Kingdom of Morteluna. Capital Cellaflun. Underground Trial of the ██████████ Clan. Fifteen years ago.
Cold. Not just a chill – an icy draft that crept under the robe, clinging to the bones. The air smelled of dampness, incense, and something else – a sweet, cloying stench of fear. The vaulted ceiling of the dungeon vanished into darkness, and only torches cast dancing shadows on the faces of the judges. There were three of them, clad in black robes, their faces hidden behind silver masks with slits for eyes – expressionless, soulless. Like idols.
Ropes bit into Valeria's wrists, fibers scratching her skin until it bled. She tried to break free, but the guards – two burly men with empty eyes – only tightened the knots. Next to her, Ignavius wheezed, his body taut like a bowstring.
"Oh, Valeria and Ignavius ██████████!" – the judge's hoarse voice echoed through the underground chamber. – "Oh, sinners who have despised the laws of God! Your trial, you who have defiled the sanctity of kinship, concludes without delay, for your sin, ██████████, is so great that the Lord Himself points His finger at you!"
He paused, his mask slowly turning toward the hall. The torches crackled.
"Your sentence is death! May the world be cleansed of your filth!"
"I object! – her voice broke into a desperate, alien shriek. – "This is a lie! You're judging us without evidence!"
"Agreed!" – Ignavius shouted, veins bulging on his neck. – "This violates all your own rules!"
"Silence, sinners!" – at the judge's command, two guards roughly wrapped ropes around their mouths. The fabric bit into their lips, making it impossible to breathe. – "There is no salvation for you, for all the evidence, like accuser angels, testifies against you! The testimonies of the Lord's servants, like the sword of justice: your guilt is as clear as day and beyond doubt!"
He struck the floor with his gavel – a sound like a breaking bone. That was the signal.
The cries from the hall were not mere noise. They were a choir of madness:
"Burn them! Purify with fire!" – shrieked an old woman in a ragged headscarf.
"No, hang them! Let everyone see!" – barked a soldier with a scar across his eye.
"Give them to torture!" – that was the voice of the merchant, the same one who had smiled at them in the market just last week.
Valeria tasted dust and blood – she had bitten her tongue. Ignavius let out a muffled groan, his body jerking. In her brother's eyes she saw the same thing she felt herself: not the fear of death, but furious, powerless humiliation.
And then, through the growing roar of the crowd, through the ringing in her ears, came that voice. Quiet, clear, as if inside her skull:
"Wake up."
---
Kingdom of Morteluna. Village Wilkorrmor.
"A-A-A-A-A!" – Valeria sprang up from her sack with a terrified scream, clutching her heart. Icy sweat ran down her entire body. The desire to nap a little had turned into a nightmare from the past. – "What… What the fuck was that? That night... It was that very night! Fuck, why that one?!"
A fresh wave of goosebumps ran over Valeria's skin, and she hurriedly opened the door of the house. Outside, people were running back and forth in a hurry, dragging tool-like weapons from their homes, gradually gathering at the western gates. Horror pierced her entire being.
"Oh no. No, no, no! It's that…" she covered her mouth with her hand and felt something warm. A nosebleed. – "Argh, shit! My curse, it's happening again!"
In a panic, she rushed back into the house and began prying up the rotten floorboards to find her hiding place. The next second, she froze when she reached an old bundle of cloth. Unwrapping it, two chain-linked daggers were revealed, looking as if time had not affected them at all. On their hilts were engraved "Kyaryaku" and "Erbe".
"How I hate to take you in my hands." – Valeria muttered in a cold tone.
Like an arrow she shot out of the house and ran toward the eastern gates, carrying the bundle in her hands, mercilessly shoulder-checking anyone who got in her way.
Bursting into the shed, Valeria was confused when she saw Ignavius standing in front of Asa's workbench, holding a letter in his hands. But neither Asa nor Lucius were visible.
"Ignavius, what are you doing here? And where is my family?"
"Huh? Ah, it's you, sis…" – Ignavius muttered, as if snapped out of a trance. But a second later, he turned even paler, because he still hadn't come up with an excuse to explain Lucius's condition.
Seeing the expression on her brother's face, she took a step closer, a bad feeling coming over her.
"Ignavius." – Valeria said in a more aggressive voice. – "Where is my husband and son?"
"Calm down, they're-"
"IGNAVIUS!" – impatient, Valeria dropped the bundle to the ground, grabbed Ignavius by the collar and pinned him to the wall. – "WHERE ARE THEY?! I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR YOUR BABBLING!"
"I'm here, no need to shout." – Asa's sleeping voice came from behind Valeria, making her release Ignavius. – "What happened? You're rarely this agitated."
Hearing Asa's question, Valeria fell silent for a few seconds, then elbowed Ignavius in the side.
"Go to your hut and bring weapons. I had a bad dream."
Surprised by his sister's words, Ignavius listened to the noise in the Street, his gaze darkened
"Shit." – Ignavius grunted and jumped out of the shed through the same window.
Seeing Ignavius leave through the window, Asa looked at Valeria with bewilderment, as if he didn't recognize her. She was aggressive, stern, and taciturn — a stark contrast to the family woman he knew. 'Damn, she's scary when angry… and why is that so arousing?'
"Lera, what's going on?"
"Where is Lucius?"
"He's where I came from. But-"
"Fuck… No "buts"! The whole village is in big trouble, and we need to get the hell out of this hole as fast as we can!"
"He's in a coma." – Asa said, feeling a lump in his throat trying to stop his words.
Hearing this, Valeria's heart dropped into her heels. With a blank voice, she asked:
"What did you just say?"
"I said Lucius is in a coma. But before you start blaming me, I have to say that Ignavius was the one who brought him like this."
Without a word, Valeria cautiously stepped toward the attic, wanting to see Lucius, but Asa blocked her path with an outstretched arm.
"Asa, what does this mean?" – Valeria's voice trembled from how hard she was holding back the urge to push him aside and rush inside.
"You don't want to see this."
Before she could object, the first screams and sounds of battle came from outside. Asa's entire body went rigid with fright, while Valeria finally drew her daggers.
"What the hell is going on here?!" – Asa shouted in shock, seeing the weapons in his wife's hands.
"Gather what you need and be ready to leave. The village is under attack." – Valeria said tensely. – "And take care of Lucius."
"And where do you think you're going?!"
Despite his questions, Valeria remained silent and was about to leave, but Asa grabbed her wrist, trying to stop her. Before he could react, Valeria turned around on the spot, took him by the collar with her captured hand, pulled him close and kissed him. His mind immediately clouded. That unexpected moment of tenderness was enough to soothe his anxiety.
"I'll be fine." – A small smile appeared on Valeria's face as she said this.
Looking at Valeria's face, Asa sighed heavily and turned to his huge cabinet of potions.
"When this is all over, you'll have questions to answer." – he muttered, his hands already rummaging among flasks and vials.
"You still need to make sure I agree to answer them." – she replied playfully. – "Love yo-"
Before Valeria could finish, a primal terror pierced both their beings. Turning around, they saw a severed head slowly roll down the road. Amidst the screams and women's wailing throughout the village, slow, heavy, measured footsteps sounded right next to the shed. And then, they beheld the one who had attacked the village. His entire appearance made Valeria grip her hilts with all her might from tension, while Asa couldn't even flinch from fear. In his hands were two daggers, from which fresh blood was already dripping.
"You'd better be the one." – Walter said viciously, then glanced at the daggers in her hands, and a crooked grin spread across his face. – "Oh yes, it's them…"
'He's dangerous. Who is he?' Valeria thought, beginning to study his appearance for clues.
One eye wrapped in old bandages – easier to attack from the left. Abundance of scars on his face – a sign he's constantly fighting. Very experienced. Leather cloak covering his whole body – seems he travels a lot. Leather armor protecting only the essentials – he doesn't want to restrict his movements. Hands… A brand. Her thoughts instantly emptied when she saw it, only to be filled with new ones. 'Kill. Tear him apart. Cut him into leather straps.'
Without a second thought, Valeria lunged with all her might at the man standing before them, ready to impale him. Following his wife's example, Asa at that same moment grabbed a dart filled with some nasty substance from the shelf and threw it at Walter's face.
Smirking, Walter blocked Valeria's lunge, crossing blades with her, but because she threw her full weight into it, she forced him to take a step back to maintain balance, and a slight numbness crept into his hands. Seeing the incoming dart, Walter tilted his head sideways to dodge, but the needle grazed his earlobe.
"Asa, stay inside and stay with Lucius!" – she commanded, then slammed the shed door shut before coldly looking at the newcomer. – "Who the hell are you?!" – Valeria shouted warily, standing between Walter and the shed.
Shocked and locked inside, Asa began pounding on the door to get out, but it wouldn't budge.
"Lera, open the door! Don't you dare do this!" – receiving no answer, he fell silent and ran to his shelves.
Ignoring Asa's shouts from the shed, Walter pulled the dart from his pierced ear and tossed it behind him. Because the needle had only grazed him, not a drop of poison entered his body.
"Straight into battle with daggers and darts?" – he said, shaking his hands to relieve the numbness. Feeling no amusement, Walter folded his hands behind his back to mock her and her confidence. – "Frankly, I expected more hospitality from the sin-"
Not wanting to hear those words, Valeria moved to his side, aiming to sink a dagger into the gap of his leather vest. Seeing her intent, Walter jumped back again to dodge the strike.
"Shut up!" – Valeria shouted, feeling horror consume her because of his display of reflexes and strength. – "It was slander! Nothing but lies from envious servants!"
"So what? I don't care about your words. The Clan doesn't care whether you think the accusations are false or not. The sentence remains in effect regardless, and I have a mission to complete. Unguibus semper acutus! "
As soon as Walter shouted his battle cry, Ignavius leaped from the roof of one of the houses with a jagged sword at the ready. Hoping for the element of surprise, he swung his sword, aiming to cleave Walter in one downward blow, but the man dodged at the last moment. Ignavius's blade sank into the ground, scattering clods of dirt in all directions. Not wanting to give him even a second's respite, Valeria leaped over her brother, aiming her blades at his neck.
"Clever. But slow."
Before Valeria could be surprised, Walter grabbed her wrist with an iron grip and threw her over his shoulder. She hit the ground flat on her back, letting out a painful cough. The impact knocked all the air from her lungs, and Kyaryaku and Erbe nearly slipped from her hands. But when he released her, instead of getting to her feet, she quickly rolled sideways, clutching her now-dislocated shoulder.
An icy chill ran down Walter's spine and made him cross his blades again in a defensive stance. His intuition did not fail him. At the last moment, he managed to block another heavy attack from Ignavius.
"What kind of fucking of monster are you?!" – Ignavius shouted, shocked that Walter had managed to deflect such a blow.
"The one who didn't rust for fifteen years!" – to prove his point, Walter pushed Ignavius's sword back, and in the free moment, kicked him in the chest.
A disgusting crunch from the collision of Walter's knee with Ignavius's solar plexus echoed in Ignavius's ears. The force of the blow was enough to send him flying into the wall of the nearest house with a wooden crack. Unable to breathe or hold his weapon, he let go of his sword and fell to the ground, gasping for air but unable to swallow it. Besides that, he was certain he had broken something. Collarbone or ribs, he wasn't sure. Most likely both. Seeing his pathetic state, Walter couldn't help but laugh.
"You know, Python, this is pitiful and even annoying." – with his arrogant statement, Walter looked around. Ignavius lying on the ground, unable to breathe; Valeria clutching her dislocated shoulder; and dozens of bodies scattered around the village. – "So much so that I'm starting to pity you. Fifteen years I've searched for you, killing and destroying everything and everyone in my path. I thought you'd be preparing all this time as well. For what? You're just weaklings. And since that's the case, I'll at least play with you a lit-"
The same feeling from a few seconds ago made Walter interrupt his monologue. His body, without waiting for a command, acted on its own. Putting all his strength into the strike, he cut the wooden bucket of water that Valeria had thrown at him. The water from the bucket drenched him completely, getting into his single eye, blinding the warrior. However, he failed to react to what followed. With a sharp pain, several crossbow bolts embedded themselves in his back, easily piercing his light leather armor.
Asa had finally managed to get out with an old crossbow and a quiver of bolts, coated in his sleeping draught. This time, Asa was not going to stand idly by.
Feeling his mind quickly clouding and his strength leaving his body, Walter shouted furiously:
"Bastard! What did you do to me?!" – feeling growing weakness, he dropped his daggers to the ground and began reaching behind his back to try to pull out the bolts. But it was useless. The effect was instantaneous.
Walter's whole body began to go numb, and in a rage, he ran toward Asa, trying to kill him.
"No! Asa, run! He'll kill you!" – trying to save her beloved, Valeria tried to overtake Walter and push him, but she slipped in the mud and fell.
Despite her screams, Asa didn't move an inch, just calmly watched as the beast charged at him. Just a few meters away, Walter was already swinging his fist to crush the insolent man's skull… and suddenly froze. Not because the draught had taken effect – it was already working, weakening his body with terrifying efficiency. But because for a moment, sound disappeared. The screams, the crying, even the wind. As if reality itself held its breath. And in that ringing silence, he heard… no, felt on the back of his neck someone's piercing, alien gaze. Right behind him. Where there was no one.
His legs gave way, he collapsed, but even in his death spasm, his fingers slid to his belt, finding the familiar protrusion of a small metal flask. An instinct honed by hundreds of battles. Consciousness was fading, but his body already knew what to do. The last thing he saw was the alchemist's face, which had not flinched for an instant.