NOVPUBThe moon hung high over Krayon Sol, casting silver streaks across its grand walls and gleaming rooftops. But for Lyrix Gorrim, the city had lost its glow.
He sat in his private chamber inside House Gorrim's manor—a lavish space of gold trimmings, dragonbone pillars, and walls lined with ancestral portraits. But he couldn't see any of it. He sat there, slouched in the velvet armchair by the window, staring at the sky with bloodshot eyes.
Joshua.
That name had carved itself into his skull.
For days now, he'd sent scouts. Informants. Gold had been thrown like candy. Coin to the beggars, threats to the guards, favors owed and called in from black-robed whisperers who worked beneath the streets.
Nothing.
No home. No family name in the registries. No guild affiliation. No record of entry at the city gates. No trace in the Noble Tower's surveillance runes. Not even a shadow in the census logs.
It was like the bastard didn't exist.
But Lyrix saw him. The pressure, the precision, the speed. The way he walked like he had nothing to prove—and the city bent around him anyway.
And that girl.
Alice.
The way she looked at him… like she'd found something the rest of the world wasn't even worthy to understand.
Lyrix ground his teeth.
He stood and walked over to the desk, where a large map of Krayon Sol was spread open. Dozens of markers and pins covered it now—drawn paths, sightings, rumors. A web of failed leads.
He slammed his fist down.
"Where are you hiding, bastard?"
His personal aide—Marthis, a thin man with quiet steps—entered the room silently.
"We've finished cross-checking all restaurant reservation logs under the name Joshua or Alice. Nothing. We tried known aliases. Still nothing."
Lyrix didn't even turn.
"What about the surveillance crystals in the Upper Ring?"
Marthis hesitated. "…He doesn't show up on them."
Lyrix slowly turned around.
"What did you just say?"
"I… I reviewed the archives. When he walks into an area, the image blurs. Sound fizzles. You can't track him. Like something's erasing him. Only the people around him are recorded. He's—" Marthis swallowed. "He's like a blank spot."
Lyrix's jaw clenched, his fingers twitching.
"Magic?"
"We brought in a seer," Marthis nodded. "She tried to trace his soulthread. Said it loops. Like a mirror reflecting a mirror. She threw up blood and begged us to stop."
"…So he's not a traveler."
"No, my lord. He's something else."
The room was quiet for a long moment.
Then Lyrix chuckled, bitter and dry.
"Oh, you're good," he whispered. "You think hiding makes you untouchable? That if you erase your tracks, you erase your consequences?"
He paced to the far wall, staring at the portrait of his father, Duke Gorrim—towering, sharp-eyed, judging.
"You made me look like a fool. And now you vanish like smoke?"
Lyrix turned back to Marthis.
"I want the underground informed. Every eye, every rat, every ghost that listens for coin. I don't care what it takes."
Marthis hesitated. "You wish to involve… them?"
"Yes. The Rift Binders, the Thorn Wives, the Coinless Syndicate. Offer blood pacts if you have to."
"My lord, those people—"
"I said everyone. If a child so much as dreams of someone like Joshua, I want to hear about it."
His voice cracked slightly at the end, worn thin from sleepless nights.
"And Alice?"
Lyrix turned sharply. "What about her?"
"Should we… take her in? Use her as bait?"
Lyrix stared for a long moment.
His throat tightened, but he shook his head.
"No. Not yet. We don't know enough. If she disappears, and he really is something ancient, we risk retaliation. I want information, not a declaration of war."
He paused, then added quietly, "Keep eyes on her. Don't engage."
"Yes, my lord."
Marthis bowed and slipped out.
Lyrix leaned against the desk, hands shaking.
His ego wasn't just bruised now.
It was obsessed.
He stared down at the city map again, eyes darting over rooftops and alleyways.
"Joshua," he muttered. "I don't know what you are… but I'll find out. If you're some noble brat with forbidden training, I'll drag your House into ruin. If you're a mercenary from beyond the borders, I'll break your contract with your bones."
He paused, voice lowering to a near growl.
"And if you're not from this world… I'll show you what happens when you cross a Gorrim."
The wind outside howled gently through the glass.
Somewhere in the city, laughter rang through the air again.
But for Lyrix, the hunt had begun.
And he would tear apart the walls of Krayon Sol, brick by brick, until he found the ghost that humiliated him.
Ostarius
"Why don't you take care of that Lyrix kid already?" Aurora asked as she stepped beside Joshua, her arms crossed, the soft wind tugging gently at her white jacket. Her eyes reflected the stars above, but her tone was sharp. "He's going to make a move on Alice soon. You know how she loves exploring Krayon Sol alone."
Joshua didn't turn to face her. He stood at the edge of the rooftop, eyes cast toward the sky, watching the constellations shift above the glowing city. His hands were tucked into his coat pockets, his expression unreadable.
"He's a kid," Joshua said quietly. "His father's a powerful man. I'm not here to start a war with the Gorrims. Not yet."
Aurora narrowed her eyes. "So you'll just let him get away with it? After what he said to her in the plaza? You saw her face that night. You think she forgot?"
"I didn't forget either," he murmured.
Aurora tilted her head. "Then why hold back?"
Joshua finally turned, his gaze calm but heavy. "Because I want the city back, Aurora. All of it. The people, the underground, the guilds, the power brokers. If I start pulling noble sons out of their mansions and beating them half to death, the rest will close ranks. I need them comfortable. I need them unguarded."
Aurora scoffed. "You're playing a long game while Alice is being hunted by a brat with a title and too much pride."
There was silence between them for a beat.
"I watch over her," Joshua said.
Aurora frowned. "That's not the same as protecting her."
"I'm not going to let him touch her," he said, and this time his voice was lower. He stepped forward, brushing past her. "But I'm not going to strike first. Not until he gives me the excuse."
"And what if he does touch her?" Aurora asked, not moving. "Are you still going to worry about alliances when she's hurt?"
Joshua stopped walking. The stars were above them, but his shadow stretched far behind him, longer than it should've been.
"…If he lays a hand on her," he said, voice flat, "I'll burn down his entire bloodline."
The way he said it—no anger, no rage. Just fact. A promise written in stone.
Aurora didn't respond immediately. She looked up at the stars, brows furrowed, lips tight.
"I still don't like it," she said finally. "You're letting him circle too close. You act like you're in control of this board, but Lyrix isn't just some noble. He's impulsive. He won't wait for your timing."
Joshua gave a slight nod. "Which is why I have you keeping an eye on him."
Aurora blinked. "Wait—what?"
"I knew he'd move soon," he said. "I just didn't know how soon. So I left you breadcrumbs. I knew you'd put the pieces together."
"I used your temper," he corrected. "Which has always been more reliable than any scout I've got."
Aurora huffed, folding her arms. "…So what now?"
"We wait," he said. "Let Lyrix come."
He turned back to the stars, quiet again. "When he finally does, I'll make sure it's public. Loud. So when I break him, no one forgets."
Aurora said nothing after that.
They both just stood there, high above Krayon Sol, waiting for a storm that was already on its way.
