts a little less."

Nova clenched her fists, but before the situation escalated, Asher placed a hand on her shoulder and gestured at Cinder and Tay at the back.

She hesitated, looked up at him, then grunted and turned away, arms crossed.

"She doesn't want me raised," Zain said in a light tone, but he watched her walk away with a dark look in his eyes.

"She doesn't decide that," Asher replied calmly. "Take us to the grave."

Zain nodded and began walking. "This way. I buried myself in a forgotten courtyard, where the sun never reached."

Asher nodded silently, choosing to ignore the fact that Zain buried himself, which was nearly impossible—or at least, it was what he would have said if he were still Alex.

They followed Zain into the tower, past a few alleyways, and down a staircase that led to a small farm, seemingly under the tower.

They finally reached a grave, pressed into the ground under the shadow of a broken bell tower, a few feet away from the entrance of the tower.

Asher knelt. He drew a circle with his finger, then unwrapped the blood-soaked bandage from his wrist.

He pressed the healing wound until it reopened, and blood dropped onto the soil near the gravestone.

Zain Wynter.

Then after a few seconds, he stepped back as the blood ignited into black flames, which was very unnatural. Smoke spiraled upward, twisting in strange patterns.

Zain's shadow peeled away from his feet, merging with the smoke, coiling and thickening. And then… it formed a body.

A half-human silhouette first, then it became clearer. Black hair. Icy blue eyes. Horns of crystal hurled from his temples, emitting black flames that didn't burn.

Then his eyes changed.

The blue irises remained, but the slit in the center became an amber serpentine pupil—a mark every dragon Asher raised or tamed had.

Behind Zain, a massive scythe appeared, swirling with runes. Then a longbow followed, with three arrows—black, silver, and red. But both vanished moments later.

Tay stepped back, stunned. "No way... That's—he's…"

Nova's lips parted, horror settling quietly in her mind.

Zain turned, and as if shedding a second skin, transformed. The horns vanished. His hair shortened slightly. His expression turned vacant, bored, but there was a flicker of mischief in his eyes.

And to the group's shock, he looked exactly like Nova. Same black hair. Same blue eyes. Same face. Only softer—more teasing.

He leaned toward her with a playful grin. "Told you I'd grow into your looks."

Nova slapped his hand away as he reached to tug her ear. "Don't touch me."

Asher stood frozen, until the system screen finally flickered into view before him:

[NEW ENTITY REGISTERED]

Name: Zain Wynter

Race: Banished Hybrid

Class: Lich-Drake | Shade Warden

Lineage: Black Dragon (Fallen) | ???

Relation: Stepbrother to Nova Wynter

Status: Re-Risen

Notes:

Banished from the Dragon Clans

Responsible for a High-Casualty Incident (Record Sealed)

Power Level: Mythical-Class Variant

Personality Shift: Split Alignment

---

Asher's eyes darted to Nova. She had turned away, arms stiff at her side, face unreadable.

"I'm guessing no one's thrilled," Zain said, breaking the silence. "But hey, I'm back. That's something."

Nova didn't respond. She stepped forward, then paused and looked back.

"I told you not to raise him," she said to Asher, voice low. "Not because of what he is. But because of what he did." She faced Zain now. "You killed them. Your family. Mine. All of them."

Zain's smile faded just slightly. "It wasn't supposed to be like that."

"I don't care." Her voice was cold. "I'm not happy you're here. And don't expect me to be."

She turned sharply and walked away, disappearing behind the tower.

Zain stared after her for a long time before quietly saying, "She still blames me. She should."

Asher looked at him, face unreadable. "You knew she would."

"I did." Zain exhaled. "But I came back anyway."

Asher's eyes were fixed on the screen before him. The system had just updated again with new information. His fingers flexed, a sense of unease creeping through him as the red letters blinked on the screen.

---

> [System Notification: New Info Unlocked]

Name: Zain Wynter

Title: Black Crown of the Hollow Throne

Class: Abyssal Lich (Mythical Rank)

Soul Core: Hidden inside a Phylactery

Magic Type: Death Magic

Special Skill: "Annihilation Sigil" – A powerful spell that can wipe out all life in a large area at once.

Warning: His presence weakens other necromancers. His power takes control of nearby undead unless blocked by their master.

---

Asher blinked, reading through the details. A lich... like Nova?

It wasn't news to him. He had already known Nova was a lich; he'd found out long ago, just as Zain had said.

Nova's magic felt cold—too cold for someone truly alive—but the full extent of what that meant had only truly sunk in recently.

But Zain was a different case. A lich of another caliber altogether. His powers weren't simply necromancy; they were a twisted, more destructive form of it, an all-consuming force.

And his ability to wipe out entire cities? That was something even Asher had never imagined.

Asher looked up, his attention drawn to Sinnett, who had finally stepped out of the van, his gaze hard on Zain.

"What did you do to that city?" Sinnett demanded, his voice cold.

Zain didn't flinch. He didn't even show a hint of regret as he spoke. "I destroyed it," he replied calmly, as though he were discussing the weather.

"A city filled with corruption, deceit, and rot. I gave it peace." He glanced at Asher, then back at Sinnett. "Sometimes, death is the only way to cleanse such things."

Sinnett clenched his fists. "You killed everyone. All those people..."

Zain shrugged. "Their lives had no meaning. They were already dead in spirit. I just helped them cross over to the next side. Quickly. Efficiently."

Sinnett smirked, and Zain returned it once he knew what it meant.

"I'm actually... jealous. You got one powerful ability that I don't have. You should be honored."

"I'd rather be grateful someone like you doesn't have it..." Zain trailed off. "Oh, the amount of cities and countries that would fear your race." He whispered, and Sinnett nodded in understanding.