"For all your bravado, Vaelthorn… you're still weak."
The voice was cold, devoid of emotion. From atop the moonstone throne, the woman spoke like a verdict, her words echoing across the silent chamber.
Elves stood around her, a dozen or more, each one armed and ready. Their weapons glinted beneath the pale light, pointed directly at the lone figure kneeling in the center of the grand hall.
Blood dripped from his chin.
Nyx knelt there, struggling to remain upright. His breaths came ragged, uneven, as blood seeped from countless wounds that painted his skin and clothes a dark, wet crimson. Every inch of his body screamed in pain, yet his eyes—those cold blue eyes—still burned with stubborn fire.
"I didn't… come here… for your bullshit..." he rasped, forcing the words out past the iron taste of blood in his mouth. His gaze rose slowly to meet hers, unwavering even as his body threatened to collapse. "Show me the path to the Root… Lumina."
The woman on the throne did not move.
Her eyes, pale and luminous like twin moons, regarded him with a gaze that was neither cruel nor compassionate. It was the gaze of something ancient. Something that had long stopped seeing humans as anything more than dust blowing in the wind.
"It was already a grave sin… to allow a human within our sacred grounds," she said softly, her voice carrying the weight of ages. "I made that mistake once. I will not repeat it again."
Nyx faltered then, not from pain, but from despair. His hands clenched the cold stone floor, his knuckles turning white as his battered body trembled under the weight of his desperation.
"Lumina… if I don't find her… if I don't meet her again… everyone dies." he whispered, then screamed, his voice cracking. "Do you understand?! EVERYONE IS GOING TO DIE!!"
His words rang through the silent hall like a death knell.
But Lumina… didn't even flinch.
Her gaze did not waver, nor did her expression change as she uttered the only command that sealed his fate.
"Take him away."
The moment shattered. Elves stepped forward.
"LUMINA!!" Nyx's roar tore from his soul as he surged forward, only for his body to finally betray him. His knees buckled, his strength failed, and all he could do was watch as the last sliver of hope slipped through his bloodstained fingers.
---
One Month Earlier—
"Fuuu… finally. We're out."
Nyx's voice was little more than a groan as he stumbled out of the dense forest, every step feeling heavier than the last. His clothes hung from him in tatters, barely covering the mess of dried blood, sweat, and mud coating his skin. His black hair clung to his forehead, matted with filth, and his blue eyes, usually sharp, looked dulled from exhaustion.
Behind him, the rest of the group emerged one after another, and frankly, none of them looked any better.
They looked less like warriors and more like beggars who had barely survived crawling through a battlefield.
Valon was the worst of them. His armor was shattered, what little remained of it clinging to his frame like scraps of regret. Monster gore still clung to his shoulders, dried and crusted like trophies no one asked for. His glare, however, remained alive and venomous.
"I'm gonna kill you… you damn bastard," Valon growled, dragging himself forward.
Nyx didn't even bother to look back.
"Join the queue."
His voice was flat, hollow, as if even sarcasm took more energy than he currently possessed.
"We'll learn how to function as civilized people later," he muttered, limping forward. "If I don't die of sleep deprivation first."
And like that, the group trudged forward in silence, each step a victory in itself.
---
"Ahem… we should probably move."
Nyx's tone was casual, but even he couldn't ignore the murderous glares from the rest of the group as they stood at the city's entrance. He looked like the world's most unapologetic war criminal, and his teammates? Like survivors trying to decide whether revenge was worth the energy.
"Yeah…" Ruby sighed at last, glancing towards Reina.
It wasn't easy, but the moment of parting had come.
As much as Reina wanted to follow, her burdens wouldn't let her. She knew it. And that made the silence between them heavier.
With nothing more to say, they moved through the city—quiet, cautious, and still carrying the exhaustion of their hellish month in the wilds.
But then, Nyx stopped. Instantly, the group tensed.
"Stop." Nyx said softly, eyes narrowing as his senses expanded. His body went rigid, instincts flaring.
"What is it?" Samantha asked, her confusion plain.
Nyx didn't answer immediately. His eyes flickered once, cold calculation overtaking exhaustion.
"We're splitting up," he finally said. His tone left no room for argument.
"Samantha, Ruby, Valon, Reina—you keep moving towards the target."
"Wait, what—?" Ruby began, but Nyx cut her off.
"Theo, Rhea. You're with me."
Without wasting another second, Nyx vaulted into the shadows between buildings, his presence vanishing in the blink of an eye. Rhea followed without question. Theo hesitated only a moment before bolting after them.
---
Meanwhile, the rest of the group reached the mansion. And it wasn't just any mansion.
It was a golden leviathan standing amidst the city of commerce—a structure so opulent that it made even wealth look cheap. Gates forged from solid gold loomed ahead, guarded by men clad in armor of the same.
Valon looked up at it, expression dead.
"…Can I cut that piece out?"
Samantha wasn't sure if he was joking anymore.
As they stepped through the gates, a figure awaited them. A giant of a man, taller than most, his presence radiating command. He didn't need weapons. His body and aura were enough.
And before anyone could speak, Reina ran to him.
"Father!" she called, throwing herself into his arms.
The man caught her effortlessly, a warm smile crossing his otherwise stern face as he hugged her back.
Then, his gaze lifted.
"You must be her friends."
The warmth faded, replaced by a weight far heavier than mere suspicion.
"You've caused quite the trouble in Eleanor."
For a tense moment, no one answered. Then, the man chuckled.
"Relax. Come inside."
Without waiting, he turned and walked towards the mansion, leaving the group stunned—and silently following.
---
A figure silently watched the group from the shadows, her breaths controlled, her presence carefully hidden.
At least, that's what she believed. Until she felt something cold press against her neck.
Her body froze instantly.
Before she could even think to turn around, a killing intent so vast and suffocating wrapped around her like a noose. Her lungs refused to work. Fear clawed at her throat as a voice, colder than ice itself, whispered near her ear.
"May I know why someone is following us?"
Nyx's tone was calm, yet sharp enough to slice her head from her shoulders should she so much as flinch.
She didn't move. She didn't dare.
But before she could even attempt a response, two more figures appeared from opposite directions, silent as wraiths, dragging four unconscious bodies between them.
Her heart nearly stopped.
Her eyes darted between the two figures and the familiar faces of her fallen allies. All four of them—unconscious, silent, at the mercy of their captors.
"St–stop! Please stop! We don't mean any harm!" she cried out, panic shattering her composure as she raised her trembling hands in surrender. Her voice cracked as tears of fear burned her throat.
"W–we are the Night Elves! W–we're sent by the Queen!" she blurted out hastily, desperation bleeding through every word as she stood there helpless, her hands raised, her body shaking.
But Nyx's voice came again. Flat. Cold. Sharp.
"I don't remember there being any queen ruling a kingdom anywhere near here."
His indifference chilled her more than the blade itself. She felt herself break.
Her fingers trembled violently as she fumbled inside her cloak. Then, slowly, with her heart hammering against her ribs, she pulled out a small piece of cloth and raised it high above her head, her hands still shaking uncontrollably.
She didn't dare turn around. She didn't even breathe. For a moment, silence consumed everything.
Then Nyx saw it. And froze.
His entire body shifted—not in panic, but in recognition. His expression changed. His gaze flickered to the cloth, and for a heartbeat, he seemed lost in thought.
And then—slowly, deliberately—he lowered his dagger.
"Put them down," he ordered.
Without hesitation, Rhea and Theo obeyed, letting the unconscious men slump to the ground beside her before stepping up to stand beside Nyx.
"You've got a lot of explaining to do… miss…" Nyx said at last, his tone no longer as sharp, but carrying a different weight now—a demand, not a threat.
A long silence passed before the girl finally released the breath she didn't realize she was holding.
"…Elara," she whispered, her voice shaking but steady enough.
Her hands slowly lowered as she turned around, her silver eyes meeting Nyx's cold blue gaze for the first time.
And in that moment, she knew—her life was still hanging by a thread.