“Did you say that Leyon entered the portal?!” Zaiela cried, and Lord Rowan nodded.

They’d followed Leyon to Throeyns castle and Lord Rowan had led them to the portal when they inquired as to where Leyon was.

She glared at Lord Rowan and asked, “Why are you the one in charge of protecting the portal?!”

Lord Rowan flinched at her tone, but replied evenly, “My father, and his father before him, was entrusted with the knowledge of the portal and I, as his heir, inherited the knowledge at his deathbed. House Throeyns has protected the portal for generations. We will never break the oath, for we have bound our lives to it.”

He continued, “This portal connects to Esover. There are a number of similar portals connecting the other kingdoms. When you go through this portal, you should enter the portal room in Esover. Please be careful though, your highnesses, as I can make no promises to your safety once you pass this portal.”

The two royals nodded and Adrian entered the portal first, followed by Zaiela. She grabbed his hand and held on tightly.

As Zaiela stepped into the portal, a blinding flash of light made her squeeze her eyes shut and grip Adrian’s hand a little tighter. Immediately, she felt like she was falling endlessly and her stomach twisted and her heart raced. She dared not open her eyes. It lasted only a few seconds before the spinning stopped and she gingerly opened her eyes. Before she could blink the light out of her eyes, a blurry figure descended upon them. She felt a sharp pain and then saw nothing but darkness.

<--<< >>-->

Adrian was first to wake. A sour taste in his mouth and a throbbing pain in his head told him enough about what happened, not to mention the dark and damp dungeon cell he found himself in. He tried in vain to remember who had done this to him, but came up blank.

He peered around and saw Zaiela beside him in a corner and Leyon sprawled on the ground near the stone wall.

“Leyon! Zaiela! Wake up!” He choked out, his hoarse voice scratchy.

Leyon stirred, but did not come to.

Adrian heard a muffled laugh from the corner, “Pelos has a sense of humour, it seems. You wouldn’t happen to be Adrian, would you?”

Adrian glanced over in surprise and saw that he had missed someone sitting in a dark corner of the cell.

“Who are you?!” Adrian asked, instantly wary.

The man looked up, “My name is Halian. We used to play together as kids, remember?”

Adrian pondered, then brightened as he recalled the dark haired boy that had been an early childhood friend. He squinted at the man in the dark, trying to make out his features.

“Halian of the Whiterose house, I assume? Fancy meeting you here… I’d offer you a drink, but as you can see,” He chuckled, “That might be a little difficult.”

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Halian explained that his brother had gone missing a year ago and he had set out to search for him. His search eventually led him to Anhua, where his brother was to attend a prestigious academy as the Whiterose family heir.

“I was knocked out when I entered the portal, just like you guys. I’ve been here ever since,” Halian sighed, his gaze tracking Adrian around the cell, “Those demons are fearsome… I haven’t dared to try anything.”

“Demons?!” Adrian exclaimed, his face reddening as the word ignited a powerful rage within him, although paired with an equal sense of fear.

It appears that I can avenge Father and Mother and Eli sooner than I thought! Adrian thought.

Halian continued, oblivious to Adrian’s outburst, “Yes, demons. I didn’t believe it at first, but they’re real- Adrian, what are you doing?!”

Halian watched in utter confusion as Adrian staggered to his feet and drew his sword, stumbling over to the bars of the cell and began hollering curses at the demon guards that he could just barely make out down the hall.

Though it appeared that their understanding of Common was fairly limited, the meaning behind Adrian’s words were clear regardless. One of the demon guards lumbered over to the cell and snarled at Adrian, brandishing a club at him.

Adrian, unbothered and fuelled by anger, paid no heed to the demon guard’s clear warning and swung his sword at the demon. It bit into the flesh of the demon, splattering golden blood on the dusty floor. The demon jerked back and howled, before swiftly slamming the club between the bars and into Adrian.

Adrian was knocked back and sent sprawling to the ground and the demon guard hammered the bars of the cell once more before walking away, leaving only a few specks of golden blood behind.

Halian shuffled over to Adrian and helped him sit up, asking if he was alright. Adrian coughed, gasping for breath and whispered, “Yeah… I should be fine… got the wind knocked out of me though… I’m probably going to bruise…”

“Why would you do that?!” Halian cried.

Adrian was saved from replying when the others began to stir. Adrian rushed to Leyon’s side and as Leyon opened his eyes and saw his brother, he blinked and rubbed his eyes.

“Adrian…? Did I… die?” He asked, and as Adrian shook his head, Leyon pulled him into a hug.

“Thank Pelos you’re alive,” Leyon whispered, his eyes reddening.

Just then, Zaiela groaned and shifted, her eyes fluttering open.

As her eyes settled on Leyon, she called his name softly and he looked over at her.

“Zai!” He cried, his face contorting and then tears spilled down his face, “I thought you were dead!”

It took Leyon a little while to calm down but Adrian was just glad to confirm that Leyon was alive, for they had not seen him since the attack. Halian had looked visibly confused by the turn of events, but as Adrian gave him a brief rundown of the attack, Halian’s face morphed into one of horror.

<--<< >>-->

A few hours passed and Adrian’s stomach rumbled loudly.

“I don’t suppose anybody has any food?” He asked sheepishly.

Halian shook his head, and upon closer inspection, Adrian saw that he was actually quite emaciated.

“Jeez, Halian, how long have you been in here?! Have they not been feeding you?!” Adrian exclaimed.

“They did provide some mouldy bread…” Halian sighed, his eyes wandering to Leyon. Then his gaze lowered slightly, to his neck and shoulders, and he licked his lips unconsciously.

Halian frowned, shook his head and set his jaw, looking determinedly away. When Adrian looked closer, he could see that underneath the dirt a grime, Halian had a head full of dark curls, framing a strong jaw and piercing sapphire eyes.

“How long have you been here?” Adrian repeated, narrowing his eyes at Halian.

Halian’s thin frame shook as he breathed in, “A couple of days. But I’m just so hungry,” He added as an afterthought, licking his lips again.

He smiled at Adrian, showing his elongated canines, “So very hungry…” He murmured.