Ten years ago
The sun had barely reached its peak, casting golden rays across a quiet, lush field where a young boy ran barefoot through the grass, laughter ringing like wind chimes in the breeze.
"Mom! Mom! Come catch me! Hahaha!"
His tiny legs stumbled and he fell, but instead of crying, he erupted in giggles. His mother, radiant and full of life, chased after him with playful shouts, her long dress fluttering like a banner of joy. The moment was simple. Perfect.
Then, a firm but gentle hand grabbed the boy from behind. "Got you now, champ!" the man said, hoisting the child up into the air before handing him to his wife.
"Dad! No fair! You're always helping Mom!"
"No, no," his father replied with a teasing grin. "I'm playing against you because you're the best, my little warrior."
And the boy smiled. That kind of smile only found in the hearts of those who believe happiness is forever.
They lived in a mansion. Grand, but warm. Full of life and laughter. It was a world soaked in joy.
But joy is a fragile thing.
One night, that world shattered.
The sound of breaking glass. The panic in hurried footsteps. Soldiers bearing the crest of the Santiago family at their backs.
A loud voice thundered in the mansion, coming from an old man with a cane and sharp, cruel eyes. "You're a fool, Noris! You married not just a low-born servant but a trickster. A soldier from the Williams! A spy in disguise!"
Noris Santiago—once a prodigy, once the heir to the throne—now just a man who loved too deeply, stood frozen.
Later that night, under a moonless sky, Noris held his wife close with one arm, the other clutching their confused and frightened child.
"I can't run anymore... my feet... it hurts..." his wife gasped, her leg bleeding and bruised.
"I told you to hold on," Noris whispered. "We're almost there."
"No... take him... take our son and go. They only want me. If you leave me here, you and he can return to the Santiago family."
"No!" Noris said, eyes burning. "I will not abandon you!"
Tears flowed from her eyes. "Don't be foolish. You can't save all of us. Just go. Let me go. Him being alive and happy is all I ever wanted... I'm sorry for tricking you. I deserve this."
"NO!" Noris shouted. "I'm the one who should die! I failed to protect you! I failed... I failed you both!"
She stepped back. Her hand trembled. "Just... go. Please. Save him."
And then she ran the other way.
"Mom! Where's Mom going?!" the boy screamed, clutching at his father.
"She'll come back. She has to," Noris said, choking back tears.
But then a shadow appeared.
A tall man. Towering. Unfeeling.
"You're wrong," he said.
Noris froze. "Who are you?"
From the darkness emerged soldiers dragging the woman—her hair tangled, her face bruised, but still burning with defiance.
The man smirked. "Noris Santiago. The golden son who threw away the throne and powers of a noble for love. And she? A spy from the Williams. You knew nothing."
If it is in the past none of us could touch you.
"So you're from the Williams," Noris spat. "Why are you treating her like this?"
"Because she failed. She was never supposed to reveal her identity. And now she is of no use. But I will give her a choice. Kill one of you, and the other gets to live."
His wife sobbed, crumbling to the ground. "No... I can't..."
"Do it!" Noris barked. "Kill me. Save him. It's the only way."
"I can't!"
"You have to! I'm begging you! Our son! Think of our son!"
"Both families have abandoned us. We have nothing left. Please... just end it," Noris whispered, kneeling in front of her.
A shaking hand held the gun.
A scream.
A shot.
Noris fell backward. A smile on his face. He thought he'd done what a father should.
But the tall man stepped forward. "Since Noris is dead... now it's your turn."
"W-What? You said you'd spare us!" she cried.
"I never said that."
The flash of a pistol.
Another body hit the ground.
"Now... as for the boy..."
But then, a group of men cloaked in shadows appeared. They stood in a protective arc around the child.
Among them, the old man from before. His presence was like iron.
"No one touches the boy," he declared.
The tall man smiled bitterly. "So the old timer comes to play. Fine. We're done here. We got what we came for."
They vanished into the night.
The old man knelt beside the sobbing child. "See, boy... those are the Williams. Never forget. They seem kind. They seem noble. But they're monsters in disguise."
Present Day
Judas stood quietly behind Sai, the memory of the legacy hall still fresh.
Sai's fists were clenched at his sides, trembling with rage.
"So he's here... the one who murdered my mother and father. That tall man... I know that face. I'll never forget it."
He stared across the grandeur of the estate, but all he could see was blood.
"That smile he had when he watched my mom pull the trigger... the way he said it... so casually. Like our lives meant nothing. I was just a kid. And he wanted me dead too."
Judas placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"I'm not mistaken. It was him. He stood at the center of the hall yesterday like a nobleman. But he's a butcher in silk. And I swear..." Sai's voice broke. "I will make him and the Williams pay for what they did to my family."
The wind stirred around them, carrying with it the echoes of laughter long lost and blood long spilled. But in the eyes of Sai, that flame of vengeance had never died. And it burned brighter now, fueled by truth and rage.
In the looming war for inheritance, he didn't just seek power.
He sought justice.
He sought retribution.
He sought the fall of the house that tore his life apart.
And Judas knew, in that moment, Sai was no longer just his comrade.
He was a storm waiting to be unleashed.