Deep inside her cell, Arthur worried deeply for his brother Damon. Time passed slowly, darkness grew, and the sound of dripping water echoed between the silent walls. Suddenly, quiet footsteps broke the silence.
The silent shadow appeared—the mysterious man who had always accompanied Julius. Now alone, he helped Arthur silently leave the cell, then disappeared, as usual, without a word, leaving only his deadly calm.
As a child, this shadow was just a young boy named Simon, living in the Iron Kingdom. He worked for a famous butcher there. Simon was a lively child, loving to share his big dreams and the bright future he envisioned, but he was a nuisance to the cruel butcher, who couldn't stand his voice or his dreams.
One dark day, the butcher cut out Simon's tongue, then imprisoned him, torturing him mercilessly, trying to silence the child's dreams and extinguish his spirit. But fate wasn't kind to the butcher—a man in his twenties learned of the incident. Then he entered Simon's life like a shadow, ending the butcher's life with his own hands and saving the boy from torment.
The man cared for Simon like a son, but Simon felt he was a burden. This man, whose name he revealed as Fox, was no ordinary man—he was a leader with a grand plan, and he had entrusted Simon with a vital mission.
That day, when Simon encountered King Julius, was no accident… but the beginning of a carefully planned plan, in which Simon played a role far greater than his size as a child.
After Simon freed Arthur from prison, Arthur headed straight for the throne room. Before he even opened the doors, his hands began to shake. Inside the great hall stood dozens of guards, and at the far end sat the king in his usual place.
As Arthur entered the room, blood began to rain.
He looked up and saw the corpses of numerous warriors hanging by their necks from the ceiling. His steps grew more shaky with each step forward. When he reached the center, the blood dripping from above was scalding hot, searing his skin and soaking his clothes.