Kaien and Eryon were holding their breath as they watched the scene before them.
Eryon's shoulders were tense, his jaw locked tight. His eyes never once left the men standing ahead of them. Every muscle in his body had hardened, frozen in place—ready to flee at the slightest movement.
Neither of them moved.
Without almost moving his lips, Eryon released a trembling breath toward Kaien.
"S–stay quiet…"
His voice was so low that the words scraped against his throat, barely audible at all.
But it was useless.
Kaien's face had gone deathly pale. His pupils were dilated, his gaze struggling to stay focused. The pressure in his chest grew heavier with every breath, the sound of blood roaring in his ears. The world felt as if it were slowly tilting.
He tried to take a step back—
But his knees refused to respond.
"Uh—"
A muffled sound slipped from his lips. He lost his balance. His knees slammed hard against the stone.
Thud.
The sharp crack of a breaking branch.
The dull, heavy sound of bone striking rock.
An unavoidable echo, cutting straight through the silence of the night.
The young heir noticed the movement behind the rocks instantly. He turned his head ever so slightly. His eyebrows did not rise. There was no surprise in his eyes—only a calm, calculating attention.
He spoke to one of his subordinates as if making casual conversation.
"Looks like it's going to be a long night," he said.
His voice was flat. There was no curiosity in it, no anger.
"Go and bring those rats here."
The man he addressed was not large. He was thinner, with a bony face. His lips tightened into a narrow line, his eyes flicking briefly toward the darkness.
He bowed his head.
"As you command."
And then he vanished silently into the shadows.
At the same moment, Eryon clutched Kaien's arm. His grip was so tight that his knuckles had turned white. His breathing was fast, his chest rising and falling erratically.
"Kaien…"
His voice cracked. He swallowed.
"Kaien, w-what happened? Get up… come on, get up."
Kaien couldn't answer. His lips parted, but no sound came out.
Thoughts piled over one another in his mind.
Get up…
Move…
Why… why does my body feel so heavy?
Why does Eryon's voice sound so far away?
His vision darkened on its own.
"Move… move…"
Eryon clenched his teeth. The muscles in his face tightened. He didn't hesitate. He grabbed Kaien by the arm and hoisted him onto his shoulder. His knees trembled, but he didn't stop.
"We have to go," he whispered, this time more forcefully.
"We can't hide."
He dragged Kaien toward the forest.
But—
The young heir had already seen them.
His gaze lingered for a brief moment on Kaien's staggering form. The corner of his lips twitched faintly—neither a smile nor disdain. Just indifference.
The large man beside him bowed slightly, his voice deep and relaxed.
"Ah… young master."
A short chuckle escaped him.
"Sir, they're just children."
"I know," the heir replied.
His voice remained calm.
"They've been here since morning."
Without taking his eyes off Kaien and Eryon, he continued.
"Witnessing our conversation is their own mistake."
"Bring them here. Perhaps they know something about this place."
"As you command, sir."
Eryon ran.
His feet caught on roots, his breath burning his throat. Kaien's weight crushed down on his shoulder, but he didn't slow. His heart pounded against his chest like a hammer.
But—
The footsteps behind them…
They were too steady.
Too close.
A voice echoed just behind them. Mocking. Relaxed.
"Seriously," it said.
"Hah… hah."
"Did you really think you could get away from me that easily?"
Eryon's foot caught on a root.
"Damn—!"
He barely managed to regain his balance. Kaien's weight sagged heavier against him. He clenched his teeth, his face twisting in pain.
And then—
Eryon's eyes went empty.
His mind pulled away.
6 MONTHS EARLIER – Under the Ashmer tree
The shade of the ash tree was cool.
Despite it being summer, the air wasn't stifling. Summers in the north were short; the wind blew cool, the sun never burned. Leaves rustled softly, distant bird calls drifting through the air.
Kaien sat at the base of the tree.
He was staring at the stone statues. Moss covered them. Broken, ancient shapes whose meaning he didn't know… yet he couldn't look away.
Eryon, on the other hand, couldn't stay still.
He paced back and forth, rubbing his hands together, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
"Brother," Kaien said without turning his head,
"why are you so excited?"
The disappointment in his voice was unmistakable.
"My father said he'd only show one move."
Eryon stopped and turned toward him.
"Even one move," he said sharply,
"means blood arts."
His brows furrowed, his voice rising.
"Shouldn't you be at least a little excited?"
Kaien shrugged.
"I don't know," he said honestly.
"I don't really feel anything."
Eryon clenched his teeth. His irritation was obvious.
"I really don't understand you," he muttered.
Just then—
A silhouette appeared in the distance.
Heavy footsteps. A posture slightly hunched forward. A sack slung over one shoulder.
Zakaryon Juhesta.
He was muttering to himself.
"Damn it all…"
"Couldn't find the plant I needed again."
He adjusted the sack.
"Just medicinal herbs and wild roots…"
"We'll barely make it through winter with this."
He frowned.
"I'll have to go down to the Riveryan region and ask George."
"Though every time I go, it's the same answer…"
'Out of stock.'
He sighed.
"Tomorrow, then."
Just then—
"DAD!"
Eryon had already started running toward him.
The man flinched.
"Ah—"
"Why is this brat running now?"
He paused. Then remembered.
"…Right."
Blood arts.
"Almost forgot," he muttered.
Eryon stopped in front of his father, breathing hard.
"Dad, come on!"
"Kaien's waiting too!"
Zakaryon smiled. A tired but warm smile.
"Alright, alright," he said, raising a hand.
"I'm coming."
He walked toward the ash tree.
Kaien looked up. For the first time, his eyes lit up.
And Eryon's chest—
For just a moment—
Trembled faintly. Zakaryon stopped under the ashmer tree and let the sack slide from his shoulder. It hit the ground with a dull sound. He rolled his neck once, then cracked his knuckles slowly.
"Only one move," he said, holding up a single finger.
"And you're not allowed to imitate it."
Eryon frowned.
"Then what's the point?"
Zakaryon glanced at him.
"The point," he replied calmly,
"is to understand what blood truly is."
Kaien's eyes shifted toward him.
Zakaryon crouched down, pressing his palm against the earth.
"Blood is not power," he continued.
"It's a cost."
His fingers dug slightly into the soil.
"When you use it, something inside you is taken away. Every time."
Eryon's breathing slowed.
Kaien listened without blinking.
Zakaryon raised his hand and drew a small cut across his thumb. Blood welled up immediately—dark, vivid red. It didn't drip. It trembled, suspended in the air for a brief moment.
Eryon's eyes widened.
"That's—"
"Ruven," Zakaryon said.
He closed his fist.
The blood hardened instantly, crystallizing into a sharp, narrow shard. The air around it vibrated faintly.
"This is the simplest form," he said.
"Compression."
He flicked his wrist.
The shard flew forward and pierced the ground beside the ash tree. The soil split open with a sharp crack. The leaves overhead shook violently.
Silence followed.
Eryon swallowed hard.
Kaien's chest felt tight.
His fingers curled into the dirt.
Something inside him… moved.
Zakaryon turned his gaze to Kaien.
"You felt that," he said.
It wasn't a question.
Kaien looked up slowly.
"I don't know what it was," he answered honestly.
"But… it hurt."
Zakaryon nodded once.
"That means your blood listened."
Eryon's head snapped toward Kaien.
"What?"
"You felt it too?!"
Kaien nodded.
Zakaryon stood up.
"That's enough for today."
Eryon protested instantly.
"What? That's it?!"
"You said you'd show us!"
"I did," Zakaryon replied.
He looked at Kaien one more time.
"And that's already too much."
The forest shook violently.
Eryon snapped back to reality.
A hand slammed into his back, sending him flying forward. He crashed into the ground, Kaien rolling off his shoulder. Dirt and leaves scattered everywhere.
Eryon groaned as he pushed himself up.
"Kaien—!"
He turned—
And froze.
The thin man stood there, smiling faintly. His eyes gleamed unnaturally in the darkness.
"Well well," he said lightly.
"You almost impressed me."
Kaien lay on the ground, barely conscious. Blood ran from the corner of his mouth. His eyes were half-open, unfocused.
Eryon moved in front of him instantly, arms spread wide.
"Don't touch him."
The man tilted his head.
"Oh?"
"And what exactly are you going to do?"
Eryon clenched his fists. His legs trembled.
Zakaryon's voice echoed faintly in his mind.
Blood is a cost.
Eryon inhaled sharply.
He bit down on his palm.
Blood spilled.
The man's smile widened.
"Oh?"
The blood did not harden.
It spread across Eryon's skin like a stain—unstable, trembling violently.
Eryon screamed as pain tore through his arm. His veins burned. His vision blurred.
But he stepped forward.
"One step closer," he gasped,
"and I'll—"
The man moved.
Too fast.
A strike to the stomach.
Air exploded out of Eryon's lungs. He collapsed instantly, blood spraying from his mouth.
"Pathetic," the man muttered.
He looked down at Kaien.
Then—
He stopped.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Interesting."
Kaien's blood—
It was reacting.
Despite Kaien being unconscious, thin lines of dark red began to seep from beneath his skin, pulsing faintly. The air around him grew heavy, distorted.
The man stepped back instinctively.
"That's not Ruven," he whispered.
A voice echoed from behind him.
"Enough."
The large man stepped forward.
"Don't break the merchandise."
The young heir approached slowly. His gaze never left Kaien.
"So this is what you were hiding," he said quietly.
He crouched down beside Kaien.
Kaien's eyes fluttered open.
For a brief second—
Their gazes met.
The heir smiled faintly.
"You saw us," he said.
"That means you're already involved."
He stood.
"Take them."
Eryon tried to move.
His body didn't respond.
The last thing he saw—
Was Kaien being dragged away.
And the blood—
Turning darker.