I stood up from my seat. The lunch break already started, I was alone in the room.
Suddenly...
Aria entered.
"What do you want?", I asked a bit roughly.
"So you don't have any questions, what happened that night in Greece? My injuries? Then leave it, but I have a lot of questions.", She pulled the chair in front of me and sat down.
"Just go, I don't have anything to answer and if you want to tell me about the incident then please just speak faster.", I turned my head to the left.
"Fine...", she took a deep breath.
"That day, after I went away, it was not just 30 minutes later, I realised, I should go back, but when I pulled out my phone to dial your number, my phone was already dead. I was in a taxi and the driver dropped me on a silent highway. He asked me to pay first or he'll not drive. I didn't have a single penny with me... neither I was able to understand his language properly.
I decided to get off. The road was too quite...I didn't knew where to go, what to do? Suddenly, my phone switched on... there was still 2% of battery remaining. But when I looked in front, there was a big abandoned building.
Suddenly, I heard a voice... and then a man appeared in front wearing a mask.
I don't remember very well but, the ,man said that he was someone you knew closely, he said he knew each and everything about you.
He lunged forward and grabbed my hand and what I remember is I had a brutal fight. But then, he ran away. My bracelet fell down.
I felt I was about to die, I was thirsty, I didn't knew what to do. So, I moved forward. My muscles pained badly.
Then I heard the sound of water flowing nearby...
I moved forward, there was a highway probably, I don't remember exactly, but a full speeded car suddenly threw me on the road and then all I remember is waking up and coming backhere...", she sobbed silently.
Tears rolled down her eyes, her face went pale, I never knew you went through this struggle, But I knew, It's not the right time to speak because, I have nothing to comfort her with.
Even I am struggling with all my life choices.
"Do you noticed anything he wore, his appearance ?", I asked her.
"I- I don't remember clearly but, maybe just maybe, he wore a ring a silver ring and something was written on it...", she took a deep breath and then continued...
"Lucian... he said something while we were fighting... I heard it roughly...", she hesitated...
"he called you 'the last Valle'."
I froze— my throat dried up.
"The last Valle?""He must've been bluffing. Go home, Aria. Get some rest."I got up and walked out — fast.
I stepped out of the classroom.The hallway was empty, only the faint echo of students talking and laughing came from the other side of the corridor. Their voices felt distant—like another world I didn't belong to.
"The last Valle…"The words rang in my head again, steady and sharp, as if carved there.
I gripped the edge of my sleeve. Silver. A silver ring, she said.My father had one too, engraved with our family crest—the same one he was buried with.
Buried.I almost laughed. Who was I kidding?Even his death isn't real. It felt planned. Staged. Like another one of his moves in a game I still didn't understand.
I walked outside, the cold air brushing against my face. The sky was heavy, grey.The same kind of sky as that night in Greece.
By the time I reached home, Aunt Era was already waiting by the door.
"Welcome back, sir," she greeted with her usual warmth.
I forced a small smile and nodded, but before I could speak, she handed me a letter."Sir, this came for you while you were away. No sender name."
My smile vanished.The paper was thick, expensive—sealed with dark wax.That same old crest.The Valle crest.
I tore it open.
Inside, a single piece of parchment.The handwriting—elegant, sharp, too familiar.
'Blood doesn't end with death, Lucian.The protector watches. The war sleeps.Until you find the truth beneath your name.'
No signature. Just the faint imprint of a silver ring pressed against the bottom of the page.
I stared at it for a long moment, the letters blurring slightly.My pulse quickened, but not from fear. From recognition.
The ring.The same one Aria mentioned.
A knock on the door broke my trance. Aunt Era peeked in."Sir, your dinner is ready. Shall I serve it upstairs?"
"No," I said quietly, folding the letter and slipping it into my coat pocket. "I'll eat later."
She nodded and left.
The room fell silent again. And for a second, I could've sworn I heard faint footsteps downstairs.But when I turned, there was no one.
I moved to the window, looking down at the quiet street.My reflection stared back at me, cold, tired… haunted.
"Protector…" I muttered under my breath. "Or predator?"
My phone buzzed.A message from Nikos.
Check your mail, boss. Something weird came in from the Blackveil system — an old file under your father's credentials. Dated 2006.
The same year as the letter.
My heartbeat steadied.I grabbed my jacket and walked toward the door.
If the Gail's had gone quiet… it wasn't peace. It was patience.And if the Valle name still had shadows following it—then maybe I wasn't the last one after all.