Rai watched the scene carefully.
The soldiers were merciless.
They did not hesitate.
It did not matter to them that some of the protesters were barely more than children. Their blades moved with cold efficiency, and every strike carried the same message: obedience or death.
A man fell to the ground, clutching his side as blood spread across the stone street. A woman screamed, trying to shield a young boy behind her, but a soldier shoved her aside as if she were nothing more than an inconvenience.
Rai's hands slowly tightened into fists.
For a moment, anger flickered in his eyes.
But he forced it down.
He understood the situation.
If they interfered now… everything Hyun had built for years could collapse in a single moment.
The rebellion.
The secret networks.
The quiet resistance growing beneath Yunara.
All of it could be destroyed because of one reckless action.
Rai inhaled slowly and controlled his emotions.
"This is their fate," he told himself quietly.
The soldiers dragged several of the protesters away.
Two teenage boys.
Three women.
Their cries echoed through the festival street as they were forced toward a narrow passage that led beneath the city.
The rest of the crowd quickly looked away.
Fear was stronger than courage.
Rai's gaze followed the soldiers for a moment before he finally turned his head.
That was when he noticed something strange.
Haru was standing beside him.
But Rin was gone.
Rai's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Where is she?" he asked quietly.
Haru looked around immediately.
"What?"
He scanned the crowd, pushing past several people to get a better view of the street.
But Rin was nowhere to be seen.
Haru's calm expression slowly changed into worry.
"I didn't even sense her leaving…" he muttered.
For someone like Rin to disappear without either of them noticing meant only one thing.
She had done it intentionally.
And she had done it fast.
Haru's voice dropped.
"That idiot…"
Beneath the city, inside a dark underpass, the soldiers dragged their prisoners forward.
The underground corridor was empty.
Cold stone walls.
No lanterns.
Only the dim glow of the soldiers' torches flickering against the damp ground.
The prisoners trembled.
Two teenage boys stood protectively in front of the three women, though fear was written clearly across their faces.
Five soldiers surrounded them.
One of the soldiers removed his helmet slightly, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"What a pathetic group," he said with disgust. "Causing trouble during the King's festival."
Another soldier laughed.
"We can't let people like this ruin His Majesty's entrance."
"So what do we do?" a third soldier asked.
The first soldier lifted his blade casually.
"We kill them."
The women gasped.
One of the soldiers chuckled darkly.
"Before that… maybe we should enjoy ourselves first."
His gaze slowly moved toward the women.
The masks the soldiers wore made their faces look even more terrifying.
The women stepped backward, their fear obvious.
A soldier began walking toward them.
But suddenly—
One of the teenage boys rushed forward.
"You're not touching them!" he shouted.
He threw a desperate punch.
His fist struck the soldier's chest armor.
It did nothing.
The soldier's expression twisted with anger.
Without hesitation, he swung the back of his blade.
The metal edge slammed into the boy's shoulder.
Blood burst into the air.
The boy collapsed to his knees with a cry of pain.
"Stupid brat," the soldier muttered.
One of the women screamed and ran forward, grabbing the boy as if she were his mother.
"Please! Don't hurt him!"
The soldier shoved her violently to the ground.
"Shut up," he growled.
"I'll kill both of you."
He raised his blade again and stepped toward them.
Then—
A small sharp sound cut through the air.
Tch.
Something struck the soldier's neck.
He froze.
A tiny arrow—no longer than a finger—had pierced through a gap in his armor.
The soldier grabbed his neck in shock.
"W-What—"
The other soldiers looked around immediately.
"Who's there?!" one shouted.
The corridor was silent.
Dark.
Empty.
They saw no one.
Then a calm female voice echoed through the darkness.
"You're not going to touch her."
The soldiers spun in every direction, trying to find the speaker.
But they saw nothing.
The wounded soldier suddenly stumbled.
His breathing became heavy.
His hands began to shake.
"What's happening to me…?"
He dropped to his knees.
Dark blood spilled from his mouth as violent coughing overtook him.
The other soldiers stepped back in horror.
"Poison…"
The man's body collapsed onto the stone floor.
Dead.
A shadow slowly stepped forward from the darkness.
Rin lowered the small blowpipe from her lips.
Her eyes were calm.
Cold.
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"You're all going to die," she said softly.
The soldiers stared at her.
And for the first time that night…
They saw death standing in front of them.
Back in the festival streets, Rai and Haru continued searching through the crowd.
But the number of people had doubled.
Lanterns swayed above the streets.
Music echoed everywhere.
Finding one person in this chaos was almost impossible.
Then suddenly—
A loud roar erupted from the center of the city.
"Make way!"
"His Majesty is arriving!"
The crowd surged forward.
Thousands of people rushed toward the central stage.
Rai frowned.
"What's happening?"
Haru looked toward the massive gathering.
"Someone important…"
Curiosity pulled Rai forward.
He began walking toward the stage.
Haru followed.
As they pushed through the crowd, Rai could see something unusual.
An enormous platform had been built in the center of the festival square.
Rows of Yun soldiers surrounded it.
More guards than Rai had ever seen in one place.
Every person in Yunara began shouting loudly.
"Long live the King!"
"Glory to Yunara!"
"Praise His Majesty!"
Rai finally reached a point where he could see the stage clearly.
A tall figure stepped forward, surrounded by heavily armored guards.
The crowd erupted.
Rai's eyes suddenly became sharp.
Cold.
Bright with something dangerous.
For the first time in his life…
He was seeing the man he had searched for his entire existence.
The ruler of Yunara.
The man responsible for countless deaths.
King Leon.
To be continued…