The evening sun hung low, its dying light slipping through the half-drawn curtains of Rudra's chamber. Dust shimmered in the golden beams, dancing with the flicker of candle flames. A cold wind seeped through the window, making the candles shiver and bend their flames. The air was still — too still — until Rudra's eyes slowly opened.
He stared blankly at the ceiling above him.
A faint groan escaped his lips. "Agh… damn it… why does my body feel like it's burning from inside?"
He pushed the blanket aside, the fabric heavy with the scent of herbs and dried blood. Staggering toward the mirror, he froze.
His reflection stared back — pale, bruised, covered in scars he couldn't remember earning. His chest was bandaged tightly, the linen stained with old blood. For a moment, he couldn't breathe.
"What the hell… what happened to me?" His voice trembled, then rose. "Mom! Dad!"
He reached for the door, but his right leg gave out beneath him. The sound of his body hitting the cold marble echoed sharply. Pain surged through his leg like fire. "Dammit!" he gasped, clutching his knee. "Why… why can't I remember anything? What happened to me?"
---
Meanwhile, in the study room across the hall, Richard sat opposite Victoria. Candlelight painted shadows across their faces.
They spoke in hushed tones, voices heavy with fear and secrets.
"We can't tell him everything," Richard muttered, his fingers tightening around a glass of wine. "Not yet. If he remembers what truly happened… we might lose him."
Victoria's eyes were rimmed with red. "He deserves the truth, Richard. He's our son."
Before he could reply, the door burst open. A maid stumbled in, panting. "M-master! Forgive the intrusion — Lord Rudra has awakened! He's shouting… the maids are afraid to enter his chamber!"
Richard and Victoria exchanged a grave look. Without another word, they rushed down the hall.
---
When they entered Rudra's chamber, he was sitting on the floor, trembling. His eyes were wet with confusion and fear.
"Mom… Dad… what's happening? Why am I like this?"
Victoria ran to him and wrapped him in her arms. "Oh, my sweet boy… you're awake." Her voice cracked. "You scared us half to death. You've been unconscious for weeks…"
Rudra clung to her, his voice barely above a whisper. "Weeks? I don't remember anything. The last thing I recall is Uncle Alex sending me to the border city — Eldara. After that… it's all blank."
Victoria began to answer, but Richard placed a firm hand on her shoulder — a silent command. "You've been through enough, son. Rest now. The healer will examine you soon, and Alex will be here by evening. We'll explain everything then."
"But Dad—"
"No buts," Richard said softly, forcing a smile. "You've done more than enough for now. Just rest."
He lifted Rudra and laid him gently on the bed. The boy's eyelids grew heavy, his breath slow and uncertain. As the couple left the room, Victoria looked back once — her heart aching — before closing the door behind her.
---
Hours later, as the city drowned in twilight, Alex arrived at the mansion. His boots echoed through the stone halls as a maid led him to Richard's study. Inside, the air was thick with candle smoke. Victoria, the city's chief healer, and a few trusted aides were already there.
Richard rose from his chair. "Alex. Good. We were about to begin."
Alex nodded stiffly. "Your messenger said Rudra's awake. What's going on?"
Richard motioned for him to sit. "It's about that night. About what happened to him."
He paused, letting the silence hang before continuing. "You all know Rudra's encounter with the mountain leopards — the bandits. But what none of you fully understand is what awakened that night."
Alex frowned. "You mean his… power?"
"Yes. But he's not the only one." Richard's gaze darkened. "There are others — people born with such power. Long ago, they divided themselves into three factions."
He turned toward the flickering candle, the light reflecting in his eyes.
> "The first — the Devaran, who worship the Creator, the Supreme Power that breathes life into all.
The second — the Ashvarin, who reject that light, seeking strength in darkness and ruin.
And the third — the Nirveth, who bow to neither God nor Demon, believing only in their own existence."
Alex blinked, half-in disbelief. "You can't be serious. You're saying these factions still exist?"
Richard gave a dry laugh. "They never disappeared. They just went quiet. And Rudra… he's something none of them have seen before."
Alex's face hardened. "Then which side does he belong to?"
"I don't know," Richard admitted. "But whichever it is, every clan will want him — or fear him — soon enough. For now, he remembers nothing, and that ignorance is our only protection."
He looked around the room. "That's why we must hide the truth. If the world learns what he is before he learns control, it will consume him."
Victoria looked up, eyes wide. "And if we break this secret?"
Richard's tone turned solemn. "Then our hearts will shatter into a hundred pieces. That's the price of the oath I'm about to invoke."
Alex's voice dropped to a whisper. "You're serious."
"I'm out of choices." Richard stood in the center of the room. "If you stand with me, speak now."
Everyone rose to their feet.
In unison, they said, "For him, we stand. For him, we vow."
Richard closed his eyes and began to chant — an ancient prayer to the unseen powers that bind life and death.
> "O Keeper of the Veil,
You who command life and silence,
We make this oath in your name —
To guard the secret of the child of flame,
And should we falter,
Let our hearts be shattered and our souls erased."
The candles flared violently, and a red sigil appeared on the floor, pulsing like a heartbeat. From its center, a spectral sword of violet light rose, splitting into seven shards. Each shard pierced the chest of one who had sworn. They did not bleed — only felt the searing burn of the pact binding their souls.
"The oath is complete," Richard whispered. "Our lives are no longer our own."
Alex exhaled sharply. "You always did have a taste for madness, brother."
Richard managed a faint smile. "Madness keeps us alive."
As the others filed out, Alex lingered. When the room fell silent, he spoke again, voice low.
"You're hiding something. What aren't you telling us?"
Richard turned away, staring at the dying flame. "Do you remember what the old healer said about Rudra's journey?"
"She said it was a mission to some city in Indica," Alex replied.
Richard's voice grew colder. "It wasn't a mission. It was a ritual."
Alex stiffened. "A ritual?"
Richard's eyes flickered with something close to dread. "Yes. A ritual to make him… the Vassal of the Void."
The candle guttered, and the flame went out.