1.The Fall of the Dragonior

Where steel meets bone and the earth drinks deep.A journey forged in crimson.Written in the ichor of the fallen.No mercy, only the cold resonance of the blade.

A pale boy with red eyes and black hair lay staring at the ceiling. He was no longer a noble—he was a slave. His clothes were tattered and moth-eaten, and his hands and feet were bound by heavy iron chains to ensure he couldn't escape. As he lay there in the dark, he began to mutter to himself...

"Whenever I try to sleep, those dreams never stop. I can't even call them nightmares; they are simply the memories of what I suffered at the hands of those around me. Once, I was happy. But it all ended on that rainy day when my father, Duke Wyatt Dragonior, was sent by the King to fight the monster wave.

Before he left, he looked at me and said..."

"Son, in case I don't return, take care of the family. Be strong and brave so you can uphold our name in this country."

"I thought my father was one of the strongest men on the continent. I didn't think anything could happen to him, so I didn't pay much attention to his warnings. I simply made a promise: 'I will protect my mother and sister.'"

"Those were the worst words I ever spoke, because I couldn't uphold them. After days of long, grueling battle, my father's sword returned, but he did not. Those who went to stop the wave had betrayed him. Those bastards ran away and let my father die alone. Then, they had the nerve to tell me..."

"Your father fought like a brave warrior, true to his name."

"But those two-faced cowards didn't stop there. In the Emperor's court, they claimed that my father tried to backstab them, and that his 'treachery' was the reason the mission failed. In reality, they never cared about my father's life or the country; they only cared about their own skins and the benefits they'd reap from the death of a Duke."

"I stood alone in the court, clutching my father's sword, shaking with rage. Then I heard the words that sealed our fate:"

"THE DRAGONIOR FAMILY MUST BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THE LOSS OF KNIGHTS AND RESOURCES!"

"I tried to shout over them, yelling that my father's supposed betrayal had nothing to do with my family. Then, King Mida S. Tyrannos spoke..."

"You little brat. You have no manners. Does the son of a traitor truly have the nerve to speak without my permission?"

"After the King spoke, I didn't dare say another word. I wasn't just angry at them; I was angry at myself for how powerless I was. I stood there, forced to listen to their shameless statements as they decided the fate of my family. For the second time, the King spoke..."

"Vivian Dragonior, the knights of your house shall no longer serve you. You are stripped of your title. You are no longer a noble."

"Those few words were enough to signal to the world that we were prey. Then, the counts and dukes who had been on the mission with my father made a request. They demanded that my family pay three times the wealth lost during the mission as 'restitution' for my father's betrayal. I hoped the King would refuse, but when I looked up, his face wore a smile—not of justice, but of pure, unchecked greed."

"The King granted their request, allowing them to seize all property and territory belonging to my family. As I stood there, a cold voice echoed in my head..."

"Do you want to kill them all? I can help you..."

"I couldn't find the words to reply, and the voice went silent. I looked around, confused, when Duke Roderick Blackwood approached me. He leaned in and whispered:"

"Kid, it's not that we hate your family. It's just that we can't stand the look of your proud faces. If your father had been a coward, you wouldn't have to suffer like this. This is the price of your family's pride and honesty. Hahaha!"

"In my eyes, they were no longer human—they were blood-sucking demons. I prayed for that voice to return, to make the offer again. I would have sacrificed my soul to the devil just to kill them all right then. But the voice didn't come. My last ray of hope vanished."

"As I walked through the halls of the royal palace, the rumors followed me like a foul wind. The maids chattered as I passed:"

"Isn't that the son of Duke Wyatt Dragonior?"

"Ugh, haven't you heard? They aren't nobles anymore. Banished."

"Why?"

"They say his father betrayed the country..."

"Really? Stay away from him, he's staring at us!"

"My rage burned, but I was helpless. I punched the stone wall until my knuckles bled, then walked away."

"When I reached home, I found the King's personal knights surrounding the estate. Inside were the brothers Count Judas and Count Brutus Slytherin, along with the eldest son of Duke Blackwood, Count Uxoricide. Uxoricide was supposed to marry my sister; for a moment, I felt a flicker of relief to see him—until he pressed his sword against my sister Ella's neck."

"Oh, my dear brother-in-law," he sneered. "Look who's here to collect his due."

"He pressed the blade harder, drawing blood from Ella's neck. He laughed, moving the sword slightly.

'Ah, I almost killed my fiancée. Oh, sorry... my ex-fiancée.'"

"The Slytherin brothers laughed along with him. I couldn't understand why they were doing this. Was it really just because my father was a proud man? Because we were wealthy?"

"I saw my sister's blood and lost my mind. I drew my father's sword and rushed them. My mother Valora Dragonior (Leon), and Ella Dragonior screamed for me to stop, to not do anything foolish. But I didn't listen. Before I could reach Uxoricide, my father's personal knight—Sir Mordred Vilethorn—grabbed my arm and disarmed me."

"Haha... you are Wyatt's son after all," Mordred mocked. "But you're just a naive fifteen-year-old boy. You should have listened to your mommy."

"He snapped my right arm. I screamed in agony as four other knights pinned me to the ground. I thrashed against them, howling:

'I WILL KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!'"

"My mother couldn't bear to see me in pain. She ran toward me, reaching for my hand, but Count Judas stepped in. That cunning bastard chopped off my mother's arm right in front of my eyes. She didn't scream at first—she tried to stay strong for us—but Judas pinned her to the ground and began crushing the stump of her arm until she shrieked in pain. Those monsters just smiled."

"I struggled like a wild animal.

'You bastards! I'll make you pay! I'll make you pay for this!'"

"Brutus Slytherin walked over and kicked me repeatedly in the face until the world went black."

"I woke up in a dungeon, chained to a chair. They had stuffed an iron ball in my mouth so I couldn't speak. When those three fuckers heard I was awake, they returned, dragging my mother and Ella with them."

"Vivian Dragonior," Judas said, "if you sign this contract, we will let your mother and sister go. If you don't, you'll watch them die. Choose."

"They left me no choice. I wanted to cry, to scream, but I had no voice and no tears left. They removed the iron ball. I bit my tongue to keep from cursing them and asked,

'What is this contract?''

"Uxoricide leaned in, whispering in my ear. 'Don't be scared, my little ex-brother-in-law. It's just a Slave Contract.'"

"I stared at him, realizing their plan. They never intended for me to be free. I signed the paper, thinking nothing could be worse than what I had already seen. I made one final request:

'According to this, I will be your slave for three years, and I can see my family every two months. Do I have your word you won't harm them?'"

"Uxoricide chuckled. 'Don't worry about them. We've prepared a place for them in the slums. They'll live out the rest of their lives there.'"

"I wanted to kill him. I wanted to tear his throat out. But I couldn't. And that was how I, Vivian Dragonior, became a slave."

 TO BE CONTINUED

Upcoming:

[The Life of the Noble Slave]

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