PROLOGUE - VENDETTA
An old man stood alone on a balcony, staring at the dark and heavy sky. A flock of birds flew in the distance, their shadows fading into the horizon. The old man puffed a cloud of smoke from his mouth, his somber eyes tinged in pink pleasure as he savored the cigar on his off-hand. Following the birds was a lone airship, gliding across the purple sky — . Her daily flight was a constant reminder of Ryncheol’s total victory — of the fall of his homeland and the defeat of his people.
He lowered his gaze to the city’s walls. There they stood, tall and proud — they were one of the last remnants of the old empire which once encompassed the continent. He remembered the walls of a different city, one in his homeland.
The old rhythm of his youth still echoed in his chest. Was it even fair to call it a youth? Every boy from his village wanted to be just like the heroes who marched. Not him, he just wanted to impress the girl he'd fallen for, his little star. Two four, two four, two four... the sergeant's deep voice, the countless hours he'd spent marching, the people he'd have to kill, the civilians he abandoned. It wasn't heroic. More and more kept flooding into his pink eyes, and then—
They were gone.
It was a flash. He heard the voice of the little star of his life. He remembered how much he cried when he read her letters. Despite not knowing how to read, he tried his best. It was her letters that convinced him to run away from the army. He never liked it. He wanted to go back.
To finally tell her how he felt.But when he ran up the hill that overlooked his village, he could see how his house had burnt down. He rushed down and stopped. He saw a tree. He saw a shadow hanging from the tree. He looked up to see what it was.
He looked up to see his little star's cold and lifeless eyes. Her mangled corpse hung from the tree. Her mother lay close by, her clothes tattered.
He couldn't even mourn their deaths, he was arrested by his friends.
Twenty years later and he was still there. But, he shook his head and when he did, he found that he was back in Capenna. Only now, he could see a man painting leaves on the wall of a house nearby. He too was an old man, but he had something he didn't.
And he didn't know what it was.
He clenched his fist and raised it into the air. "
Some brown leaves passed by.
"If only you could be here with me now. I'm so, so sorry."
Creak!
The man quickly turned around. Someone had entered the room. But he'd put a do not disturb sign on the door handle, who was it? He went away from the balcony, but he made sure to be as quiet as he could be. He peeked through the curtains, and discovered who the intruder was.
She was a simple maid, who came along with a cart of cleaning supplies. She was rather thin for a woman of her age, but that's the new normal these days. It appeared that it was nothing more than his paranoia acting up, and he felt sorry for the young girl. Though, he did not like the fact that he could see someone in the maid.
He stepped into the room, dusting his blue duster. A heavy thud came through as his boots stepped onto the wooden floor.
"Excuse me?" He politely coughed.
The maid turned her head, but the moment she saw him, she flinched. A startled gasp escaped her lips as she stumbled backward, colliding with the cart. It tipped over with a loud clatter, sending cleaning supplies skidding across the floor.
As soon as she realized what she had done, her skin went pale.
"Oh dear, I've made a mess!" She whimpered. "I'm so sorry, sir. I didn't mean"
"I didn't mean to shock you," said the old man as he knelt down beside her. "Why'd you enter my room?"
The maid stuttered, "I... I assumed that there was no one in this room, sir. There wasn't a sign on the door handle."
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Did I forget? The man thought to himself.
He shook off the thought and sighed. “Forget I said anything. Let me help you clean up.”
The maid hesitated before bowing deeply, her face flushed with embarrassment. “T-Thank you, sir.”
Once everything was tidied, she gathered herself and made her way towards the door. But, before she could move out, the old man grabbed her arm.
"Wait." His voice was firm yet weary. "Before you leave, tell me your name."
The maid hesitated, her eyes darting to the floor. "Uh… Teresa. My name is Teresa."
The old man exhaled slowly. "Teresa…"
"Alright, listen carefully, Teresa. I have a favor to ask of you."
He released her arm.
“I want you to come back to this room and clean it. ”
"Oh, but sir—"
"Please, do it." He looked down in shame. “I don’t want to ask once more. This will be my last day in this world. And I intend on leaving nothing behind, not even my dust.”
Silence.
[BREAK]
A soldier sprinted across the halls of the military headquarters, Fort Laude. Fort Laude sat in the middle of the twilight city. It was an ancient sight compared to the rest of the city, having served as the royal prison at one point. It was empty tonight, but he had something big… very big in his hands. He was holding three letters intended for Lieutenant Colonel Hildegin. One of them had a blue stamp — meaning that it was for private eyes only.
He had been running for quite some time. Sweat clung to his olive skin, dampening his greasy hair.
The halls were strangely silent tonight, usually there’d be a lot of officers roaming around. Not even Colonel Tolles, infamous for his nightly escapades as a streaker. No matter, he could reach Hildegin faster without these stuck-ups.
He looked towards the doors, counting the signs. One of them had to have his name.
There it was. His pulse quickened.
He stopped running and rapped on the door.
, he thought.
The door opened. The door swung open with a heavy thud, revealing a man built like a fortress. Broad shoulders, a thick face, and giant walrus mustache. His small, beady eyes squinted at the sweaty, anxious young man before him.
Hildegin frowned, "What in the hell are you doing here at this hour?"
The soldier responded, “S-sir! I have your letters. One of them was a message from Capenna, sir!”
Then, the soldier looked down towards the floor. “It’s an urgent message…”
Hildegin raised a bushy brow. “Urgent, you say? If it were that important, it would’ve gone through my transcriptor. Haven’t gotten a damn thing all night.”
“I was told it’s only for you, sir. They say the transcriptors were compromised.”
Hildegin’s gaze hardened as he snatched the letters, glancing at the handwriting, then at the soldier. Then, without a word, he walked back into his office.
“You’re dismissed.” He simply said, not bothering to look behind.
The soldier stood at attention for a beat, then saluted. Without a word more, he turned on his heel and left, footsteps echoing down the hall.
In the silence of the office, Hildegin remained standing at his desk. He stared at the letter in his hand, the blue seal catching the dim light. At its center, a lion. The lieutenant opened the letters. The first letter he opened was short, to the point. It was a congratulations, a formal recognition of his recent successes in the field. The words felt hollow in his hands.
The second letter, however, brought a rare smile to Hildegin’s lips. It was from his old nephew, who he loved as if he were his own son. The letter spoke of his nephew’s son—now a grown man—and his impending marriage.
He could remember the boy's first steps clearly, all those years ago. Where was the justice? How could he have spent so many years away from his family? Duty calls but his family mattered more. Some tears welled up in the officer's eyes before he wiped them away. And then, he came to the third letter.
...The duke.
How could he forget? That asshole was the bane of his existence in the academy, and he only got away just because of his connections to his father. But, he pondered about it for a moment. All of the nobles were haughty pieces of shit, but this one made it personal. Would the Duke really deign to ask help from the military, and specifically, ask to himself? He grumbled.
"This better be worth my time, you ass."
He slid his knife through the seal—his old service knife, from all those years ago. he letter unfolded, revealing the same beautiful, hopelessly illegible handwriting. Can't they just use typewriters?
And so, he began to read.
"Dear Lt. Col. Tascher,
In circumstances of an imperious nature, I would not ask this of a landed plebeian such as yourself. I am certain that you must remember me very well from our times at the academy. Oh, how I remember how I ruined your many firsts. But, this is not the time to reminisce about the past, Hildegin. There is a crisis, one that the I believe should be kept between the higher-ups of the military."
Landed plebeian, ruined firsts... Hildegin's teeth ground together in a low grumble, his hand clenching on the letter. . He was moments away from ripping it apart and throwing it into the fireplace.
But, he continued.
"A most terrifying white beast has appeared in my city—a thing that resembles a man, yet is anything but. It has slaughtered my subjects indiscriminately. Hundreds have died in its wake. My men-at-arms and the garrison are doing their best to manage it. I am certain that if not stopped, the beast may ravage more of Ryncheol. And so, I humbly ask of you to send some men to deal with this problem. The empire's subjects are at stake."
A beast?
A beast?!
What was this, the fourth century? What kind of a wild animal kills hundreds? And besides, it was the era of progress for goodness sake! Hildegin couldn't believe any of this shit. The Duke must have lost his mind.
He skimmed the rest of the letter, scowling as the words blurred together in his rising frustration.
"Hildegin, I know we may have not had the best of times together. But know this. I don't regret a single moment. That is just life. How it has been for centuries. However, I have a vested interest in keeping my subjects safe— and by extension, my brother’s. You do know that you cannot disobey his direct orders, now? So, think of this as an obligation to serve your people.
Best regards,
Duke Alain Briése of Capenna."
His brother.
Hildegin remained silent.
That bastard.
