Izak stared at the man before him. He appeared to be the same age as his dad, with pale skin, piercing red eyes like blood, and long raven-black hair that reached down to his lower back. There was something familiar in his features—a slight resemblance to Izak's uncle, Mikhail.
"How long have you been chained here?" Izak asked, eyes drifting to the heavy iron shackles around the man's wrists and ankles. His neck was bound by a collar embedded with a glowing red stone. What could this man have done to deserve such imprisonment?
"I've lost count of the days," the man replied. His voice was calm, yet weary. "Maybe over a year. Time blurs down here."
Charmagne. Emperor Emeritus Charmagne Serolf. Great-grandfather of the current emperor, Matias Serolf. Once the most beloved ruler of the Serolf Empire. With no wife or children, he had named his nephew Gustav as heir to the throne.
During his reign, Charmagne had been cursed. A gifted mage—once his close friend—had fallen in love with him. But Charmagne's heart already belonged to another. When he announced his engagement, the mage was devastated. Her sorrow turned to madness. She delved into dark magic and witchcraft, and the day before the wedding, she cursed him.
The curse doomed any woman he loved to die from a mysterious illness—and condemned him to eternal life, untouched by age. That very evening, his beloved fiancée succumbed to the curse. Wracked with grief and fury, Charmagne ordered the woman captured, beheaded, and her body burned.
From that day forward, every time he tried to love again, tragedy followed. Each woman died, inexplicably. To protect others from his fate, he vowed never to love again. Time passed, but his body never changed. Trapped in eternal youth, he eventually relinquished the throne to Gustav and disappeared into seclusion—hiding away in a distant tower, obsessively researching a way to undo the curse. But every attempt failed.
He only returned when Emperor Mikhail sought him out. Knowing he might not survive an upcoming expedition, Mikhail begged Charmagne to act as regent for young Emperor Matias. And so Charmagne stood by Matias's side, aiding him in battle and governance alike.
But during the war with King Velnias, Charmagne was captured. A powerful enemy mage forged a cursed red stone, now embedded in the collar around his neck. It nullified all his magic and made escape impossible. He didn't know how long he had been imprisoned—but he often thought of Matias. He had used the last of his magic to send the boy to safety before being caught. But in those final moments, the enemy mage had found them—and cursed Matias too.
Charmagne narrowed his eyes. "You... you bear a resemblance to someone I once knew."
"I'm sure no one from my family's ever been here," Izak replied.
"Who's your father?" Charmagne asked, studying him carefully.
"Why?" Izak frowned.
"I'm just curious. Are you from the Serolf Empire? Velnias captured many Serolfians to torture here."
Izak clenched his jaw. "I'm not from your empire. I don't even know what that is."
Charmagne closed his eyes briefly.
"Do you know a way to escape?" Izak asked again. "I have to find my brothers."
"If I did," Charmagne said grimly, "I wouldn't still be here. See this stone?" He nodded toward the glowing red gem in his collar. "It suppresses my magic. I can't do anything while it's intact."
"You can use magic?" Izak asked in disbelief. "Seriously, what is this place? Am I in some kind of fantasy world or something?"
Charmagne opened his eyes, confused by the question. "You must be from a land without mages."
"Yeah... where I'm from, we fight with guns and fists."
"Guns?" Charmagne echoed, eyebrows raised.
"You don't have guns here?"
Charmagne shook his head slowly.
"Anyway, I need to find a way out of here," Izak said. "The guards barely check on us. If we can break these chains, we might be able to escape."
"We could—if this thing around my neck were destroyed," Charmagne replied. "If you can destroy this stone, I can get us both out of here."
Izak stared at the glowing gem.
Escape wouldn't be easy—but if he wanted to survive and find his brothers, he would need this man's help.
And to do that, he would first need to break his own chains—only then could he remove the cursed stone binding Charmagne's power.
.
.
.
Back at the Serolf Empire
Main Palace
"What do you mean our brothers are missing?" Arash demanded, completely shocked by the news.
"I don't know," Beatrice replied, crossing her arms and gritting her teeth. "They just vanished. We searched the entire capital, but there was no sign of them. I'm afraid my little brother, Hajee, may have found our father's forbidden book."
"So they escaped—with the book? The same book we desperately need to cure Matias?" Arash asked, his voice rising.
"That's why we're searching the borderlands too," Beatrice said. "We have to find them."
"Tsk. That reckless Harusheen... When I find him, I swear I'll tie him up and throw him into the ocean," Arash muttered, clenching his fists.
"I can't believe they left without a word," Froilan said, his tone softer. "We're their siblings. Don't they trust us?"
"I think... since they're not originally from this world, they might be trying to escape the war and find a way back to their own world using the book," Beatrice said thoughtfully.
"But they don't even know how to use magic," Arash argued.
"Then we'll send troops to search for them," Froilan suggested. "We need to bring them—and the book—back. We can decide on their punishment once they return."
"Fine," Arash agreed. "But I'll be the one to punish my little brother."
"For now, we need to focus on Matias," Beatrice said gravely. "His condition is worsening. His body is deteriorating rapidly. If this continues, the empire could fall."
"I'll do everything in my power to protect him—and the empire," Arash declared. "For the peace of our lands, we must stand strong."
Froilan nodded in agreement.
"There's one more thing you need to know," Beatrice said suddenly.
"What is it?" Froilan asked.
"Matias... has an heir," she said carefully.
"What? How?" Arash was stunned.
"I was just as surprised. His personal maid... she's pregnant. Matias chose her to bear his heir. But she vanished too."
"So now we have to find her as well?" Arash said in disbelief. "What does she look like?"
Beatrice handed them a sketch. "This is her. Look for her—but be discreet. No one must know she's carrying the imperial heir."
"I understand," Froilan said as he examined the drawing.
"There's more," Beatrice added. "She disappeared the same night our brothers vanished."
"You think they're connected? That they might know each other?" Arash asked.
"I looked into her background. There's nothing—no relatives, no birthplace, no history. The servants said Sir Yehuda brought her back from the battlefield. He found her alone in the forest, confused and scared. They said she had lost her memories," Beatrice explained.
"That's the same story I was told when I met my younger brother, Kiko—that he had lost his memories," Froilan said quietly.
"The same excuse used by the others," Beatrice added.
"So you think she might be with our brothers? That she's from their world too?" Arash asked.
"I'm not sure," Beatrice admitted. "But it's a possibility."
"Then... could she be our sister?" Arash asked slowly.
Beatrice and Froilan stared at him, brows furrowed.
"Think about it. Our brothers ended up here because of their connection to this world—because they're our blood. If this woman was brought here too, under the same mysterious circumstances... maybe she's related to us."
Beatrice paused, her eyes narrowing. "You might have a point."
"Damn..." Arash muttered. "Does that mean Matias impregnated our sister?"
"Shut up. We're not certain yet," Beatrice snapped.
"But if it's true," Froilan said quietly, "then she's carrying a child of pure Serolf blood."
"That's why we have to find them—as soon as possible," Beatrice said. "We need to confirm the truth."
The two brothers nodded in solemn agreement.