The entire city was in uproar.
The footage had been released,every frame carefully stitched, every scream, every broken bone, every drop of blood made visible to the world. The four sons of Isen Varros, once thought untouchable, were shown dying in horrific fashion. Shackled. Tortured. Discarded like animals.
The video played on public screens, projected over plazas and market squares. It circulated through crystal orbs and mirrored scrolls. Some citizens cried. Others vomited. Mothers shielded their children's eyes, while soldiers whispered and lowered their gazes in silence.
The streets were flooded with reactions.
"They deserved it," one man muttered, teeth clenched. "these fucking monsters deserve it."
"No… they were just pawns. Look at them… god, look at them."
"Solas! Solas! Glory to the dragonblood!"
"Kaelion is unstoppable! Who's next?"
Fear, awe, rage. The reactions mixed like blood in water. But one truth was undeniable: the Solas name now ruled hearts and shadows alike.
The Varros name was buried.
And yet… power remained.
If the Varros truly held no weight, Kaelion wouldn't have needed to kidnap their heirs in secret. He wouldn't have hidden his knife behind silk gloves.
---
Inside a quiet chamber, Isen Varros stared at the bloody images projected before him,his sons, torn apart.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Until something snapped.
Two young nobles near him chuckled at the footage, muttering under their breath.
"A shame, really. But Kaelion cleaned up nicely—"
A surge of white-hot power exploded from Isen's body, vaporizing the two men instantly. Their laughter was silenced mid-breath, their bodies reduced to red mist.
"I'LL KILL YOU!" Isen screamed, eyes bloodshot, his voice shaking the foundations of the manor. "KAELION, YOU FUCKING SNAKE! I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU WITH MY OWN HANDS!"
Power burst from his chest, flooding out in a storm of spiritual pressure that shattered windows and knocked buildings off their foundations. People screamed. Chaos spread like fire.
But just as the energy was about to reach the nearby crowds—
A giant silver hand descended from the sky.
The temperature shifted violently, like the season had been ripped away ,from winter's chill to a burning, suffocating summer.
Everyone in the area collapsed, gasping for air. The earth scorched black under the pressure. Isen's power was gone ,crushed.
A voice rang out like thunder:
"Isen Varros. Do you plan on rebelling?"
The voice came from the sky,but every soul knew it belonged to none other than Lord Aurex Solas, the Emperor's younger brother and one of the few dragonbloods who had reached the Soul Stage.
Isen trembled. His forehead touched the dirt.
"N-no… I wouldn't dare, my lord... I swear…"
"Then pay for the city's damages," the voice boomed. "And make an appointment to kneel before the Emperor. You owe him an explanation."
The silver hand vanished.
And with it, the last of Isen's pride.
---
Isen sat alone, broken, staring down at his hands.
He had lost everything. His sons. His power. His name.
And then,a memory surfaced. A younger man. Broad shoulders. White eyes. A cold yet honest voice.
Rin Solas.
And behind him, a shadow from long ago: Rin's father, standing beside Isen in the war against the last tyrant king. They had once fought together. Trusted each other.
That boy... he came every day. Even when they mocked him. Even when I ignored him.
He knew.
There was no one left to turn to.
"Prince Rin... is the only path I have left."
"I can't fight the Solas family," Isen muttered bitterly, eyes wet. "But maybe… I can join it. Not Kaelion. His brother. That's the only way I'll live long enough to kill that monster."
---
At the Solas estate, Rin stood beside the window of his study, watching the clouds.
He had seen the footage.
Seen the city's reaction.
Seen Isen's outburst.
Everything was going exactly as planned.
His fingers tapped against the window frame,calm, patient, calculating.
Then came a knock.
His butler entered quietly and bowed.
"Your Highness. Lord Isen Varros is here. He requests an audience."
Rin didn't turn. He only looked down at the gate below, where Isen now stood like a shadow of his former self,head bowed, eyes hollow.
Rin's voice was cold.
"Let him in."