Colorless

corlis 

Beneath the shadows of the heated argument, where words clashed between Leon and Nael like raging waves against the rocks of truth, a voice came… not just any voice, but a rough tone, saturated with the chill of iron and the scent of ashes. It slipped in from behind them suddenly, saying, "What a lovely family reunion."

The voice struck Nile, not just the sound, but the feeling… that familiar shiver that runs from the back of the neck down the spine, like an old sensation risen from its grave.

Everyone turned their faces toward the source of the voice, and time froze for a moment—as if even silence had gasped.

In the narrow corridor of the cellblock stood Hammer, firm, towering, like a steel barrier sealing off the final exit.

The light from the dim lamp hadn't yet reached his face, so his features remained hidden, as if darkness itself had chosen to veil his expression deliberately, intensifying the dread of the moment and forcing those present to imagine what they could not see.

He stepped forward with slow, calculated steps, carrying a weight not only from the armor, but from something deeper… perhaps betrayal, or the burden of an unavoidable duty.

He said in his gruff voice, with a coldness devoid of hesitation: "I called the two guards, but neither answered… That's when I knew you were here. Trying to smuggle your family out?"

Silence stood between the walls like a drawn sword. Then he added, in a voice carrying nothing but the cold of sorrow: "What happened to you, Nile? What are you hoping to achieve from all this?"

Lion, who had been watching the scene with wide eyes filled with fear, clung to the bars and cried out in a trembling voice, closer to pleading: "Go, Nile! Run from here… don't worry about us. You're the prince's knight now, your duty lies with him, not here. Go…"

His father's words struck like a double slap, one to his heart, the other to his conscience.

Nile took two steps back, lost, as if even the ground refused to help him. There was no decision on his face, only a struggle gnawing at what was left of his certainty. Then he spoke, his voice closer to a plea than a challenge: "Commander Hammer… will you listen? Just… hear me out."

Hammer raised his hand and began wrapping a black cloth tightly around his wrist. His eyes, now lit as he approached the light, carried a mixture of sorrow and sternness.

He said with deadly stillness: "I'll listen… but in the interrogation room. Will you surrender and confess your crime, Nile garow?"

Nile replied through clenched teeth, as if the words themselves were scratching his insides. Sweat poured hot from his face under the pressure, and his voice erupted like the roar of long-suppressed fury:

"I can't do that… If I surrender now, it'll be the end of Prince Corlis. I promised him. I promised I'd avenge the Queen and uncover who killed her."

But Hammer did not move, like a stone placed to block a flood.

He ran his hand slowly along the stone wall beside him, his fingers scraping against the rock, producing a screech like blades clashing in an execution yard.

Then he said, in a voice filled with suspicion: "So… you consider yourself innocent? Do you have any proof? One single thing that condemns vortex? Anything that can save you from the fall?"

Nile lowered his head. His throat went dry. The words burning inside him died at the edge of his mouth. There was no "yes." There was no final card.

Only a deadly silence, finished off by a single word: "No…"

Hammer didn't comment. He merely shook his head slowly, as if signing a confession.

Then he muttered, his voice not free of disappointment: "So be it…"

Suddenly, he lunged. His fist launched like a crashing boulder toward Nile. But Nile had anticipated the strike, he raised his arms and blocked it, using them like a shield.

Even so, the force behind the punch was massive. It pushed his body backward, his feet scraping against the stone floor, leaving behind two lines of scorched dust.

The bones in his forearms screamed with pain, and his face tightened, but his eyes remained lit with fury.

Hammer raised his fist once more, the black cloth wrapped around his hand dripping with resolve. He spoke as someone wanting to end this without a fight: "You can surrender, Nile … and put an end to this ridiculous scene. Be reasonable… and spare us all this trouble."

Nile gave no verbal reply. There was no need for words. The wavering stillness shattered when he drew his yellow sword from its sheath.

The screech of steel sounded like a declaration of an inevitable battle.

He gripped the hilt tightly and assumed a combat stance free of hesitation, one knee bent, body leaning forward, and the sword angled toward his opponent's chest.

In that moment, there was only battle… no retreat, no debate.

On the other side, Hammer sighed slowly, as if boredom was his first emotion, then raised a hand to casually massage his neck: "A poor choice, Nile."

The two locked eyes. A silence as heavy as ice cloaked the space, each one staring at the other in anticipation, not just of movement, but of intention.

As if each was trying to read the other's mind without blinking.

Behind the bars, Nile's family watched the scene in charged silence, their breaths held, their hearts trembling between hope and despair. In their hearts, they wished Nile would turn and flee, that he wouldn't stand alone against Hammer.

But they knew… he wouldn't.

 Hammer ended the calm with a cold breath. He moved his right hand, wrapped in the black cloth, as if it were a magical limb, unleashing an unexpected weapon:

a thin, swift black chain that pulsed with life like a tentacle of a hungry octopus.

It lunged toward Nile at speed.

Nile slashed with his yellow sword sharply, blocking the strike, but the force of impact was enough to shatter part of the wall behind him, releasing a spray of dust and small stones.

Hammer gave his opponent no time to breathe. He whipped the chain again like a lash and charged forward with his massive body.

But Nile, with stunning agility, jumped onto the wall, his feet sticking to the stone, then launched himself like an arrow, flying straight toward Hammer, his sword aimed at his chest.

Hammer dodged at the last instant, then lashed out with the chain, which coiled around Nile's sword like a snake and yanked it violently from his hand, sending the blade flying away.

Nile's body followed, crashing to the ground with force, his groan stifled, pain clamped between his gritted teeth.

Hammer leapt directly above him, his incoming punch threatening to crush Nile's face, but Nile rolled back at the last moment.

Hammer's fist embedded itself into the ground, shattering the stones. In a fleeting instant, Nile retrieved his sword and freed it from the chain, then grabbed it and began running in a wide circle around Hamer, trying to distract him. The ground groaned beneath his speed.

Nile freed his sword from the chain, then grabbed it and dashed quickly in a precise circle around Hammer.

He wrapped the chain around him. loop after loop, until he had fully restricted his movement, like someone snaring a beast with ropes.

In a decisive moment, he struck a powerful kick into Hammer's chest, a discharge of pent-up fury, sending Hammer flying like a rag doll. He crashed violently against the corridor wall, debris flying and the ground trembling beneath everyone's feet.

Lion garow's voice came suddenly from behind the bars. trembling, yet firm: "This is your chance, Nile … run! Don't think about us!"

Nile turned his head toward him, his gaze frozen, then muttered between his teeth as if rejecting the very idea: "What are you saying, Father…?"

Through the dense clouds of dust, Hammer emerged standing amid the rubble, surrounded by a suffocating aura as if the place itself pulsed with his suppressed rage. His eyes blazed with silent sparks, and his voice came out as a heavy threat: "I won't let you escape."

He moved across the wall with terrifying agility, launching his black chain from an angled position toward Nile. But Nile deflected the chain forcefully, pushing it away, and the clash turned into a brutal hand to hand fight.

Kicks, punches, parries, and exchanged attacks—the upper hand gradually tipping in Hammer's favor. Yet neither face was spared the blood beginning to flow, bearing witness to the ferocity of the battle.

Nile leapt high, his body twisting in the air with such agility that he flipped entirely over Hammer's head. He placed his hand on Hammer's shoulder as a pivot point, then lunged behind him like a deadly shadow.

With a swift motion, he yanked Hammer backward and simultaneously struck a precise blow behind the knee, causing Hammer to lose balance and bend backward forcefully.

Nile brought his sword down toward Hammer's leaning body in a swift strike meant to finish him off. But Hammer raised his black chain like a shield between himself and the sword's edge.

Steel clashed with chain, and sparks flew amidst the two men's panting breaths.

Sweat and steel collided—time itself seemed to contract in that instant.

The chain moved like a hungry snake, coiling tightly around Nile's neck, and suddenly he found himself trapped in his enemy's grip.

Hammer lifted him into the air, as if performing an execution by slow hanging.

Nile's dangling body began to tremble, his face turned red, and sweat poured from his forehead. His strained breaths turned into painful gasps as his family shouted his name, voices soaked in terror and despair.

Hammer raised his eyes to Nile as if looking at a judgment that needed to be carried out and spoke in a calm, deadly tone: "Even if you escape, what will you do? What can you accomplish? Bring Corlis back… accept your fate.

There's no point in creating a civil conflict that will tear the kingdom apart. We don't want another divisive war."

Then Hammer hurled him forcefully toward the cell bars, and Nile's body slammed into them brutally.

The iron shook with the blow's impact.

Nile's breath was broken, his chest fighting for air, his hand gripping his neck as he coughed violently.

His mouth was open, his eyes dimmed by pain. He muttered between ragged breaths, as if finally admitting to himself: 'He's stronger than me… at least in conventional fight.'

 He stabbed his sword into the ground and leaned on it, trying to stand again, his face dripping with sweat and cuts. but he hadn't forgotten what he was fighting for.

He spoke with a hoarse voice, laced with anger and defeat: "So… you believe I didn't kill the queen. And yet… you're still standing in my way?"

Hammer calmly rewrapped his black chain and slid it into the dark cloth that covered his arm, as if, for him, the fight was over.

He spoke with a voice soaked in realism: "cortex is truly a clever man. He didn't even need a coup. He'll take the throne effortlessly, just because there's no visible heir. No blood. No opposition.

Just a void… and his seizing of it."

He paused for a moment, then added as he stared into Nile's eyes: "My question now is simple.

Can you restore Corlis to the throne… without starting a war?"

He drew in a breath and continued in a low, yet resolute voice: "If you say yes, you may go. I won't stop you. Consider me an ally… in the shadows. But if you say no."

He raised his eyes and looked straight at him, "Then forget I said anything."

Words froze in Nile's throat, as if the shock had tied his tongue. He couldn't grasp what he was hearing from Hammer.

He adjusted his wavering stance with difficulty, while the echo of his crash against the iron bars still rang in his ears, as though the metal itself was flogging him from within.

His brown eyes were burning with a faint redness, not just from physical pain, but from confusion and intensity.

At last, he spoke in a trembling voice, wrapped in anger and disbelief: "I don't understand, Hammer. What are you fighting for?

To whom do you owe your loyalty?"

Hammer wiped the side of his mouth where a drop of dark blood was trickling down, then spat the buildup from his mouth onto the ground.

 He lifted his gaze steadily and said: "You can consider me without allegiance. Or that my loyalty lies with an idea, abstract, not embodied in a person or a crown.

What I want is peace.

You, the ruling class, don't grasp the extent of the suffering ordinary people endure because of your endless conflicts.

 You squander resources, lives, and stability just to replace one king with another.

How many lives must be lost for one man to ascend the throne? Does that sound acceptable to you?"

He clenched his fist and looked down at the ground, as if gathering his next words from some buried bitterness, then said: "I hate to admit it, but I respect what vortex did. He wanted what's best for the kingdom, and he carried out his plan without shedding blood.

He removed the thorn without spilling a drop… without making noise."

At that moment, Nile's voice thundered with anger, he struck the iron bars forcefully, shaking the room and even causing one of the lamps to flicker.

He shouted: "You're a contradictory man, Hammer!

If you love vortex that much, how do you explain what you just said moments ago?!"

Hammer lowered his head for a moment, said: "You're confusing respect with love, Nile. I never said I supported him in everything. I'm merely trying to prevent disaster. If you want to kill vortex, you can do that. But it has to be done without starting a war. just like he did with the queen."

Nile took a step forward, leaning on his sword that was planted in the ground, and said seriously: "I can't promise you it'll be quiet. This is no longer just about vortex…

 It's about those behind him, his allies in the shadows."

Lion's voice came from the cell, quiet yet clear, carrying the stern tone of reason when it's imposed on the heart: "He may be right. It's better to act in the shadows. If we manage to capture vortex alive, we might extract a confession that reveals his role as the mastermind behind all this.

Even if we succeed in restoring Corlis to the throne without revealing the truth, the garow family will still be seen by everyone as traitors. That stain won't be erased with words."

Hammer added, addressing Nile with calculated coldness: "Listen to him, Nile.

He's wiser than you."

Nile pressed his lips together and clenched his teeth, as loyalty, fear, and anger clashed inside him all at once.

His thoughts surged as if drowning him: "And what about my family? Will they stay imprisoned here?"

Hammer approached the iron bars separating the garow family's cell from the rest of the prison with steady steps.

He placed his hand on them as though drawing a line that must not be crossed, then said in a firm tone that allowed no debate

"I'm sorry…I can't let you smuggle them out.

vortex must believe you're alone, with no support. If he suspects you have hidden allies, everything will shift in a direction I do not want."

Then he added, after a heavy moment of silence: "You hold the Prince's token, that gives you enough legitimacy to rally support from regions that may reject vortex's rule. But he knows that. Which is why his next target will be clear.

He'll attempt to assassinate Prince Corlis.

That's why you must leave the capital immediately."

Lion stood slowly from the worn wooden bench, his voice rising with a firm tone: "Come on, Nile. Stop wasting time.

You're no longer Nile garow… You're now knight Nile. And your priority is protecting the Prince, no one else."

Nile burst in anger, slamming his fist against the bars, making them shake—the sound echoed through the silent prison, like a declaration of rebellion against reality.

He cursed the situation under his breath, then said, his voice cracking from emotion: "Fine… I'll do it. But don't think for a second that I trust you, Hammer.

You're transparent, a man with no clear identity.

No color to you, and that's exactly why I mistrust you more."

Hammer gave a faint smile and scratched the back of his neck, as if trying to brush off a phantom weight pressing on his head.

He said calmly, almost coldly: "I'm only doing what I believe is right. It's not my fault that I care more about this kingdom than those sitting atop the power pyramid."

Nile ignored Hammer's words and walked toward his family's cell. His hands trembled slightly—not from fear, but from the burden on his shoulders.

He took his mother's hand through the bars, raised it to his face, and kissed it slowly, as if trying to plant a promise within it. Tears slid silently down her wrinkled cheeks, while time painted her features with the weight of many painful years.

Nile turned his gaze to the rest of his family, fixing his eyes on each face, one by one, as if carving them into memory, afraid they might be erased. Then he spoke in a low voice, shaky but sharp as a blade: "I'll make sure vortex pays for every second you spend in this prison's cold darkness."

Lion responded softly as he returned to sit on the same old bench, worn down by time:

"The darkness of this place… its cold.

Time will erase them. Just make sure the truth comes to light. That's all that will remain in the end."

Nile gripped the bars tightly one last time, then turned without looking back, as if knowing that one more glance might shake his resolve.

He was trying to leave his emotions behind—to become what he had to be: the knight.

And with every step he took away, his shadow broke across the floor, twisting between the dim lantern light, like silent ghosts watching him on his path into the unknown.