Night settled over the slums like a suffocating blanket.
A cold wind swept through the alleys, carrying whispers of danger and unease.
Lucas walked beside Kael in silence as they returned to Lucas's shack, both shaken by the old man's dying words.
Kael kept glancing around, fists clenched, eyes sharp.
"That old guy… who was he?" Kael muttered. "I've lived here for years and never seen him."
Lucas shook his head slowly.
The old man's cold grip, the pained eyes, the faint silver shimmer in the alley—it was too real to be coincidence.
"I don't know," Lucas whispered. "But he knew my parents. He knew something important."
Kael exhaled, rubbing his forehead.
"Lucas… if someone from the slums knew your parents, then your parents were not normal people."
Lucas laughed bitterly.
"I already suspected that."
Kael nudged his shoulder. "Hey. I'm serious. This isn't something you can ignore."
Lucas didn't respond.
He couldn't.
Not when his mind replayed the man's final warning over and over:
"Find the sealed ruin before they do."
They who?
Who killed his parents?
Who was after him?
Who knew his bloodline?
Lucas's heart tightened.
He wasn't ready for this.
Not now.
Not at G– rank.
Yet fate didn't care.
Back in the Shack
Lucas and Kael stepped inside, closing the door carefully.
A faint moonlight washed over the room:
The broken cot
The threadbare blanket
The cracked cup
The wooden crate
The dusty floor
Kael leaned against a wall and exhaled.
"Tell me everything," he said. "From the beginning."
Lucas hesitated.
He couldn't reveal everything, but he could tell the truth that mattered.
He told Kael about the ruin.
The emblem.
The strange mana.
The silver shimmer.
And the dying old man.
When Lucas finished, Kael rubbed his arms, visibly unsettled.
"Lucas… you're in danger. This isn't just slum gang trouble."
Lucas nodded.
"I know."
Kael looked at him seriously.
"You need to be stronger. Fast."
Lucas swallowed hard.
"I'm trying."
Kael grabbed his shoulder roughly.
"No—you need help."
Lucas blinked.
Kael frowned. "I'll help you train. I'm not letting you fight something like that alone."
Lucas stared at him.
For someone who always acted hot-headed and reckless… Kael had a heart too big for the slums.
Lucas breathed out softly.
"…Thank you."
Kael smirked. "Don't thank me yet. I'm doing this because I don't want to attend your funeral."
Lucas chuckled weakly.
Then—
The system chimed softly.
[Bond Strengthened]
Kael Dawnwhisper — Trust: +5
Effect: Slight reduction in mental fatigue when training together.
Lucas blinked.
"…Huh."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "What now?"
"Nothing." Lucas shook his head. "Let's rest. We'll start early tomorrow."
Kael nodded and left the shack to return home.
Lucas collapsed onto the cot, staring at the ceiling.
A sealed ruin.
A bloodline.
People who killed his parents.
And a countdown of five months before the Academy exam.
He closed his eyes.
"…I have to survive."
Sleep came slowly, but when it did—it was short-lived.
Lucas woke at dawn with a jolt.
His heart pounded.
Sweat drenched his back.
His chest burned faintly, like something was pulsing inside the star-shaped birthmark.
He sat up, panting.
"What… was that?"
It felt like a whisper in his veins.
A pull.
A direction.
North.
His breath hitched.
The sealed ruin wasn't a metaphor.
It was a location.
And his bloodline was reacting to it—even now.
He stood abruptly.
He couldn't wait.
He needed to find that ruin.
He needed answers.
But—
A soft knock came from the door.
Lucas opened it to find Kael standing there, arms crossed, eyes sleepy but alert.
"Morning," Kael grunted. "You look like hell."
Lucas laughed weakly. "Didn't sleep well."
Kael stepped inside. "What happened?"
Lucas hesitated.
"…The ruin. I think I know where it is."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "Already?"
Lucas nodded.
"Something… pulled me. Like a feeling. A direction."
Kael stared at him, then shrugged.
"Weird. But okay. Lead the way."
Lucas blinked.
"You're coming?"
"Hell yeah," Kael scoffed. "What did you think? I'd let you walk into some creepy ruin alone?" He punched Lucas lightly in the arm. "I'm your partner now."
Lucas stared at him for a long moment.
Then nodded.
"…Alright."
Heading North
They moved quietly through the waking slums, staying away from gang territories. The northern district was worse than the east—more abandoned, more broken, more dangerous.
As they walked, Lucas felt the pull in his chest grow stronger.
His pace quickened.
His breathing grew shallow.
His blood felt warm.
Kael noticed. "You're pale. You sure you're okay?"
Lucas nodded slowly.
"It's… guiding me."
Kael muttered, "Your family is weird."
Lucas didn't deny it.
After twenty minutes of walking through ruined houses and collapsed streets, Lucas stopped.
The pull intensified.
"…Here."
Kael looked around.
"This place?"
It was a desolate square:
A broken fountain
A collapsed stone monument
Overgrown weeds
Cracked cobblestone
A thick layer of dust and silence
Nothing special.
No monsters.
No mana traces.
No ruins.
Just emptiness.
Kael frowned. "You sure? This doesn't look like anything."
Lucas felt the pull harder.
"Yes."
He approached the collapsed monument.
A stone slab lay partially buried.
Lucas knelt and pushed the weeds aside.
And there—
Barely visible—
Carved into the stone—
A twelve-pointed star surrounded by a sword.
Lucas froze.
Kael stepped closer. "What is that symbol?"
Lucas whispered:
"…My family's crest."
Kael inhaled sharply.
"You found it. This is the place."
Lucas touched the engraved star.
The moment his fingers brushed the carving—
A force thrummed beneath the stone.
Mana burst upward—
A faint blue glow erupted—
And the ground beneath them vibrated.
Kael jumped back. "What the—?!"
Lucas stumbled.
The slab cracked.
A circular outline appeared in the ground—
Dust fell inward—
And a hidden stone platform began to sink, revealing a staircase descending into darkness.
Kael gaped.
"A… hidden ruin?! Under the slums?!"
Lucas's pulse pounded in his ears.
This place…
Was hidden.
Sealed.
Forgotten.
His parents left something here.
He could feel it.
Lucas took a step forward—
But a chilling wind burst from the staircase, carrying faint whispers, like voices echoing from a forgotten past.
Kael grabbed his arm.
"Lucas—WAIT."
Lucas turned.
Kael's expression was serious.
"We're not going down there with your body in this state. You can barely lift a stick right now."
Lucas swallowed.
Kael was right.
If he walked into this ruin without preparation, he might die.
The same way the original Lucas died.
Kael crossed his arms.
"We need supplies. A torch. Rope. Food. I'll get some from home."
Lucas stared at him.
Kael wasn't just coming out of loyalty—
He understood the danger.
"Thank you," Lucas whispered.
Kael smirked. "Yeah, yeah. Don't get emotional. Stay here and rest. I'll be back in twenty minutes."
Kael turned and sprinted off.
Lucas remained still, staring at the glowing staircase.
His heartbeat echoed in his ears.
His parents were connected to this place.
And the old man's final warning…
Someone else is looking for you.
Lucas's hand trembled as he touched the stone.
"I'll get stronger. And I'll learn the truth. Whatever it takes."
The system pulsed.
[Quest Updated]
"Find the Sealed Ruin"
Progress: 50%
Next Objective: Enter the ruin safely.
Warning:
This ruin is tied to the Starlight Bloodline.
Unknown entities may be nearby.
Lucas inhaled.
Then—
A soft rustle sounded from behind him.
Lucas turned sharply.
A young woman stood on a rooftop, hidden behind decorative cloth shades—
Watching him.
Silver-blue eyes.
Short silver hair.
A noble cloak marked with frost-like embroidery.
Elara Valenford.
Lucas stiffened.
She spoke softly, her voice carried by the breeze.
"I knew something was different about you, Lucas."
Lucas's heart froze.
Elara stepped off the rooftop—
Landing silently.
Graceful.
Calm.
Dangerous.
Her eyes locked onto the glowing staircase.
"…And now, I see why."
Lucas swallowed.
Elara's next words were quiet—gentle, but chilling.
"Should I call the Academy… or should I keep your secret?"