The morning air in the Tianxia Imperial Academy was crisp and smelled of synthetic cherry blossoms, but the atmosphere in the main courtyard was entirely focused on the massive holographic news projectors.
Rian Kuro and Kenji stood amidst a crowd of students, watching the international broadcast from the European Empire.
On the screen, Octavia Vane stood behind a podium bearing the seal of the Second House. She looked older, her expression hardened by the sheer weight of absolute corporate rule.
"It has been two years since the terrorist known as IV vanished at the Tartarus Dam," Octavia announced, her voice echoing across the Chinese courtyard. "But let me assure the citizens of the European Empire: the search is still ongoing. The Vault will not rest until the phantom is brought to justice, and order is permanently restored."
Rian stared at the screen. A strange, phantom ache flared deep in the center of his chest. He rubbed his sternum, a fleeting, terrifying sense of vertigo washing over him.
"Man, I am so glad we are not in the European Empire," Kenji muttered, shaking his head at the broadcast. "That place is a complete warzone. Imagine living with a masked terrorist blowing up dams in your backyard."
"Yeah," Rian agreed softly, forcing a smile and pushing the strange ache down. "We're safe here."
The entire academy was put on lockdown for an impromptu inspection by Imperial Prince Huang, a massive, notoriously brutal warlord who governed the eastern provinces of Neo-Chang'an.
The Prince was a mountain of a man, draped in heavy, ornate silk and lacquered armor. He walked through the manicured gardens with the arrogant swagger of a man who owned the very air he breathed, flanked by dozens of heavily armed Enforcers.
Rian, Kenji, and Iris were standing respectfully by the koi ponds with the rest of their class, heads bowed. But as the Prince walked past, he stopped.
His dark, cruel eyes locked onto Iris.
Prince Huang smiled, a slow, predatory expression. He stepped directly into her personal space, completely ignoring the surrounding students. He reached out with a heavy, ring-adorned hand, wrapping a thick strand of her silver-blonde hair around his finger, pulling her slightly closer.
"Such unique coloring," the Prince rumbled, his breath washing over her face. "You would make a fine addition to the eastern palace, little flower."
Iris looked uncomfortable, her pale eyes darting away, playing the part of the terrified student perfectly.
Ten feet away, Rian stood frozen.
His heart was hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird. He felt a sudden, sickening surge of fury in his gut, but it was immediately, violently crushed by an overwhelming, paralyzing wave of pure terror. His legs felt like lead. He was hyperventilating, his hands shaking so violently he had to clench them into fists.
Do something, a tiny, buried voice screamed in his mind. Fight him!
But the boy couldn't move. He was too afraid.
"Rian," Kenji hissed, nudging Rian's shoulder hard. "Rian, he's touching her! We have to do something! Come on!"
Driven by Kenji's push, Rian stumbled forward, his knees weak. "P-please," Rian stammered, his voice cracking with undeniable, pathetic fear. "Please, leave her alone."
Prince Huang paused. He slowly turned his massive head, looking at the trembling, pale teenager who had dared to speak.
The Prince let out a booming, cruel laugh. He dropped Iris's hair and took a step toward them.
Kenji stepped in front of Rian, raising his fists. "You heard him! Back off!"
The Prince didn't even signal his guards. He lunged forward with terrifying speed, driving a massive, armored fist directly into Kenji's stomach. Kenji gasped, all the air leaving his lungs, and before he could double over, the Prince delivered a brutal, sweeping kick to his ribs that sent the athletic striker crashing into the dirt.
"Kenji!" Rian cried out, stepping back in absolute horror.
Prince Huang didn't stop. He stepped over Kenji's groaning body and grabbed Rian violently by the hair.
Rian screamed as the massive warlord physically lifted him off the ground by his roots. The pain was blinding.
"Who the hell are you?" Prince Huang roared directly into Rian's face, his spit hitting Rian's cheek. The terrifying irony of the question hung in the air—the puppet prince screaming at the true, rightful heir to the entire European Empire. "A pathetic, trembling scholarship rat! Who do you think you even are?!"
The Prince violently threw Rian backward. Rian crashed heavily onto the stone path, scraping his hands and tearing his pristine uniform. Before he could even try to crawl away, the Prince delivered a vicious kick to Rian's side.
Rian curled into a tight ball, wrapping his arms around his head, whimpering in pain and sheer, unadulterated terror. He wasn't calculating a counter-attack. He wasn't preparing a Rule. He was completely broken.
The Prince scoffed in disgust, looking down at the cowering boy. "Boring," he spat.
He adjusted his silk robes and turned away, losing interest entirely. "Leave them," he ordered his guards, walking away without looking back at Iris.
Iris immediately dropped to her knees on the stone path, rushing to Rian and Kenji. "Rian! Kenji! Are you okay?" she asked, her voice laced with concern as she helped them sit up. "Thank you. Thank you both for trying to save me."
Rian couldn't look at her. He kept his eyes squeezed shut, tears of pain and profound humiliation stinging his eyes. He had failed. He was completely powerless.
But the nightmare was far from over.
Toward the evening, the heavy, lacquered doors of Rian's family home were violently kicked open. Imperial Enforcers swarmed the house. The Prince hadn't forgotten the girl, nor had he forgiven the insult.
Rian, Kenji, and Iris were dragged out of their homes, thrown into the back of armored transports, and taken to the Prince's sprawling, fortress-like palace in the upper rings of Neo-Chang'an.
Rian and Kenji were violently shoved into a dark, freezing subterranean dungeon cell. The heavy iron bars slammed shut behind them.
"Iris!" Rian screamed, rushing to the bars, his hands gripping the cold iron as he watched the Enforcers drag her away down a separate, brightly lit corridor. "Leave her alone!"
Kenji groaned from the floor, clutching his bruised ribs. "Rian... we have to find a way out. We have to break the lock."
Rian sank to the floor, pulling his knees to his chest. His breathing was rapid, shallow, and laced with absolute panic. "We can't, Kenji. They have guns. They'll kill us. We're just students, we can't fight them."
Suddenly, the dungeon floor violently shuddered.
It wasn't an earthquake. The sheer, kinetic force of the impact felt like a massive, coordinated military strike. The thick stone walls of the dungeon cracked under the immense pressure, groaning as the foundations of the palace were pushed to their absolute limits.
BOOM.
The palace ceiling above them groaned, raining dust and debris onto their heads.
"What is happening?!" Kenji yelled, trying to stand up as the ground pitched wildly.
The stone floor of the dungeon suddenly cracked open. A massive, jagged fissure ripped through the center of the cell as the palace struggled to withstand the catastrophic physical damage of the assault above.
"Kenji, watch out!" Rian screamed.
The floor crumbled beneath Kenji's feet. With a cry of alarm, Kenji slipped into the gaping chasm, plummeting into the darkness of the collapsed lower levels as the floor swallowed him whole.
"Kenji!" Rian shrieked, crawling to the edge of the jagged hole. There was nothing but blackness below.
Another deafening explosion rocked the room. The iron bars of the cell door were violently ripped entirely off their hinges, flying into the far wall amidst a shower of sparks and smoke.
Rian scrambled backward, his heart pounding in his throat. He pressed his back tightly against the furthest, darkest corner of the crumbling cell, curling his body into a tight, trembling ball. He threw his hands over his head, shutting his eyes tightly, waiting for the Prince's executioners to come through the smoke to finish him off.
Heavy, tactical boots crunched on the debris.
A figure stepped through the smoke and into the dim light of the cell.
It wasn't an Imperial Enforcer.
It was Sia.
She was in full tactical gear, her combat jacket stained with soot and fresh blood. Her crimson Wraith visor was pushed up, revealing her dark, frantic eyes. She held a heavy plasma rifle, sweeping the room for threats. She and Nox had torn through the Prince's elite guards and three levels of the palace to find the holding cells.
Sia lowered her rifle, looking into the corner of the room. She expected to find a monster. She expected to find IV, standing in the dark, calculating his escape.
Instead, she saw Rian Kuro.
He was curled up on the floor, shivering violently. As Sia stepped closer, Rian flinched, curling tighter into himself.
"P-please," Rian begged, his voice cracking, tears streaming down his pale, terrified face. He didn't look at her. He just kept his hands over his head. "Please, don't hurt me! I didn't do anything! I'm sorry! Please!"
Sia stopped dead in her tracks.
The plasma rifle nearly slipped from her grip. The breath completely left her lungs.
The sheer, horrifying magnitude of what the Sovereign Order had done to his mind hit her like a physical blow. They hadn't just imprisoned his body. They had completely annihilated his soul.
"Rian," Sia whispered, her voice breaking completely. She dropped to her knees in the rubble, hot tears spilling over her cheeks as she reached out a trembling hand toward the broken boy. "Oh god, Rian... what did they do to you?"