"The church is more than stone and prayer," Kael said, his voice low as he looked over the vast rows of shelves. "It's a home to the history of Fulton. Beneath our feet are hundreds of storage rooms, packed to the ceiling with the rarest power gemstones in existence.
Every hour of every day, demi-humans are down there, working day and night in the caves, filling those vaults stone by stone."
He reached out and traced the edge of a jagged, glowing shard on the table. "Diochrome. It's the hardest to find. Its value is so immense that a single shard—just one,is worth hundreds of 5-Luna gold coins."
He looked out the window, his eyes distant. "Fulton wasn't just built on a lucky find of gems. This very land holds a weight to it. Approximately three thousand years ago, an ancient city stood on this exact site. Our kingdom thrives on its ruins now."
Kael picked up a heavy, leather-bound volume, his fingers lingering on the worn cover. "The history of our land tells a tale of a Goddess who brought an end to the darkness and shame that once plagued this soil. Though the records say humans founded this place, we know the truth,it was built by the hands of demi-humans working as slaves. They say this land was a gift from the Goddess Tova, the embodiment of virtue and divinity."
He leaned over the book, reading the fading script. "Our forefathers were blessed with this fertile soil, abundant in precious gems found nowhere else in the world but here. It says Tova's generosity made our land a treasure trove of riches, renowned globally for its unique bounty."
Kael turned around, the weight of the words hanging in the air. He closed the book with a definitive thud and set it back on the table.
The sudden, sound of clapping echoed through the vaulted chamber, pulling Kael back from the ancient texts.
"You're always buried in those history books, Kael," a smooth voice teased.
He turned to see Aria approaching. She was striking, her presence commanding attention even in the dim light of the archive. Twin cat ears, covered in soft, ash-colored fur, twitched atop her head, poking through hair that cascaded in a matching shade of smoky silver. She moved with a feline grace, wearing fitted shorts that allowed for easy movement, highlighting a physique built for duty. As she closed the distance between them, her amber eyes locked onto his with an intensity that made the air feel thin.
"Remember," she said, stopping just inches away, "our job is keeping this very place secure. Don't get carried away, especially after what happened last night during your shift."
Kael let out a long breath, leaning his weight against a cold stone pillar. "Aria, you worry too much. It was a one-time thing. It won't happen again." He rubbed his eyes, the frustration of the previous night resurfacing. "I still don't understand how a single man breached the gate unseen and managed to get all the way into the church itself."
"I wouldn't have caught a glimpse of him at all if the Shadow Stone hadn't exhausted its power right then," he continued with a heavy sigh. "If only I could use Detection, this wouldn't have happened,If word gets out, Fulton's reputation as the most secure kingdom will be ruined. I just hope to the Goddess nothing was stolen."
Aria crossed her arms, her expression shifting into deep thought. "I'm not sure Detection would have helped you anyway. A true Shadow Stone erases a person's presence entirely—no traces, no scent or energy signature around , nothing. Even the strongest detection technique or magic shouldn't be able to pick up on its user."
She paced a small circle, her tail flicking behind her. "But Shadow Stones are supposed to last for hours. The fact that his only lasted for a few minutes means it was a fake. Somehow, they've figured out how to manufacture counterfeit gemstones. That... that shouldn't even be possible."
"Well, I'm finally off the hook for now," Kael said, pushing off the pillar and moving toward the exit. He paused at the threshold, glancing back over his shoulder. "It's your shift today, right? Take care, Aria. I'm heading home."
"About last night—" Aria started, reaching a hand out toward him, her fingers hovering in the air as if to catch him. But she caught herself and stopped, her hand falling back to her side.
Kael offered her a tired, lingering smile. "Never mind. I've got it under control."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and disappeared down the stairs, the sound of his footsteps fading into the quiet of the church.
Aria watched Kael disappear into the gloom of the stairwell, her hand still hovering in the empty air where he had been. She stood in the sudden silence of the archive, her heart heavy with a concern she couldn't voiced.
He's going back to that empty house, she thought, her amber eyes clouding. Back to that silence.
She knew him better than he realized. She knew he lived like a man holding his breath, carrying burdens that would have crushed anyone else. Beneath that calm exterior, he was still running—still fleeing the nightmare of Tikka. She could almost see the memories flickering behind his starlike eyes: the spray of blood, the screams, and his parents falling under human blades during that final, desperate bid for freedom.
In Tikka, "demi-human" was just another word for "tool." They were things to be used, spirits to be broken, and bodies to be discarded when they were spent. Kael would have been just another nameless casualty of the slave trade if not for the fire and steel of King Dorman Dane Emberfell. If the King of Daria hadn't brought his war to Tikka's gates at that exact moment, Kael wouldn't be standing here today.
Ten years, she mused, leaning her head against the cool stone of the pillar. Ten years since he arrived here as a hollowed-out refugee.
Yet, the cruelty of Tikka lived on inside him. Last night had been a terrifying reminder of that. When he looked at that intruder, he hadn't seen a petty thief; he had seen the faces of the men who murdered his father. He had been lost in a blind, visceral rage—the "eyes of rage" that only the Garzel clan possessed. If Nava hadn't stepped in with her timely intervention, Kael would have decorated the church floors with the man's blood.
It was the curse of his bloodline. He was the last of the Garzels, a clan that could unlock their Dio energy as easily as breathing. But that power was a double-edged sword; it didn't draw from will or spirit, but from the raw, jagged edges of his own emotions. His beauty was a cruel irony—the soft yellow hair and delicate features acted as a mask for a body honed by a decade of struggle and a heart fueled by an uncontrollable fire.
Aria's chest tightened as she imagined him alone in his room, drowning in that history. Her thoughts began to spiral, her worry for him reaching a fever pitch until she suddenly raised her hand.
Smack!
The sharp sound of the slap echoed through the archive. The sting on her cheek was immediate and bracing.
"Get it together, Aria!" she hissed to the empty room, her tail twitching in agitation. "Snap out of it. You have a shift to pull. Don't get carried away
The click of boots on stone grew louder, cutting through the heavy silence of the archive as Nava emerged from the darkened depths of the church. Her silhouette was weary, her face drawn.
"The interrogation is over?" Aria asked, her voice rising in a hopeful question.
Nava didn't answer immediately. "Let's find a quiet room," she murmured, her eyes darting toward the open corridor.
They retreated into a small side chamber, where the distant, muffled hum of Fulton's afternoon bustle provided a low background noise to the tension in the room. Aria felt the hair on her arms stand up as she closed the heavy door.
"Nava, how was it?" Aria asked, her voice tight with urgency. "What did you see while you were in his mind?"
Nava let out a long, jagged sigh, rubbing her temples with a trembling hand. She turned away, staring out the narrow window at the golden city. "He didn't say a word, Aria. He didn't have to. I pulled the truth straight from his head. He didn't come here to steal the gemstones, or even for information. He came here to be caught. He came here to die—he was prepared for it from the moment he breached the gate."
"But why? It makes no sense," Aria's brow furrowed. "What else was in there? What did you find?"
Nava leaned in, her voice dropping to a ghost of a sound, barely audible over the wind. "It's complicated. This cannot leave this room, and you must never, ever bring it up with Kael. The truth is... his mother is still alive. She's in Tikka. I've already dispatched a message to Lord Kaito."
The air in the room seemed to flash-freeze. Aria felt the blood drain from her face. "What? How is that possible? Kael saw them... he saw them murdered!"
"She survived, somehow," Nava said, her jaw tightening until the bone nearly poked through her skin. "And I believe it's a trap. They are trying to lure him back. They know he's the last of the Garzel line, and they aren't done with that bloodline yet."
"And his mother? How is she... how is she holding up?" Aria whispered, terrified of the answer.
Nava's eyes flashed with a sudden, primal fury. "It's a nightmare. They've been forcefully sleeping with her, trying to make her conceive a Garzel child to rebuild the clan under their thumb—as weapons. So far," Nava spat the words with pure disgust, "the results have only been human. But they keep trying."
Aria felt the world tilt. Tears welling in her eyes finally broke, spilling down her cheeks in hot, jagged streaks. "That's so cruel," she choked out, her voice cracking under the weight of the horror. "How could they be so wicked?"
She began to cry uncontrollably, the sheer vileness of the revelation crushing her spirit. Nava reached out, gently wiping the tears from Aria's face before pulling her close, letting the girl's head rest against her chest. "Don't cry, Aria," she whispered. "We'll bring her back. We'll unite them."
Outside the heavy oak door, the world had gone cold.
Kael stood in the shadows of the hallway, his breathing heavy and ragged. He had come back to tell Aria something he'd forgotten, but the words had died in his throat. He had heard it all. Every syllable of the trap, the breeding, the survival of the woman he had mourned for a decade.
A cold, vast ocean of hatred began to fill his heart, drowning out every other emotion. Mom. She's alive. Suffering through all of that by herself.
He didn't make a sound. He simply turned back, his vision blurred by hot, stinging tears, and began to descend the stairs. Each step took him further into the dark, the fire of the Garzel clan beginning to burn with a new, murderous intensity in his veins.
Kael?" Caspian's voice echoed off the stone risers as he climbed, but it met only a wall of silence.
Kael brushed past him like a winter wind, his gaze fixed on some middle distance that Caspian couldn't see. He didn't blink; he didn't even break his stride. Caspian paused, one foot hovering on a step, and turned to watch Kael's retreating back. "What's up with him?" he muttered to the empty stairwell. "He didn't even notice me."
He frowned, noting a faint, glistening trail on Kael's cheek. Was he crying? Caspian shook his head. "I wonder what Nava said to him... it shouldn't have been enough to cause tears."
He pushed open the heavy oak door to the side chamber, and the atmosphere hit him like a physical weight,thick, vibrating with the aftermath of a storm. "Hey," he said, scanning the room. "Just saw Kael. He looked bad,angry. Did you guys say something?"
"Kael!" Aria's voice was a sharp gasp. The color drained from her face, leaving her ash-furred ears twitching in sudden terror. "He must have overheard us! I thought he left!"
The realization struck her with the force of a blow. Without a word of explanation to Caspian, she bolted, her boots skidding on the polished floor as she raced out to catch him.
Caspian watched the doorway where she had vanished, his brow furrowed in genuine confusion. He turned back to Nava, who remained rooted by the window. "What's wrong, Nava? Why are you just staring at me? Don't you want to go after them? Besides I'm here to submit the report"
Nava didn't move. Instead, her lips curled into a dangerous, slow-burn smile. She leaned back against the windowsill, her fingers idly adjusting the lace of her bodice in a way that was calculated to draw the eye, as she carried her breast upward with her arms . "What brings you here, Caspian?" she asked, her voice dropping into a smoky, seductive purr. "Did you come all this way just to get a good look at me?"
"Just got the report from Azin like I said earlier" Caspian replied, his voice as flat as a desert floor. He didn't even glance at the curve of her neck, or how she carried her breast up .
"Concerning the quantity of gems dug up this morning, I'm not here for you,just this report ."
Nava's smile faltered, "How rude," she pouted, pushing off the wall to step into his personal space. "Are you free today?"
She leaned in, the air around her growing heavy with the pheromonal pull of the Sirena clan. It was a charm designed to melt the strongest wills, a psychic hook that usually let her read people's mind, and their very secrets as easily as an open book, this ability works more on the opposite gender, making it unable to resist.
But as she searched Caspian's emerald eyes, she found only a reflection of her own frustration. He was Veritas clan; his blood was a natural filter for deception, a biological immunity to the poison, seduction, illusion,mind control, and could tell a truth from a lie, To her, he was an impenetrable fortress, and it maddened her that she couldn't find a single crack in his armor.
FULTON MARKET
In the heart of Fulton's market, the world was a riot of noise and motion. The central fountain roared, its spray catching the afternoon sun, while the high-pitched squeals of children chasing each other wove through the deep, gravelly bickering of merchants.
"50 silver luno! That's too expensive!" a merchant bellowed, waving a hand in disgust.
"Kael! Hold up!"
Aria finally skidded to a halt in the center of the square, her lungs burning as she fought for air. Kael stopped and turned slowly. His expression was a carefully constructed mask, though his eyes were still rimmed with a faint, raw redness.
"Aren't you supposed to be on duty?" he asked, his voice steady but distant. "Why are you here? Are you still worried? Nava must be done—what did she see?"
The lie tasted like ash in Aria's mouth. Her face burned, a deep crimson flush creeping up to the tips of her ears. "So many questions..." she stammered, her heart hammering against her ribs. "She didn't say. It was... it was nothing. Just some nonsense."
"Then why are you here?"
The intensity of his stare was too much. "It's nothing!" Aria shouted, the sheer weight of her secret and her embarrassment boiling over. She turned and sprinted back toward the church, her hands covering her face, leaving Kael standing alone in the middle of the crowded square.
By the time she reached the sanctuary, Nava was already pouring a glass of deep, blood-red Darian wine. "So," Nava asked, not looking up. "Did you clear things up?"
"He didn't hear a word," Aria groaned, collapsing into a chair and burying her face in her palms. "He has no idea what you found out. He looked fine, but gods, Nava, this is so embarrassing. He's going to think I'm some obsessed girl who can't let him out of her sight for a minute, The way he looked at me were so intense, I couldn't stand it"
"Don't you love him?" Nava asked, the question cutting through the air with clinical precision.
"You're not helping, Nava!"
"I could talk to him," the Nava teased, a playful glint in her eyes. "Or better yet, I could 'test' him for you,See if he can handle a girl with a bit more... experience."
"No!" Aria's voice was sharp, a flash of possessive fire in her amber eyes. "I love him... I mean... I don't even think he likes me back."
While Aria spiraled into the complexities of her heart.
Kael was already home. He didn't sit down. He didn't rest. He moved through his small, sparse room with the cold, mechanical efficiency of a soldier preparing for a suicide mission. He packed his kit, checking the straps on his gear, his mind occupied by a single, burning image of the woman who had given him life.
"Mom, I'm coming for you" he whispered to the empty room. "They will pay for every second you've spent in that hell"
Hours bled into evening. The sun dipped below the horizon, bruising the sky with streaks of violet and deep orange. Inside the church, Nava swirled the last of her wine. "Shift's almost over, Aria. Are you going to go see him?"
"Don't," Aria mumbled, the blush returning to her cheeks.
"This wine is the only thing Daria got right," Nava mused, setting the glass down with a soft click. "Listen to me, You like him, You have to be open, or some other girl in this kingdom will realize what he is and take him right out of your hands."
"It isn't that easy. I don't have your charms, Nava, I'm just... me. I'm boring. Just a normal person."
Nava stood up and walked over, placing a firm hand on Aria's shoulder. "If he loves you, he won't be looking for a Sirena's charm. Look at Caspian—he sees through everything I have, and yet he's still here, ignore me"
"You look beautiful, Aria, Stop hiding behind your own doubts. Now, go to him. I'll cover the rest of your shift."
Aria stood, her heart racing as she looked at her reflection in the polished surface of a nearby shield. She adjusted her smoky-silver hair and checked her outfit. "Do I look... okay? In this?"
"You look perfect," Nava laughed, giving her a gentle shove toward the door. "Now go, before I change my mind and keep him for myself."
VERMILION STREET FULTON
Aria's walk to Kael's small, quiet home was filled with a nervous fluttering in her chest, but the moment she reached his door, the air felt wrong. She knocked—once, twice, then a frantic third time—but the only answer was a hollow silence. She pushed the door open, her heart dropping into her stomach. The room was a mess of discarded items and overturned furniture.
"No... no, no," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Kael, you wouldn't."
While Aria stood frozen in his empty home
THE INVESTIGATION ROOM 4
Kael was already at the heavy iron-bound doors of the church's investigation wing. The guard on duty shifted his weight, his hand resting on the pommel of his sword.
"Sorry, Kael, but this place is off-limits," the guard said, his tone firm. "You don't have a pass to be here. You know the rules."
"Come on, for old time's sake," Kael pleaded, though his voice lacked any real warmth. "Just a minute. That's all I need."
"I can't allow it. Orders are orders."
What do you think about a sturdy, rough-hewn club of heavy wood, 150cm of solid oak. He looked back at the guard with a terrifyingly blank expression. "Have you ever seen a club this size? Do you think it's enough?"
The guard blinked, confused. "Enough for what? Why are you asking that, Kael?"
"Do you think it's enough to knock a guard out in one swing?" As he instantly created a Dio club, using creation techniques.
"What—!"
The sound of the impact was dull and final. Kael caught the man before he hit the iron gate ,laying him down on the floor with a grim efficiency.
"Sorry," Kael muttered, "but I just need a minute or two." The club vanished.
He passed through the threshold, the air growing colder as he approached
Cell number 679 inside, the intruder sat bound .
Kael grabbed a bucket, filled it with could water , pour it over him, the freezing splash shocking the man into consciousness.
"Hey. Wake up," Kael commanded.
The man sputtered, a sneer twisting his bruised lips. "You came here to kill me, monster? Go on. Your kind were meant to be slaves. You don't scare me."
The intruder began to laugh, a dry, hacking sound. But then, Kael started to laugh, too. It wasn't a laugh of joy; it was a jagged, manic sound that echoed off the damp walls. The intruder's smile faltered, his eyes widening as the discomfort settled in his gut.
"How dare you!" Kael's laughter cut off into a roar. "You, who have never known struggle or pain, look at us with such disdain! You've never had to hide your body, never watched your loved ones die in the mud! Yet you call us monsters? You, who understand nothing beyond your twisted biases, are the only true monster here!"
Kael's Dio energy flared, a blinding, green radiance light that filled the room, he manifested a sword of pure Dio energy and drove it through the man's palm, pinning him to the floor . The man's scream was a high, thin wail, so intense that his eyes burst, leaving him weeping blood.
"Scream all you want," Kael whispered, his voice dangerously low. "There is no one coming to save you. You came here knowing you could die, now I'm fulfilling your very purpose, you should thank me instead" he lets out a low laugh.
The room was equipped with sound reduction magic carved into the very wall of each rooms , turning the prisoner's agony into a silent performance for the outside world. Kael manifested spear after spear, pinning the man's limbs, twisting and turning the blades of light with a sadistic, calculated precision. As the Dio energy coursed through the intruder's body, ending his life, the man's final realization was one of pure terror: he was being unmade by a master of Dio creation, he haven't seen a demi-human making use of creation techniques.
When the weapons finally vanished, the room was a charnel house. The intruder's body had been brutally dismembered, limbs scattered like discarded toys across the floor. Blood formed a sickening, dark pool that reflected the flickering torches. Empty sockets stared where eyes had been grotesquely removed. The room was no longer a cell; it was a horrific testament to a broken mind.
Aria arrived back at the church, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she followed the thick, metallic scent of fresh blood to the cells.
Nava called but aria didn't look back , so she followed
Investigation room 4
As she run through, the guard was still unconscious laying on the floor, she ran through each cell , following the smell of blood till she got to cell 679.
staggered back, her hand flying to her mouth.
Nava rushed in behind her, alerted by the sudden shift in the air. She stopped dead, staring at the carnage. "What's going on!"
Aria couldn't speak. She couldn't believe the Kael she loved was capable of this nightmare.
"Sound the bell!" Nava's voice broke the silence, booming through the corridors. "Don't let Kael leave the city! Every guard, on alert!" She turned to Aria, shaking her by the shoulders. "Aria, snap out of it! Where is he going? Think!"
Aria collapsed to the floor, her eyes glazed as she looked at the blood-splattered puzzle pieces of the intruder. "The... the graveyard..."
FULTON GRAVEYARD
The moon hung low over the rows of weathered headstones as Kael stood surrounded.
Kael was in the grave yard removing the tomb stone he had placed for his parent, when he thought they had died, but now that he knows she was alive, it want needed anymore
"Kael, you're surrounded! You don't have to run anymore!" the guards bellowed, their weapons leveled.
"How did they find me?" Kael hissed, his eyes darting. "Aria... she told them." He looked at the circle of soldiers. "Go back! I don't want to hurt anyone! Just let me be!"
Nava arrived within minutes, her face pale. "Come on, Kael, don't do this. We've known each other for years. You don't have to—"
"You know nothing about me!" Kael roared, his voice cracking with a decade of suppressed grief. "You don't understand this loneliness! I'm going back to Tikka, and none of you Should stop me. I'm getting my mother out! Don't let me hurt you!"
Nava didn't hesitate. "All of you who can use Detection, advance! Eyes closed! Remember, he's the last of the Garzel—no harm should come to him! Keep your eyes shut! A single second of eye contact will end your life!"
A black spear of solidified Dio energy whistled through the air, impaling a guard through the chest before he could even raise his shield. The others opened fire, their elemental eno creation raining down on Kael as he dove behind a massive boulder. Under the barrage, the stone was pulverized into fine sand.
"Eyes closed!" Nava screamed again.
But Kael was done running. He activated his eyes.
His clan could not only unlock the use of Dio easily, they have a rare deadly ability, THE GAZING IMPLOSION, "With eyes fully alive, a single moment of eye contact is enough to make the observer explode."
The twelve guards whose gaze accidentally met his didn't even have time to scream. Their body instantly exploded in a spray of gore, and blood began to rain down from the night sky.
"Kael, you've gone too far," a deep, calm voice rumbled.
A man in a black robe appeared behind Kael as if stepping out of a shadow. Before Kael could turn, the man uttered a single,word:
"Sleep."
The fire in Kael's eyes flickered and died. His knees buckled, and he collapsed into the blood-soaked dirt