Darian and Rhea flew swiftly through the skies. She took him to the capital of the New Arcadia Empire, in the northern region of the continent—a place he had never even dread of visiting. Regular people weren't allowed in, but now he was a High Human.
Rhea landed near the entrance. Darian took a deep breath as he saw how massive the place was.
A huge barrier surrounded the entire city, stretching into the sky and forming a do with no visible opening. But it wasn't made of bricks or any physical material. It looked more like a colorless, foggy holographic shield, blocking the view of the city inside.
It wasn't a physical barrier—anyone could walk right through it. But the mont they did, they'd be instantly detected, and inside, countless guards would shoot to kill without hesitation.
The person wouldn't last even a minute... Yeah, Darian had read about that before. It wasn't uncommon in the past.
Starving, desperate people had tried crossing it, but all of them died, and their bodies were tossed back outside, left there for a long ti as a warning. Eventually, the attempts stopped, but the ssage was passed on to future generations: don't even try.
And this wasn't just a grim tale about this one place. All Imperial Cities were like that—only High Humans and those associated with them could live inside. Everyone else lived in distant cities, surrounded by danger and the underworld.
When arriving, everyone had to enter through a single gate and go through strict inspection.
Rhea just showed her golden card, and the guard imdiately directed them to a private room at the entrance.
Inside, Darian saw a huge empty hall, but it was so luxurious and colorful that he was stunned.
There was only one person in there, a very well-dressed, attractive woman who walked toward them.
"You wanna check out the city first or get your money?" Rhea asked him.
"I... can I bring my brothers into the city?" That was the first thing that ca to his mind.
His brothers' safety was his top priority. In the outside world, the law only protected the powerful—there was no hiding it or pretending otherwise. The weak could only accept it and hope they didn't get unlucky and catch the eye of soone strong.
Rhea smiled and explained that she lived in the capital with her family. It was an extrely safe place, but the cost of living was insanely high.
The woman in front added, "Now that you've beco a direct agent of the Empire, you're allowed to bring in whoever you want. But living here isn't cheap, and the full cost for whoever you bring will be on you."
"Your family consists of just two twins, right?" Rhea asked, her gaze fixed on him. He nodded. "I'd advise you to bring them here imdiately, if you can."
Darian agreed. Rhea didn't push him to bring them right away, because moving into the capital was absurdly expensive.
The money was his, and just because he got lucky and earned a lot early on didn't an he'd keep making that much. Actually, it was pretty common to lose money during missions. Just surviving, no matter the cost, was the top priority.
But since it was just the two of them and Darian had earned a lot, it was worth it.
At that mont, the woman asked for his card and registered everything. With that done, he was now allowed to bring his brothers into the capital.
What he didn't know... was that because of one mistake he made, sothing completely unexpected was starting to unfold.
***
In the far northeast of the New Arcadia Empire's capital, a storm raged over the abandoned city, now swallowed by the underworld.
At its center, there was one building still in use. And beneath it, an improvised dungeon.
The air down there was heavy, damp, and filled with a nauseating stench.
Footsteps echoed.
Then, in a dark cell, the door creaked open, and for the first ti in days, a beam of light broke through the darkness.
A man stood in the doorway, holding a lantern in one hand and a chain in the other. He raised the light, shining it inside the cell.
In the far corner, two trembling figures huddled together.
They sat shoulder to shoulder, their hands tightly clasped together—it was like a bond that couldn't be broken.
A boy and a girl, both skin-and-bones, lips cracked and faces pale. They hadn't eaten in days—maybe they'd only been given just enough water to stay alive. Their torn clothes were caked in mud, and their light green hair clashed with their piercing red eyes.
The man growled:
"Hope you're ready to talk! Ti's up!"
The two of them just flinched, their eyes unfocused in the direction of the voice. They didn't even have the strength to stand.
He went on, cold and blunt.
"I'm taking you for one last talk. I'll be straight with you—so new toys arrived from a far-off place. If you cooperate, maybe we'll give you a better fate... maybe even freedom. But if you force us to use those thods... the madness and distortion your minds will go through won't ever co back. It'll be a long, painful death."
No answer.
Just the grip between their filthy fingers tightening. Like they were trying to give each other a little warmth, a little comfort.
The man scoffed and yanked the chains, locking them tightly around their necks. Without warning, he dragged them out like animals.
Their skin scraped raw, blood dripping—but they didn't even have the strength to cry about it. They were pulled up a dark stairwell to the upper floor.
The stench of blood and rot up there was suffocating. A dimly lit room, with the windows flashing now and then from thunder outside.
Three figures were waiting.
The twins were thrown onto chairs that imdiately clamped down on their wrists and ankles. One of the people stepped forward, holding two syringes filled with a purple liquid. He jabbed them in without a hint of care.
Their bodies convulsed violently. Their eyes flew open, hearts pounding in their chests. A wave of adrenaline lit their veins on fire.
And that's when they saw her.
Standing in front of them was a short woman with golden hair and a dark look in her eyes.
"This will be our last conversation," she said, her voice cutting through the silence. "No use denying it—the DNA test confird it. You're his siblings."
"We don't know anything!" the girl cried out, desperate. "Darian just told where to find so money he left hidden. He swore he got a job but had to travel, said he'd only co back once in a while!"
The woman scoffed, clearly losing patience: "Let make it simple. There's no way he could've uncovered that many secrets about powerful people with such precise detail. Your brother has paranormal powers. Since he wasn't officially nad a High Human, the Empire must be hiding him and keeping his identity secret."
She stepped a bit closer.
"He tricked my people using so kind of cursed poison. Then he just vanished without a trace. When we ca back, all we found was a bit of his blood—and it was totally clean, no poison left. Clear setup."
Her tone sharpened: "He *had* to have told you sothing—so clue about where he'd go or when he'd return. Otherwise, he wouldn't have taken the risk of contacting us just to get money. The Empire's rules are brutal. If they didn't want him exposed, they never would've let him leak anything. But he did—because he cares about you."
The twins' eyes trembled, welling up with tears.
They didn't know what to say. They didn't know what she *wanted* them to say. Could they make sothing up? No.
Behind them, a man was holding a strange crystal, watching closely.
Lucy had already tested it. That crystal could tell when soone was lying.
"Please don't hurt my sister..." Lucius whispered, trembling. "If you do, he'll never co back. And you'll never get anything..."
The woman just scoffed and gave a look to another man at the back of the room. He nodded, grabbed a small black box, and handed it to her.
The mont she opened it, the air in the room dropped to a bone-chilling cold.
Lucy and Lucius held their breath when they saw what was inside.
Two black needles, five centiters long, reflecting a cruel gleam.
The woman smiled darkly.
"Yeah... keeping you alive to lure him in might've been useful. But unlucky for you, this little toy just beca available for purchase." She spun the needles between her fingers. "If you don't want to talk—or if you *really* don't know anything—it doesn't matter anymore. I'll read every last mory in your heads. Every single word that bastard said to you."
She paused, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
Then, she stepped forward.
"This solves everything. You don't need to keep on living. But ..." She let out a low laugh. "I'll still have a few fun days with you first."
The twins swallowed hard, their eyes locked on the gleam of the needles getting closer—
Until...
**BOOOOM!!!**
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