The wind howled across the battlefield, carrying with it the scent of iron and ash
The enemy empire's knights moved among the corpses, turning them over in search of survivors—or secrets.
Their metal footsteps echoed through the lifeless expanse.
And at the front…
walked Iron Valis, the seventeen‑year‑old prince with jet‑black hair, sharp golden eyes, and a cold, unreadable expression.
A soldier suddenly shouted:
"My lord! We found someone still breathing!"
Iron approached with steady steps.
The soldier knelt and lifted a shattered piece of armor off the chest of the young man lying on the ground.
What appeared beneath the armor…
was not just torn fabric.
It was a small metal emblem, stained with blood—yet still shining despite the chaos.
Iron reached out slowly, wiped the blood with his thumb—
And suddenly—
The symbol became clear.
A golden crown.
Three wings.
A line engraved with the precision only royal craftsmen possessed.
A soldier whispered, voice trembling:
"This… this is the crown prince's emblem…"
Iron froze.
His golden eyes widened for a brief moment before returning to their usual coldness.
He lifted the young man's head slightly…
and saw his face.
Strong features despite the wounds.
Blood‑soaked hair clinging to his forehead.
Weak breaths… but breaths nonetheless.
Iron spoke in a low voice, heavy with meaning:
"Rin… the crown prince."
The soldiers instinctively stepped back.
None of them expected to find the most dangerous figure of the Great Empire lying helpless before them.
One knight stammered:
"My lord… should we kill him? He—"
He didn't finish.
Iron looked at him—
one glance was enough to silence his heart before his mouth.
Then the prince said with lethal calm:
"Anyone who touches him… dies."
Silence fell.
Iron picked up the emblem again, studied it, then said:
"This emblem… is worn only by the heir to the throne."
He bent down, lifted Rin onto his shoulder, and rose slowly.
"We're taking him to the fortress."
The soldiers exchanged shocked looks.
Iron continued in a low voice, as if announcing the beginning of a new war:
"I've found the greatest treasure of the Great Empire."
---
Rin lay in a large room with a high ceiling, resting on a dark wooden bed.
Bandages wrapped tightly around him, his clothes torn, his body groaning with pain.
But despite everything…
he was alive.
Rin opened his eyes slowly.
The dim torchlight made him blink several times before his vision cleared.
The first thing he felt…
was pain.
Pain in his chest, his shoulder, his leg—his entire body screaming.
He tried to sit up, but his hand trembled and fell back onto the bed.
"Where… am I?"
Heavy footsteps approached the door.
It opened slowly—
And Iron Valis entered.
He wore his dark military coat, his black hair slightly tousled, his golden eyes glowing in the blue torchlight.
He stood before the bed, staring at Rin in silence.
Rin tried to sit up, but the pain stopped him.
He lifted his head with difficulty, his eyes widening when he recognized the figure before him.
"You…"
Iron stepped closer and spoke in a calm voice that carried frightening strength:
"You're finally awake… crown prince."
Rin froze.
He hadn't expected the enemy to discover his identity so quickly.
He tried to hide his unease and said weakly but firmly:
"If you're going to kill me… do it now."
Iron raised an eyebrow, as if hearing something amusing.
"Kill you?"
He stepped closer, now only a step away from the bed.
"If I wanted you dead… you wouldn't be awake right now."
Rin fell silent.
Iron sat on the chair beside the bed, crossed one leg over the other, and said:
"I found you on the battlefield. Half‑dead.
But the emblem on your chest…"
He pulled a small metal piece from his pocket—
the crown prince's emblem—
and held it up.
"This is what saved you."
Rin clenched his fist, but his body was too weak to resist.
Iron leaned forward, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper:
"I won't kill you, Rin.
Not now."
Then he smiled—
a cold, chilling smile.
"You're far more valuable alive than dead."
A shiver ran down Rin's spine.
This wasn't mercy…
This was a game.
Iron stood, turned toward the door, and said without looking back:
"Rest, crown prince.
We have much to discuss… when you can stand."
He closed the door behind him.
Rin remained staring at the ceiling, his heart pounding.
"What do they want from me…?"
---
The royal hall was drowned in heavy silence—
the kind that comes before a storm.
Servants stood along the walls, heads lowered, sensing something dark approaching.
Suddenly—
the doors burst open, and a knight rushed in, breathless, his hand trembling as he held a message sealed with the army's crest.
He knelt before the emperor and said in a broken voice:
"Your Majesty… an urgent message."
The emperor took it slowly, as if it weighed a thousand stones.
His heart screamed before he even read it…
that whatever was inside was not good.
He broke the seal.
Opened the paper.
Read the first line.
Then the second.
And suddenly—
he froze.
The message slipped from his hand to the floor, as if it had burned him.
Sera rushed forward, picked it up, and read aloud with trembling eyes:
"Your Majesty…
We were forced to retreat.
The attack was sudden…
Rin, the crown prince…
fell on the battlefield.
He was bleeding heavily…
and the most likely outcome… is that he died… according to his friend's testimony."
Her voice cracked as she continued:
"The enemy has taken control of the western region."
Sera couldn't bear it.
She screamed—
a scream that tore through the hall:
"NO!! He promised me!! He didn't die!!"
Tears streamed down her face as she struck her chest with trembling hands.
"Let me go!! He's alive!! He'll come back!!
He'll walk through that door and say: 'Sera… I'm home.'
He didn't die!! Do you hear me?!"
She ran out of the hall, fleeing the truth her heart refused to accept.
Haru collapsed completely.
He ran after her but fell to his knees halfway, screaming:
"Riiiiin!! Please… don't leave me!!"
He punched the walls until his fists bled—
but the physical pain was nothing compared to the agony tearing his heart apart.
The emperor sat on his throne, but he no longer looked like a king.
He looked like a father who had lost his only son.
His hands trembled.
His eyes were empty.
His voice escaped as a shattered whisper:
"Rin… my son…"
---
Meanwhile, in Cyan's imperial palace, the sky was heavy with clouds, as if mourning what was to come.
A guard rushed in with a scroll sealed in black—
the seal of the Valkar Empire.
The emperor opened it slowly…
and his eyes widened with every word.
To Emperor Han Cyan,
We inform you that your crown prince, Rin Cyan, is alive.
He is in our custody.
If you want him alive, surrender your empire entirely—
your land, your people, your army.
In return, we guarantee your people's safety and return your son.
If you refuse… his death will be by your hand, not ours.
— Emperor Darius Valkar
When he finished reading, the emperor closed his eyes tightly, as if struck in the heart.
He stood slowly, hand trembling as he prepared his reply:
"I will not surrender my people…
nor my empire."
He tore the letter into pieces.
Then he made the hardest decision of his life—
a decision as emperor, not as a father.
He hid the truth.
He told no one that Rin was alive.
"If they know… they will break.
And if the enemy knows that we know… they will use him against me."
He whispered:
"Forgive me, Rin…
but I will not let Darius use you to destroy us."
---
When Emperor Han's refusal reached the Iron Fortress, Darius Valkar exploded in rage.
He overturned tables, shattered cups, tore maps from the walls.
His roar shook the hall:
"Han Cyan REFUSES?!
Refuses to save his son?!
Refuses to save his people?!"
Amid the chaos, Iron Valis entered calmly.
"Father… Han Cyan will soon learn that refusing us was the worst decision of his life."
Then Crown Prince Lios Valkar entered—
cold, merciless.
"My brother is right.
We won't kill Rin.
We'll break him."
He smiled:
"We'll destroy his identity…
his spirit…
until nothing remains but a shell we can use."
Darius gave the order:
"Lios… Rin Cyan is yours.
Break him."
---
Lios entered Rin's cell with a whip in hand.
The beating was merciless—
each strike reopening old wounds, mixing fresh blood with dried.
Rin trembled between agony and collapse.
Lios leaned close and whispered:
"Rin… your father abandoned you.
You're nothing to him."
Rin forced out a broken whisper:
"You… liar…"
Lios laughed and pulled out an official scroll.
"Don't believe me?
Look at your father's imperial seal.
He signed your life away."
Rin's eyes fell on the red seal—
the seal of Cyan…
the seal of his father…
the seal of the home he grew up in.
He froze.
Air vanished from his lungs.
He heard nothing—
not Lios's voice,
not the guards,
not the chains.
Only the seal.
The symbol of pride…
now a blade in his chest.
His trembling hand reached out—
but the chains stopped him.
He whispered:
"Father…?"
The word tore from his soul.
Lios smirked:
"See? Even your voice doesn't believe your hope."
Rin's breaths quickened.
His heart pounded painfully.
His body shook.
"My father… wouldn't do this…
He wouldn't leave me…"
Lios whispered:
"Then why didn't he come?
Why didn't he send an army?
Why didn't he even ask for your body?"
Rin's eyes slowly lost their light.
"No…
This… can't be…"
Lios lifted the scroll again.
"Your father chose his empire…
over his son."
Rin's head dropped.
His shoulders collapsed.
He didn't cry.
He didn't scream.
He didn't speak.
Silence was the proof that the blow had struck the deepest part of his heart.
---
Days passed.
Lios returned every day with the same scroll.
"If your father wanted you… he would have come."
"He didn't even send a message."
"He chose the throne over you."
"If you mattered… you wouldn't be here."
At first, Rin whispered:
"You're lying."
But as days turned into weeks…
His voice faded.
His resistance weakened.
His eyes dulled.
Until finally—
He stopped answering.
Stopped looking up.
Stopped fighting.
Lios smiled.
Because when a man loses faith in himself…
he loses everything.
---
In Valkar's training grounds, Iron Valis stood alone after finishing his drills.
A guard approached.
"My lord… you seem dissatisfied."
Iron sheathed his sword slowly.
"I simply can't find what I'm looking for."
The guard asked:
"And what is that, my prince?"
Iron's golden eyes turned cold.
"Someone strong."
He paused.
"Someone who can defeat me."
Not arrogance—
just truth.
Iron Valis was too strong.
Too unmatched.
And he was searching for only one thing:
A worthy opponent.
---
The wind howled across the battlefield, carrying with it the scent of iron and ash.
The enemy empire's knights moved among the corpses, turning them over in search of survivors—or secrets.
Their metal footsteps echoed through the lifeless expanse.
And at the front…
walked Iron Valis, the seventeen‑year‑old prince with jet‑black hair, sharp golden eyes, and a cold, unreadable expression.
A soldier suddenly shouted:
"My lord! We found someone still breathing!"
Iron approached with steady steps.
The soldier knelt and lifted a shattered piece of armor off the chest of the young man lying on the ground.
What appeared beneath the armor…
was not just torn fabric.
It was a small metal emblem, stained with blood—yet still shining despite the chaos.
Iron reached out slowly, wiped the blood with his thumb—
And suddenly—
The symbol became clear.
A golden crown.
Three wings.
A line engraved with the precision only royal craftsmen possessed.
A soldier whispered, voice trembling:
"This… this is the crown prince's emblem…"
Iron froze.
His golden eyes widened for a brief moment before returning to their usual coldness.
He lifted the young man's head slightly…
and saw his face.
Strong features despite the wounds.
Blood‑soaked hair clinging to his forehead.
Weak breaths… but breaths nonetheless.
Iron spoke in a low voice, heavy with meaning:
"Rin… the crown prince."
The soldiers instinctively stepped back.
None of them expected to find the most dangerous figure of the Great Empire lying helpless before them.
One knight stammered:
"My lord… should we kill him? He—"
He didn't finish.
Iron looked at him—
one glance was enough to silence his heart before his mouth.
Then the prince said with lethal calm:
"Anyone who touches him… dies."
Silence fell.
Iron picked up the emblem again, studied it, then said:
"This emblem… is worn only by the heir to the throne."
He bent down, lifted Rin onto his shoulder, and rose slowly.
"We're taking him to the fortress."
The soldiers exchanged shocked looks.
Iron continued in a low voice, as if announcing the beginning of a new war:
"I've found the greatest treasure of the Great Empire."
---
Rin lay in a large room with a high ceiling, resting on a dark wooden bed.
Bandages wrapped tightly around him, his clothes torn, his body groaning with pain.
But despite everything…
he was alive.
Rin opened his eyes slowly.
The dim torchlight made him blink several times before his vision cleared.
The first thing he felt…
was pain.
Pain in his chest, his shoulder, his leg—his entire body screaming.
He tried to sit up, but his hand trembled and fell back onto the bed.
"Where… am I?"
Heavy footsteps approached the door.
It opened slowly—
And Iron Valis entered.
He wore his dark military coat, his black hair slightly tousled, his golden eyes glowing in the blue torchlight.
He stood before the bed, staring at Rin in silence.
Rin tried to sit up, but the pain stopped him.
He lifted his head with difficulty, his eyes widening when he recognized the figure before him.
"You…"
Iron stepped closer and spoke in a calm voice that carried frightening strength:
"You're finally awake… crown prince."
Rin froze.
He hadn't expected the enemy to discover his identity so quickly.
He tried to hide his unease and said weakly but firmly:
"If you're going to kill me… do it now."
Iron raised an eyebrow, as if hearing something amusing.
"Kill you?"
He stepped closer, now only a step away from the bed.
"If I wanted you dead… you wouldn't be awake right now."
Rin fell silent.
Iron sat on the chair beside the bed, crossed one leg over the other, and said:
"I found you on the battlefield. Half‑dead.
But the emblem on your chest…"
He pulled a small metal piece from his pocket—
the crown prince's emblem—
and held it up.
"This is what saved you."
Rin clenched his fist, but his body was too weak to resist.
Iron leaned forward, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper:
"I won't kill you, Rin.
Not now."
Then he smiled—
a cold, chilling smile.
"You're far more valuable alive than dead."
A shiver ran down Rin's spine.
This wasn't mercy…
This was a game.
Iron stood, turned toward the door, and said without looking back:
"Rest, crown prince.
We have much to discuss… when you can stand."
He closed the door behind him.
Rin remained staring at the ceiling, his heart pounding.
"What do they want from me…?"
---
The royal hall was drowned in heavy silence—
the kind that comes before a storm.
Servants stood along the walls, heads lowered, sensing something dark approaching.
Suddenly—
the doors burst open, and a knight rushed in, breathless, his hand trembling as he held a message sealed with the army's crest.
He knelt before the emperor and said in a broken voice:
"Your Majesty… an urgent message."
The emperor took it slowly, as if it weighed a thousand stones.
His heart screamed before he even read it…
that whatever was inside was not good.
He broke the seal.
Opened the paper.
Read the first line.
Then the second.
And suddenly—
he froze.
The message slipped from his hand to the floor, as if it had burned him.
Sera rushed forward, picked it up, and read aloud with trembling eyes:
"Your Majesty…
We were forced to retreat.
The attack was sudden…
Rin, the crown prince…
fell on the battlefield.
He was bleeding heavily…
and the most likely outcome… is that he died… according to his friend's testimony."
Her voice cracked as she continued:
"The enemy has taken control of the western region."
Sera couldn't bear it.
She screamed—
a scream that tore through the hall:
"NO!! He promised me!! He didn't die!!"
Tears streamed down her face as she struck her chest with trembling hands.
"Let me go!! He's alive!! He'll come back!!
He'll walk through that door and say: 'Sera… I'm home.'
He didn't die!! Do you hear me?!"
She ran out of the hall, fleeing the truth her heart refused to accept.
Haru collapsed completely.
He ran after her but fell to his knees halfway, screaming:
"Riiiiin!! Please… don't leave me!!"
He punched the walls until his fists bled—
but the physical pain was nothing compared to the agony tearing his heart apart.
The emperor sat on his throne, but he no longer looked like a king.
He looked like a father who had lost his only son.
His hands trembled.
His eyes were empty.
His voice escaped as a shattered whisper:
"Rin… my son…"
---
Meanwhile, in Cyan's imperial palace, the sky was heavy with clouds, as if mourning what was to come.
A guard rushed in with a scroll sealed in black—
the seal of the Valkar Empire.
The emperor opened it slowly…
and his eyes widened with every word.
To Emperor Han Cyan,
We inform you that your crown prince, Rin Cyan, is alive.
He is in our custody.
If you want him alive, surrender your empire entirely—
your land, your people, your army.
In return, we guarantee your people's safety and return your son.
If you refuse… his death will be by your hand, not ours.
— Emperor Darius Valkar
When he finished reading, the emperor closed his eyes tightly, as if struck in the heart.
He stood slowly, hand trembling as he prepared his reply:
"I will not surrender my people…
nor my empire."
He tore the letter into pieces.
Then he made the hardest decision of his life—
a decision as emperor, not as a father.
He hid the truth.
He told no one that Rin was alive.
"If they know… they will break.
And if the enemy knows that we know… they will use him against me."
He whispered:
"Forgive me, Rin…
but I will not let Darius use you to destroy us."
---
When Emperor Han's refusal reached the Iron Fortress, Darius Valkar exploded in rage.
He overturned tables, shattered cups, tore maps from the walls.
His roar shook the hall:
"Han Cyan REFUSES?!
Refuses to save his son?!
Refuses to save his people?!"
Amid the chaos, Iron Valis entered calmly.
"Father… Han Cyan will soon learn that refusing us was the worst decision of his life."
Then Crown Prince Lios Valkar entered—
cold, merciless.
"My brother is right.
We won't kill Rin.
We'll break him."
He smiled:
"We'll destroy his identity…
his spirit…
until nothing remains but a shell we can use."
Darius gave the order:
"Lios… Rin Cyan is yours.
Break him."
---
Lios entered Rin's cell with a whip in hand.
The beating was merciless—
each strike reopening old wounds, mixing fresh blood with dried.
Rin trembled between agony and collapse.
Lios leaned close and whispered:
"Rin… your father abandoned you.
You're nothing to him."
Rin forced out a broken whisper:
"You… liar…"
Lios laughed and pulled out an official scroll.
"Don't believe me?
Look at your father's imperial seal.
He signed your life away."
Rin's eyes fell on the red seal—
the seal of Cyan…
the seal of his father…
the seal of the home he grew up in.
He froze.
Air vanished from his lungs.
He heard nothing—
not Lios's voice,
not the guards,
not the chains.
Only the seal.
The symbol of pride…
now a blade in his chest.
His trembling hand reached out—
but the chains stopped him.
He whispered:
"Father…?"
The word tore from his soul.
Lios smirked:
"See? Even your voice doesn't believe your hope."
Rin's breaths quickened.
His heart pounded painfully.
His body shook.
"My father… wouldn't do this…
He wouldn't leave me…"
Lios whispered:
"Then why didn't he come?
Why didn't he send an army?
Why didn't he even ask for your body?"
Rin's eyes slowly lost their light.
"No…
This… can't be…"
Lios lifted the scroll again.
"Your father chose his empire…
over his son."
Rin's head dropped.
His shoulders collapsed.
He didn't cry.
He didn't scream.
He didn't speak.
Silence was the proof that the blow had struck the deepest part of his heart.
---
Days passed.
Lios returned every day with the same scroll.
"If your father wanted you… he would have come."
"He didn't even send a message."
"He chose the throne over you."
"If you mattered… you wouldn't be here."
At first, Rin whispered:
"You're lying."
But as days turned into weeks…
His voice faded.
His resistance weakened.
His eyes dulled.
Until finally—
He stopped answering.
Stopped looking up.
Stopped fighting.
Lios smiled.
Because when a man loses faith in himself…
he loses everything.
---
In Valkar's training grounds, Iron Valis stood alone after finishing his drills.
A guard approached.
"My lord… you seem dissatisfied."
Iron sheathed his sword slowly.
"I simply can't find what I'm looking for."
The guard asked:
"And what is that, my prince?"
Iron's golden eyes turned cold.
"Someone strong."
He paused.
"Someone who can defeat me."
Not arrogance—
just truth.
Iron Valis was too strong.
Too unmatched.
And he was searching for only one thing:
A worthy opponent.
---