Ryle and Thea stood at the entrance of the abandoned city.
The wind howled through crumbling buildings, carrying whispers of a past long buried. Valtoria—once a thriving city—now lay in ruins.
The memories of his captivity here still lingered in his mind.
Ryle's sharp eyes scanned the decayed structures. "Charming place," he muttered. "Brings back memories of a time I wanted to kill every noble I met."
Thea shot him a knowing glance. "And now?"
Ryle smirked. "Now I just want to kill most of them."
From the shadows, a figure emerged.
A young noble with silver hair and cold blue eyes.
Luce Valtoria.
The noble who had saved them from imprisonment.
Ryle folded his arms. "Why do you even live here? The city's abandoned."
Luce hesitated.
Then, with a quiet voice, he said, "Let me show you something."
Four Years Ago: The Fall of Valtoria
The city of Valtoria was once a paradise.
Unlike most noble territories, it welcomed all races.
Humans. Elves. Half-bloods.
For years, Duke Valtoria had preached unity.
But beneath the surface…
He was a monster.
One day, the truth came out.
A journalist—an elf woman—exposed the Duke.
He had been buying elves.
Not just as slaves.
As playthings.
The people of Valtoria snapped.
A riot erupted.
Fire. Screams. Blood.
The Duke and his family fled.
But the people didn't stop.
They hunted him down.
And when they found him—they executed him.
Or so they thought.
Now, Luce's older brother had returned to rebuild the ruins.
A new Duke for a broken land.
But even as Luce spoke, Ryle could see it.
The hesitation.
The slight tremor in his voice.
Something didn't add up.
Ryle narrowed his eyes. "Then why would nobles store slaves here?"
Luce tensed.
"I-I don't know."
Liar.
Ryle took a step forward, his shadow stretching across Luce's trembling form.
"Luce." His voice dropped to a whisper. "You're hiding something."
Luce swallowed hard. "I swear, I—"
Ryle didn't wait for excuses.
In an instant, he grabbed Luce by the collar and slammed him into the wall.
Thea crossed her arms. "You sure about this?"
Ryle didn't answer.
He dug his dragon claws into Luce's shoulder.
Luce screamed.
Ryle's voice was cold. "I don't like being lied to."
Blood dripped onto the stone floor.
Luce gasped, shaking.
"I… I can't…"
Ryle twisted his claws deeper.
Luce cried out.
Then—finally—he broke.
"The Duke is still alive!"
The world froze.
Ryle's claws stopped. "What?"
Luce panted, his forehead dripping with sweat. "My father… he never died. It was a trick."
"He leads the slave organization."
For a moment, silence.
Then Ryle ripped his claws free.
Luce collapsed, clutching his shoulder, shaking with pain.
Ryle sighed, crouching beside him. A faint glow surrounded his hands.
Luce's wound vanished instantly.
Luce blinked. "You… healed me?"
Ryle smirked. "I need you alive."
Luce trembled, still in shock. "I don't get you…"
Ryle stood, stretching his arms. "Most people don't."
Then—without warning—he grabbed Thea and lifted her into his arms.
"W-Wait—!" Thea's face turned bright red. "Y-You don't have to carry me like this…!"
Ryle grinned, unfurling his massive black wings.
"I like efficiency."
And with that, he took off into the night sky.
Below them, Luce Valtoria watched them vanish—his hands trembling.
And in his heart… terror.
Because if Ryle was after his father…
Then the Duke of Valtoria would soon be dead.