Lucien slowly approached Leon.
There was something strange about the way he walked. Unlike the warriors of Yunara, he carried no armor and no weapon, yet his presence alone demanded attention. His long black coat moved gently with each step, the cloth covering almost his entire body except for a small part near his knees.
His build was lean, not muscular like the soldiers of the kingdom. But his posture was elegant and controlled, like a noble born to rule rather than fight.
Under the palace lights, Lucien almost looked unreal.
His long black hair flowed behind his shoulders, and his clean, refined face made him appear younger than his age. Though he was in his thirties, there was a strange beauty in his appearance.
Leon smiled the moment he saw him.
The king stepped forward and pulled his younger brother into a tight embrace.
"It worked, brother!" Leon said with excitement. "Everything went exactly as we planned!"
Lucien allowed the embrace, though his expression remained calm.
"Yes," he said softly. "Now he has revealed himself."
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"The people of Yunara will soon hate him… and fear him."
Leon laughed loudly.
But Lucien's expression suddenly changed.
His voice became serious.
"But brother… that man is only a small fry. You should not focus too much on him."
Leon's face also became serious.
Lucien stepped closer.
"You must think about something bigger."
He looked directly into Leon's eyes.
"The whole continent of Akarin."
Leon remained silent.
Lucien continued speaking.
"Josiah has been dead for two years now. The shadow he cast over us is fading."
His voice grew colder.
"There is no reason to fear Nyari anymore."
Leon's eyes narrowed.
Lucien's expression darkened.
"Our clan… the Yun clan…"
He paused.
Then slowly shook his head.
"No."
His voice carried quiet anger.
"That name was given to us by Josiah."
His eyes burned with hunger.
"We do not need that name anymore."
He stepped forward.
"Our true bloodline is Rudra."
The word echoed through the chamber.
"The Rudra bloodline must rise again," Lucien said quietly.
"And when it does…"
His gaze turned toward the distant city.
"The entire continent of Akarin will kneel."
Leon raised his hand.
"Enough."
Lucien stopped speaking.
Leon looked at him seriously.
"First we deal with the Ra survivor."
His voice lowered.
"Never underestimate a member of the Ra clan."
"Even if only one remains."
⸻
The City of Yunara
Far below the palace, the city was filled with chaos.
In a dark alleyway, Rai suddenly opened his eyes.
The smell around him was terrible.
Rotting garbage filled the narrow street, and dirty water dripped slowly from broken walls.
Beside him sat Haru.
The moment Haru saw Rai wake up, his face twisted with anger.
"You idiot!" Haru whispered loudly.
"Do you even know what you did today?!"
Rai slowly sat up.
Haru's hands were shaking.
"Every soldier in Yunara is looking for you!"
Rai lowered his head.
"…Sorry."
Haru sighed in frustration.
"That's not the problem."
Rai looked at him.
"Rin stayed behind and fought the soldiers," Haru said.
"She sent me a message before everything went bad."
Haru pulled out a small folded paper.
"We need to reach her."
Rai took the paper.
"But the entire city is searching for you," Haru continued. "If they find us, we're dead."
Rai stood up.
"Let's go."
They began walking carefully through the dark streets.
Suddenly—
Footsteps.
Both men froze.
Soldiers appeared at the end of the alley.
More than twenty of them.
One of the soldiers smiled.
"Well well…"
"We found him."
Rai stepped forward.
"Haru," he said calmly.
"You go."
Haru frowned.
"That's a terrible idea."
Rai looked at him.
"I'll handle them."
Haru hesitated.
"You need to find Rin."
Haru clenched his teeth.
Finally he handed the message paper to Rai.
"That's her location."
Suddenly one of the soldiers rushed forward and tried to attack Haru.
Before the blade could reach him—
A flash of steel cut through the air.
Rai moved.
His katana sliced through the soldier with terrifying speed.
The soldier's body split into two pieces, blood bursting across the dark alley walls.
The other soldiers froze for a moment.
Rai stood there silently, his blade dripping with fresh blood.
He slowly turned his head toward Haru.
"Go," Rai said coldly.
Haru hesitated.
"This is a bad idea—"
Rai looked at him again, his eyes burning with intensity.
"I will come to you," Rai said. "Find Rin."
Haru understood there was no time to argue.
He quickly handed the small paper to Rai.
"That's the message she sent."
Rai took it.
"Now go."
Haru turned and ran into the darkness.
Now Rai stood alone.
More than twenty soldiers surrounded him from every direction.
Steel weapons pointed toward him.
But Rai did not move.
His katana hung loosely in his hand, blood slowly dripping onto the stone ground.
The soldiers charged.
And the narrow alley exploded into chaos.
Steel clashed.
Blood sprayed.
Screams echoed through the night.
But none of them realized—
Someone was watching.
High above the alley, on the rooftop of a nearby building.
A young man stood there calmly, observing the entire battle below.
A strange smile slowly spread across his face.
One of his teeth was broken in half, giving his smile a disturbing look.
His eyes shone with excitement as he watched Rai cut through the soldiers.
"Interesting…" he whispered.
The moonlight fell across his face.
Revealing the identity of the watcher.
The third son of King Leon.
Kaizo.
The man feared across Yunara as—
The Broken Fang.
And his gaze was locked on Rai like a predator watching its prey.
⸻
To Be Continued…