The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
"You may enjoy a slow and painful death inside the Cage of the Newborn Obsidian Lizards."
The prisoner's eyes widened in terror.
Obsidian Lizards were ferocious creatures.
Each one was dangerous on its own—but the newborn ones were the worst.
They attacked in swarms.
A single victim could be devoured slowly by dozens of them at once.
It was torture in its purest form.
"I—I'll talk! I'll talk!" the man shouted desperately.
"It was a plan to gain more land! The Earldom branch of House Drakar felt insignificant… they wanted to expand their influence!"
Magnus nodded slowly.
"Hmmm. Very interesting…"
He looked down at the trembling man.
"Well, well. Insignificant, you say?"
The Duke's eyes flared crimson as his aura spilled outward, causing even the knights in the room to grow uneasy.
The prisoner swallowed nervously.
"C-can I leave now?" he asked with a shaking voice.
Magnus suddenly turned toward him.
"Open mouths can make things happen," the Duke said quietly.
His eyes hardened.
"But closed ones are meant to be sealed forever."
The prisoner's face collapsed in fear.
Tears and snot ran down his cheeks.
"But… but I thought—"
Magnus sighed.
"You were useful only while you were alive."
The next moment—
Long, razor-sharp claws extended from the Duke's fingertips.
With one swift motion—
Slash.
The man's head fell cleanly to the floor with a dull thud.
His body collapsed seconds later.
Blood pooled across the cold stone floor.
Moments later, large bat-like creatures descended from the darkness above.
Their wings fluttered wildly as they swarmed the corpse, devouring everything—blood, flesh, bone.
Within seconds, nothing remained.
The creatures rose again, disappearing back into the shadows of the throne hall's high ceiling.
Silence followed.
Only a few drops of blood still slid slowly from the claws of my father.
I could feel it.
The predator inside me remained calm.
Yet the thick, metallic scent of blood filling the hall felt strangely… appetizing.
Magnus spoke without looking at anyone.
"Bring me a cloth."
His voice was cold and casual.
"And gather all of Aaron's belongings. Deliver them to the Central Platform of Gate A."
The knights' armor clanked as they moved to obey.
A woman stepped into the hall, carrying a towel in her hands.
Magnus didn't even look at her.
Instead, he grabbed her apron and tore it free in one motion.
Using the apron, he wiped the blood from his claws as the fabric slowly turned dark red.
Then he spoke again.
But this time, his voice was quieter.
"Son…"
"Your mother once told me that our child would be a hybrid. Someone with great power."
He paused.
"And I have always wondered… why."
Magnus's gaze drifted into the distance.
"Ever since you were born, you were sickly. Weak."
"But she insisted that, at the right time… everything would unfold."
A slow breath escaped him.
"We live in a fractured world, Aaron."
"This world… Pandora."
"A remnant left behind after the Divine War."
His voice grew distant.
"Your mother remained with me for only three years after your birth."
"And then she left."
"To where… no one knows."
He shook his head faintly.
"She arrived like the wind."
"And she left the same way."
Silence filled the throne hall for several seconds.
"I have spent years wondering why."
"Why the Divine War happened."
"Why Pandora shattered."
"And why you were born the way you were."
Magnus's crimson eyes slowly narrowed.
"But now…"
"I feel as though I'm only seeing a small fragment of a much larger picture."
His gaze sharpened.
"Something is moving."
"Something is slowly unveiling itself."
Then his voice hardened.
"Be careful."
"The Faction of Orix searches day and night for ways to unseal their Lord."
His eyes shifted toward me.
"Be careful, son."
"The eyes of the world are always watching."
His final words carried weight.
"Never forget this."
"When you reach the top… when everything feels calm and peaceful…"
"That is when the unexpected strikes."
"There is always someone above you."
Magnus turned away from me.
"Farewell."
"We will meet again."
His voice carried many emotions.
Pain.
Resolve.
And something deeper.
Determination.
I etched every word into my mind.
My vision swam slightly as I watched my father staring into the distance.
It was impossible to tell what he was seeing.
The past.
Or the future.
But I knew one thing.
This moment—
Was the beginning.
The start of everything.
The origin.
***
POV Damon
Aaron awoke to the rhythmic sound of wings beating against the wind.
For a moment, his vision was hazy. Then he realized he was seated inside a carriage. Across from him sat two armored guards, their expressions stoic and silent.
His body felt… strange.
Not weak.
Not in pain.
Just an unfamiliar weightlessness.
And then the realization struck him—an old sensation he vaguely remembered from his previous life.
He was in the air.
Turning his head, Aaron looked through the small glass window set into the side of the carriage.
Below stretched a vast city bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun.
Veyralis.
The capital city and seat of the ducal territory ruled by the head of House Veyrath.
Rows of stone buildings spread outward like rippling waves, their rooftops reflecting golden light. Broad streets cut through the city in elegant patterns, and towering walls encircled the entire metropolis.
Near the center of the city stood a massive structure that dominated the skyline.
Castle Valor.
Even from this distance, its towering spires and crimson banners were unmistakable.
Aaron watched it quietly for a moment before leaning back into his seat.
Determination slowly settled into his eyes, a faint crimson hue flickering within them.
I'll come back.
Stronger.
Stronger than anyone.
The silent vow was not only for the future.
It was also for the broken life he had left behind on Earth.
The carriage continued its flight through the night sky.
Hours passed as darkness swallowed the world below.
Hours passed as—
the first rays of dawn pierced through the fading night.
Far ahead on the horizon, a massive structure, City slowly emerged from the morning mist.
Horizoncrest Academy
Its towering Buildings rose toward the heavens like blades of light, standing proudly against the awakening sky.
Aaron's journey had only just begun.