The commotion downstairs was even greater than before, and Yuuri hoped to see Conrad once he stepped outside. However, no matter how carefully he looked through the soldiers, he failed to spot his familiar face. He saw several men in the same uniforms, a good portion of them battered, but their captain was nowhere to be seen.

He wanted to ask Gwendal, who had already put the entire camp on alert and looked like he was preparing for an attack. His stomach clenched at that sight. The violent solution did not please him one bit.

Someone almost bumped into him while trying to run across the passageway, and after turning around, Yuuri saw a frightened boy in a uniform similar to Wolfram's.

"Your Highness." The boy backed away quickly and tried to stand properly, but it looked like he was too disturbed to accomplish that.

"Where's Wolfram?" Yuuri asked, noticing now the absence of his boyfriend beside him. He was almost sure he had left the bedroom with him.

The soldier standing in front of him shuddered at the question.

"Something happened?" He hadn't heard the answer yet, but fear had already frozen his body. He had a very bad feeling.

"The door suddenly slammed right in front of him, and we cannot open it. In addition..." He hesitated uncertainly.

"In addition?" Yuuri was already standing with one foot inside the building, ready to let go at a run. The desire to get more information was the only thing holding him back.

"We think someone is in there with him." He tried to explain his assumptions, but Yuuri could no longer hear them, running up the stairs to the next floor.

The rest of the soldiers standing in front of the door immediately parted at the sight of him. He grabbed the handle, but no matter how hard he tugged, he was unable to get inside. The door wasn't even locked. It looked more like something was blocking it from the other side.

"Wolfram!" He shouted, trying to push against the door with his back. Only silence came to him from outside.

He could feel himself subconsciously starting to summon maryoku, but he wasn't sure if it would make him physically stronger in any way.

"Wolfram!" He pushed even harder, feeling panic rising within him. What was going on there? Why wasn't he answering him?

The corridor was filled with even more soldiers, who were looking at him anxiously. He was beginning to wonder if he should use the maryoku to simply shatter the door completely when it suddenly gave in.

He almost fell over but quickly regained his balance and ran inside, ready to attack any enemy who dared to even approach Wolfram.

Except that there was no one inside. Neither Wolfram nor anyone else who might have been in the room with him. Even the door looked completely untouched, with nothing standing next to it.

He took a few steps forward and again almost fell over, this time tripping over something that turned out to be Wolfram's sword. Enough proof that he did not leave the room of his own accord.

But what happened here? Who took him and why?

Well, he thought, clutching the sword's handle in his hand. It seems obvious, doesn't it?

After all, someone who rides around the country murdering people won't wait quietly while the army arrives right under his nose. He will taunt and try to upset them. So Yuuri will get the kind of effect he is trying to achieve.

He turned around and walked out of the room with confidence. However, Gwendal stood in his way.

"Where are you going?" he asked, trying to intimidate him with the tone of his voice alone. However, at this point, it was not working on Yuuri.

"To talk to Burenward. And culturally ask him to return Wolfram to me." He swung the still held sword slightly. He intended to take it with him so he could return it to its owner right away.

"I understand your frustration, but we can't act rashly. We still don't know what this man has in store, so we need to prepare ourselves first."

"Great." Yuuri slipped past him, noticing that Adelhard was standing right behind him. But the man immediately stepped out of his way. "You get ready, and I'll go ahead this time."

"You can't go alone." Gwendal started to protest but backed off when Yuuri glared at him. It seemed he had finally noticed that his king was already barely in control of his powers. So he can wait here longer, or he'll be entirely out of control in a moment.

"Then you'd better hurry."

No one was standing in his way anymore. People were even so eager to help him that they immediately prepared a horse for him and gave him a scabbard to hide Wolfram's sword. He attached it next to Morgif, who still remained quiet. Now he would have a chance to prove himself, so let's hope he wasn't really sick.

Thanks to reading the map earlier, he knew more or less how to get there. So he urged his horse and set off.


Wolfram slowly regained consciousness. The pain in his neck was excruciating but allowed him to regain clarity of mind. He breathed in the cold, damp air and felt that he was lying on the hard stone floor. However, something soft was under his head, and someone was touching his neck.

He stood up rapidly, breathing sharply as the dizziness made him nauseous. He put his hand to his mouth and leaned forward, taking several deep breaths. Throwing up in such circumstances was not a good thing.

"Are you okay?"

His head raised slowly. There was almost total darkness, but he recognized the person sitting next to him by his voice.

"Conrad? What are you doing here?"

"It looks like I also got caught." A soft voice, without even a note of concern, answered him.

Wolfram remembered what had happened before he lost consciousness. But simply remembering it didn't help him understand it.

He did not expect this man to appear before him in person. In addition, causing him to have a vision despite the bracelet.

His hand reflexively grabbed the silver chain on his wrist.

No, it wasn't a vision. It was all too real, as if he had been transported to that moment in reality. Previously, his hand had penetrated through objects that weren't there and bumped into real things, even if he couldn't see them. But now, he cut himself with fragments of glass that shouldn't have been there. He tripped over a chair that shouldn't exist.

"Where are we?"

"In Burenward's basement."

Wolfram stood up, lighting a small flame in his hand.

A tiny cell carved in stone, whose exit was blocked by a massive metal door.

He tried to take a step toward them but had to grab onto the wall for support. His body was stiff, and rapid movements triggered a throbbing pain in the back of his neck. He massaged the area, but it didn't help much.

Conrad got up from his place on the ground and stood next to him, putting his hands on his shoulders and trying to get him to sit down.

"We can't get out of here for now anyway, so just sit down and rest."

"Who can't get out of here?" He asked, annoyed, pushing his hands away from him.

"This is solid metal, the thickness of a fist. There's no way to get through that door."

"Maybe. But I can do something else."

He staggered to the door. It was only two steps, but he preferred not to throw up on the way, so he took his time, making slow movements. Then, he knelt on the floor, holding himself against the wall with one hand and placing the other just above the lock. So far, he had only done this during training and hoped to present it to Yuuri first, but given the situation, he had to resort to special measures. He wasn't going to wait here for his grandfather, or worse, this stranger, to decide what to do with him.

Or what to do with Conrad. Wolfram didn't know what they could want from him, but given the past activities of these people, he could guess what they were preparing for his brother. All the more reason for them not to stay here.

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, concentrating on the piece of metal in front of him and sending maryoku to a specific spot. He didn't want to melt the whole area, just a small point around the lock to separate it from the rest of the door, which needed more concentration.

When the metal temperature was too high, he opened his eyes and moved his hand away. There was a small red dot under his fingers, and when he moved his hand to the left, it followed suit. Finally, he outlined the lock, heated the metal even harder for certainty, and pushed the door open. Slowly, it gave way.

He turned to Conrad, smiling proudly. He was too focused on his work to notice the man approaching him, but his brother only raised an eyebrow. Wolfram had expected a bigger reaction. So far, no one had been able to heat a particular thing directly without summoning fire first.

"Let's just get out of here." He sighed resignedly, looking out at the corridor outside. It was just as dark as their cell, and again he had to resort to his fireball, so he sent two more in both directions to see what was further down.

"Let's go this way," Conrad said, turning right.

"Are you sure?"

"Unlike a certain someone, I was conscious when they brought me here."

"Are you trying to start a fight?" Wolfram muttered under his breath, to which Conrad laughed. He felt like adding something else, but he wasn't in the mood for it right now. The back of his neck was still throbbing, and he felt strange walking as if someone had washed his body in starch.

They reached another door, which Conrad had no problem going through this time. The cheap wood splintered, and a staircase leading upward emerged from behind it. When they reached the next hallway, this one already seemed more familiar to Wolfram.

He had been to this residence several times as a child and had become thoroughly familiar with it then. He even managed to find a hidden passageway leading outside, which might be handy for them in this situation. They just need to get to a place that will be more familiar, and maybe then he'll remember exactly where it was.

"It looks like they didn't worry too much about setting up guards," Conrad commented, slowing down to look around the corner.

"Maybe they decided there was no reason for it." Wolfram was also looking around; he, however, was looking for some familiar details.

When they passed another corner, the main courtyard could be seen outside the windows. Like the rest of the mansion, it was also empty. But since they were from this side of the yard, if they continued straight and turned right into a corridor with a portrait of an old man in armor, they should come to a small library in which there was a hidden door.

This time it was Wolfram who took the lead, walking confidently ahead. Conrad didn't speak and followed him, but when they were about to turn into the corridor after seeing the familiar painting, his brother grabbed his arm and pulled him forcefully to his side.

For a moment, he didn't know what was happening. His head hit Conrad's chest, whose hand tightened on his back. When he lifted his head up, he saw a serious expression on his brother's face and a wary look aimed in the direction from which they had come. He followed it with his eyes and spotted the same man from earlier.

He was standing at the other end of the corridor with a bored look and hands folded over his chest. He looked at Wolfram for a moment and sighed in resignation, running a hand through his dark hair.

Conrad took a step back. Something in the expression on his face told him that they had already met. Conrad acted especially cautiously toward him as if expecting him to do something tricky. Maybe they exchange some words when Wolfram was brought to that cell?

His brother held his sword outstretched in one hand in front of him, pointing the tip at the stranger, but continued to hold Wolfram close with his other hand.

In any other situation, he would have immediately jumped away from him angrily, but the sight of that man there made him shudder, so he preferred to stay that way. Somehow it calmed him down, especially since he didn't have his own sword with him. It was strange that they let Conrad keep his. Did they have that much faith in that door?

"So somehow you managed to escape. Interesting."

Or maybe they just figured that man would be a good enough guard. After all, he covered the distance between them in the blink of an eye. Wolfram was surprised that Conrad managed to react and dodge.

He pushed Wolfram off to the right into the depths of the corridor branch, hopping away toward the window himself. The stranger stopped between them, looking at Conrad for a moment and averting his gaze with distaste.

"Our main guest will be here in a minute, so I would appreciate it if you behaved appropriately until then." He made a step towards Wolfram and grabbed his arm. And then sprang back with a hiss, grabbing his writs.

Wolfram instinctively caught holding him hand. And sent his maryoku into him. He hadn't tested this before, but it seems that touching human skin in this way ends in severe burns.

"You little!" The stranger's haughty expression was replaced with rage. He raised his other hand, presumably intending to hit him, but before he could lower it, the arm was cut off and fell to the floor.

It was a grotesque sight. No blood or screams of pain, which Wolfram imagined, always accompanied the cutting off of a limb. Instead, it looked more like the doll's arm had fallen off.

Conrad reached him and dragged him further into the corridor. He had his sword drawn in front of him the whole time, but there were no traces of blood on his blade either.

"Do you know how to get out of here?"

"Yes. It's not far from here."

"Go then. I'll stop him."

"What, no way! I'm a soldier too. I'm not just going to run away by myself."

"You don't even have your sword."

"It doesn't matter!" He looked at the man slowly walking toward them, whose face was now unnaturally twisted in rage. He seemed unconcerned about his missing arm, but the one Wolfram had burned strangely weighed him down. Perhaps, then, the maryoku is capable of severely harming him.

A mass of footsteps sounded around. Soldiers ran out from all sides of the corridor, cutting off their escape route. Wolfram already understood why they had compared them earlier to dolls. Not only did they move stiffly, but their faces looked as if someone had carelessly painted them with black paint, like cheap toys sold in town during the festivities. The sight of such creatures heading toward them might have made some people uneasy, but Wolfram was more interested in whether they had anything else to do with these dolls. Do they burn well?

He sent a fireball toward the dolls blocking the corridor behind him. If he could clear a path to the library, they might be able to get to the secret passage and get out of there. Even he knew there was no point in the two of them facing this countless army, even if they were clumsy dolls. They would sooner drain their strength than accomplish anything.

The stranger jumped toward them again, letting out a loud scream, but was pushed back by a single swing of Conrad's sword.

Wolfram watched with satisfaction the expression of disbelief on his face. Judging by the disgust with which he looked at his brother, the man probably didn't expect Conrad to deal with him so easily.

The dolls behind them decently burned. Maybe not like straw toys, but the fire still devoured them with relish, paving the way for them.

"Conrad!" Wolfram called out, seeing his brother fend off another unsuccessful attack from the man, pushing him away from them a few steps.

Conrad nodded and ran after him deeper into the hallway. The dolls' bodies still lay on the floor, burning up, but it was easy to maneuver between them. Finally, they reached a double door behind which, according to Wolfram's memory, should be a library.

They entered a room immersed in semi-darkness, and Conrad barricaded the door behind them. Against almost all the walls stood heavy bookcases full of books. Several empty desks stood in the center, and a table and couch stood by the extinguished fireplace opposite the door. You could tell by the amount of dust floating in the air that hardly anyone visited here.

Placing the entrance to the hidden passage right in this room was very convenient. This allowed Wolfram to escape unnoticed whenever someone tried to force him to read something boring, like history. Adeventure wasn't very liked by his grandfather. In the corner to the right, all he had to do was pick up a few books from the bottom shelf of the bookcase and press the button hidden behind them. Something clicked, something moved behind the wall, and the sounds of banging on the door coming from the hallway suddenly quieted.

"I have a bad feeling about this," said Wolfram, taking a few steps back and watching with furrowed brows the sliding bookcase. It revealed a plain, empty corridor from which came gentle, cool gusts of wind.

"We have no other way out now." Conrad took the lead again, walking along the corridor illuminated by Wolfram's fireballs. Every now and then, he turned back anxiously, but nothing seemed to be happening behind them as well as in front of them. "Where does this lead?"

"To the forest behind the mansion," he answered quietly, focusing on listening. However, all along the way, the only sounds they heard were the sounds of their footsteps.

The corridor sloped gently downward and began to turn into a natural tunnel carved into the rock. The whole thing was ending in a cave, the entrance of which was overgrown with vegetation. Yet Wolfram managed to find it anyway. This is how he learned about the tunnel.

They passed a bend, with which there should already be a few steps left to the cave. No one followed behind them or came out to meet them from the other side of the corridor. So most likely, something will be waiting for them when they leave. However, by then, they would be in the woods, and even though it would be more difficult to use maryoku there to avoid setting everything around them on fire, they would still have more room to maneuver there.

They finally entered a small cavern with scarce light coming in through the entrance nearby. Conrad stopped him and went ahead to look around first by himself.

"It looks like there's no one outside," he said, returning, but he didn't look the least bit calmer.

"Let's just go from here and get back to camp quickly." Wolfram walked through the overgrown exit and looked around the area himself. It was just as Conrad had said.

They found a small path trampled by animals and headed north along it. Conrad continued to lead the way, and although they managed to walk a piece of it quietly, they both knew that there would be a surprise waiting. So they immediately turned around when a branch snapped behind them.

"I have no intention of playing with you anymore. I'll just kill you right here and now and send your eyes as a welcome gift to that stupid king." The stranger hissed, extending his hand in front of him. This reminded Wolfram a bit of forming a fireball so that it had the right temperature, only the color was blue. The ball shot toward him before he could react and properly think about where to make dodge.

These thoughts were unnecessary, however, as someone jerked him back forcefully, and the blue fireball hit the body that was suddenly in front of him.

Conrad slowly slid to the ground without making a sound or showing any other signs of life.

The stranger merely clicked his tongue in exasperation and began preparing the bullet again. But he didn't have time to fire it because a red ball of blazing fire hit his hand. And then his head. The torso and legs. He turned into a living torch, knocking himself to the ground and screaming shrilly in pain.

Wolfram stopped paying attention to him after that, kneeling by his brother and pulling him close. He was relieved to find that he was still breathing. But the front of his torso looked as if it had been slashed with thousands of tiny blades. Blood was oozing from the thin wounds, which, upon closer inspection, appeared to be disturbingly deep. After assessing which were the most dangerous, Wolfram began to use the healing maryoku on them.

"What were you thinking." He said, trying to maintain a calm tone of voice. "After all, you are only a human. It might not have been anything big for me, but it could kill you."

Conrad's head moved slightly, and his eyelids trembled.

"Idiot. What would I supposedly say to Yuuri if you died here?"

"I think he would be just as angry if you were injured."

"Oh, shut up. I would have gotten better before he even noticed." He held Conrad, who was trying to get up. "I'm trying to treat you here, so at least don't interrupt me in that."

His brother smiled but did not move again. Even in such a situation, he acted as if nothing had happened. Some psychopath almost didn't kill him. Or at least he tried to kill Wolfram, but he, for some strange reason, decided to interfere. And now he's acting like it's the most normal thing in the world.

"What's wrong with you?" He whispered almost inaudibly, but judging by Conrad's look, the man heard him anyway. "Why did you even try to shield me?"

"You are my younger brother. It's obvious that I didn't want you to get hurt."

"Younger brother?" Wolfram laughed bitterly, lowering his head. "Are you really going to continue calling me that? After all of this?"

"Wolf?" Conrad rose slowly, and Wolfram didn't stop him this time. Instead, he put his hands on his knees, clenching them tightly to restrain himself from trembling.

"You should hate me," he said, surprising himself with how calm he sounded. "Avoid at all costs. Don't want anything to do with me."

"You know perfectly well that I couldn't do that."

"What are you talking about?" He lifted his head up. This was a bad idea. Tears ran down his cheek, and he had to lift his hand to wipe them with his sleeve. "It's obvious that if someone treats you in such a cruel way you either fight him or cut yourself off from him. However, you do no such thing. You let people push you around and look down on you, only standing and smiling all the time. I don't understand this. You should be furious. Why then..." His voice began to break down at the last sentence, so he fell silent for a moment to calm down. "Why aren't you mad at me?"

"I told you already." Conrad put his hands on his shoulders and pulled him slightly closer. "You're my precious little brother. I can't be mad at you."

"It doesn't make any sense."

"I know, but it doesn't have to."

Wolfram shook his head and again wiped away the tears gathering in his eyes.

"You are strange. I can't understand you at all."

Conrad tried to laugh but winced in pain.

"And you are still hurt. I told you not to move. Lie down and let me heal you."

His older brother was lying on the ground again, with his head resting on Wolfram's lap, while he resumed using Maryoku. He managed to close a few wounds, but there were still too many. And they all continued to bleed. If it went on like this, Conrad would bleed out. But what else could he do?

Even if the man there had turned into a now-moaning torch, there was still a mass of doll-soldiers in his grandfather's residence. All he could hope for now was that Gwendal's soldiers would somehow get here and find them.

"Don't do something like that again." He lectured Conrad, skipping over another wound. "Even if you don't think about yourself, think about others. Do you realize how worried Yuuri will be?"

"What about you?"

Wolfram paused for a moment and looked at him. Conrad was smiling that damned smile of his again. He quickly looked away and went back to his work.

"Of course I'm worried. After all, you're my brother," he said quietly, although Conrad probably heard him anyway.

A silence fell between them. It felt awkward, so he focused on healing. Then, after a few minutes, it was broken by the sound of horses' hooves. Wolfram lifted his head to see soldiers in familiar uniforms. He raised his hand, calling out to get their attention.

Once they were surrounded by their soldiers, and one of the medics they had taken was dressing Conrad's wounds, Wolfram got up from the ground and approached Gwendal, who had just gotten off his horse and was looking at the situation with an undefined look on his face.

"Where is Yuuri?" He finally asked, looking around slowly.

"Yuuri? How do I know? Shouldn't he be with you?"

"He went ahead."

"Ahead?" Wolfram asked in disbelief, following Gwendal's gaze toward the mansion nearby. There should still be a mass of those dolls, but the most dangerous one had already turned into a pile of ash. So nothing should happen to him there, right?

Wolfram's grandfather should still be at that residence, and there was no telling if something else wasn't waiting there with him.

"That wimp." Wolfram clenched his fists and walked to the nearest soldier, taking his horse from him. He mounted it and moved quickly toward the residence.

"Wolfram!" Gwendal called out angrily after him, gave a few quick orders, and got back on his horse, following him.


The problem with thoughtless dolls is that they'll never be able to realize that something is meaningless. Even if he destroyed them all without a problem, they still pushed on. As time passed, their appearance became simpler and bulkier, as if someone had manufactured them on the fly. So he could hope that they would eventually run out of raw materials or whatever was used to create them. But until then, he had to chase them away like a flock of annoying flies.

They were doing a good job of inflaming his anger, and eventually, thoughts of disposing of them in a more refined way began to run through his head. Rip them to shreds. Dismember them, limb by limb. Even if they were unable to feel pain, the process itself should be satisfying enough.

And that's why Wolf ran away at the sight of you, something whispered in the back of his head, forcing him to stop. The dolls took this opportunity to approach him, but he quickly pushed them away with a water whip. He put his hand to his forehead. There is no point in even looking for him. He will take you for one of the monsters and try to escape from you again.

No. I have to find him. I have to. Before they do something to him again.

In that case, get a grip on yourself.

He took a deep breath. Damn it. He's doing all this for Wolfram, so why should he...

Being ferocious s won't help him at all. Just admit that something is wrong with your head and move on.

Shut up! I don't need lectures from someone like you!

You may have forgotten, but we are one and the same person.

He snorted with disdain. Just in what way was this thing him? He was so weak he couldn't even protect his people. Or Wolfram.

He waited for a moment, expecting another comment, but it did not come. So he made his way through the dolls, which had again managed to accumulate, and returned to searching.

So far, he had encountered nothing but those things. He tried to find some kind of entrance to the dungeon or basement but was unsuccessful. Finally, he turned into another corridor, and the stench of burning came to him. And - since if there was anything fire-related somewhere, there was a high chance that Wolfram would be there - Yuuri followed quickly in that direction.

He came across piles of burned dolls and smiled to himself. Now all he had to do was follow this trail, and he would be able to reach his beloved.

He wanted to turn into a branch of the corridor, but footsteps from the right stopped him half-step.

He looked in that direction and croaked in distaste.

"I should expect you to be involved in this." He called out to the figure at the end of the corridor, partially satisfied that he would have the opportunity to get rid of him.

"Oh my. Do you recognize me? What an honor." He replied with feigned surprise and approached him slowly with fake elegance, dressed in a chic frock coat, with neatly styled hair and a look of superiority on his face. He tried at all costs to pretend to be of noble birth, although in reality, he was a monster who had taken human form.

"Where is Wolfram?"

"Who's that?"

"Don't play an idiot. You know perfectly well who I mean."

The man laughed dryly. He stopped a few steps in front of him and intertwined his hands behind his back.

"What do you think? Since you know me so well, you should guess that I will kill him right away when I have the opportunity to do so."

"Really? Where is your proof, then?"

He fell silent, staring at him furiously. Did he really think he could bluff him? He's dumber than he thinks he is.

Who is this? A voice from the back of his head spoke again.

He hesitated for a moment. His water dragons rose behind him, preparing to attack. No one worth mentioning, he responded and sent serpents to the front. However, the target of his attack was at the end of the corridor in a flash. He showed no signs of wanting to approach him again. Instead, he retreated and disappeared from his sight.

For a moment, he wondered whether to follow him. But finding Wolfram was much more important, so he turned around, intending to follow the trail of burned dolls.

"Yuuri!" Now something else stopped him. He turned abruptly at the sound of a familiar voice calling out and looking around. But no one was in the corridor, so he began to listen, trying to find the source of the voice.

"Yuuri!"

Courtyard. He reached the window quickly and looked out.

Wolfram marched swiftly across the courtyard, calling him and looking around. He was already close to the door opposite him, so Yuuri quickly opened the window and called out.

The boy turned around with a look of relief on his face and quickly ran up to him. Yuuri had no idea where the door was, but he had a window in front of him that might as well have served as an exit.

When he got outside, Wolfram was already standing beside him and looked like he was about to hug him. However, he stopped with his hands raised as if something had frozen him. Fear appeared in the beautiful emerald eyes.

He had to restrain himself from cursing out loud.

I leave the rest to you, he said to himself in his mind. He still didn't want to admit it, but seeing the horror on his beloved's face so closely, he had to accept that he wouldn't be able to repair their relationship. Not after what he had done. Even if Wolfram didn't remember it, his subconscious still warned him about it.

The sudden change inside made him lose his balance for a moment, and he collapsed forward.

"Yuuri!" However, this time Wolfram caught him and hugged.


A/N

There's going a lot in this chapter, so I'm cutting it here.
I'm really proud of that Wolfram and Conrad scene, so I hope you liked it :D