Nosil walked with the soldiers toward the palace. However, before they allowed him to enter the grand hall, they insisted on binding him with chains.
"Really? Am I being invited or captured?" Nosil questioned, bewildered by their actions.
The soldiers remained tight-lipped, offering only a single word in response, "Protocol." They then escorted him into the hall.
Inside, Lady Sophy, the ruler's subordinates, and numerous soldiers awaited Nosil's arrival. The door creaked open, revealing four armed guards flanking Nosil, who was chained and walking down a red carpet leading directly to Ruler Victor's throne.
As they reached their destination and halted, Victor made his entrance. Everyone in the hall dropped to their knees in a display of reverence—everyone except Nosil. His defiance did not go unnoticed.
The four guards struggled to force Nosil to kneel, but his stance was as unyielding as iron. The clinking of the chains echoed through the hall, heightening the tension.
Victor raised a hand, "That's enough… leave him be."
Chancellor Philip protested, "But sir, it's disrespectful."
Victor regarded his chancellor thoughtfully. "He doesn't seem to be a Kylian… we shouldn't force him." Victor's interest was piqued by this young man before him—not just by his wounded face, but by the untold story he carried.
Reluctantly, the guards stepped back, leaving Nosil to stand tall.
Nosil looked at the mighty Victor, scrutinizing the ruler everyone spoke of in reverent tones. He observed Victor's demeanor, trying to gauge the impression he left on those around him.
Nosil then spoke up, his voice carrying a hint of challenge. "Is this how you treat your guests, ruler?"
Victor didn't appreciate the question, viewing it as a sign of disrespect and defiance, but also saw the chains as a sign of his cowardness . He ordered, "Untie his chains."
Chancellor Philip immediately objected, "Please reconsider, sir... He is a dangerous foe."
Victor, clearly irritated by Philip's constant questioning, shot back, "That's enough." His expression was stern. "This man knows better than to start trouble here."
Nosil swiftly broke the chains himself and sat on the ground, leaving everyone in the hall astonished.
Victor laughed, turning to Philip. "See? It was useless from the beginning."
As his interest in this boy increased, Victor then addressed Nosil, "What's your name, kid?"
With a single word, Nosil replied, "Nosil."
"Okay, Nosil... Where are you from and whom do you work for?" Victor inquired.
Nosil, with a daring smile, responded, "I am nobody... I have conquered my identity and cut all my ties."
Nosil's cryptic words left everyone puzzled. Even Victor seemed unsure of their meaning, so he shifted the topic. "I heard you saved my daughter… but also that you were rude to her... Can you clarify why?"
Nosil sensed that this question could lead to more confrontation with Victor, so he needed to steer the conversation elsewhere. "That's not important... Isn't finding out who attacked her your first priority?"
"Of course... Do you know who did it? Any information you share will be compensated," Victor replied, offering an incentive to extract any intel from Nosil.
Nosil ignored the mention of compensation, pushing the conversation further. "I'm quite certain you have someone in mind, don't you?" His devilish smile made Victor uneasy.
Victor didn't answer immediately, but he had a few suspects in mind—one of whom he hoped it wasn't.
After a few moments of silence, he said, "Why don't you become my daughter's bodyguard? I will pay you dearly."
Victor's proposal stunned Lady Sophy, disbelief evident on her face. "What! No way... I thought I told you to put him in prison, not make him my bodyguard," she exclaimed, clearly upset.
Victor attempted to reason with her, "He would be more useful protecting you, wouldn't he? Your safety is my priority you know..."
Sophy adamantly refused the offer, her voice filled with stubbornness. "Bullshit... I don't need a bodyguard, especially not him... Look at him, with that wounded face."
"But what matters most is that he can protect you... He already saved you once when even your guards couldn't... Can't you see?" Victor argued, trying to persuade Sophy, while everyone else watched in stunned silence.
Sophy turned away from Victor, firm in her decision. "I don't care. Just put him in prison already."
Watching the two argue, Nosil interrupted, "Is that an offer?" he asked Victor.
"Yes," Victor replied.
Nosil swiftly rejected it. "Then I refuse."
"Why is that?" Victor questioned, his tone probing.
Nosil explained himself simply, his voice unwavering. "I'm busy... Babysitting your daughter is my last worry."
Victor's expression tightened at Nosil's words, his eyes narrowing. "What if it's an order?" he tested, trying to gauge Nosil's resolve.
Even under the pressure, Nosil didn't yield. "I will still refuse," he stated confidently, his defiance palpable.
The tension in the room grew, everyone aware that Victor was being openly challenged, and the consequences could be severe if he lost his temper.
Seizing the moment, Sophy interjected, "You see how rude he is!... Kill him," she ordered the guards.
The guards approached, drawing their swords, while Nosil stood calmly in their midst.
Surrounded on all sides, Nosil didn't appear concerned. Instead, he lifted his head and glanced at the dark ceiling beams, noticing hidden assassins preparing to strike from above while the guards were focused on him.
A smile crept onto Nosil's face. "Not bad... not bad."
Sophy stood poised, anticipating the guards' attack, yet she couldn't help but wonder why Nosil remained unconcerned, his gaze fixed on the dark ceiling columns.
Meanwhile, Philip and Victor were gripped by terror. Nosil had discovered their trump card—the assassins positioned above, Philip's method to ensure the safety of the Kylian family's head.
Victor found himself paralyzed by indecision. A mere gesture from him would signal the assassins to strike, but Nosil's imposing presence made him hesitate. Fear rooted him in place, unable to decide.
He glanced at Chancellor Philip, seeking guidance. No words were exchanged, only a silent exchange of looks.
Philip shared the same fear: even the assassins might not be enough to take Nosil down. With no predators or dominators present, the only advice Philip could offer was a subtle shake of his head, cautioning Victor against taking such a risk.
Victor understood but felt trapped. "What should I do now… I shouldn't have listened to Sophy. Bringing him here was a mistake. If only Maxim or... was here. I need to get rid of him, but not here… risking everything with the ceremony just days away isn't wise."
Victor decided to resolve the matter peacefully, even if it meant damaging his reputation. "Stop it… we didn't invite him to be killed," he commanded. The guards stepped back, sheathing their swords.
"Wise choice," Nosil remarked.
Philip then asked, "Who's behind the attack, if I may ask?"
Nosil responded, "You know them very well…" He turned and walked towards the exit on his own. "The Nomads," he said, then left the hall.
The name Nosil mentioned froze everyone in their tracks, even Victor. It was the last name he wanted to hear.
As history records, before humanity's last survivors sought refuge in the final haven of Cyrene, the lands were not quietly uninhabited. Small tribes known as the Nomads roamed there.
As waves of people began pouring into Cyrene, the presence of the Nomads began to shrink. They distanced themselves from the newcomers to the point of becoming nearly invisible.
As the five families grew in power and spread their territories, dividing Cyrene among themselves, the lands of the Nomads were either seized or discarded. Only the Ram family sought relations with them, accepting the Nomads as part of their own.
Following the annihilation of the Ram family fifteen years ago, some surviving Nomads aligned with other tribes. Together, they formed a resistance force to reclaim their ancestral lands under the name "Nomads."
This force grew in size and power, causing great concern for Victor and his fellow leaders. Alongside the Nomads, another formidable faction, formerly a gang known as "the Titans," was rising. Both these forces were destined to play a crucial role in the future of Cyrene.