In a dark corner of the Imperial Palace, the wind whispered through the corridors. Shadows flowed along the tall marble walls, almost as if breathing, concealing the two intruders within their darkness. The air was thick with the heavy, metallic taste of stone, dampness, and ancient magic accumulated over centuries.
Rion folded his wings and landed softly on the marble floor. Above, the twin moons — Siamond and Ruya — bathed the palace walls in a cold, pale light. Noa descended right behind him. His footsteps were nearly silent on the smooth stone.
Rion scanned their surroundings. In the darkness beneath the towering walls, they had finally entered the Imperial Palace.
"We're inside," Rion said quietly but firmly. His voice sank into the vast emptiness and echoed faintly. "Tell me, Noa… what do you think? No matter how much I analyze it, coming here is completely irrational."
Noa remained silent. His gaze was fixed on a distant golden column, where the moonlight shimmered faintly. Then he slowly turned toward Rion and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Thank you, Rion," he said softly but with conviction. "You brought me here. Now… we must find my brother. He knows what happened to our parents."
Rion sighed and pressed a hand to his forehead.
"We could have simply sent a letter," he grumbled. "There's magical message exchange, Noa. One signal rune would have been enough."
Noa offered a pained yet warm smile — one laced with both warmth and sorrow.
"Yes, perhaps," he replied quietly. A cold fire burned in his eyes. "But if my parents were killed for political reasons — if their deaths are tied to the throne — then I must return. This isn't just memory for me, Rion. This is an opportunity."
He took a deep breath.
"Sometimes the most dangerous place is the safest. If I'm under my brother's protection, no one will dare move against me. And if they do… if they kill me right here in the palace — that will prove everything."
Rion looked at him. He searched for the boy he once knew. But there was no innocence left. Only fire remained — cold, precise, and merciless.
"People like you don't last long in political games," Rion said in a grim tone. "Here, every smile is a mask. Every word is a blade."
Noa met his gaze with determination.
"I'm not the boy I used to be," he said firmly. "I'm tired of hiding who I am. If this game is played with fire — then I will burn with it too."
Silence fell. The wind moaned between the marble walls. In the distance, the clinking of guards' armor mingled with the calls of night birds.
"So, what's the plan?" Rion asked at last.
"We'll find my brother's chamber," Noa replied. "Once we reach him, we'll make a plan. For now, we observe."
Rion raised an eyebrow, an ironic smile forming on his lips.
"So you don't even have a plan. And here I thought you'd gotten smarter."
"That's exactly why we're not rushing," Noa said calmly.
Before Rion could respond, a sharp blow struck his chest, slamming him against the wall. A dagger embedded itself beside his head, its runes blazing bright red.
"Pink…" Rion growled.
His veins glowed crimson as his hands transformed — claws extending, skin thickening.
Noa stared at the dagger, his eyes widening.
"Dragon claws…" he whispered.
A low, cold voice emerged from the shadows.
"What do we have here? The fallen prince and the young lord of the Jogan tribe. Quite the unexpected encounter."
"Who's there?" Noa demanded coldly. "Stop hiding like a coward and show yourself!"
The shadows stirred. Fifteen figures dressed entirely in black, their faces masked, appeared. Their eyes glowed blood-red. They encircled Noa and Rion — a silent ring of death.
"An assassin squad…" Rion growled. "They don't act without orders."
One of them stepped forward.
"You may call me Varzak," he said in a sharp, icy voice.
"Why are you telling us your name?" Noa narrowed his eyes.
"So that you know who killed you," Varzak mocked. "You couldn't save your parents. At least die knowing who ended you."
He lunged forward, his dagger blazing crimson.
Noa's eyes flashed as his fists clenched.
"So that's how it is?! WHO DID THIS TO ME?!"
A crimson aura erupted from him, shaking the air.
"What murderous intent…" Varzak laughed. "Magnificent! I haven't seen such power in centuries! My dear prince, please, indulge your humble servant!"
Suddenly the air grew heavy. The ground trembled. Both Noa and Rion dropped to their knees under crushing pressure.
Varzak stopped laughing, looked up at the sky, and sighed in resignation.
"What, already here?"
A massive shadow appeared in the sky — the silhouette of a dragon. Moments later, it descended and took human form: black hair streaked with white, obsidian eyes, and robes adorned with black sigils.
Noa's voice trembled.
"F-First Elder… Marius S. Dragon…"
Marius offered a slight smile — not a smile, but a cold crack.
"It's been a while, hasn't it, little one? I thought the cold had already taken you. Yet here you are — still breathing. Remarkable."
"Monster!" Noa shouted. "The cold didn't kill me!"
He clenched his fists. Marius descended slowly and stopped before him. He grabbed Noa's arm and twisted it — the bones snapped with a sickening crack.
"AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!"
"I have served this Empire far longer than you," Marius said coldly. "Even more loyally than your father."
"But you betrayed everything…" Noa hissed through gritted teeth.
Marius laughed — his voice carried the weight of centuries of pain.
"Rebellion… so typical of S bloodline."
He flexed his fingers like pincers — the air tore apart. Blood began streaming from Noa's eyes.
"MY EYES!" Everything before Noa's eyes turned red. Then white. Then nothing.
He screamed — but he no longer knew whose scream it was.
Blood dripped onto the marble floor, glowing faintly crimson. Rion froze — this was not a fight, it was punishment.
"What's wrong, child?" Marius mocked.
Noa lifted his head, trembling but unbroken.
"You can take my eyes and my arm… but you will never erase your betrayal."
"The spirit of the S lineage still lives in you," Marius said darkly. "Once, they feared us — they respected us. Then three emperors in succession crushed us."
He raised his hand — but another voice cut through the air.
"That's not enough, Grandfather."
A cold voice emerged from the shadows.
"This boy has shamed our bloodline. The High Houses mock us because of him. His punishment is not yet over."
Noa froze. Rion's eyes widened.
"That voice… Azel S. Dragon — the Crown Heir?!"
From the darkness stepped a tall young man with long black hair, pitch-black eyes, wearing white-gold robes and a black-edged cloak.
"Brother… is that you?" Noa whispered. "Have you joined them?"
Azel's response was a merciless strike. Noa slammed into the wall and coughed up blood.
"How dare you call me brother?"
"It's me… Noa S. Dragon…"
"You are not one of us," Azel said coldly. "You never were."
Noa lowered his head. Childhood memories of laughter shattered like glass inside him.
"So it was all a lie…" he whispered.
"Fool," Azel said. "You were never my brother. You were an experiment."
He pulled a black cube from his robe.
"Failures… must be erased."
He tossed the cube into the air. It exploded in a pulse of black light, engulfing Noa and Rion.
The ground shook. The air tore apart. Rion could only watch — pinned down by Marius's oppressive power, unable to move. Noa didn't move either — as if his heart had stopped.
Azel turned away.
"It's done. Let's go."
Marius gave an ironic smile.
"No… this is only the beginning."