Viktor walked quietly down the old Imperial Road. The ruins of Voskryn loomed around him in broken silhouettes, their walls crumbled, their towers bowed beneath the forest’s strangling embrace. Nature had cimed what man had forsaken, and trees now stood where marble columns once held banners aloft.

  Behind him, Rhea trailed, her barely audible footsteps following him through the dead city. And, after a long stretch of silence, she spoke.

  “Are you... are you mad because of what Lloyd has said?”

  “No,” Viktor said ftly. Why did everyone think that he was angry?

  But the girl didn’t let it go. “Yes, you are,” she said, jogging a few steps to catch up and walk beside him. “You still look a bit mad now, in fact. Well, I can see why.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “You can?”

  “Isn’t it obvious? His story about Princess Celestia and yours are completely different from each other. In your story, she and the Emperor loved each other. But Lloyd cimed she only pretended to love him. And then, she might have died alone, in some dark pce, abandoned and forgotten for three hundred years...”

  His jaw tightened, his hands curling into fists. She wasn’t trying to hurt him on purpose, he knew that. But just because she didn’t intend to twist the knife did not mean she wasn’t good at it.

  Damn. He wanted to kill something. Or somebody. She was the only one in reach right now, so she had better not test his patience any further.

  “You shouldn’t dwell on it too much,” Rhea continued. “It’s just his theory. No more, no less. It happened a long time ago, so no one knows exactly what happened. That’s why there are so many different stories. Everyone’s got their own version. I don’t know which one is the truth, but if I have to pick... I prefer yours.”

  Viktor snorted. “Why? Because it doesn’t involve the ghost of a dead woman haunting a crumbling castle for three centuries?”

  “Well,” Rhea said, giving a sheepish smile. “That too, I suppose. But mostly it’s because your story is more romantic. Very cute, actually. I like the idea that the Emperor and the Empress were a loving couple. It’s just... it’s more appealing to me than a tale of betrayal and tragedy.”

  Ah yes. Romantic. Of course. Girls loved that sort of thing, didn’t they? He had always thought it was silly, but still...

  He didn’t say anything. But he didn’t scoff either. And so, they walked on, side by side. No more words, just the sound of boots tapping against the cracked, mossy stones of the Imperial Road.

  Soon, the trees gave way, and the broken road began to slope downward. He could hear the sound of running water in the distance. The Voskryn was near. Once they crossed the bridge, they would be back to Daelin. Then he could be rid of the girl, go home, and have a well-deserved sleep. Yes, that was what he needed the most right now.

  But then, he stopped.

  “What’s the matter?” asked Rhea.

  As if the forest itself had been waiting for her to ask, a man stepped out from behind a tree ahead of them. Bearded, dirty, wrapped in rags. Seconds ter, two more figures emerged from the bushes. They were all armed. One had an old sword without a scabbard, another a long, rusty knife, and the third a woodcutter’s axe. But none of them bothered to ready their weapons. Clearly, they didn’t expect any resistance.

  “Who... who are they?” Rhea asked, her voice cracking.

  Viktor shrugged. “Just your friendly neighborhood bandits, I guess.”

  “That’s right,” the bearded man said as he stepped forward, resting his hand on the pommel of his sword. “Friendly, so long as you hand over your shiny stuff. Then we can all walk away smiling.”

  Why are there bandits here? Viktor wondered. He had thought no one dared to get close to the supposedly cursed castle. Not once during his prior visits had he come across a single soul on this road. What made this time different?

  Wait.

  The man’s accent. He was not from around here.

  Ah, I see.

  It was his fault. Or rather, his dungeon’s fault. News of its discovery sent waves of people flocking to Daelin. Adventurers who sought wealth and glory, merchants who came to set up business, and of course, bottom-feeders like the ones before him right now. Thieves. Cutthroats. The ones who looked at the fresh influx of warm bodies and saw prey. And since they were outsiders, local ghost stories meant little to them.

  “Do we look like we have money?” Viktor asked.

  The bearded man looked him over, eyes sweeping from his boots to his brow. If he was thinking anything, it was probably: Shake this brat hard enough and maybe a couple half-coppers will fall out.

  The bandit sighed. “Fine. You’re lucky. Just fuck off. But...” He turned his gaze to Rhea. “The girl stays.”

  She flinched, retreating a step behind Viktor. “What... what do you want from me?”

  There was no answer. Just grins. The bearded man licked his lips, like a wolf eyeing a cornered sheep.

  Well, it was pretty obvious what they were going to do to her, and Rhea must have realized it too. She was not that stupid. She just couldn’t bring herself to accept it.

  Now what? They said he could walk away, and he had no desire to get into unnecessary fights. Sure, Rhea was about to find herself in the worst kind of mess, but he had no obligation to help her. He was not her brother, not her friend, and certainly not a knight in shining armor. He was just a thirteen-year-old brat. She couldn’t seriously expect him to take on three grown men to save her.

  “What are you waiting for?” the bearded man growled. “Fuck off, before I change my mind.”

  But before Viktor could make a move, a soft voice came from behind him. “Just go. Don’t worry about me.”

  He frowned. Why the hell did she think he was concerned? He wasn’t. Not in the slightest.

  He gnced over his shoulder. Rhea was pale as bone, hands clutched tight around her cloak, shaking like she could colpse at any moment. Yet, when their eyes met, she forced a smile. “I’ll be alright.”

  Alright my ass.

  Viktor let out a sigh. Fine... let’s do it.

  He leaned closer, his words coming in a low murmur. “You run to the side of the road and hide in one of those crumbling buildings. I’ll lure them away. Once they’re gone, come back here and run for the bridge. Don’t stop. Don’t look back.”

  Her eyes went wide. “But—”

  “I said that you would be fine if you were with me, didn’t I? And you said you believed me. So do not argue.”

  He turned back toward the bandits without waiting for her reply. There was no time to expin. If she didn’t do as she was told, then she deserved whatever was coming to her. That was not his problem anymore.

  “Are you done saying your goodbyes?” The bearded man grinned. “Now off you go, kid. Be a good boy.”

  Viktor didn’t answer. He slid his hands into his pockets and leisurely walked forward. If Rhea didn’t move now, if she was paralyzed by fear, or hesitated, or was just being stupid, then so be it. He would leave her behind.

  But then, he saw the shift in the bandits’ expressions. Their eyes were no longer on him, but instead, they were now locked on something behind. He turned just in time to see Rhea bolt, darting into the brush, her cloak fring behind her.

  Good girl.

  The bandits were going to give chase, though, so he needed to act fast to draw their attention away from her. His hand came out of his pocket, and with it, three silver coins fshed between his fingers.

  “Hey, look at what I’ve got.”

  Three jaws dropped. There was no way they could have ever imagined the poor-looking brat they had just dismissed could have that much money in his possession. But Viktor was not going to stay here and wait for them to recover from the shock. He spun around and sprinted back toward the castle.

  Behind him, there were curses, footsteps, and a very loud “Get him!”

  He didn’t expect to outrun them, of course. It had been less than a minute, but his lungs were already burning like he had inhaled fire. This scrawny body would give way and colpse long before he could even see the gate. No, he just wanted to lure them away from Rhea. And it was not entirely out of kindness. She would be safer, sure, but more importantly, she would no longer get in the way.

  He might have believed the road was safe, but only a fool would come all the way here without means to protect himself. Three months ago, he had nothing, so he had to take the risk. Now, however, he had a lot to lose.

  His hand dipped back into his pocket, the coins clinking as he let them fall. His fingers now touched something else. A tube. He grabbed it.

  He could hear them closing in behind him now, so he turned, pointing the object at the nearest bandit, and pressed the button. There was a sharp click, followed by a whirring sound, and a silvery strand erupted from the barrel, whistling as it flew through the air. It struck the bandit square in the chest, and in the blink of an eye, exploded into a web. The man stumbled, cursing and struggling as the sticky silk entangled him, gluing him to the ground.

  Good job, Kazyk!

  The other two skidded to a halt, their eyes wide with confusion. That was a big mistake. In a fight, there was no room for such half-measures. Their moment of hesitation had given Viktor the time he needed to pull out the second tube, aim at the next target, and squeeze the trigger. He didn’t waste even a second to think; he simply executed the steps he had already id out in his mind. In an instant, the bandit fell, sealed alongside his friend by Dread Spider’s web.

  The st one, the bearded man, dove sideways, throwing himself behind the trunk of a nearby tree.

  That was fine.

  Viktor was out of breath anyway. His chest was tight, his lungs were burning, and his legs ached like they were about to give out.

  He still had one tube left, so if the man rushed him, he would shoot, simple as that. If the guy kept hugging the tree, great, it meant more time for him to catch his breath, and more time for Rhea to get away. And if he turned tail and ran? Then Viktor would just let him go.

  Simple solutions to simple problems. These scum were nothing but lowly bandits, so there was no reason to spend any more effort on them than necessary.

  But then, a thought crossed his mind.

  He wanted to... kill someone just now, didn’t he?

  Ah yes, he was in an incredibly foul mood today. He had to suffer a drunk and a stupid girl, only to suffer even more to save her ass. Here he was, stuck in the middle of some forsaken ruins, forced to deal with things that didn’t concern him, for the sake of someone he didn’t care about, his entire body aching from the effort.

  And now, conveniently, there was a dog around for him to kick.