{Warning: There will be some brutality in this chapter and the chapters that follow}
***
Vargas, the old assassin-butler of the Nomrad household, stood silently in the shadow of the ruined estate. He had dedicated nearly his entire life to serving the family, from his vibrant youth to his old age.
He had witnessed the house's most illustrious era, back when Lord Damien Nomrad terrorised the entire kingdom with sheer power and a vicious personality. In those days, no rival house dared to raise their head against the Nomrad name, for the tyrannical pillar of their lineage was an absolute deterrent.
Then came the dark period when the mighty Runic Sage was no more. The surrounding noble houses turned into hungry wolves overnight, eager to tear the fallen titan to pieces and claim its territory.
