LOGINSilence consumed the ruined chapel. No one moved or spoke.Diago’s crimson eyes remained fixed on the black envelope in his gloved hand. Across the front, written in elegant silver ink, were three impossible words:FOR KRYSTAL LINSEYKrystal’s heartbeat thundered in his ears. “…That’s impossible.” His voice came out barely above a whisper. No one in this world should know that name, absolutely no one.Diago slowly turned toward him. “Krystal…” It was the first time the alpha had spoken the unfamiliar name aloud.“…Who is Krystal Linsey?” The question cracked something open inside him.Krystal instinctively stepped back, words failed him. How could he explain that he wasn’t the real Caspian? That he had died in another world? That everything around them had once been fiction?He would sound insane. Worse, he would become the greatest threat in the empire.Elias watched him in silence. Unlike Diago, he asked nothing. His golden eyes simply studied Krystal’s face, as though waiting to se
The words Project Caspian refused to leave Krystal’s mind.Even hours after the last embers of the fire had been extinguished, he stood in the courtyard staring at the half-burned document still clutched in Diago’s hand. The ink looked old—years old. Someone had been watching Caspian Vale long before Krystal ever woke up inside this body.A slow chill crawled down his spine.The Vale Estate no longer felt like a home.Every servant was questioned, every knight searched and every room inspected. No one was allowed to leave. Meals arrived under armed guard and the grand corridors that once echoed with quiet conversation now carried only the heavy footsteps of soldiers.It had become a fortress under siege. Diago sat in the strategy room in silence, With the burned document lying on the table beside Mira Page’s silver key, the fragment of military cloth, and the black serpent pendant. Every clue they had collected over the past week rested there as well. Yet none of them fit cleanly tog
The eastern wing of the Vale Estate vanished beneath a wall of black smoke.Flames climbed the tall windows, devouring the ancient archives that had stood for generations. Burning papers spiraled into the night sky like dying birds while servants ran in every direction, shouting over the roar.“Bring water!” “Move away from the eastern wing!” “Protect the main residence!” Chaos consumed the estate.Krystal stood frozen for half a second, just then he saw Diago already moving. The alpha had his sword drawn. “Diago!” He grabbed his arm. “Where are you going?”“To the archives.” He quickly answered without hesitation.“They’re on fire!”“I know.”“Then why are you going inside?” Diago turned and for once, there was no cold amusement in his crimson eyes—only absolute certainty.“Because they didn’t burn the archives to destroy everything.” His gaze shifted toward the flames. “They burned them to destroy something specific.”Before Krystal could ask what he meant, he pulled free and stro
The imperial capital had never looked so deceptively peaceful.The morning sunlight poured across the wide marble streets, warming the cobblestones as merchants opened their colorful stalls and noble carriages rolled leisurely through the bustling avenues.Children chased each other with laughter, street performers played lively tunes, and birds sang from flowering trees lining the boulevards. Everything appeared perfectly ordinary.And no one had realized that, far beneath the city’s glittering surface, the Shadow Crest had just declared war.Yet still, peace inside the Vale Estate, however, had become a forgotten luxury.Every corridor echoed with the rhythmic footsteps of armored knights. Servants moved quickly and quietly, their usual chatter reduced to anxious whispers. Smiles had vanished entirely, even the simple act of breathing too loudly felt like tempting fate.Krystal stood beside the tall library window, staring out at the manicured gardens without really seeing them. He
Darkness.Far beyond the imperial capital, past noble estates and bustling cities, an underground fortress laid buried beneath the ruins of an abandoned monastery. No traveler who valued their life ever ventured there.This was the true heart of the Shadow Crest.Torchlight flickered along the damp stone corridors as hooded figures patrolled in silence. Every wall bore the same chilling emblem: a black serpent coiled around a crescent moon. The air itself tasted of death.Through its massive iron doors, a lone figure staggered, his breath ragged. Blood soaked the left side of his black uniform, leaving a steady trail across the stone floor. He was the only survivor of the last assassin who had escaped the Moonveil Festival.The guards offered no help. They simply stepped aside. “The Council is waiting,” one of them said in a flat voice. The assassin swallowed hard. That frightened him far more than Diago Veydrake ever had.The doors to the council chamber opened with a low groan. The
Silence blanketed the rose garden. No one spoke after the knight uttered Elias’s name. For the first time, the blond omega’s playful demeanor vanished completely. “…Are you certain?” Elias asked, voice quiet. The knight lowered his head. “Yes, Young Master.” He handed the bloodstained parchment to Diago and the alpha slowly unfolded it. Two names were written across the center in dark, deliberate ink: Caspian Vale.Elias Blanchett. And below the name was a single chilling line: One must die and the other must watch.Krystal felt the blood drain from his face. “What kind of lunatic writes something like that?” Diago’s eyes stayed fixed on the paper. “The Shadow Crest.” He folded it with deliberate care and slipped it inside his deep crimson coat. “They’re provoking us.” “Or they’re trying to turn us against each other.” Elias folded his arms.“What do you mean?” Krystal frowned. “If two targets know they’re both being hunted,” Elias explained, “the easiest way to weaken them i
After the day of their engagement meeting and unexpected encounter, Krystal tried his possible best to avoid Diago. For three days, his world felt peaceful, beautiful and silent. With no crimson eyes staring into his soul or suffocating pheromones and dangerous smiles.Each and every time a servant
Krystal couldn’t sleep; the whole experience seemed to have taken a toll on him. No matter how many times he closed his eyes, Diago’s voice kept replaying inside his head. “For the first time, I’m looking forward to this engagement.” That single sentence was enough to destroy every remaining ounce
Kyrstal’s breath hitched as he watched him. Diago’s gaze was laced with a smile which neither felt warm or friendly but rather sent chills crawling beneath his skin.The entire hall halted in stunned silence. Even the nobles seated nearby looked visibly shocked by what their eyes beheld. The Diago
Krystal’s heartbeat pounded violently against his chest. The only thought running through his mind was to cancel the engagement at any cost. Maybe if one way or the other, he gets to stop this meeting from happening, then maybe, just maybe, he could avoid the tragic end awaiting Caspian Vale.“Youn







