The name alone carried weight.
Kun didn't know what to expect as the knights led him and Alice down a long, winding corridor, their boots echoing against the cold stone floor.
The air grew heavier with each step, thick with something unseen yet suffocating.
It wasn't just the dampness of the underground—it was Artes. Old Artes.
Alice walked beside him, still shackled but moving with practiced arrogance.
"They sure love the dramatics," he muttered under his breath. "Would it kill them to have better lighting?"
Kun remained silent. His thoughts were elsewhere—still tangled in the remnants of that dream… if it had even been a dream at all.
The voice. The throne. The creeping sense of familiarity.
"Tell me, little stray. Do you like it? Your throne."*
His jaw tightened. That figure—who were they? Why did their words stir something inside him, something raw and wrong?
A sharp tug on his restraints pulled him from his thoughts. The knights had stopped. Before them stood a massive iron door, etched with glowing runes that pulsed like a heartbeat.
Selene Blackridge stepped forward, her steel-gray eyes unreadable as she placed a gloved hand against the surface.
A deep clang resonated as the runes flickered, and with a slow, grinding movement, the door creaked open.
Beyond it, the Inner Sanctum awaited.
The room was nothing like a prison cell.
It was a chamber—vast, circular, and lined with towering pillars of black stone. The floor bore intricate carvings that pulsed faintly with enchanted energy, weaving in patterns too complex for Kun to follow.
At the center of the room stood a stone platform, its edges lined with silver chains embedded into the floor.
A place for containment.
Kun knew, without being told, that it was meant for him.
"Step forward," Selene ordered.
Kun didn't move.
Alice, ever defiant, scoffed. "Oh, what? You expect him to just—"
A knight pressed a blade to his back, cutting him off. "Move."
Kun took a slow breath and stepped onto the platform. The moment his foot touched the center, the chains rattled, glowing with an eerie, bluish-white light. The magic surged to life, and an unseen force crashed down on him.
His knees nearly buckled.
It was as if an invisible weight had been placed upon his shoulders—heavy, oppressive, unyielding. Every breath felt like dragging air through molasses.
A containment field. Strong enough to restrain a powerful Artes user.
Selene watched him with sharp, assessing eyes. "This field reacts to demonic corruption," she stated. "If you are innocent, it will remain dormant. But if there is even a trace of darkness within you…"
The light around the platform pulsed.
Kun gritted his teeth.
Selene's gaze narrowed. "Well?"
The knights around them tensed, hands on their weapons.
Kun exhaled slowly, forcing his mind to remain steady. He wasn't corrupted. He wasn't—
Then why does it react to you?
The thought struck him like a whisper in the dark. And for a brief moment, his own reflection flickered in his mind—distorted, wreathed in shifting shadows, a smirk that wasn't his own staring back at him.
His breath hitched.
The light around the platform flared.
A sharp crack echoed as the ground beneath him trembled. The energy surged wildly, like a beast stirring from its slumber. The knights took a step back.
Selene's expression darkened. "Restrain him."
Kun barely had time to react before the silver chains shot upward, wrapping around his wrists and ankles, binding him in place. The magic burned cold against his skin, seeping into his bones like ice.
Alice lurched forward. "Oi! Enough—"
A knight seized him by the arm, holding him back.
Kun clenched his fists, biting down a wince. The cold spread through him, a numbing sensation creeping toward his chest.
Selene stepped closer, studying him like a puzzle that refused to fit. "That's twice now the darkness has reacted to you."
"I told you," Kun gritted out, "I'm not in league with demons."
Selene's lips pressed into a thin line. "Then explain this."
She raised her hand, and suddenly, the air shifted.
From the edges of the chamber, the darkness itself moved.
Kun's breath caught as the shadows slithered, writhing like living tendrils. They coiled toward the platform, stretching toward him—no, reaching for him.
He barely suppressed a shudder.
Something deep inside him twisted.
Selene watched closely. "Do you feel it?"
The darkness pulsed. Kun's chest tightened.
Yes.
He felt it.
A pull. A whisper. A familiar presence lurking at the edges of his mind.
"It's about what you are."
Selene's gaze bore into him. "What are you hiding, Kun of Ravencourt?"
Kun forced himself to remain still.
He didn't know the answer.
And that terrified him.
Alice's voice shattered the tension. "Alright, I think we've had enough of the scary magic show."
Selene barely spared him a glance. "This is necessary."
"Necessary?" Alice barked a short, humorless laugh. "You have him chained like a rabid animal." His eyes flickered to Kun's, his usual teasing expression gone. "You don't know Kun. I do. And I'm telling you—you're looking in the wrong place."
Selene remained unmoved.
Alice's fists clenched. "He's not your enemy."
Kun blinked.
Something in his chest tightened.
Even now, even with all the suspicion surrounding him—Alice still stood by his side.
Kun swallowed the lump in his throat. "…Alice."
Selene exhaled slowly, then turned to the knights. "Enough for now. Release him."
The chains loosened instantly, falling away from Kun's wrists and ankles. The moment they did, his legs nearly gave out. Alice moved before he could stop himself, steadying him with a firm grip.
Kun let out a slow breath. "…I'm fine."
Alice rolled his eyes. "Sure, Sleeping Beauty."
Kun huffed, shaking off the lingering cold. But as Selene turned away, her gaze lingering on him for just a moment longer, he knew—
This wasn't over.
Not even close.
The Crimson Order wasn't done with him yet.
And neither was the darkness.
- - -
As soon as they stepped outside, a blur of red and gold crashed into them.
"Idiots!"
Lizzy's voice rang out as she pulled both Kun and Alice into a tight hug, squeezing the breath out of them. "This is why I told you that going into town was nothing but trouble!"
Kun barely had time to react before Lizzy pulled back, glaring at them with her usual fire. Alice, on the other hand, stood frozen, mouth slightly open as if his brain had momentarily stopped working.
"Lizzy..." Alice muttered, caught off guard.
His usual smug expression wavered, something softer flickering in his eyes.
Kun, still recovering from nearly being crushed, cleared his throat.
"We're okay," he mumbled, unsure what else to say.
Lizzy wasn't convinced. She grabbed Alice's face between her hands, squishing his cheeks. "You better be okay, you reckless moron. And you—" She turned to Kun, jabbing a finger into his chest.
"—just because you're quiet doesn't mean you're not just as bad!"
Kun sighed. "Noted."
Before Alice could argue, the sound of armored footsteps cut through the moment. The trio turned just in time to see a group of royal knights entering the courtyard. Their polished armor gleamed under the moonlight, their presence demanding attention.
But it wasn't just the knights.
The King himself walked at the center of the group, his expression unreadable.
The atmosphere shifted. Even Selene, who had been watching from the entrance of the stronghold, stiffened slightly.
She hadn't expected this.
The knights moved swiftly, positioning themselves around Kun, Alice, and Lizzy—not as captors, but as protectors.
Selene took a slow step forward, her face carefully neutral, but her clenched fists betrayed her tension.
"Your Majesty," she greeted, lowering her head slightly in respect. "I… did not expect you to come in person. I was preparing to send the Prince and his companions back via royal carriage."
The King didn't respond immediately. Instead, he let the silence stretch, his gaze cool as he studied her. Then, he spoke:
"ᴀ ꜰᴀʟᴄᴏɴ ᴅᴏᴇꜱ ɴᴏᴛ ᴡᴀɪᴛ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴜɴᴛᴇʀ'ꜱ ʟᴇᴀꜱʜ ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪᴛꜱ ᴘʀᴇʏ ɪꜱ ᴡɪᴛʜɪɴ ꜱɪɢʜᴛ."
The words, spoken softly, carried an unmistakable weight.
Selene's jaw tightened. She understood the meaning well enough. The King did not trust delays, nor did he tolerate uncertainty when it came to his son. By coming personally, he had made his stance clear: this was no longer a matter for the Crimson Order alone.
The knights around them held their ground, their hands resting lightly on the hilts of their swords—not as a threat, but as a reminder of where their allegiance lay.
Alice, despite the tension, leaned toward Kun and muttered, "Was that a warning or a poem?"
Kun exhaled. "Both."
Lizzy elbowed them both sharply in the ribs, silently telling them to shut up.
The King's gaze flickered toward his son, then to Kun. His expression gave away nothing, but his presence alone was enough to make the weight of the situation settle in.
Finally, he turned back to Selene. "I will be taking them now."
It wasn't a request.
Selene hesitated only for a fraction of a second before bowing her head. "As you wish, Your Majesty."
The King's knights immediately moved to escort the trio away.