Harley knelt in the rain like a broken toy, water dripping from her hair as if the sky itself wept with her.
She didn't move, didn't speak — her mind blank, her heart shattered.
It was a terrifying sight. The always-cheerful Harley, the sunshine of the group, now hollow-eyed and trembling.
Both Ruby and Harley had shocked everyone — revealing sides of themselves no one thought existed.
Then suddenly, Harley collapsed.
Sage had seen it coming; she was already there to catch her before she hit the ground.
"Let's go," Sage ordered sharply, her voice cutting through the storm. She carried Harley toward the infirmary as the others followed in silence.
---
At the infirmary, Luna was stopped at the door.
An order had been issued — from someone powerful, someone unknown — forbidding any doctor on duty from treating Ruby.
Everyone froze under the pounding rain.
The absurdity of it all left Luna reeling. Unless someone wanted Ruby dead, there was no reason for such a cruel command.
A circus girl, denied treatment in Heliera?
It screamed conspiracy.
In the dead of night, Luna stood under the rain, Ruby unconscious on her back, refusing to move as the doctors blocked her path.
Sage arrived moments later — drenched, furious, and shocked to see them still outside.
Ruby's temperature was rising fast. Luna's panic broke through her usual calm. "Do something!" she shouted, voice cracking. "Or I swear I'll tear this place apart!"
It wasn't an empty threat — and that was what frightened everyone.
Luna — calm, collected Luna — was losing it. And not for herself… but for Ruby. A girl she'd only known for three days.
But Sage didn't question her. She couldn't.
Because she felt the same. If she had to rip the building apart brick by brick to save Ruby — she would.
Sage's tone turned lethal. "Let. Her. Through."
The doctors hesitated. One opened his mouth to protest — and that was his mistake.
Sage handed Harley to Miccah and stepped forward, unbuttoning her jacket. "Head back to the hostel," she said coldly. "I'll bring what's needed."
Miccah hesitated but gave her twin a rare look of approval before running off with the others. For a fleeting moment, Sage smirked — but it vanished as quickly as it came.
Rolling her shoulders, she cracked her knuckles. "I was already mad about being knocked out earlier," she muttered. "Guess karma sent me a few scapegoats."
The doctors frowned, confused.
Then Sage moved.
Her fist connected with the first doctor's face — a clean, brutal hit that sent him sprawling. Before the others could react, her kicks and strikes came like cannon fire, each one faster, harder, more vicious than the last. She laughed — a dark, unhinged laugh that echoed off the walls.
Ruby's helpless expression kept flashing in her mind — her pain, her silence, her fragility. It burned Sage alive from the inside.
She blamed herself for not being there. For not protecting her.
To Sage, Ruby wasn't just a girl. She was a magnet for her soul — someone her instincts demanded she keep safe, even if Ruby turned out to be the devil herself.
If Ruby was a devil, Sage thought, then I'll be the demon guarding her throne.
Her fury deepened. Humanity, reason — gone. What emerged now wasn't a person, but a storm in human form. The doctors didn't stand a chance.
Then, suddenly — arms wrapped around her from behind.
A strong chest. A familiar scent.
A man dressed in black — tall, sharp, dangerous — pulled her into his trench coat, holding her head against him.
Even as she trembled with rage, the scent of leather and rain steadied her. Slowly, her breathing calmed.
He'd known this alluring snake for two years. Sage never lost control. Not like this. Not ever.
So what had Ruby done to break her like this?
When she finally went still, he simply lifted her — effortless, like she weighed nothing — and walked out, ignoring the shocked stares.
---
Five men watched from a distance. One — pale, refined, wearing round glasses — smirked.
"Well, well. Looks like our stoic boy finally made a move," he drawled. "He carries his girl like a hero from one of those tragic romance dramas."
The others snorted, but before the teasing could continue, a whisper reached his ear.
His playful aura vanished, replaced by something deadly.
Without another word, he turned and bolted down the hallway like a shadow unleashed. The others exchanged grim looks, then followed, melting into the darkness.
Sage was taken to an empty class as she was now calm but still shaking in anger.
"You won't run off now, will you?" the man asked softly.
Light filtered through the blinds, revealing the man behind the voice — tall, composed, his deep black-red eyes a mirror of her own. His hair, tied in a loose bun, gave him the lazy elegance of someone too confident for his own good.
Sage's lips parted slightly. That face — she'd known it before she even needed to see the eyes.
Robbie Pierce.
The one boy she never thought she'd see again inside Heliera.
Memories flickered like sparks behind her eyes. He was still the same: calm, annoyingly handsome, and dangerous in a way that made her pulse trip over itself.
Her mind drifted before she could stop it.
---
— Two years ago —
The boxing hall buzzed with noise and heat.
Students gathered around as Sage stood opposite Robbie, gloves raised, her stance low and sharp.
"Three moves," she said, voice clipped. "If I win, you stop following me."
He grinned, eyes lighting up. "And if I win, you go on a date with me."
She scoffed. "You won't."
The whistle blew.
Sage ducked, spun, and landed three blows in perfect rhythm — ribs, shoulder, jaw — and Robbie was flat on his back before most even blinked.
The crowd exploded. Robbie, grinning up at her, wheezed, "Told you I'd fall for you, didn't I?"
"You pulled your punches!" she shouted, her face red with fury.
He sat up, laughing. "I couldn't help it. You looked too cute when you're focused."
The entire gym froze. She hit him again — not gently — and stomped away.
He laughed after her retreating figure. "You'll fall for me eventually, Sage. I've got time."
---
— A few weeks later —
Morning mist hung low over the jogging trail. Sage slowed when she saw it — a small white bunny in a cage beside the path, a note tied to its side.
She crouched, picking it up. The note read:
For my feisty woman — you keep surprising me.
Her brows twitched. "This idiot…" she muttered, but still carried the bunny back to her dorm, her lips threatening to curve upward.
Later that day, she confronted him at the dojo.
"You think I'm a joke?" she barked, shoving the note into his chest.
He only smiled. "Did you like the bunny?"
That earned him another bruise, but when she left, she was the one blushing.
Over time, his persistence chipped away at her walls.
He trained with her, matched her strikes, let her win even when she didn't ask. Somewhere between punches and arguments, love had slipped in unnoticed.
---
Back to the present.
Sage blinked back into the moment — Robbie still standing before her, older, steadier, eyes filled with concern.
"...Sage," he said, gently resting a hand on her arm. "You can't go after Jessica. Not like this."
Her jaw tightened. "You're defending her again, aren't you? Just like before."
"I'm not," he said quickly. "Something's wrong with her. I need to find out what."
But his words didn't reach her the way he meant them to. All she heard was hesitation — the same silence that always came when Jessica's name was involved.
Her lips quivered before her anger masked it. "Then take all the time you want, Robbie," she said coldly.
His brows furrowed. "Sage—"
"Because we're done."
And with that, she turned and walked out, the sound of her boots fading down the corridor, leaving only the hum of the lights and Robbie's silent exhale.
He didn't chase after her this time. He knew when Sage made up her mind, not even the gods could sway her.
---
Back at the hostel, Harley and Ruby were laid on their beds.
Harley burned with fever from the rain — but Ruby was far worse. Her breathing was shallow, her body cold. She was bleeding both inside and out.
Her ribs — cracked. Her organs — failing.
Every second counted.
Then the door burst open.
Jimmy — the always-joking, green-haired heartthrob — stormed in with a team of doctors. His expression was deadly serious.
Being from the Alexander family, no one dared stop him.
He'd brought the best physicians in Heliera — his family's own.
Girls squealed down the hallway, whispering about him barging into the female dorm, but Jimmy didn't care.
Miccah ushered him and the doctors in, locking the door behind them, muting the disappointed cries outside.
He rushed to Harley first.
Miccah explained quickly — "Fever from the rain, nothing fatal" — but Jimmy checked anyway, pressing a cool hand to her forehead. Her skin burned. He immediately ordered treatment.
As the doctors worked, something caught his attention.
A bed in the corner — hidden by dark curtains.
He adjusted his glasses nervously. "Who's that?" he asked. "I know everyone close to Harley."
Miccah sighed. "Our new roommate. She's… also in bad shape."
When he asked what happened, the girls fell silent. They avoided names, using only "she" and "her," each one sighing with visible sorrow. Even Luna didn't correct them.
Jimmy frowned. "Fine. Treat her too."
The doctors moved to lift the curtain.
And then he saw her.
His breath caught.
That face.
No — that face.
It couldn't be. He knew her.
He'd seen her before — long ago, under moonlight and circus smoke.
---
Back then, Jimmy was nothing — a scrawny circus boy, beaten for being "different."
Weak. Alone. A punching bag for others' cruelty.
Until they came.
A mysterious family that took the circus by storm — stealing the spotlight with their breathtaking performances.
And among them, a girl dressed in white.
He remembered that night clearly.
The moon hung low. He was cornered, bloodied.
Then she appeared — a small figure holding a log twice her size.
"Get lost!" she shouted, swinging the log like a goddess of chaos.
The bullies fled, terrified.
When Jimmy looked up at her through swollen eyes, he thought she was an angel — pale skin glowing under the moonlight, black-red hair cascading like silk. But the wild glint in her eyes told a different story.
A devil in a fairy's skin.
She huffed, crossing her arms. "I saved you, and you flinch away? How ungrateful!" she scolded, turning to leave — until he weakly grabbed her robe.
She froze, then turned back with a radiant grin. "You're so cute," she blurted. "I know you didn't mean it. I'm sorry for yelling, okay?"
He blinked — speechless.
She talked too fast, too much, too freely. And yet… she glowed.
When he asked why she helped, she answered without hesitation.
"Because I can't stand seeing a pretty boy cry."
Pretty boy.
He'd laughed then — a bitter, disbelieving laugh.
But she wasn't mocking him. She meant it.
Then she tilted her head. "Wanna come with me?"
He hesitated… then nodded.
"Good! Then call me your big sister."
He froze, utterly lost. She was clearly his age, maybe younger. But her expression was so proud, so confident, that he almost believed her.
Then she facepalmed. "Wait — I'm such a hooligan! I shouldn't be flirting with a beauty like you!"
He just stared, wondering if she'd hit her head.
Before he could respond, his dizziness worsened. He fainted. The last thing he heard was her panicked voice shouting, "Pretty angel! Don't you dare die on me!"
---
When he woke, he was wrapped in soft blankets, a cool touch brushing his ear.
Blinking, he saw her again — no longer in white, but in black robes, and somehow even more overwhelming.
That girl — that impossible, radiant, terrifying girl —
was Ruby.
She had asked for his name, but he said nothing.
Now that he was cleaned up, the little girl tilted her head, studying him curiously. His features — soft yet sharp, his eyes dark as ink — told her everything.
He was Chinese. Just like her.
Ruby grinned. "So you're one of us! That makes things easier."
Then, with the cheekiness only she could pull off, she added, "You're still a pretty boy, though."
The boy's brows twitched. "It's Chen Yao," he said stiffly.
Ruby's eyes sparkled. "Chen Yao, huh? That's a poetic name." She clasped her hands dramatically and began to recite:
> Upon the land, the morning light ascends;
The shining star shatters the soul of night.
Within his heart, a sun ten-thousand spans wide—
Its brilliance sweeps away the endless gloom.
Jimmy froze.
That poem… his mother had told it to him once — long ago, as she tucked him into bed.
"How do you know that poem?" he asked, voice trembling between awe and fear.
Ruby smirked. "Call me your older sister and I'll tell you."
Jimmy puffed out his cheeks. "I'm probably older than you! You should call me older brother!"
Ruby froze mid-laugh. Then realization hit — she had called him older brother earlier without thinking.
Her cheeks flushed red as she scratched the back of her head, laughing nervously.
Watching her fluster made Jimmy's heart skip. This devilish girl was dangerous — not because she meant harm, but because she could disarm anyone with a smile.
The two children talked until the tent filled with laughter. When Draven, Rose, and Stephanie returned, they froze — staring at the sight of Ruby and the boy laughing like lifelong friends.
After hearing the story, Draven called Ruby aside. "What's on your mind, little one?"
Ruby explained softly, "He's an orphan… and he's Chinese, like us."
Draven sighed. "It's still too dangerous. We're targets everywhere we go. That's why we came undercover to work here."
Ruby's smile faltered.
Seeing that, Draven placed a gentle hand on her head. "We'll drop the Princes soon. You'll see little Alex in a few months. Maybe he can be adopted then."
Ruby's eyes lit up instantly. She flashed him a bright, grateful smile before dragging her new friend and Rose away to play.
---
Months passed.
The three grew inseparable — performing together in the circus, laughing between acts, protecting each other from bullies.
Ruby and Rose, fierce as ever, made sure no one touched their new brother.
Then came the day they were to visit the Princes.
The moment Ruby arrived, Alex's expression darkened.
He didn't like the boy standing beside her. Not one bit.
Alex tried to act composed, arms folded, eyes narrowed with adult-like suspicion far beyond his years. "Who's he?"
Ruby blinked innocently. "My brother."
"Brother?" Alex repeated, voice tight. "Since when?"
"Since he almost got killed and I saved him," Ruby said matter-of-factly.
Alex's lips pressed into a thin line. He didn't believe it. To him, Ruby belonged on his side — and the way she looked at that boy made something twist inside him.
He interrogated Jimmy with every ounce of his childish maturity, asking where he came from, what he wanted, why he followed Ruby. Ruby tried to explain, but Alex's jealousy burned hotter than reason.
Eventually, Jimmy found him sulking alone and approached carefully.
"I'm not trying to steal her from you," he said quietly. "She's like a sister to me. You should apologize."
Alex looked away, guilt warring with pride.
---
While the boys argued, Damian and Draven met privately.
The mafia world was restless. Rumors spread — whispers of rebellion against the two most feared names in the underworld.
Damian could crush them all alone. Draven could do it without lifting a blade.
But power wasn't what they wanted. Not anymore.
"Using force will teach the children the wrong lesson," Damian said gravely. "They must grow knowing peace, not dominance."
Draven nodded. "Then we hide. For now."
A dragon hiding was unheard of — but for the sake of a devil seeking peace, they would bury their fangs.
To keep suspicion low, they would live together for a year — training their children, preparing them for the world they would one day conquer not with fear, but with purpose.
---
The months that followed were pure chaos and beauty.
The children trained together, ate together, slept together.
Alex was still wary of Jimmy, while his twin, Jackie, welcomed him instantly.
Jimmy's gentle nature clashed with Alex's pride, sparking rivalry after rivalry.
Whenever Ruby trained Jimmy personally, Alex found a reason to interfere — challenging him, mocking him, trying to prove himself stronger.
Jimmy never backed down.
And soon, Ruby got tired of their endless squabbles.
"You two want to fight so bad? Then Alex, you train him."
That stunned them both. But Ruby meant it.
She had to start preparing for the storm ahead — the plan only she and Damian knew.
Slowly, the boys began to bond.
Sparring turned into laughter. Competition into friendship.
They rose before dawn to train under Draven, collapsing together by nightfall.
Ruby, relieved, kept to Jackie — the quieter half of Alex's soul — and watched the two boys grow strong.
---
Winter came — and with it, Jessica and Lucas.
They came under the pretense of a visit, but it was really to prepare for the escape plan.
When Jessica joked about how Damian once called her Alex's little bride, Ruby froze mid-step.
Her fists clenched.
Her face darkened.
And without a word, she walked out into the snow, vanishing for hours.
Jimmy found her first, shivering under a tree.
Alex came next, regret weighing heavy in his eyes.
He apologized, but Ruby's silence was colder than the wind.
Jimmy whispered, "When I hurt her, she forgave me through dance. Maybe… you should ask her to dance for you too."
Alex thought it was foolish — but desperate to make things right, he tried.
---
That evening, under falling snow, Ruby appeared — draped in crimson robes.
Her dragon-scaled sword gleamed in her hand, the steel kissing the cold air.
Alex instantly regretted Jimmy's idea.
But Ruby's eyes softened. She began to move.
The Sword Dance of Luòyáng — a dance of vengeance and loss.
Every step, every swing, was fire and sorrow entwined.
Her robes flared like a phoenix against the white snow, her strikes slicing through the air like storm waves.
When she stopped, the sword rested against Alex's throat.
He raised his hands in surrender, breathless.
Since that day, she dressed only in red.
To the boys, it was no longer just her favorite color — it was her warning.
---
When the Ravens' plan finally activated, Ruby told Jimmy she was leaving him behind — and entrusting him to Alex.
The three boys were stunned.
But there was no time to explain.
Ruby smiled, hiding her tears. "We'll meet again. I promise. I won't let any of you down."
Their painful goodbyes echoed through the night as the families separated — Jimmy now officially registered as a Prince, just as Draven had arranged.
But fate had other plans.
Before the Princes reached the airport, assassins struck.
A coordinated ambush — brutal, relentless.
Alex unleashed the power Ruby had sealed within him, protecting everyone.
Jimmy begged to fight, but Alex refused. "She'd never forgive me if you got hurt."
Moments later, Alex took a fatal blow — chest and head — and fell unconscious. He got taken away by a group.
Something inside Jimmy shattered.
Draven's training awakened within him, the strength Ruby had always believed he carried.
He fought like wildfire beside Jackie and Damian until, bloodied but breathing, they escaped.
The Princes fled to the States.
But no matter how they tried, they could never reach the Ravens again.
Alex survived and was found— but at a terrible cost.
Brain damage. Memory loss, he seemed to have intentionally sealed his memory as his pupils that was bright red like her robes before was now ice blue deprived of life. Sealing memory was the last resort of a mafia if caught, then even the enemy couldn't reach the depth of the spell to break it, but it came at a cost, the caster would be a puppet to be manipulated and influenced by others, and if his memory recovery was delayed the caster would die.
Alex decided to bet his life on Ruby going ahead with the spell as he knew she would rather die than to forget about him, and even if she did it was only a matter of time before she remembered because no one could make the devil forget her love.
The spell was complete, his warmth now gone, his soul hardened.
He trusted no one.
Except Jimmy.
Even without remembering, his last promise to Ruby burned within him — to protect her brother.
---
Years later, Jessica returned — her beauty now a weapon.
Jimmy despised her presence, knowing exactly what she was doing.
Alex, however, couldn't remember the girl in red who once held his heart.
Only fragments remained — laughter, snow, a crimson dance.
Jessica twisted those fragments, convincing him she was the girl from his memories.
And with Lucas's help, they erased the rest —
until Ruby's name itself was lost to time.