Kun's body remained still, but his mind was anything but.
Somewhere deep within, he fell.
It wasn't a normal descent—no wind, no sensation of movement—just an endless drop into suffocating darkness. The kind that swallowed sound, breath, and even thought.
Then—he landed.
Or at least, he thought he did.
The ground beneath him wasn't solid, yet it held his weight. It rippled under his feet like liquid shadow, stretching endlessly in every direction. There was no sky, no horizon, only a vast expanse of inky blackness.
Kun exhaled, watching his breath turn to mist.
This place. He knew it. Somehow, he knew it.
And he was not alone.
A voice slithered through the silence.
"Did I not tell you?"
Kun's breath hitched. It was the same voice from before—the smooth, taunting whisper that had crept into his mind just before the explosion.
"Don't let the darkness touch you."
A figure stood before him. Cloaked in black, their presence was both familiar and foreign. Their face remained obscured, but the smirk beneath their hood sent a chill down Kun's spine.
"You're awake sooner than I expected, little stray." The voice was smooth, almost amused. The same voice that had whispered in his mind before everything went dark.
Kun's hands curled into fists. "Who are you?"
The figure tilted their head. "Oh? You don't remember? A shame. But I suppose it's only natural." They took a step closer. Despite the stillness of the space, their movement rippled through the shadows like a disturbance in water.
The figure chuckled. "You can feel it, can't you? The darkness creeping in. The voice at the edge of your mind. It's only a matter of time before—"
Kun stepped forward, his eyes sharp. "Shut up."
For the first time, the figure paused.
Kun's voice was low, steady. "You talk too much. If you know something, say it. If not, get out of my way."
The figure's smirk widened. "Ah… there it is. That fire." They raised a hand, and the shadows twisted around them, taking shape.
A throne.
Dark, jagged, and ancient. A seat carved from blackened stone, its form shifting like it was alive.
The figure gestured to it. "Tell me, little stray. Do you like it?"
Kun frowned. "Like what?"
The figure's voice was almost a whisper. "Your throne."
Something in Kun's chest tightened.
His heart pounded, his vision wavered—flashes of something else filled his mind.
A ruined city, swallowed by darkness. The twisted throne of black thorns, wrapped in writhing tendrils. Eyes—thousands of them—watching, unblinking, waiting.
And at the center of it all…
A boy.
Small. Alone. Staring up at the abyss as it reached for him.
Kun gasped, his hands shooting up to clutch his head. The pressure was unbearable, his skull threatening to split apart.
"Ghh—!"
The figure hummed. "Poor little Kun. So much you don't remember. So much you've yet to understand."
Kun forced himself to look up, his vision swimming. "What do you want from me?"
The figure chuckled. "Want? Oh, little one, this isn't about what I want."
The darkness pulsed.
"It's about what you are."
Kun's breath caught in his throat. A chill slithered down his spine.
"Soon," the figure mused, stepping back. "You'll know."
The shadows coiled around them, their form beginning to dissolve.
"And when you do..."
The last thing Kun saw was their smirk, sharp as a dagger.
"I'll be waiting."
Then, the abyss collapsed.
- - -
Kun's body jerked violently as he woke.
His head throbbed. His limbs ached. Cold metal dug into his wrists.
Chains.
His vision swam as he adjusted to his surroundings. Dim torchlight flickered against stone walls. The air smelled of damp iron and something acrid—like burnt magic.
A dungeon.
His arms were bound above him, shackled to a thick iron chain fastened to the stone wall. His ankles were similarly restrained, though he could still shift his weight.
Kun sucked in a slow breath, willing himself to stay calm. Assess. Observe. Think.
Across from him, separated by iron bars, sat Alice. Unlike Kun, he was only cuffed at the wrists, resting against the wall with his legs stretched out. He looked roughed up—his usual casual arrogance dimmed by their current predicament.
Alice lifted his head slightly, smirking despite everything. "About time you woke up, Sleeping Beauty."
Kun ignored the comment. "Where are we?"
"Crimson Order stronghold," Alice replied. "Or one of their underground holding cells, at least." He rolled his shoulders. "They really don't like you, by the way."
Kun exhaled slowly. "Lizzy?"
"Somewhere else. They're questioning her separately." Alice's smirk faded. "She didn't take it well."
Kun frowned. "The kids?"
Alice hesitated, then sighed. "Don't know. The guards wouldn't say."
Before Kun could process that, a sharp clang echoed through the chamber.
The heavy iron door swung open.
Two figures entered.
One was a knight in full black and silver armor, their presence rigid with trained authority. Their helmet bore the insignia of House Blackridge—the very house that commanded the Crimson Order.
The second figure, however, was more striking.
A woman, tall and imposing, draped in a high-collared coat lined with crimson. Her silver hair was pulled back into a tight braid, and her steel-colored eyes held the sharpness of a blade. Her very presence demanded obedience.
Lady Selene Blackridge.
The leader of Evergloam's elite demon hunters.
Her reputation speaks louder—ruthless, unyielding, and completely unforgiving when it came to demonic corruption.
Selene stepped forward, stopping just before Kun's shackled form. She looked him over with cold scrutiny, taking in the faint traces of dark mist still curling from the wound at his neck.
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
"Tell me, Kun of House Ravencourt," she said, her voice edged with quiet command. "How long have you been in league with demons?"
Kun's breath stilled.
Alice stiffened. "Hey—wait a damn second—"
The knight beside Selene unsheathed their sword, the blade humming with enchanted energy. "Silence."
Kun met Selene's gaze, unflinching. "I'm not in league with demons."
Selene tilted her head slightly, unconvinced. "No?" She reached out, her gloved fingers brushing just above the graze on his neck. The moment she did, the dark mist pulsed faintly, reacting to her presence.
She withdrew her hand.
"Then explain this."
Kun remained silent.
Alice scowled. "That demon targeted him. He was the one attacked."
Selene's expression didn't change. "Perhaps." She studied Kun once more, her gaze unreadable. Then—
She turned sharply. "Bring him to the chamber."
The knight moved instantly, unlocking Kun's shackles. The moment he was freed, his legs nearly buckled, but he forced himself to stand.
Alice jumped up, rattling his own chains. "Hey! Where are you taking him?"
Selene didn't answer.
"My father won't take this well. Kun is not just a stray from our house—he is going to be adopted by the King. What do you think he will say if you lock up my future brother!?" Alice's voice rang through the chamber, sharp with defiance.
Kun's breath hitched, his body momentarily frozen in place.
Adopt? Me?
The words echoed in his mind, clashing against the uncertainty that had long rooted itself in his heart. He had always been an outsider, a nameless figure drifting through the cracks of noble society. Now, the King himself had decided to make him a part of the royal family?
Selene Blackridge remained unmoved, her expression unreadable as she studied Alice.
"I'm sure my father has already received word of what happened," Alice continued, his tone edged with both frustration and certainty.
"And trust me, he won't take this lightly. You are treating us like criminals when all we did was help that girl—something none of you could manage."
A murmur rippled through the assembled knights, some shifting uneasily at the barely concealed accusation. The torches lining the walls flickered, their glow casting long shadows against the cold stone.
Selene exhaled slowly, as if considering her next words carefully. When she finally spoke, her voice was calm but firm.
"Your position does not exempt you from questioning, Your Highness. There are too many unknowns, and until we understand the full extent of what transpired, we cannot afford carelessness."
Alice scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Carelessness? You lot were the ones who let the situation spiral out of control in the first place. If Kun and I hadn't stepped in, that girl would be dead—or worse."
"Enough," Selene cut in sharply. Her gaze flickered toward Kun, and for the first time, there was something almost calculating in her eyes.
"Adopted or not, he is an unknown factor. His involvement in this incident cannot be ignored. The magic that surrounded that girl was no ordinary possession. It was something far more dangerous."
She took a step closer, her presence imposing. "And so is he."
Kun clenched his fists, feeling the weight of the chains around his wrists. His mind was still tangled with the revelation of the King's decision, but now, another truth pressed against him.
They didn't trust him.
No matter what he did—no matter how much he fought alongside Alice—people like Selene Blackridge would always see him as something other. A stray. A question that had yet to be answered.
"Then let me make this simple," Alice said, his voice dangerously low. "You release him now, or you answer to my father directly. And I assure you, Lady Blackridge, he will not be as patient as I am."
A heavy silence followed.
Selene regarded Alice for a long moment before finally exhaling, the tension in the air thick enough to cut through.
Then, with a flick of her wrist, she turned away.
"Take these two to the inner sanctum," she commanded her knights.
Kun barely had time to react before he was forced forward, chains clinking with each step.
The unease in his gut only deepened.
Something told him that whatever awaited them in the inner sanctum…
Was only the beginning.