Eric walked down the castle steps with a grim look, when a soldier rushed toward him, out of breath.
"SHADOW!… SHADOW KNIGHTS broke into the dungeon!!" the soldier blurted out.
Shadow Knights—the strongest Legion of the Sakaris Empire's army.
Their job was to make sure every land followed the rules, no plots were being made, no rebellion or betrayal was brewing, and that everyone still bowed to the Empire.
By agreement, they came to Arindor every six months for routine checks.
But this time, they came off schedule. And they went straight into the dungeon. That had never happened before.
If they found even the smallest crime, they had full right to judge and punish however they wanted. Even resisting them was counted as breaking the law.
Eric's eyes went wide in shock.
He bolted toward Eri's chamber, sprinting as fast as he could.
Down in the dungeon, a few knights pointed their swords at him—but before Eric could even react, a blade came slashing at him.
He raised his arm to block, and a burning pain tore through his forearm as blood spilled onto the stone floor.
A knight stood before him—different from the rest.
His armor was lighter, but far more threatening. His violet hair, his presence… it was enough to freeze Eric's blood.
'Damn it… Zaskar? He came here himself?!'
That was all Eric could think before Zaskar grabbed him by the collar and dragged him down the dark hallway like it was nothing.
No matter how much Eric resisted, against one of the Empire's top Eight Commanders, He was nothing but an insect.
Zaskar was the commander of the Shadow Knights. Normally, he'd never bother joining patrols or checks in some small, unimportant land unless it was something serious.
But now, here he was. Heading straight toward the secret chamber Eric had built for his little sister.
Zaskar reached the door at the end and slammed Eric's bloody arm against the bricks.
'Please, don't open…! Please, Please!' Eric shut his eyes, praying desperately.
Seconds passed. Nothing happened. The wall stayed still.
"Hmm? Maybe it needs fresher blood?" Zaskar smirked, amused.
His cruel voice echoed as he pressed his thumb into Eric's wound, forcing more blood to drip.
Eric's muffled cry filled the air—and the bricks began to shift.
Zaskar's grin widened. He strode inside with heavy steps.
Eric, still in shock, could only stare at the opening to his sister's chamber, horror in his trembling eyes.
But in the center of the room, Zaskar's expression twisted when he saw no girl inside.
He didn't come all this way for nothing. Of course not. That only made him furious.
His jaw tightened. Without wasting a second, he stormed back out. He left Eric there and went straight to his men.
"Search the entire castle!!" he barked.
"Yes, Commander!!" Their voices boomed through the dungeon as they scattered.
Zaskar clenched his fist.
"They really thought I'd miss such an honor?" A mocking laugh slipped under his breath. "Once I catch you, little rat… I'll carve my name into history by tearing down this kingdom. Starting with your handsome brother."
Eric stood frozen at Eri's doorway. But when he saw Zaskar's frustration, relief rushed over him.
He darted inside.
"She's not here! Thank the angels… as long as she's invisible, they can't find her!" He whispered shakily.
But then his eyes landed on Eri's necklace, hanging on the wall.
His relief shattered instantly.
"N—o… no, no… she didn't take it off… not again!" shaking his head in disbelief.
He snatched the necklace. Panic rising, he rushed to the king's chamber, bursting into the study.
"Father! Eri—Eri's gone!!" He shouted, staring at the king sitting with his head bowed, eyes fixed on the floor, grief written across his face.
"Father, Eri—"
"I know." the king hoarse voice cut Eric off.
"You… know? She took off her necklace again. She must still be in the castle—we have to find her before Zaskar does!"
Eric spun, ready to rush out again—until his father's next words froze him:
"…Eri's already gone."
Eric staggered, confused. His gaze followed his father's to the floor—where there was a shattered frame.
"Our family photo… and letter," the king continued, before Eric could ask.
Eric blinked several times, then his eyes widened in horror. "She… read mother's letter? That means… she left the castle?!"
He already knew the answer, but saying it broke him.
"I... I have to go after her. She's still just a child… it's terrifying out there. She won't survive on her own…" he whispered, stepping back, disbelief on his face.
But the king thought differently. He shook his head and let out a sigh. "…Leave her."
Eric couldn't understand why their father would say such a thing. He hadn't expected it at all, and he just stared at him in shock.
"Leave her?! You want me to just let her go?!" Eric's voice rose in fury, trembling with emotion.
He waited, but when no answer came, his bitter laugh filled the chamber.
"She's my sister!!" He stepped forward, shouting.
But unlike Eric's anger and despair, the king's face softened.
He slowly walked toward his son and placed his hands on his shoulders.
"Of course I don't want anything to happen to her. I know how you feel… but right now, Zaskar is tearing this castle apart. The Empire already knows about the dungeon. Then this castle isn't safe anymore. We can't just bring her back."
It was true.
Eri could no longer return to a castle already under the Empire's watch. Unless she wanted to hand herself over to the knights.
Eric was too emotional to realize that.
When it finally sank in, he lowered his head, his voice dropping to a whisper. "But it's even worse outside! What if she runs into monsters… or worse, the other Commanders?"
Out there, besides Zaskar, there were seven other Commanders who would be very interested in meeting Eri. Soldiers who could easily capture her. Even ordinary people could sell her into slavery. She's a Nameless, after all. No law says she has to live. Anyone can kill her.
The king sighed, sinking to the floor against the wall. "Let's leave her to the angels. I tried so hard to prevent this day… but fate doesn't bend."
Eric slowly sat down next to his father, hugged his knees and buried his head in his hands.
He had calmed down a little now. "But still… for someone as fragile as Eri, this world is way too cruel."
The king ran a hand through his hair. "That's exactly why I hid her all these years. No matter how wrong it felt."
"You did the right thing, Father. But honestly… I'd bet Mom's the reason she escaped." Eric gave a bitter smile.
"You're right." the king let out a weary laugh. "Mother and daughter—they're the same. Stubborn and curious."
"And beautiful. Eri's sly little smile… it's just like Mom's."
For the first time in eighteen years, weak laughter echoed through the castle halls.
-
"Good thing I said yes to Human, right? If I didn't accept, he'd be scared and lonely!" Eri skipped along behind Noah, mumbling her thoughts out loud as usual.
Noah sighed and stopped on purpose, making her bump straight into his back and fall.
"Ow! What's wrong with this Human?!" She rubbed her forehead, confused.
"Do I need to remind you your thoughts are way too loud?" he said flatly, his cold gaze dropping down to her injured foot.
"Such a scary look… if he wasn't a good Human, I'd be terrified." She stared him up and down.
Noah just shook his head in defeat.
He grabbed her by the collar and plopped her down on a log.
"Hey! I'm not some tool!"
"You're a mess." he muttered.
He knelt, taking her bloody foot in his hand.
Eri yelped, trying to pull away, but he held firm.
"Don't move."
Just those two words were enough. Eri froze instantly, staring down at him with puppy eyes.
Noah pulled out a small bottle and poured it over Eri's foot, letting the water wash the dirt away.
To bandage her foot, Noah ripped a strip of fabric with one sharp move—from Eri's pants.
"M-my dear pants?!!" Her eyes went wide in shock.
Noah said nothing, just wrapped her wound.
When he was done, he peeled off his gloves, now wet and dirty.
Eri glanced at her bandaged foot, then at her finger that still burned from that bug's sting.
Maybe that needed to be wrapped too?
She decided to ask Noah.
"What about this?" She pointed her blackened finger at him.
That made her fingertip brush against Noah's now bare hand.
The moment their skin touched, a sudden spark jolted between them.
Both of them hissed and yanked their hands back, staring at each other in shock.
"The hell was that?" he muttered, confused.
"Why can this Human make lightning?!"
As long as Noah had been wearing his gloves, their skin had never actually touched. So he hadn't realized that even the slightest contact would make such a painful sparks like that.
Noah took a second to calm himself. He still didn't know what that was.
When he finally looked at her finger, he sighed. "It's not even Blackfang season yet… guess you're just really unlucky."
Eri waved her finger in front of her face, baffled by his words. "Unlucky? Just because a tiny bug bit me?!"
"Since that 'tiny bug' was poisonous, so yeah."
She had already accepted that she might die out here eventually. But to get poisoned the very first step outside? That was seriously unlucky.
"Poison?! I'm gonna die already?!" Her eyes went huge as she stared at him in terror. "That's way faster than I expected!!"
Noah just rolled his eyes and flicked her forehead—causing another painful spark to snap between them.
"Oww! That hurts!"
"Snap out of it. You're not gonna die. Not yet." He said it coldly and started walking away.
"Hey! Where are you going, rude Human?!"
"Wherever I want. Nobody said you have to follow me."
Of course Eri quickly got up and trotted after him.
"Sorry for calling you rude." She leaned toward him with a smile. "But… you're sure I won't die, right?"
He sighed, grabbing her by the collar and tugging her forward. "This poison's not deadly. It just drains your energy till you pass out. Kinda like what you did to that tree."
Eri frowned, walking ahead of him.
"Weird Human!" muttering under her breath.
"…Noah."
Eri froze and spun around, confused.
He stepped closer, placing a hand on her head and leaned forward. "People don't call each other 'Human'. Just call me Noah." His tone wasn't as cold this time—still flat.
Eri's eyes lingered on his, flustered, her voice dropping to a shy whisper. "N-Noah…"
For a moment, Noah forgot to blink, just staring at her. Then he stepped back, and scoffed. "Guess you're not as dumb as you look." A corner of his mouth curled.
Eri gawked at him in disbelief, then burst into laughter. "Of course I'm not! Instead of saying that, you should've asked my name!!"
"Who says I should?"
"I read it in novels!"
Well... she didn't know much about talking to people. If you erased her father and brother from the list, Noah was literally the first and only real person she had ever spoken to or gotten to know.
But what Eri did know a lot about… was books.
She had a whole lifetime of free time, so she made sure to read every single novel that existed. Eric encouraged it too, always bringing her new ones for the library in her room—anything to keep her shut inside.
"…Fine." He sighed. "Your name, please?"
"Eri!!" Her smile stretching from ear to ear.
But it didn't last long—something wet dropped onto her face.
She gasped and hid behind Noah. "Human! Something just spit on me!!"
Noah glanced back at her, confused. "A creature that spits? Guess the gods are getting creative…"
Then another drop hit the ground, and he looked up. "Or maybe we should just hurry before the rain starts."
"Rain?" She stared wide-eyed at the sky. "the Master of Nature is sad?"
Noah pinched the bridge of his nose at her childish nonsense and kept walking. "Others personal problems aren't our business. We just need to get to the capital."
A crack of thunder boomed, making Noah freeze for a second. Then he let out a deep breath and walked faster this time.
Eri trailed after him slowly, thoughtful, her eyes still locked on the sky that was filling with dark clouds.
"See?! it's yelling now!" she called after Noah. "Something bad's gonna happen!"
He didn't even look back. This was just Eri's first rain, so she had no idea what it really was and kept making silly fantasies.
A little rain didn't mean something terrible was coming... right?
-
With a dark smirk, Zaskar stepped into the king's chamber.
His slow steps carried him toward the study, where the king and his son sat side by side on the floor.
"Oh my, did I interrupt your little family moment?" His sharp eyes glinted as he sneered. "Too bad. It's time to punish the traitors."