The tension in the emperor's office was suffocating, thick like the storm that lingered behind the curtains. Shadows flickered along the stone walls. Dancing with the candlelight, but none could outshine the furious glow that radiated from the emperor himself.
The air pulsed with fury.
Crack.
The emperor's eyes, once a cold, composed silver, now glimmered dangerously like shards of pure crystal. A soft, ominous crack echoed faintly, almost like ice fracturing under pressure. The glow in his eyes shimmered through the dimness of the room, casting a haunting light on the faces of everyone present.
It wasn't magic.
It was wrath.
Unforgiving, royal wrath.
The prince, Laurent, stood at the center of the room, unmoving. Behind him, a line of imperial guards stood at attention, tense as taut strings, their spines straight and faces unreadable. Yet their knuckles whitened on the hilts of their swords.
Laurent's face remained composed, his chin lifted high in a manner only someone raised by an emperor could manage. But the tension in his shoulders, the clenched fists by his sides, and the slight furrow in his brows betrayed the storm of guilt and fear swirling within him.
The emperor's voice broke the silence like a thunderclap.
"What did you just say?!"
It was less of a question and more of a challenge, one that turned the already frigid air into shards of glass that seemed to cut through flesh and soul alike.
Laurent did not flinch. "She disappeared, father," he said firmly, though the tremble in his breath could not be hidden completely. "She was right behind me. One moment she was there, and holding the bunny plushie I just bought her…"
The emperor did not let him finish.
"How many times have I told you?!" his voice rose, booming through the marble halls beyond. "How can I even trust you in the first place."
He spat the words like venom, his voice quaking with more than just rage, it was grief masked in authority.
"You always make things worse!" he snarled.
His movements were sharp, angry. The long black coat he wore swayed with his sudden turn, the silver clasps catching the firelight as he stormed past his son without so much as a glance.
The prince did not move. He stood still, rooted in shame, watching his father approach the heavy golden doors.
The emperor paused just briefly at the threshold and barked with the full force of his command:
"Tell all the knight! No one is taking a rest until you find my daughter!!"
His voice echoed down the corridor like a war frum, reverberating through the stone and marrow of the place itself. The imperial guards standing nearby stiffed further, eyes wide but quickly masked with duty.
"Yes, your majesty!" they chorused as one, the thunder of their boots already following his command as they sprinted down the halls, shouting orders and sounding the alarm.
Laurent swallowed hard. His gaze dropped for the first time, briefly. He could feel it now, the weight of failure pressing into his spine like iron chains.
Just as the emperor was about to storm off, boots clacking like a death knell against the floor, Laurent finally spoke again. His voice softer this time. Quieter, a crack in his usual composed mask.
"Father… let me help—"
But the emperor cut him off coldly, not even turning to face him.
"As if you would actually help."
Those word struck harder than any blade.
The silence that followed felt deafening, heavy and final. The emperor's cloak snapped as he turned the corner, his boots hammering down the hall like a war march,
The guards remained tense even after his exit. No one dared to speak. No one dared to breathes wrong.
Laurent stayed still. His hands fell limp at his sides. The urge to scream, or run, warred with the duty ingrained into every part of him. The girl he swore to protect, the sister he only just started to spend time with, was gone… and his father would never forgive him for it.
Not far away, a figure crouched atop the thick bough of an ancient tree that leaned over one of the palace towers. Hidden by leaves and nightfall, Theo watched the scene unfold from above, his sharp eyes catching every word, every shift in expression from the window's frame.
His posture was relaxed, but his gaze was alert.
Unbothered by the height of the danger.
The faintest smirk tugged at the edge of his lips, though it didn't reach his eyes.
"You always make trouble for yourself, your highness," he muttered under his breath.
His tone held no mockery, just a resigned, quiet understanding.
He adjusted the black bandage wrapped around his hand, then leaned forward, his weight perfectly balanced before he jumped, landing silently onto the rooftop below, his figure blending effortlessly with the shadows of the capital.
A dull ached throbbed at the base of my skull as I slowly peeled open my eyes. Darkness greeted me first, thick, suffocating, and absolute. The air reeked of mildew and rust. I blinked a few times, trying to adjust my vision, but the room remained shrouded in shadow. no windows. No cracks in the walls. Just a single wooden door that loomed ahead like a silent threat.
I shifted, only to wince as the cold, unforgiving floor scraped against my back. My arms… tied in front me tightly. The ropes bit into my skin. I grit my teeth, forcing myself to sit upright despite the sharp sting behind my eyes.
"Great," I muttered under my breath, voice dry and bitter. "Just great. Of all the rotten luck in the world, why do I seem to hoard it?"
The silence of the room echoed with the wight of my frustration as I struggled to my feet. My knees trembled slightly, but I steadied myself, scanning the room for anything, anything that could serve as an escape route.
Before I could move an inch more, the door creaked open with heavy groan.
A tall, broad-shouldered man stepped inside. The dim light from the hallway behind him cast his face in shadow, but I didn't need to see his expression to feel the threat that radiated from him.
"Where do you think you're going, your highness?" he said, voice deep and grating, like gravel scraped across iron. It was the kind of voice that could make a child burst into tears.
But I wasn't a child anymore.
I squared my shoulders, narrowing my eyes. "What do you want from me?"
He threw his head back and laughed. The sound echoed through the dark, empty room, mocking and cruel.
"You have got guts, kid! I'll give you that," he said, grinning as he stepped closer. "But that little glare of yours? wouldn't even scare a kitten. Now be a good girl and go back to sleep."
He moved toward me, and that's when I saw it, gleaming at his belt, partially hidden beneath his coat, a knife.
My heart pounded.
I didn't hesitate.
Fueled by instinct and adrenaline, I lunged forward. My bound hands moved fast, and before he could react, I snatched the knife from his belt. Even with my wrist tied, I could grip it, barely, but enough.
If survival meant blood on my hands, so be it.
The man's eyes widened in surprise, but he smirked.
"Oh, what a clever little thing," he sneered, reaching for the rope between my wrists. "But you're going to regret that."
He yanked me forward, but he made one mistake.
He got too close having me the opportunity to drove the blade into his right eye.
His scream tore through the room like a beast's roar. He flung me away, howling in agony, hands clutching at his bleeding face.
I did not waste the chance.
I scrambled to my feet, knife still in hand, and ran, heart racing, breath ragged. My entire body screamed in protest, but I didn't stop. I couldn't. if he caught me again, he'd kill me.
But just as I reached the door, a massive hand seized the back of my dress and yanked me backward. I was flung like a ragdoll, slamming into the wall with a dull crack. Pain exploded through my spine, and I collapsed, gasping.
Everything hurt. My tiny body wasn't built for this, too fragile, too soft. But I bit down the whimper that clawed its way up my throat.
The man—half-blind, bloodied, furious—stormed toward me. he grabbed a fistful of my hair, yanking my head back, his other hand curling into a massive fist.
"you're dead, you little—"
"NO!" I screamed, eyes wide with terror and fury.
And then it happened.
The same brilliant blue light I'd seen before, when I was with Theo, erupted from within me. it surged like a tidal wave, blasting outward with a force that hurled the man across the room. He hit the wall with a heavy thud and crumpled to the floor, groaning
The power faded just as quickly as it came, and a cold, draining sensation swallowed me whole. My legs gave out beneath me.
Darkness creeped in again, but just before I lost consciousness, I saw it.
A white tiger. Massive and majestic towering over me with glowing eyes and fangs like ivory blades. It stared into my soul, silent, watchful, ancient.
But the vision was hazy… unreal… dreamlike.
Am I hallucinating?
And then the world went black.