Chapter 11 : after the flames

The dust settled slowly, drifting over the ruined estate like a burial shroud. For a moment, silence reigned. The only sound was the faint crackle of dying violet flames, devouring what remained of the shattered walls.

Elowen vanished inside a golden seal while Ryo stood frozen. His body still hummed with unnatural strength, a strength that wasn't his.

You see now, boy. Power is not a curse—it’s a bargain.

Ryo clenched his fists, refusing to answer.

“Ryo!” Andrea's soft voice shattered the silence.

 
Move kid

The pink haired look around to see Gordon, war hammer dragging against the ground, sparks flying. His grin had vanished. “What in the King’s name was that? Your eyes—your voice—you weren’t yourself.” he said before lifting his hammer quickly to strike him with, he narrowly missed Ryo and smashed the wall behind him instead. On the second swing, he froze in place.

“Sorry. We may look alike, but we don’t share the same brain. I’m Norton, and he’s Gordon. One of these days, we really need to head back to the agency.”

Hope you survive

Gordon’s muffled voice could be heard in the background.

Dozens of knights closed ranks around him, swords raised, shields up, as though Ryo were the enemy. Fear flickered in their gazes, raw and unmasked.

Here we go again.

“I—” Ryo’s throat tightened. “It wasn’t me. It was…” He faltered, realizing how insane it would sound.

Andrea pushed past the knights, her face pale with shock and grief. “You’re telling me to believe this wasn’t your doing? You spoke with the creatures as if you were one of them!”

One of the knights raised his hand to calm his companions. “Let’s not lose our heads. We all saw what happened. Whatever possessed the boy—it saved us. Without it, the alpha wouldn’t have stopped.”

“Or maybe it was using us,” muttered another knight darkly. His eyes narrowed on Ryo. “What kind of monster makes pacts with beasts?”

Ryo staggered back a step, the weight of their stares pressing on him. He wanted to scream, to tell them he hadn’t chosen this. But the words wouldn’t come.

---
Not far from there a duo was walking down a street, a boy and a girl, the boy’s black hair fell in messy strands over his forehead, and his piercing red eyes glowed with a quiet intensity. A scarf concealed the lower half of his face, leaving only his sharp gaze visible. He wore simple black trousers and a crisp white shirt, understated yet purposeful.

Beside him, the girl’s golden hair shimmered in the sunlight, framing her delicate face. Her blue eyes sparkled with curiosity as she moved, and her pink floral dress swayed gently with each step, soft and light against the backdrop of the street.

“Roseille ?” the man called, his voice strained. “Do you sense anything?”

The blond haired girl pressed her hands to the earth. For a moment, silence. Then her face blanched.

“…I..I think that girl is back, and she's close... really close!

" I see" he said while looking at the sky.

Back to the destroyed estate

A sharp chittering echoed above them. The knights raised their weapons as a silhouette detached itself from the mist: the spider-rider, her fuchsia hair glinting in the moonlight.

“You fought well,” she said coolly, perched on her monstrous steed. “But you’re all playing in a game far greater than you realize.” Her crimson eyes locked on Ryo. “Especially you, little vessel.”

Ryo’s stomach twisted. Vessel. She knew.

Before anyone could react, the spider leapt back into a fog, disappearing as quickly as it had come. But her voice lingered, echoing unnaturally.

“Next time, the Beast won’t be your ally. It will be mine.”

The mist swallowed her words.

The knights stood shaken, murmurs rippling through their ranks.

A knight slammed his hand into the wall. “Enough standing around! Amos is gone, Lady Rose is unconscious, and now we’ve got a spy in our midst. We need answers—now.”

All eyes turned to Ryo again.

The Beast chuckled inside his mind.

Humans are fascinating, you just saved them and now they want to end you.

Ryo’s chest tightened as the truth pressed down on him.