The Forbidden Blade

Chapter 1: The Lost Sword

Inside a large, old, and gloomy mansion stood several strange beings. They appeared to be discussing something serious while a helpless creature was being tortured.

A man's agonizing scream echoed throughout the house. He pleaded desperately each time the whip lashed across his back.

"For mercy's sake, I really don't know where the thing you're looking for is!" the man cried. He was on the verge of collapsing from the countless wounds covering his back. His clothes had nearly been torn apart by the force of the thick, unforgiving whip.

A man approached the elderly figure seated before them. His expression remained cold and emotionless, showing not even the slightest hint of pity for the bloodied mortal.

"He is only a mortal, my lord. There is no way he would know about what we're searching for. He may be a collector of rare swords, but none of the blades in his possession is the one we seek."

The man addressed as "my lord" slightly raised his head and let out a quiet sigh.

"In that case, he is of no further use to us. Make sure he never leaves this place alive."

The kneeling man heard those words. He struggled to stand, but his body had grown too weak from the wounds on his back.

"Please... I have a family! I'll keep quiet. No one will ever know what happened here. I beg you, let me leave this place alive!" he pleaded, clasping his hands together. The desperation on his face revealed his last hope of escaping the mansion alive.

The highest-ranking being simply gestured to the others inside the room.

They immediately obeyed, grabbing the man and dragging him outside. In the suffocating silence, the mortal's desperate cries echoed through the mansion.

"What should we do next? We're running out of time in the human world. We need to return to our own world before we grow too weak. Besides, we can only roam this world at night," said the man who appeared to be his lord's right-hand man.

"Summon Kairo."

His right-hand man obeyed without hesitation. He stepped outside for a moment before returning with a tall man whose expression was as cold as ice. There was also an unmistakable darkness surrounding his aura.

"Why have you summoned me here, Draven?" Kairo asked in a cold voice.

Draven leaned back against his chair and stared at Kairo, who stood before him.

"If we continue relying on mortals, we'll never find the enchanted sword. I'm assigning you to search for it because you possess extraordinary power."

A faint smile curved Kairo's lips as he slightly lowered his head before meeting Draven's gaze.

"Why are you so desperate to obtain this sword? You already possess immense power—greater than anyone else in Elaria. Yet you're obsessed with finding a sword that has been lost for ages, one whose whereabouts no one knows."

Draven's expression darkened. His fists clenched as he locked eyes with Kairo.

"I gave you an order. I did not give you permission to question why I want that enchanted sword."

Kairo's brows furrowed slightly.

"I wouldn't even know where to begin looking for it. I don't even know what it looks like."

"The sword's hilt is designed with angel wings. The pommel is shaped like a crown, with a red diamond embedded at its center. Crimson lines run from the hilt all the way to the tip of its dazzling blade."

Kairo narrowed his eyes as he stared at the floor.

He had no idea whether he would ever find a sword with such a design in the human world. Even a mortal would hide such a magnificent weapon carefully because of its breathtaking beauty—or so he imagined.

"And what do I receive in return once I find it?"

A slow smile spread across Draven's face.

"I'll give Olivia to you. You've wanted her for a long time, haven't you? I'll personally bring her to you."

Olivia belonged to the same race as they did—a Noctis. She was elusive and difficult to approach, so Draven's offer was one Kairo could not easily ignore.

Kairo let out a quiet sigh.

"Very well. I accept your order."

Draven's small smile quickly turned into loud laughter upon hearing Kairo's acceptance.

Kairo was the strongest among all his servants. His well-built physique and strikingly handsome face could captivate any woman who laid eyes on him. Yet smiles rarely appeared on his face.

Meanwhile, in a quiet alleyway, a young woman walked alone.

At that late hour, the streets were nearly deserted. The only sounds that broke the silence were the chirping of crickets and the distant hum of passing vehicles beyond the alley.

Lexie stopped in her tracks when she noticed a man staggering toward her. Judging by the way he walked, he had clearly consumed far too much alcohol.

She simply shook her head and continued walking. However, after she had already passed him, someone suddenly grabbed her arm.

"W-Wait a second, miss. You seem to be in quite a hurry."

She lazily glanced at the drunken man.

"Why do you care if I'm in a hurry? Sorry, but I don't help people like you. If you collapse because you're drunk, that's your own problem. You're the one who chose to drink, so you should know how to get yourself home."

Her words dripped with sarcasm.

The man's expression instantly changed. His smile disappeared, replaced by a cold, dangerous glare as his grip on her arm tightened.

"Watch your mouth, woman. You'd better know who you're talking to."

Lexie brushed his hand away and shoved both hands into the pockets of her jacket. Her expression remained unchanged—lazy, indifferent, and completely uninterested.

"I don't care."

She turned her back on him and walked away.

But before she could get far, a sharp pain exploded across her back.

She had already slammed into a stone wall.

She looked back at the drunken man.

He was smiling as he slowly approached her.

What confused her was how she had ended up so far away when all he had done was shove her.

The pain in her back prevented her from standing upright.

At this rate, she was about to become someone's punching bag for no reason.

When the man finally reached her, he sneered once again.

"So that's all you've got. You're all bark and no bite!"

Lexie shot him an irritated glare.

Unfortunately, that only made him angrier.

She instinctively shut her eyes as he prepared to throw another punch.

Several moments passed.

Yet nothing struck her.

Confused, she slowly lowered the arm she had raised to shield her face.

Where did he go?

Her heart pounded as she looked around in every direction.

He was gone.

Not even his shadow remained.

That was impossible.

Just a second ago, his fist had been inches away from her face.

"It's quite late, miss."

Lexie quickly turned around.

Standing only a few steps behind her was a tall man.

The only visible part of his face was his eyes, as the lower half was concealed beneath a dark cloth. His entire body was wrapped in black clothing.

Lexie swallowed nervously before glancing around once more.

"Are you looking for someone?" the man asked.

She slowly shook her head.

Although she was still puzzled, she quietly walked toward the road leading to her home.

There was no way she had imagined everything that had happened.

The pain in her back was still very real.

It felt as though her spine had been broken.

Meanwhile, the mysterious man remained motionless, watching Lexie disappear into the distance with both hands tucked inside his pockets.

"That woman was lucky I happened to pass by. Otherwise, she would've gone home as nothing more than a corpse."