The dust choked the air, burning in Luca's lungs as he clawed at the fallen stone. His hands were raw, bleeding, but he didn't stop. Every rock he pulled free only revealed more rubble beneath.
"Boss, stop!" Enzo coughed, dragging him back before another loose boulder crushed him. "You'll kill yourself!"
"I don't care!" Luca roared, his voice echoing through the tunnel. His grey eyes burned with a fury that made even Dario's hardened soldiers look away. "My son's blood is on his hands...my son's blood!"
Matteo pressed his shoulder against the wall, sweat streaming down his face. "We'll find another way up. There has to be another tunnel. Adrian wouldn't only use one!"
Dario Romano dusted himself off, his smile cool even in the chaos. "Maybe. Or maybe he just buried us alive, and you'll never see your precious family again."
Enzo lunged at him, shoving him hard against the tunnel wall. "Say that again and I'll..."
"Enough!" Luca barked, pulling them apart. His chest rose and fell like a beast cornered. He forced the rage back, forced his voice to steady. "We keep moving. We find another way."
But deep down, a voice whispered that time was running out.
Above, Aria's arms shook as she held Nino close. Nico sat on the cold floor, his small hand wrapped in torn cloth, his face pale. The chamber glowed an eerie red, the symbols on the floor pulsing like veins.
Adrian stood tall in the center, the silver bowl raised. "One key has turned," he murmured. "Now for the second."
Aria's blood froze. Her grip on Nino tightened. "No."
Adrian's smile spread slowly. "Oh yes. The ritual requires both sons. Blood to open the door, blood to close it. One twin begins the fall. The other seals it."
Her mind screamed. Both. He wanted both.
She rose to her feet, trembling but fierce. "You'll never touch him."
Adrian stepped close to the bars of her cell, his face shadowed by candlelight. "I already have one, Aria. What makes you think I can't take the other?"
Her throat closed. She pressed Nino behind her, her body a barrier of desperation. "Because I will die before I let you."
Adrian's eyes gleamed. "Then perhaps you will."
He turned away, signaling to his men. Two guards moved to unlock the cell. The sound of the bolt sliding back was louder than any scream.
Aria's nails dug into Nino's arm. "Stay behind me. Don't move. No matter what."
Far below, Luca staggered through the tunnel as the walls trembled again. Loose stones fell around them, dust filling the air. The faint roar of the sea echoed through cracks in the rock.
"We're too deep," Enzo muttered. "If another blast hits, we're done."
Luca's mind raced. Every second, he saw Nico's face, pale and bleeding. Every second, he heard Aria's screams. His fists clenched until blood dripped from his knuckles.
"We're not dying here," he said flatly. "Keep moving."
One of Dario's men called from ahead, his flashlight catching a break in the wall. A narrow shaft stretched upward, jagged but climbable.
Dario smirked. "Looks like fortune smiles after all. Up we go."
Luca didn't wait. He shoved past, grabbing the sharp rock and hauling himself upward, his muscles straining with every pull.
I'm coming, Aria. I'm coming, my sons.
In the chamber, the guards reached for Nino.
"No!" Aria shrieked. She lunged, teeth bared, and sank them into one guard's arm. He roared, slamming her back against the bars, but she didn't let go. Blood filled her mouth, metallic and bitter, but she bit harder, desperate.
The second guard kicked her away, her body crumpling to the floor. Nino screamed, clinging to her arm.
Adrian's laugh filled the chamber. "Such fire. Such useless fire."
He stepped forward and seized Nino by the collar, yanking him free of her grasp. The boy screamed, thrashing, but Adrian's grip was iron.
Aria dragged herself up, blood dripping from her lip. "Please! Please, not him! Take me instead!"
Adrian's gaze lingered on her, amused. "I will take you. After."
He carried Nino toward the glowing circle. The boy kicked and clawed, his cries breaking Aria's heart.
"Mama!"
She threw herself at the bars again, screaming until her voice tore. "No! Not him! Adrian, you monster, not him!"
But Adrian only laughed, placing Nino on the cold stone where Nico's blood still glistened.
Luca's hands bled as he pulled himself out of the shaft, gasping for air. The night sky opened above him, stars hidden by mist.
Enzo climbed after him, then Matteo, then Dario. Luca didn't wait for the others, he broke into a run across the cliffs, the fortress looming ahead.
Gunfire cracked in the distance. Adrian's reinforcements were landing.
But Luca didn't care. He would tear through every one of them if it meant reaching his sons.
In the chamber, Adrian raised the knife again. Nino's eyes were wide, terrified, his small chest heaving.
"Don't move, little one," Adrian whispered almost gently. "It will only hurt for a moment."
Aria's scream split the air. She threw herself at the bars, slamming her shoulders until they bruised, her hands clawing until her nails ripped. "Kill me! Kill me instead!"
But Adrian ignored her.
The blade lowered, hovering over Nino's small hand.
Nico, still bound, lifted his head. His face was streaked with tears, but his voice shook with sudden fury. "Don't touch my brother!"
Adrian glanced at him, amused. "Or what?"
Nico's grey eyes, his father's eyes, blazed. "Or Papa will kill you."
Adrian's smile faltered. Just for a second.
Then he pressed the knife down.
Luca reached the outer wall of the fortress, his chest heaving. His men spread out behind him, guns ready.
From inside, a child screamed.
Luca's world went red.
"Blow the gates," he ordered, his voice a growl of pure rage.
The charge was set. The explosion rocked the cliffs. The gates shuddered, iron bending, stone cracking.
Luca surged forward through the smoke.
Inside, Adrian's blade sliced Nino's palm. The boy shrieked, blood welling instantly. Aria collapsed, her screams breaking into sobs.
Adrian caught the blood in the silver bowl, his eyes gleaming. "Two keys," he whispered. "The door opens wider."
The red symbols flared, glowing so bright the chamber was drowned in crimson light.
Nico and Nino clutched each other, crying. Aria's body shook as she pressed against the bars, powerless.
Adrian lifted the bowl high, his face bathed in red fire.
"The legacy dies tonight!"
At that same moment, Luca stormed through the outer gates, smoke and fire at his back. His eyes burned, his voice carrying like thunder.
"Aria! Nico! Nino!"
Adrian froze, the bowl raised, his smile curling into something sharper.
"So," he whispered. "The king arrives at last."