The Night of Oaths
When Evan and Bear stepped out of Lunar Citadel, the night air of Valemont felt colder than before.
The celebration outside hadn’t completely died yet. Clusters of people still lingered near the entrance, phones raised, faces flushed with excitent as they replayed clips and photos. Bright laughter mixed with the fading echoes of the fireworks that had lit up the sky minutes earlier.
The fireworks might have ended, but the gossip hadn’t.
"Did you see the drones? That was insane."
"I swear, I’ve never seen a show like that in Valemont."
"Julian D’Aurelius really went all out."
Another voice chid in, half amused, half mocking.
"Yeah... poor Bear Group’s boss. Completely overshadowed."
Soone chuckled.
"Honestly? It looked like his event got hijacked."
The words drifted through the air like invisible needles.
Evan walked past them without looking.
His stride never slowed, his gaze fixed straight ahead, but the tension in his shoulders betrayed him.
But his jaw tightened.
His molars pressed so hard it felt as if they would crack.
For a mont he could still see it—the sky filled with drones, Julian’s na lighting up the night like a crown over the city. The crowd cheering. Caras flashing.
A celebration that was supposed to belong to soone else.
Good job, Julian D’Aurelius.
How dare you humiliate like this?
Behind him, Bear followed closely, his large fra unusually stiff. Under the streetlights his face looked pale, almost drained of color. His steps were careful, asured—like soone walking beside a volcano that might erupt at any second.
He opened his mouth once, as if wanting to say sothing.
But the words died before they reached his lips.
The first task the Obsidian King assigned him... had ended like this.
Public humiliation.
Credit stolen.
Power questioned.
Bear’s palms were slick with sweat.
He had seen what happened to people who failed powerful n.
But this wasn’t just a powerful man.
This was the Obsidian King.
Blood runs like rivers when anger takes hold of the Obsidian King.
Footsteps filled the space between them as they moved down street after street without speaking.
Behind them, colors dimd as the city’s pulse softened. Lights once sharp now blurred into streaks. Sound shifted - crowd noise gave way to low engine rumbles, a rare vehicle cutting through silence. The air felt heavier without voices filling it.
Down a narrow path, sunlight faded as trees closed in around them. Between glass towers, a stretch of grass appeared without warning. Footsteps slowed on cracked stone leading into open space. Silence settled like dust after motion stopped.
Here the city felt different.
Darkness huddles under dim streetlights, where pale pools of glow touch quiet walkways. A breath of wind stirs the trees, making leaves tremble while long silhouettes creep slowly over dirt and stone.
A hint of wet soil lingered in the breeze, mixed with crushed green stems underfoot.
Finally, Evan stopped.
Almost falling, Bear froze mid-step when it stopped without warning.
A silence sat between them, just breathing. Then nothing moved.
Far above, a breeze stirred the treetops loose. Branches swayed where air slipped between them.
Evan faced away, shoulders squared toward the trees, fingers tucked deep inside his coat. Still as stone he seed, maybe even bored - yet Bear saw through that quiet pose.
Whenever he stopped speaking, trouble followed. Stillness around him ant sothing worse waited behind.
Breath shaky, Bear dragged a paw across his forehead. The thud of his pulse hamred inside his chest.
Say it.
Accept it.
He stepped forward.
Then he lowered his head deeply, almost bowing.
"Obsidian King," he said, voice hoarse with guilt, "today I failed in my duties. I am willing to accept any punishnt."
Without hesitation, he raised his left hand and struck toward his own chest.
The palm carried force—enough to break ribs.
Before it landed—
Evan’s hand shot out and grabbed his wrist mid-air.
Strong. Unyielding.
"No need," Evan said quietly.
Bear froze.
"You are my brother," Evan continued. "It’s just a small matter."
Brother.
The word hit Bear harder than any strike.
His throat tightened.
The Obsidian King... considered him a brother?
For a mont, the humiliation faded, replaced by fierce loyalty.
Bear’s voice trembled slightly, though he quickly steadied it.
"I, Bear, have wandered half my life without finding a worthy master. Now that I can serve the Obsidian King, I will give my all!"
Emotion thickened his tone.
He ant it.
But Evan’s eyes were cold.
"But today’s matter cannot be left as it is."
The wind seed to grow sharper.
Evan’s expression hardened into sothing carved from ice.
In a voice stripped of warmth, he said, "Gather your n and prepare for retaliation. Within a week, I want Lunar Citadel shut down... and that Cillian bastard dead."
His words were precise.
asured.
Final.
To suffer such humiliation and not repay it a hundredfold—
He wouldn’t be Evan.
"Understood."
A sinister smile spread across Bear’s face.
Making a hotel go bankrupt?
Child’s play.
He began outlining ideas imdiately.
"We’ll start with pressure from every angle," Bear said, eyes gleaming. "Regulatory inspections. Fire safety violations. Health code complaints. Anonymous reports to Valemont authorities."
Evan listened silently.
"Then we attack financially," Bear continued. "We’ll leverage Bear Group’s influence—freeze supply chains. Disrupt food imports. Block luxury liquor distributors. If necessary, we’ll pressure banks to tighten liquidity."
He spoke faster as confidence returned.
"And behind the scenes," he added quietly, "we can arrange... incidents. A kitchen fire. A guest scandal. A staff accident."
The park felt darker sohow.
Evan nodded once.
"Do it cleanly," he said. "Public pressure first. Legal suffocation. Let them bleed slowly."
"And if they resist?"
"Then," Evan’s eyes flashed faintly, "we escalate."
Cillian’s na hung unspoken in the air.
Bear inclined his head.
Then he hesitated.
"What about that Julian kid?"
Evan’s lips curved—not into a smile, but sothing colder.
"Leave him for now," he replied. "I’ve already sent Lina Ashford and Liza Voss to get close to him. He won’t survive."
His tone carried certainty.
Not threat.
Certainty.
Not only did he want to kill Julian—
He wanted Julian to watch the D’Aurelius Household crumble first.
He wanted him to understand despair.
To taste it.
Slowly.
Bear’s grin widened.
Among the eight warlords of Obsidian Wing, the Obsidian King stood first.
Lina Ashford and Liza Voss ranked third and fourth.
With those two working together—
There was no failure.
As for Bear...
He was eighth.
Called "Old Eight" behind his back.
Not strong enough to climb higher.
Only favored by the King.
The thought stung—but tonight, he would redeem himself.
"I’ll begin imdiately," Bear said, stepping back.
Evan gave a slight nod.
Bear turned and left, already pulling out his phone, voice lowering as he issued instructions into the night.
Soon the park was quiet again.
Evan stood alone under the trees.
The earlier humiliation replayed in his mind—
The drones.
The na.
Selena standing in front of Julian.
Cillian’s laughter.
His fingers curled slowly into fists.
In the distance, city lights shimred over Valemont like indifferent stars.
He exhaled slowly.
"Useless."
The word slipped from his lips.
Whether it was ant for Bear—
For the Aurevale Household—
Or for himself—
Only he knew.
But one thing was certain.
Tonight was not an ending.
It was a declaration of war.
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