The ride toward the Great Taleos Empire was quiet in the most uncomfortable way possible.
The Lumen Wolf moved with effortless grace, its massive frame rising and falling as it leapt across hills and broken stone. Wind tore past them, yet none of it seemed to touch Valearis. She sat at the front near the beast's nape, hood pulled low, posture composed, as if the world rushing around her was nothing more than background noise. Her silence felt deliberate, heavy with thoughts she had no intention of sharing.
Behind her, Isolde rode steady and unmoving. Each landing drew a soft clank from her armor, rhythmic and controlled. She never removed her helmet, never shifted her gaze, her presence calm yet unreadable, like a blade waiting in its sheath.
At the very back, Fauran crouches with his arms folded, eyes half-lidded and sharp. He said nothing, but the tension around him was unmistakable. It felt less like patience and more like restraint, the kind that snapped once pushed far enough.
And in the middle of it all sat Yona.
He kept his hands on his knees, back straight, trying very hard not to look like a kidnapped villager riding a legendary beast into an empire he had only heard of in rumors.
His new blessing whispered constantly.
Heartbeats echoed through his awareness, each one distinct. Valearis was slow and measured, steady like deep water. Isolde carried a disciplined rhythm, unwavering. Fauran's, however, was sharp and predatory, a low pulse that made Yona's skin prickle.
Every so often, emotional currents bled through those rhythms. Irritation from the back. Cold restraint from the front. Mutual dislike so thick it might as well have been visible.
Yona swallowed.
He ran the question through his head a dozen times before finally speaking.
"Excuse me…" he muttered.
Valearis turned her head slightly, the edge of her hood catching the wind. She hummed, clearly pulled from her thoughts.
"What is it?" she asked, her tone calm but distant.
Yona hesitated, then asked, "Is there a reason I'm being detained?"
Valearis faced forward again, her voice even.
"Suspicion," she replied. "From the Empire."
Yona frowned. "Suspicion of what?"
"That," she said smoothly, "is something you should ask Sir Fauran. He was the one who requested permission for your detainment."
A faint, dangerous silence followed.
Yona felt Fauran's heartbeat spike.
From the back came a low scoff. "Tch."
Valearis lips curved just slightly beneath her hood.
For a brief moment, despite everything, Yona almost felt at peace.
Fauran shot Yona an irritated glance, his amber eyes narrowing.
"Why do I have to explain it again? I already told you both on the way here. I'm not wasting my breath spelling things out for a kid who probably still needs help tying his boots."
Isolde let out a sharp scoff.
"So even the great Fauran of the Taleos Empire, the self-proclaimed know-it-all, can't explain something simple to a child?"
Fauran's eyes twitched. Just barely.
"I'm saying it isn't my responsibility to entertain questions."
The Lumen Wolf snorted beneath them, a low huff of breath escaping its muzzle as it bounded over uneven ground, clearly unimpressed by the argument riding on its back.
Isolde exhaled slowly, his armor clanking as he shifted.
"He told us earlier why you're being detained," he said, glancing at Yona. "It isn't anything dramatic. After we arrived at Eirini Village, we found signs of a recent attack not involving the Skeleton Orc–Miss Valearis slayed. Someone went through parts of the village and killed off remaining survivors from the orc incident."
"Isolde," Valearis said sharply.
The air seemed to chill.
"Why would you describe something like that to a child?" Valearis continued, her voice calm but edged with authority. "Have some restraint."
Isolde straightened immediately.
"My apologies, Miss Valearis."
Fauran leaned back, a crooked grin tugging at his lips.
"Hah. Looks like the kid's about to piss himself."
Yona barely heard him.
His thoughts spiraled.
So it wasn't just us.
Why would anyone target Eirini now?
That village did nothing. It was isolated, we were peaceful and forgotten by others.
His fists clenched against his knees as the Lumen Wolf surged forward again, wind roaring past his ears.
"Something wrong?" Isolde asked, sensing the shift in him.
Yona spoke up before he could stop himself.
"The past month wasn't normal. A skeleton orc appearing in Eirini was already weird enough!"
Fauran shrugged.
"So?"
"Eirini is deep in the southern coexistence zone," Yona continued, voice steady but strained. "A barren crossroads surrounded by peaceful land. Fracture events don't just happen there. For an orc to appear, something had to—"
His breath caught. As Valearis spoke up
"—force it open…"
Fauran glanced over his shoulder, studying him with renewed interest.
"You're surprisingly educated for a brat. To come to that conclusion, are you really a kid?"
Isolde frowned.
"I'm… not following. Are you saying the attack was intentional?"
Fauran's tone dropped.
"Rather–It was manmade."
Yona and Isolde spoke at the same time.
"Is that possible?"
Valearis went quiet, one finger resting against her chin as the Lumen Wolf slowed slightly beneath her unspoken command.
"…Well, that could be one reason," she said at last. "Isolde, the kobolds we encountered near the northern cave. Do you remember how strange they felt?"
Isolde nodded.
"They were aggressive and coordinated."
"And stronger than they should have been," Valearis added. "If that wasn't a coincidence…"
Isolde's eyes widened.
"Then both incidents were manipulated."
Fauran frowned.
"Manipulated by who?"
Isolde glanced back at him.
"There was a man in Eirini. White kimono–His presence felt off, He was Skilled and strangely Dangerous."
Fauran fell silent for a moment, ego finally giving way to thought. Then he snapped his fingers.
"A Rogue Bounder prehaps."
Yona tilted his head.
"Rogue Bounder?"
Valearis answered, her voice measured.
"They are Bounders who reject law, order, and imperial authority. They act on obsession, desire, or survival alone."
"They were rightful Bounders," she corrected herself. "Until they abused their blessings."
As if she had lingering thoughts that opposed her emotions. Despite her elegant nature
Silence fell over them.
Only the rush of wind and the heavy breathing of the Lumen Wolf remained as it carried them onward, its paws striking earth in steady rhythm. Each of them sank into their own thoughts.
Yona had more questions than answers. He chose to keep them to himself.
Time passes as
The Great Taleos Empire emerged on the horizon soon after.
Layer upon layer of colossal walls encircled the capital, each ring marking the conquest of a fallen kingdom. Towering gates stood fortified with bastions and reinforced ports, mechanisms etched with runes capable of sealing entire districts in moments. Trade caravans streamed in alongside marching legions and mechanized transports.
It wasn't a city.
It was a continent of stone crowned with towers.
Entire towns existed within its walls, reduced to mere districts of the capital. Taleos stretched outward in every direction, dominating the Heart of the Grail Realm. Eirini Village rested far to the south, within the Cellins region, the Land of Coexistence, a place of forests, fertile soil, and fragile peace.
Yona looked up.
He didn't let the awe show.
I've seen something like this before, he thought.
If it were a little bigger… it might rival the castle from my memories or even.
"Amazed?" Valearis asked.
"It's smaller than I expected," Yona replied honestly.
Fauran smirked.
"Big words from a kid raised in the middle of nowhere."
Yona muttered under his breath, "You should see what I've seen."
Isolde spoke softly, almost to himself.
"Taleos was once a struggling kingdom. If you told my younger self it would become an empire, she would've laughed."
Yona blinked.
"She?"
Valearis didn't miss a beat.
"Isolde meant the immature version of himself."
Yona nodded.
"I see."
Behind them, Fauran had already leaned back against the Lumen Wolf's fur, eyes closed, snoring faintly as the beast carried them toward the heart of the empire.
The gates of the Great Taleos Empire did not open so much as part of the world.
Stone the color of old bone rose higher than Yona could measure, but he didn't need sight to understand their scale. The vibration beneath his feet deepened as the gates unlocked–thousands of interlocking mechanisms shifting in sequence. The sound rolled through the ground like a waking giant.
Heavy, Yona thought.
Everything here is heavy.
The Lumen Wolf slowed as they passed through. Its paws struck the stone with a steady, disciplined rhythm
Yona felt it before he heard it.
Footsteps layered over footsteps. Wagon wheels rattling. Cloth brushing against armor. Distant hammers striking metal. Voices overlapping–laughter, arguments, merchants calling prices, guards barking orders. All of it merged into a living pulse that stretched outward in every direction.
His lips twitched.
…So this is a city.
He kept his posture straight, chin level, pretending none of it impressed him.
"Try not to gape," Valearis said lazily from atop the Lumen Wolf's nape. "You'll ruin the image."
"I'm not," Yona replied flatly.
Fauran awakens snortingfrom behind. "You say that, but your heartbeat jumped the moment we crossed the gates."
Yona grimaced. "That's not gaping."
"That's excitement," Valearis teased. "Cute."
Yona clicked his tongue and turned his head away, though it was pointless.
As if I could look anyway.
Around them, the people watched.
People slowed while conversations faltered. The steady rhythm of the streets skipped a beat as citizens noticed the Lumen Wolf pacing behind the group–its luminous fur catching the light, its presence unmistakably predatory even at rest.
The citizens watched them past by, cautious of the Lumen Wolf that towered over them
Yona felt it ripple outward–heartbeats tightening, breath hitching, feet stepping just a little farther away the parents pulled children closer whilst the guards watched carefully but did not intervene.
"This place doesn't like surprises," Yona muttered.
Isolde nodded beside him. "Even though it's an Empire, Taleos continues to be tested too many times to afford comfort."
His armor clinked softly as he walked, "This city was built by conquest," Isolde continued. "Every district you're sensing was once another kingdom that has been absorbed and rebuilt."
Yona frowned. "You sound… proud."
"I am," he said simply. "Taleos didn't survive by being kind."
Valearis glanced back. "Careful, Isolde. You're going to scare him."
"I'm being honest." His voice spiked almost feminine like
Fauran laughed quietly. "If the truth scares him, he won't last long anyway."
Yona rolled his shoulders. "I'm still here, aren't I?"
They passed through a wide plaza. The vibration changed–open space, high ceilings, sound echoing differently. Fountains roared somewhere nearby, water crashing in constant rhythm. Yona tilted his head unconsciously, mapping it all.
Left. Two fountains. Large basin. People sitting on the edges.
"I've been wondering," Valearis said.
"Wondering?"
"Why is it that you keep your eyes closed, are you perhaps?–"
Yona cut her off as he knew what she was going to say. "Blind? Yeah you're right, I can't see."
The shock didn't surprise her as much as it should've as if she knew but didn't want to be rude and bring it up
"I see, yet it's still odd how you can perceive the world–"
A sudden impact thudded into Isolde's leg.
A small heartbeat scrambled wildly in panic. Tiny footsteps skidded on stone.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" a child's voice cried.
Isolde immediately knelt, armor clanking as he lowered himself. "Easy now, You're not hurt are you?"
Yona felt it, the tension dissolve as Isolde steadied the boy, his gauntlet resting gently on the boy's shoulder.
"Watch where you run next time," he said, not unkindly.
The boy hesitated looking up at him. "…Are you a knight?"
"I am." he replied proudly
The boy's eyes sparkle with a mix of shock and disbelief "Like the stories?"
A pause. Then Isolde smiled, Yona couldn't see it through his helmet, instead he heard it in his voice, but maybe soon he would see it
"Yes," he said. "The great ones."
The boy beamed, heartbeat racing with awe, before his friends called him back. He ran off laughing.
Yona exhaled quietly.
"…You're different from them," he said.
Isolde glanced at him. "From who?"
"Most knights I've heard of are usually arrogant."
Valearis smirked. "Careful, Isolde. He's forming opinions."
Fauran scoffed. "Sentimental ones, too."
Isolde rose to his feet. "Not all strength comes from fear, Sir Fauran."
Fauran didn't respond as if his pride didn't allow him to agree with him, only if subtly.
They continued forward.
The deeper they went, the more ordered the city became. Footsteps synchronized. Voices softened. Guards appeared at regular intervals. The vibrations sharpened–trained bodies, disciplined minds.
Then they stopped in front of the castle beholding Yona
The air itself seemed to hum with restrained force-thousands of layered enchantments, ancient stone under impossible weight, a presence that didn't need to announce itself.
The Lumen Wolf slowed instinctively, lowering its head.
Fauran straightened.
Isolde adjusted her stance.
Yona swallowed.
So this is where the emperor resides.
He kept his face neutral, calm and collected
Inside, though, his heart raced.
It feels almost nostalgic
The castle loomed ahead vast and immovable
Valearis leaned forward slightly. "Still think it's smaller than you imagined?"
Yona hesitated.
"…No," he admitted quietly. "This one feels real."
And with that, they stepped forward–toward the heart of the Grail Realm, and the throne that waited for them all.
The great doors of the throne room slammed shut behind them.
The sound echoed like a verdict.
Valearis lifted her cloak as she stepped forward, the fabric whispering across the marble. She removed her hood and bowed with controlled elegance, her posture flawless, her face unreadable. Isolde reacted instantly–yanking his hand back as his crimson cape flared before he dropped to one knee, fist planted firmly against the floor. Fauran followed a heartbeat later, lowering himself with practiced precision, slicking his hair back before bowing his head in submission.
All three faced the same direction.
The throne.
Yona felt it before he fully understood it.
Their heartbeats spiked at once–each different, each unmistakable.
Isolde's pulse carried reverence, steady and proud.
Fauran's thudded with disciplined fear, sharpened by loyalty.
Valearis–
Her heartbeat burned with something darker.
Disdain. Hatred. Carefully buried, never shown.
Yona swallowed.
Royal knights lined the chamber, motionless as statues, their presence alone enough to crush lesser men. The air felt thick, heavy–like breathing through water. Yona's gaze drifted upward, finally settling on the man seated upon the throne.
So this is him…
The highest authority in the Grail Realm.
Emperor Vonrad.
His presence devoured the room.
A long scar carved through his forehead, a relic of old wars. His hair–silvertangled with black–spoke of age, yet nothing about him felt diminished. His robe looked impossibly light, flowing as if woven from something sacred, something alive. It radiated calm… and beneath it, something vast and suffocating.
Yona's senses screamed.
Vonrad's emotions surged and stilled in waves–regret, resolve, and silence–repeating endlessly. A man who had carried too much… and never set it down.
Is this what it means… to become the greatest imperial in history?
Then–
"You hold your stature high, prisoner."
Vonrad's voice shattered the silence.
The knights froze.
Valearis, Isolde, and Fauran all broke into cold sweat.
The sound hit Yona like a tidal wave.
His ears rang violently, the frequency of the emperor's voice crashing through him. His legs gave out before his mind could react, and he collapsed to his knees, breath stolen, vision swimming.
Just… his voice?
Authority pressed down on him like the weight of the sky.
Valearis spoke sharply, almost cutting through the pressure. "Forgive him, Your Highness. He has not been taught proper etiquette–"
A single tap echoed.
Vonrad's foot touched the floor.
Valearis choked mid-sentence.
Every heartbeat in the room spiked at once.
Yona felt it–pure fear, raw and undeniable. His chest tightened. He knew, instinctively, that if he did not act now, something irreversible would happen.
"I–I apologize, Your Highness," Yona forced out, voice trembling. "I was out of line."
His breathing was erratic. His ears rang violently. Even kneeling felt like resistance.
Vonrad rested his fingers against the armrest of the throne, tapping slowly.
"Is he the boy you mentioned, Fauran?"
Fauran lifted his head just enough to answer. "He is. However, my initial analysis was incorrect. The mana storm was not caused by the boy, but by another party entirely."
Vonrad's gaze sharpened. "Ho?"
"During our journey, we discussed the matter with the suspect and compared it with our own findings. Through deduction and intuition, we arrived at the same conclusion."
"A mastermind, then?"
"Yes," Fauran replied. "Though we have yet to identify them. I will uncover the perpetrator."
He met the emperor's eyes without wavering.
For a moment, Vonrad studied him–then smirked faintly.
"I see. Then I will leave it to you."
His gaze shifted.
"However… Why are you two here?"
Valearis and Isolde stiffened.
"I gave you both explicit orders."
Valearis bowed deeper. "You did, Your Majesty. However, I believed the task we were assigned, and the detainment of this boy were connected. I apologize for overstepping my bounds."
Vonrad straightened.
"Hm."
The silence stretched.
"Very well," he said at last. "I will overlook this once. Return to your assigned task immediately."
Valearis exhaled quietly. "Thank you, Your Highness."
Vonrad leaned back.
"And the boy?"
Yona lifted his head.
Fauran answered without hesitation. "Leave him under my supervision. I will ensure he remains unnoticed."
Vonrad didn't look at Yona.
"Do as you see fit."
He waved a hand dismissively. "If that is all, I have matters to attend to."
"As you wish, Your Majesty," the three said in unison.
They turned to leave; Yona turns around the blurts something out
"I have a blessing."
The words echoed farther than Yona intended.
Emperor Vonrad's eyes narrowed–not in anger, but in intrigue. The reaction rippled through the chamber. Valearis stiffened. Isolde's posture tightened. Fauran's jaw set. Even the royal knights shifted, their armor clanking softly as hands hovered closer to their weapons.
"Leave us," Vonrad commanded.
"You three may exit. The boy remains."
A thin layer of sweat formed along Fauran's brow.
The three bowed and turned to leave. As Valearis passed Yona, she leaned close enough for only him to hear.
"Don't do anything reckless."
The doors slammed shut.
Silence consumed the throne room.
Yona stood alone before the emperor, the vast space suddenly oppressive. Vonrad's presence felt heavier now–undiluted, suffocating.
"So," Vonrad said, resting his chin against his hand, "What is your blessing capable of?"
"I'm… not entirely sure," Yona replied. "I awakened it only recently. But I can sense vibrations–sound itself. I perceive the world through it now."
Vonrad hummed softly.
"And what do you hope to gain by telling me this?"
"Nothing political," Yona said. "It's personal."
The emperor studied him in silence. His gaze lingered, sharp and assessing. Then–
"You haven't opened your eyes once," Vonrad said evenly. "Is my appearance so offensive that you refuse to look at me?"
Yona stiffened. "N-no! That's not it–"
He hesitated.
"…Your Highness, I am unable to see."
Vonrad's gaze sharpened. "Are you jesting in my presence?"
"No," Yona said quickly. "I'm blind. I perceive shapes through wave frequency–movement, voice, breathing. They form an outline."
That answer lingered in the air.
"I see," Vonrad said at last. "Then I will provisionally classify your blessing as Sound Vibration Utilization."
Yona nodded.
"You know," Vonrad continued, almost casually, "You resemble King Eilif."
Yona's breath caught. "I-is that so…?"
"Very much," Vonrad replied. "Which is why I will permit you to remain in my castle–for the time being."
Yona frowned. "What's the catch?"
Vonrad's gaze locked onto him, piercing despite Yona's blindness.
"The prince of Eilif vanished some time ago."
Yona felt sweat form along his spine.
"O-oh… I see. I hope he's found soon."
"Very soon," Vonrad replied instantly.
Then, just as quickly, his tone returned to neutral.
"You may leave. I'll have your blessing examined and your status as a bounder properly certified."
Yona bowed deeply. "Thank you, Your Majesty. I take my leave."
As he turned toward the doors, he felt it.
Vonrad's attention hadn't moved.
Just before the doors closed, Yona glanced back.
Vonrad's eyes were already on him. Watching him with his cold narrowed eyes