Chapter One

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Once upon a time in a country called Noctis, two feared bloodlines ruled the ground everyone walked on.

Veyrs—the descendants of ancient dragons. Cunning, dangerous, and impossibly powerful. They possessed physical strength and dragon fire hot enough to melt solid steel. Their breath carried the scent of burning ash and ozone.

Solis—the descendants of crows. Intelligent, noble, and deeply sinister. Unlike the dragons who relied on brute magic and strength, the Crows were mostly dark sorcerers, wielding forbidden hexes, and vile poisons.

For hundreds of years, a bloodthirsty war had raged between the Veyrs dragons and the Solis crows with no end in sight.

However, Flower City was different. It was a rare, peaceful haven, tucked far away from the capital—away from the dangerous influence of the ruling families. The air was fragrant, the ocean was blue, and the shopkeepers knew everyone by name.

"I hope you like them, ma'am," Rosen said, handing a freshly wrapped bundle of lilies to the young couple standing at the counter. He offered a gentle smile. "May you stay together happily."

The woman giggled, blushing as her partner slid an arm around her waist and led her out into the bright afternoon.

Love, Rosen thought, watching the glass door swing shut. Must be nice.

Some days, he really wondered what that kind of devotion felt like. Azriel always described it as the most incredible feeling in the world, something so deep that simple words could never do it justice.

Rosen sighed quietly to himself. Having a special someone to share his joys and sorrows with wasn't in the cards for him in this lifetime. He had spent ten years keeping his head down, blending into the background, and making sure nobody looked at him too closely. Romance was a luxury for people who weren't hiding.

CRASH!

A heavy vase shattered on the floor behind him. Rosen spun around just in time to see Rita, their round, chubby manager, swinging a thick flower stem like a club. She was beating Azriel over the head while yelling at the top of her lungs.

"You absolute useless boy!" Rita hollered, her face turning red. "You arranged the flowers wrong again! The client just called back complaining!"

Azriel ducked, his bright blonde hair flopping over his face as he tried to protect his head with his arms.

"It’s not my fault!" Azriel shouted back, dodging another swing. "That woman only complained because she caught her husband cheating on their anniversary! How is her messy marriage my fault?!"

"One more complaint out of you and you are fired!" Rita yelled, her chest heaving.

"At least don't hit my face!" Azriel grumbled, ducking. "I have a huge audition this weekend at the capital. Do you know how hard it is to get cast with a bruised cheek?"

Rita marched off toward her office, grumbling under her breath. "Can't serve customers, breaking my property... I’m deducting the cost of that vase straight out of your paycheck!"

Rosen winced, stepping over to grab a dustpan. "How do you manage to get into trouble with Rita every single day?"

"It's probably because I’m not as unfairly good-looking as you. She never screams at you." He glared toward the back room where Rita had disappeared, letting out a frustrated groan. "If Olen’s mother wasn't so sick, do you really think I’d stay at this miserable part-time job?"

Olen was Azriel’s boyfriend. Azriel was an aspiring actor still struggling to find his footing in Flower City, and between his dream and Olen's family medical bills, the poor guy was working himself to the bone.

Rosen offered a sympathetic smile. "Come on. I’ll help you clean this up."

They returned to their work, Rosen carefully sweeping up shards and wiping down glass vases.

"Whoa... Rosen, look at that."

Rosen followed Azriel’s gaze to the small TV hanging in the corner. A bright red news headline flashed across the screen:

HEAD OF VEYRS FAMILY AND HIS HOUSEHOLD BRUTALLY MURDERED

Rosen froze. The warmth in the room evaporated instantly, leaving his skin ice-cold.

"Damn... the head of the dragon family is dead?" Azriel gasped, staring at the screen with wide eyes. "Seems the capital is going to get so much dangerous."

Rosen was still staring at the screen, pale now.

Azriel shook his head, cursing under his breath. "Damn those bloody dragons and crows. They keep putting normal families in fear every single time they throw a tantrum. I heard the dragon's queen was pregnant, too. Who would even do something like that?"

The crystal vase in Rosen’s hands slipped through his numb fingers. It hit the floor with a deafening shatter.

As Azriel cursed the bloodlines, Rosen thought the enemy was much closer than Azriel thought.

"Rosen?" Azriel turned, his eyes wide with concern. "Hey, are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost—"

Before Rosen could answer, a sharp ring cut through the tense air.

His phone.

A cold sweat broke out across Rosen's neck before he even touched the screen. He knew that number. He hadn't seen it in ten years—not once since he had been exiled to Flower City as a terrified boy. Ten years of being the secret disgrace to the Solis bloodline.

"You're returning to the capital. Now," a sharp, authoritative voice spoke when he answered. "I’ve already sent men to pick you up."

The line went dead.

"Who was that?" Azriel asked, wearing a worried frown.

"I... I have to go," Rosen managed to say, his voice shaking. "I'm sorry, Azriel. I have to leave!"

He didn't wait for a reply. Rosen bolted out of the flower shop and ran into the street.

His house was only a short distance away, so he ran with everything he had. The head of the powerful Veyrs family had been brutally slaughtered alongside his pregnant wife. If Lord Solis was demanding his immediate return, the entire country was about to explode into war. Was his father really involved in this murder?

He rounded the corner to his street, panting heavily, and froze.

Three sleek black sedans were parked right in front of his house. Men in sharp black suits stood around the entrance.

Father's men arrived already, Rosen thought, trying to catch his breath.

He took a few slow steps closer, but suddenly, his instincts screamed. Something was very wrong.

These men didn't smell like the refined, magical aura of the Solis crows. The air around them was suffocating—thick with the heat of smoldering embers, and an unmistakable aura.

Ice flooded his veins. Dragons!

He spun around on his heel and started to sprint the other way.

"Get him!" a harsh voice shouted behind him.

Footsteps thundered after him. Rosen pushed his legs as fast as they could go, but the dragon males were far too powerful and fast. In seconds, they closed the distance easily.

“Stop running, wretched crow!”

A crushing blow slammed into the side of Rosen’s head with raw dragon strength.

The world spun out of control. Rosen crashed hard onto the cold pavement, his vision blurring as dark spots danced before his eyes.

A hand dragged him up by the collar like a doll. Distantly, through the loud ringing in his ears, he heard a rough voice speaking into a comms device.

"We've secured The black Rose. Bringing him in now."

Then, the darkness swallowed Rosen whole.