PROLOGUE

Droplets of red painted the stark white snow underneath his feet. The clouds churned in the sky as if anticipating his next move; but he just continued to walk his way through the barren land with the burning laboratory behind him. He had to get out. In any way that he could. All the years he had spent there, only knowing the Valley that he was now trying to escape.

He turned back to look at the crumbling, burning laboratory once again. Ashes rose into the air as the fire kept raging despite the snowstorm that had started just a few moments ago. The fire was so hot, he could still feel the scorching heat across his back. Watching this glorious institution be turned to crumbling rubble, a joyous laugh tore through his throat. His laugh echoed in the quietness of the seemingly peaceful atmosphere. He may not have known much about the world outside of this Valley, but he knew one thing for sure. He was the one who had brought down the people that had made him into what he was right now.

As snow and ash fell down on earth like a ravaging symphony of a foreboding, a huge, fiery explosion engulfed the Valley. Within moments there were avalanches from the surrounding mountains, however, the man kept on laughing. The explosion also brought a temporary rain of blood from the bodies still left inside. The droplets of crimson fell on the laughing man as he took a deep breath, a serene look on his face as he looked at the grey and desolate sky above.

“Finally,” he said, spreading his arms as the snow from the avalanche swallowed him.

***

“What do you mean it ‘escaped’? Wasn’t it under your care?!”

In the council room, an angry minister yelled as he let his fear show unabashedly on his face. Many of the other ministers were in a similar state yet they dare not show their fear. They stared on with pitying gazes at the angry minister.

Red, glowing eyes, looked up from that document that they were reading. Instantly, all heads turned towards the person sitting at the head of the table. The documents were calmly dropped from the person’s pale hands as they took on a cold expression.

Despite knowing that the look wasn’t meant for them, the other ministers and lords at the table found themselves shivering. For they were sitting in this room with a person that was far more terrifying than fear itself.

“Minister Lowel, are you accusing the Imperial Strategist of treason in my presence without any solid evidence?”

The voice resounded in the room as each and every other person held their breaths. They had angered their Ruler. And only death awaits anyone who questioned The Ruler.

“N-No, Your Highness! I did, didn’t mean-”

“Oh, I know what you meant.” The Ruler got up from their seat as they made their way down towards where the minister was.

The minister immediately froze up as his eyes met with the rudy red of his Ruler’s. The eyes of the predator had captured him successfully. He was entranced and he didn’t even feel it as his heart was ripped out of his chest. It was when he started choking on the iron that he acknowledged that his time had come. The last thing he remembered were the eyes of his Ruler as death welcomed him.

Stretching out a hand, a servant rushed over to clean off her Master’s hand. The Ruler, once satisfied, turned to look at the person seated to the left of the Imperial seat.

“Cassian. I hope you know what to do next.”

The Lord of the East stood up and bowed deeply. “Yes, I do, Your Highness. I will not let you down this time.”

The Ruler brushed their white hair back as they adjusted their white shirt while walking back to their seat slowly. They studied their trusted advisor for a while before they let out their final warning.

“You do know that next time you fail at your promises, you will face a fate far worse than death?”

The Lord gulped before nodding his head in affirmation.

“Good. I do not want to have wasted ten years for nothing.”

***

The dry, desert wind cracked their lips as the bus drove on relentlessly under the merciless sun. The figure sitting in the back could sense the storm clouds in the distance as his comrades continued to fan themselves using their hands. The guards made no move to switch on the air conditioner for them as they had done so for their own compartment. Luckily for the prisoners, the brunette at the back had good news.

“There’s storm clouds ahead. It’ll rain soon,” he whispered to the dark-haired girl sitting next to him.

“You summoned a thunderstorm, didn’t you, Sorin?”

The brunette, Sorin Hale, winked at the girl as he settled further into his seat just as the loo became cooler and the prisoners inside the bus were immediately relieved. The bus had finally crossed the threshold from the desert to a slightly more forested area, where it was still a desert landscape but at least it rained here.

The dark-haired girl sighed as she glared at her supposed leader.

“I swear if this reveals us-”

“It won’t. We will be fine,” Sorin assured her before he met her eyes with a serious expression. “Afterall, I have never messed up on a mission.”

Immediately, it started raining heavily. The prisoners were so delighted that they leaned outside the open windows to soak as much as they could in the rain. The guards still didn’t care as they kept driving towards a horizon, the end destination still unknown.