The horses thundered down the path, hooves pounding the dirt. Zayden led the knights, with Ren riding just behind.
Servants were rarely taken on missions, but this time, they were ordered to follow their masters.
When Zayden received the news of an orphanage recently attacked by demons—mostly alphas who had lost control of their powers—he didn’t waste a second before instructing his servants to prepare for his departure.
Leaving his attendant alone with his son didn’t feel right; what if Eiran grew more attached to him than Zayden?
Hence, he sent word to his knights—they should each bring their servants to handle the children.
They left before dawn, barely having caught a proper sleep. After briefly resting for three hours, they resumed the journey.
Smoke curled into the sky almost like a grey tornado as they approached. The building, once painted white, was now black with soot. Orange flames still surrounded the area, burning everything that came in contact with them.
Children screamed and ran in all directions, while some froze in place, holding their dolls in their arms. Some clung to the adults, who tried to calm them down, voices shaking. Others searched for their friends, shouting their names while sobbing.
Zayden jumped off his horse and ran toward one of the caretakers without looking back at his subordinates.
"What happened here? When did the fire start?"
The middle-aged woman looked at him, eyes wide and wet.
"They used magic!" she yelled. "Strong magic. We tried to stop them, but they couldn’t..." She broke into tears. The place she had given half of her life to was shattering with each passing second and she couldn’t do anything about it but watch.
Zayden turned, waving his hand, signalling the knights to move.
While they handled the situation, Ren and the other servants tied the horses against tree trunks, away from the flames. After that, they rushed to help guide the children and the workers to safety.
Ren’s heart raced, standing far from the scene unfolding before him. These weren’t just wild flames—he could feel the magic still clinging to the air, buzzing like a bee around him. He has always been more sensitive to others’ mana compared to their pheromones. Once he took the children away, he rushed behind Zayden.
"Why are you here? We will be going inside now," Zayden looked at him.
"My duty is to serve you regardless of where I stand."
Zayden turned, taken aback by Ren’s statement. He hadn’t met a servant so loyal to his duties in the past.
"Don’t blame me if you get hurt."
Having said so, Zayden entered the building, while some soldiers whispered magic spells, extinguishing the fire slowly as they stepped further into the burned hallways.
Inside, almost everything had been reduced to ashes. A few pieces of wooden furniture remained.
"My lord," Helaine pointed at the shadow on the ground, then towards where it was coming from. It wasn’t only one person but a group.
"The alphas?" a knight whispered.
"Let’s go." Zayden stepped forward with slow, quiet steps.
An immense wave of alpha pheromones flooded the air, making it hard for the omega knights to stay on their feet.
"S-Sir..." One ground, his eyes pleading for permission to leave the place.
"All omegas, retreat," Zayden ordered through clenched teeth. "This stench..."
Ren tightened his jaw, struggling to control himself. His knees shook—not from fear, but under the weight of the pheromones hanging thick in the air.
I can’t be weak now. Not here.
They entered a room where the alphas had gathered. Some clutched their chests, heads bowed in agony.
A low growl echoed from the shadows. One figure stepped forward, nostrils flaring as it sniffed the air.
"There’s an omega here..."
Zayden froze. His eyes flicked to the omega knights retreating down the hallway—everyone accounted for.
Then, almost unconsciously, his gaze shifted toward Ren, the only one who wasn’t an alpha or omega.
"There’s no omega here," Aarson snorted. "Keep quiet and let us treat you before you go on another rampage."
The alphas exchanged looks—then burst into laughter, like they’d just heard a joke.
"What?" Zayden frowned. Was this an act?
Before he could react, the ground cracked beneath them.
"Soon, this place will collapse. Good luck escaping," one of the alphas smirked.
Lights flickered around them in different colors, casting eerie shadows. The already warm air shifted, growing warmer—almost burning hot.
"We will all perish!" One of the alphas on rampage cried, his hand clutched into his chest.
Abruptly, a powerful push slammed Ren against the wall.
He groaned, catching himself with his elbow to keep from hitting it hard enough to hurt himself. He looked around—everyone else was in the same condition, or worse.
A loud cry emerged from somewhere deep inside the building.
"Someone’s still trapped!" Helaine clenched her jaw.
Ren pushed himself upright, his body trembling from the burning sensation against his skin. His ears rang, and dust clouded his vision, but he moved forward, ignoring the pain in his back.
"Wait!" Zayden called, but the servant didn’t stop.
The cry grew louder, clearer as Ren walked deeper in the corridor of the orphanage.
The building grumbled as beams cracked and snapped. Chunks of the ceiling poured down like rain. One nearly hit Ren, but he moved away just in time.
Zayden cursed and turned to follow.
"Cover us!" he barked at the knights. "Anyone still standing, get all the children out!"
Inside the collapsing corridor, Ren spotted a small figure curled beneath a burned desk, only enough remaining to guess what it was before fire consumed it. The child’s face was streaked with soot, eyes wide open, filled with fear. She held onto the white teddy bear that had turned grey from the smokes, and the fire surrounding it.
"It’s okay," Ren said softly, crawling over.
Hesitantly, he whispered, "I’ve got you," hoping to comfort her.
Ren didn’t know how to ease one’s fear. He had constantly lived in it. For so long that comfort is no longer needed. He had built a nest in this terror and called it home for his own solace.
He exhaled deeply before extending his hand for the child to hold.
Although he barely felt it before, the heat was unbearable now. His skin itched and burned as he pulled the little girl close.
Then—a burst of alpha pheromones surged again, choking him. Not from the child. From behind him. He coughed, trying to keep breathing. Every time he breathed in the odor, his stomach twisted like a sleeping curse that had awoken.
One of the rogue alphas had gotten loose. He growled, huffing. His eyes glimmered golden, with bloodshot eyes and twitching limbs. His body pulsed with uncontrolled magic, his body surrounded by a golden light.
He barked, nostrils flaring, "An omega... I can smell him... But where is he?"