Two figures were sitting on the roof of the bar, the music was muted up there. One had a head full of purple hair that made them blend in the darkness, the other had fiery red hair that was impossible not to notice. They were both holding a bottle of beer.
Neither of them spoke, just staring out at the vast ocean.
"I broke up with Jenny," Kael said.
Jenny was a transfer student from an arctic academy, who had come to their city to study for a year. She was an ice dragon. A fiery personality on the outside, but a gentle soul. Ryker liked her.
"So no long distance? Not even going to try?" Ryker asked.
Kael just chuckled without any joy in it, a sound like embers crackling, "She deserves better," he said, "Me staying faithful for four years seemed unlikely."
This level of self-awareness from the delinquent dragon surprised him.
"She did forgive you for cheating on her twice," Ryker mused.
The dragon chugged the remaining beer and then crushed the bottle with one hand, "Exactly. She deserves to find someone who can love her properly."
Ryker never looked at his friend differently because he cheated. He patted him on the back.
"At least you told her the truth. Not many would've done that."
"Doesn't feel like a virtue though," the dragon sighed, looking at the crushed bottle in his hands, as if it represented all his failed relationships.
They sat in silence again, watching the waves crash against the shore, each crest glowing white under the moonlight.
"Who was your role model growing up?" Kael suddenly asked.
"Umm... I guess it was my mom and sister," he said.
A thickness in his throat formed as he said this.
"Your brother too," Ryker said, remembering Kael's older brother who had passed away a decade ago. It was a topic rarely touched upon, a wound that had scarred the whole family.
Kael's jaw tightened. A visible flame flickered in his pupils, a spark of grief.
"He was the one who taught us to never lie," he finally said, the memory bringing a fragile smile to his face, "You lived up to it more than I did."
The last words were a sad admittance.
Another silence passed. This one was heavier, filled with unspoken stories and shared vulnerabilities.
"The guild finally returned his belongings. Imagine it taking 10 years to return them," Kael's tone was cold, distant, like a dying fire.
So that was why he had this gloomy aura.
"Did you go through it?" Ryker said.
He nodded and pulled a small diary from under his leather jacket, showing Ryker the old leather-bound diary. It had a simple strap. A worn-out bookmark was sticking out.
"I didn't read the whole thing... it felt like I'd be invading his privacy. I only read the page marked with the bookmark," Kael handed the small diary to Ryker, trusting him completely.
Ryker didn't hesitate and opened the diary. Liam was an A-rank adventurer that had a promising future, before dying in a dungeon in the east. The cause of death was labeled as a dungeon outbreak.
It took them years to return the diary because it was classified.
The diary contained mundane stuff. Nothing of importance except for the last page, the bookmarked page.
I'm sorry little brother.
He returned the notebook, placing it back into the dragon's hands. The paper was brittle, the ink faded but the weight of its contents was immense.
"You know I never realized the actual power the primordial families had," Kael said, "But after seeing Valerica Dracula's influence. How quickly the Meridian Academy accepted you guys. How a guild representative was dispatched to evaluate just you three. I'd never seen it happen before."
Ryker rubbed his wrists.
"It's insane isn't it."
"Yep," Kael's reply was short, sharp. Another moment of quietness pased.
"I think my brother was killed."
Ryker tilted his head, "He was killed... by the dungeon monsters."
His friend shook his head.
"Why would Liam say sorry for dying in a dungeon? Dungeon outbreaks are sudden. You don't have time to write in a diary."
That single line of text, Liam's last written apology, started to feel sinister, not sorrowful.
"I looked it up too. There were S-ranks there in a A-rank dungeon," Kael's calm tone belied the storm brewing inside him.
"No reason for an A-rank adventurer dying."
He explained the inconsistencies like reading a case file. Too many S-ranks, too convenient an outbreak, a diary entry that felt more like a goodbye.
"I think you're looking into it too much. I'm sorry but why would anyone bother covering up the death of an A-rank?" Ryker's rational mind was trying to make sense of the grief-driven conspiracy theory.
"That's the part that drives me insane."
He pointed to Ryker.
"Isabella was part of the S-ranks."
The name dropped like a stone into the depths of Ryker's stomach.
"A Dracula there and still my brother died," he chuckled, a cold dead sound, "Kind of makes you wonder doesn't it?"
It did make him doubt. Was this just a coincidence or something more?
"I need to get back inside," Kael said with a heavy sigh, getting up and dusting the sand off his jeans, "The alcohol isn't going to drink itself."
Before leaving he turned to his friend, "I don't want to ask for this but can you maybe see what your mom or sister... or your other family knows."
He left before Ryker could answer.
Taking out his phone, he began typing a message to Valerica but stopped before pressing send. The thought of asking her didn't feel right. His goal was to avoid talking to Valerica as much as possible. Instead he went on Mernet and searched for Isabella Dracula.
Her profile came up. Her profile picture was a professional one. She was in her military uniform, her face stoic, not a single smile. Millions of like on this one picture. Yet she had zero posts. She only followed one person: Valerica.
Clicking on the message tab, he typed and deleted several messages, each one more awkward than the last. How was he supposed to talk his sister, a woman he didn't know existed until a few days ago.
'Hi, my name is Ryker, I'm your brother."
That's all he could manage. He took a deep breath and sent the message.
Almost immediately a phone call came from an unknown number. His screen vibrated violently, like a trapped insect. He swiped to answer.
"Hello?" he said, his voice a bit shaky.
Explosions were ringing from the other side. People were screaming. Monsters were roaring. The word titan was being screamed by a frantic male voice.
He realized it wasn't a phone call but a video call. He could see the bottom half of her face, her jaw covered in a blue blood. Then a giant deafening explosion. The video call cut.
His phone rang again. Same number but he hesitated to pick it up.
A woman with purple eyes was holding the phone with both hands. Only half her face was showing, the camera angled upwards. This was his sister.
"Are you okay? Is someone trying to kill you? I'll be there within 24 hours," she said.
The genuine concern in her tone disarmed him, replacing suspicion with a flicker of something warmer.