The moon hung high over the capital when Kazuki emerged from beneath the earth. His expression hadn’t changed—still void of emotion—but his aura shimmered faintly with something… older. He teleported directly into the Duke’s private chamber, startling the guards stationed outside, who quickly withdrew at the Duke’s signal.

  The Duke, now fully armored and seated by a war table littered with scrolls and maps, turned sharply. “You’re back… I sensed your presence shift.”

  Kazuki stepped forward. “I met the Seer.”

  The Duke’s expression grew grim. “And?”

  “She knew me. Spoke of cycles. That I’ve lived before. That I’m tied to a prophecy created by beings beyond even the gods.” He paused. “She called them the Old Ones.”

  The Duke stiffened at the name—one that had only ever appeared in forbidden texts. “I see.”

  Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

  “She warned me of R.I.S.K.,” Kazuki continued, tone flat. “Said they want to bind the future itself… by using me. That some are already hidden inside the Guild and Kingdom.”

  The Duke’s jaw tightened. “So the corruption runs deeper than I feared.”

  Kazuki looked down at the table. “There’s more. The Seer spoke of a sigil. Crimson. She said… when it burns, the world will bleed.”

  The Duke stood slowly, walking toward the window overlooking the garden—now restored after the earlier duel. “The Crimson Sigil… There’s a mark on the records of several lost expeditions to the Shattered Veil. I always assumed it was symbolic—now I wonder if it’s a warning.”

  “She also said R.I.S.K. is after remnants of the Old Ones’ power. They’ve already started moving.”

  The Duke turned to Kazuki. “And you? What will you do?”

  Kazuki’s answer came without hesitation. “I’ll be ready. But I’m not telling the others… yet.”

  The Duke nodded. “Then I’ll keep this information between us. For now. We move carefully, but swiftly. I’ll prepare encrypted summons to a few allies I trust. If what you say is true—then this is bigger than just a rogue faction.”

  Kazuki silently turned to leave, but the Duke called out to him.

  “One last thing, Kazuki.”

  He stopped.

  “The Seer… did she say anything about your choice?”

  Kazuki didn’t turn back. “She said I have to make one.”

  And with that, he vanished in a blink of light, leaving the Duke alone—staring at the red moon above and wondering if fate itself had already begun to unravel.