Chapter 2 — Falcon Kingdom (I)
"Thud thud thud.."
Hurried footsteps echoed through an exquisite hallway, the sound bouncing off golden walls and polished tiles.
The messenger ran with ragged breaths, heart pounding so hard it felt like it might burst from his chest. Sweat rolled down his chin as he finally spotted the entrance to the throne room.
"Halt!"
A guard thrust his spear across the doorway. His expression was carved from stone.
Panting heavily, the man forced out the words.
"I am—" He swallowed hard. "One of the king's messengers. I have an urgent report for His Majesty and the Queen."
The first guard kept his eyes cold and unreadable.
The second narrowed his gaze, studying him for a heartbeat before lowering his spear.
"You may pass."
"Thank you!"
He bowed quickly and rushed forward again, fear and urgency pushing his legs faster.
As soon as he entered the grand chamber, he fell to his knees. His forehead touched the polished floor.
"Your Majesty!"
"Rise."
The response was calm and clean, yet it seemed to vibrate through his bones. It was the kind of tone that reminded one why the Falcon Kingdom bowed to King Quinn.
He leapt to his feet, trembling under the weight of their presence.
Standing before two silver-ranked hybrids felt like balancing on knife edges. His thoughts scattered under Queen Lyla's gaze, memories surfacing unbidden—his grandfather's stories of the royal couple, resurfacing with equal parts reverence and fear.
Lost in his racing mind, he drifted for a moment. He did not snap back to reality until a sharp snort cut through the air like a blade.
Every hair on his body stood on end as he turned stiffly toward the Queen.
"Terrifying…" he thought, his expression pale. "She can influence my thoughts with just a glance?"
"You have a message, correct?"
Quinn's voice broke the silence, deeper this time and slightly impatient.
He swallowed and nodded quickly.
"Yes, sire. A bronze-ranked city was attacked three days ago by beast hordes."
The king nodded calmly.
"Beast hordes are common enough. Bronze cities fall monthly. Even platinum cities aren't safe." He sighed. "Is that all?"
"My lord… the city that was almost destroyed is Sky City. Where you exiled the young prince."
Quinn's eyes widened in shock.
Not only the king but even Lyla's expression changed. Her silver eyes, usually calm and frigid, flickered.
Quinn rose from his seat and walked toward the tall glass window, frowning.
The man watched carefully from the corner of his eye.
The ruler looked like someone crushed by guilt. The Queen, however, only showed shock for a single breath before returning to her icy composure.
"Is he alive?"
Quinn finally asked.
The man nodded and spoke quickly.
"Sire, according to my sources… the young prince awakened his bloodline at the last moment. But something went wrong. He fully transformed into his beast form and wiped out the entire beast horde alone."
A long silence followed.
Then, slowly, a smile grew on Quinn's face. He lifted his head toward the golden crystal ceiling and let out a loud, relieved laugh.
"I knew you would not disappoint me, boy. I knew sending you to Sky City would not be a mistake. Hahahaha…"
While he laughed, Lyla remained frowning. Her gaze slid back to the man like a thin shard of ice.
"What happened next?" she asked.
Her tone was sharp enough to make him tremble.
"Your Majesty," he swallowed hard, "the young prince is now a possessed hybrid."
The temperature in the room dropped instantly.
He felt like his blood turned to ice. His knees nearly buckled.
"Sire," he added quickly, voice shaking, "the prince massacred nearly every survivor. When reinforcements arrived, he fled. No one has seen him since."
Quinn slowly lowered himself back onto his seat. His face was carved with worry.
"You may leave," he finally said.
The man bowed low, relieved to escape with his life, and hurried away.
When the doors closed, the chamber fell silent.
Quinn looked at his wife.
"What do we do?"
Lyla stared back at him without blinking.
"What do you mean by what do we do? You and the council set the rule yourselves. All possessed hybrids must be eliminated. No exceptions."
"You want me to kill our son?" Quinn asked quietly.
"I am asking what you will tell the council," she replied in that same frigid tone. "Will you break the rule you created because he is your son?"
The king leaned back helplessly.
He rubbed his chin and sighed.
She was the backbone of this kingdom. Even if the council deferred to him, without her support, his hands were tied. This was going to be troublesome.
After a long pause he finally said,
"Call the council. We will discuss this together."
He picked up the comm device beside him, typed a message, and sent it.
Meanwhile, far away from the shining halls of Falcon Kingdom…
In an abandoned cave covered in tall, swaying grasses, a pair of eyes suddenly opened.
Apolo Quinn stared at the rocky ceiling above him with confusion written all over his face. Sitting up slowly, he glanced around.
"Where am I?"
His words spread out and bounced off the cave wall.
Looking down at his arms, he froze.
"What the—?"
They were thicker. His muscles were fuller. Even his vague shadow looked taller.
Jumping to his feet, he stared at himself in disbelief.
"How did I get this big? Was I injected with something?"
Flexing experimentally, he marveled at the strength radiating through his body.
How long was he unconscious? Days? A week?
Then agony exploded in his skull.
It felt like someone was forcing information into his head with a hammer.
"Arrrghhh!"
Apolo fell to his knees, gripping his temples, rolling on the ground as tears spilled from his eyes. The pain was unbearable.
After a full minute, the torment faded like a retreating storm.
And memories poured back.
Faces. Screams. Buildings collapsing.
And then… him.
The red mist.
The wings.
The slaughter.
His stomach dropped.
"Oh no… I killed all those people?"
The words cracked as they left his mouth.
Sitting on the cold floor, he placed his head between his knees as panic tightened his chest.
"What will people tell my parents? That I was possessed? Who would believe me? They'll see me as a beast. And those survivors… they were probably relieved after the horde… ready to celebrate… and I killed them."
His breath hitched.
Tears dripped onto the stone.
"I even devoured them…"
He could still taste the memory.
Covering his mouth, horror washed over him.
He had once dreamed of awakening his bloodline to protect the weak. To defend small cities and poor villages.
Instead… he had become a nightmare.
After a long silence, Apolo wiped his face and stood shakily.
"I need to see my parents. I have to explain. I didn't mean to do it. I wasn't myself."
Walking toward the mouth of the cave, he rehearsed his confession with every step.