The grand halls of the Vermillion estate were always filled with luxury, yet they felt empty. Nao Vermillion, now fifteen, walked through the corridors of his home, feeling like a stranger in his own family.
His father was long gone. His stepmother, Isadora, had taken control, and her son, Adrian, stood in the place that should have been Nao's. The servants whispered behind his back, their loyalty shifting toward the woman who held power.
But Nao didn't care for their attention.
Instead, he spent most of his time in the castle's grand library. He had always been drawn to the old books, ones that held secrets long forgotten.
Tonight was no different. The candles flickered as he flipped through an ancient, dust-covered tome with trembling fingers. A book about the protector of the Vermillion bloodline.
His breath caught as he read the words aloud.
"Bound by magic, locked in the darkness, the protector waits for the heir."
Nao's heart pounded. His family had always dismissed the stories as myths, but something about them felt real. Too real.
He ran his fingers over the inked words, feeling a strange pull in his chest.
"A demon… caged beneath the castle?"
His fingers tightened around the pages. Why had no one told him this before?
Why did it feel like the answer to something he had been missing all his life?
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A Memory of the Key
Nao's fingers instinctively brushed against the small silver key that hung around his neck—a key he had worn for as long as he could remember.
A memory flickered in his mind.
He had been seven years old the night Amara gave it to him. It was the night before he was sent away to America.
That night, Nao had cried, begging to stay. "I don't want to leave," he had whispered, clutching Amara's dress like a lifeline.
The old housemaid had knelt before him, her wrinkled hands cupping his face gently. "Listen to me, my boy," she had whispered, her voice trembling. "There are things in this family that they don't want you to know. You are the true heir of the Vermillions. And one day, you will return to claim your place."
She had pressed something cold into his hands—a small silver key with strange markings etched into it.
"This key…" Amara hesitated before tightening her grip around his tiny fingers. "One day, it will lead you to the truth. Keep it with you, no matter what happens."
Nao had nodded, tears slipping down his cheeks. He didn't understand back then, but he understood now.
This key… was important.
His fingers tightened around it as he stared back down at the book.
The protector of the Vermillion family…
Was this what Amara wanted him to find?
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Deep Underground
Far beneath the castle, in the cold depths of the underground cave, Raviel stirred.
It had been years since the first seal cracked, but now… now something had changed.
He could feel him.
The heir.
Raviel's crimson eyes flickered open as the chains around his wrists trembled. His dark hair spilled over his shoulders, and the glowing tattoos along his arms pulsed faintly with magic. The air was thick with the scent of damp stone and iron, but beneath it, he could sense something new.
A presence.
His lips curled into a slow, dark smile.
"So… the little heir has finally started searching for me."
He leaned back against the cold wall of his prison, exhaling slowly. His duty, his curse, his fate— it was all tied to that boy.
Nao Vermillion.
For centuries, Raviel had been bound to the Vermillion family, forced to protect them as part of a magical contract made long ago. He had no love for humans. They were weak, selfish, and fragile. And yet, for some reason… this heir felt different.
He scoffed. "Let's see what kind of master you will become, little heir."
The chains rattled softly.
And in the castle above, Nao unknowingly traced his fingers over the key hanging around his neck—the key to Raviel's freedom.
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