An Abandoned Warehouse in Southern Srivi
The night had grown quiet over the southern district of Srivi.
Far from the crowded streets of Srome, an old warehouse stood among several abandoned buildings that had long been left to decay.
Its wooden walls had begun to rot beneath years of rain and neglect, while weeds pushed through cracks in the stone surrounding it.
Few people had any reason to come this far into the forgotten district anymore, and to most of Srivi, the warehouse was nothing more than another abandoned structure slowly collapsing with time.
Behind it, however, a narrow passage descended toward an old underground tunnel that had once been used to transport goods through the city.
The route had supposedly fallen out of use years ago, but Javier had already learned that many forgotten places in Srivi were not as empty as they appeared.
A hooded woman emerged from the darkness with a large bag hanging from her shoulder.
She stepped out into the cold night air and continued along the narrow path without looking back.
“Hello.”
Her footsteps stopped.
The woman remained completely still for several seconds before slowly turning around.
Javier stood several meters behind her with Alaric at his side, the pale moonlight falling across his white-golden hair while the familiar black blindfold concealed his eyes.
Neither man moved to approach her.
The woman stared at them from beneath her hood.
“Elena, isn’t it?”
Silence followed.
After a moment, she gave a small shake of her head.
“I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else, Your Highness.” She turned away and attempted to continue walking, but before she could take more than two steps, Alaric moved into her path.
“Don’t move.”
Elena immediately stopped.
Alaric reached for the edge of her cloak and pulled it backward, causing the hood to slip from her head and reveal her face beneath the moonlight.
She froze.
For several seconds, the three of them remained silent.
Elena’s shoulders gradually relaxed as she realized there was little point in continuing the act.
She released a quiet sigh before turning toward Javier.
“So… Your Highness already knew.”
Javier did not answer immediately.
He simply listened to her breathing and the faint rhythm of her heartbeat, searching for the smallest changes that might reveal fear, hostility or an intention to run.
“Why are you looking for me?” Elena eventually asked.
“I need your help.”
“Mine?” Her brows drew together.
Javier gave a slight nod.
“I want to enter the Underworld of Srivi.”
The change in Elena was immediate.
Whatever composure she had maintained until then disappeared as genuine concern entered her expression.
“You’re serious?”
“Yes.”
“The Underworld isn’t simply a place where illegal goods are sold, Your Highness. There are people down there who would kill someone simply for knowing too much. They don’t care whether you’re a noble, a merchant or even a member of the royal family.”
Her attention settled upon the black blindfold covering Javier’s eyes.
“If you enter that place, they won’t see you as the Crown Prince.” She paused, allowing the warning to settle between them.
“They’ll see you as a target.”
Javier remained silent for several moments.
The danger in her words was genuine; his Mana Detection could sense enough of the tension in her body to know she was not exaggerating simply to frighten him away.
“Then I won’t enter as the Crown Prince,” he replied.
Elena stared at him.
“I’ll disguise myself as an ordinary noble.”
“You think that will be enough?” Her voice sharpened slightly.
“They may not recognize your face, but if someone discovers who you are, you won’t get a second chance.”
“I know the risks.”
There was no hesitation in Javier’s answer, and that seemed to trouble Elena more than if he had simply underestimated the danger.
She watched him in silence until Javier continued.
“But I believe you won’t betray me.”
Elena’s expression softened for only a moment before she looked away.
“Why?”
Javier allowed the silence to linger.
Throughout their conversation, he had been paying close attention to every subtle change in her breathing and heartbeat.
There was fear within her, along with hesitation and uncertainty, but none of it carried the signs of someone preparing to deceive him.
“I know you don’t want to hurt me.”
Elena looked back at him, clearly surprised.
Javier did not ask why she had become involved with the Underworld.
He did not demand an explanation for her presence at the warehouse, nor did he question whether Gardo had threatened her or what circumstances had forced her into this position.
Whatever the truth was, he had no intention of forcing it from her before she was willing to speak.
“Everyone has their own reasons for making the choices they make,” he said.
Elena slowly lowered her gaze.
For a while, only the night breeze moved between the abandoned buildings around them.
“If you’re so certain about me,” she eventually said, “then why are you willing to go this far just to bring down Gardo? Your own life is at risk.”
“Because my people are suffering.”
The answer came without hesitation.
Elena said nothing.
“As long as Gardo remains in control of Srivi, innocent people will continue to suffer because of him.” Javier’s hand slowly tightened at his side.
“If I stop simply because my own life is in danger, then how am I any different from him?” His voice remained measured, yet the conviction behind it was unmistakable.
“I don’t want to become a ruler who hides safely behind palace walls while his people suffer outside.”
Elena’s eyes widened slightly.
Javier turned his face toward the distant sounds of Srivi.
From somewhere beyond the abandoned district came the faint noises of a city settling into another night, a city where children had gone hungry while its officials stole from the people they were supposed to serve.
Elena remained silent.
“One day, I want this city to become a place where its people no longer have to live in fear. No Underworld controlling their lives from beneath the streets. No men like Gardo deciding who gets to live comfortably while everyone else starves.” Javier’s fingers gradually relaxed.
“I don’t know how long it will take, but as long as Srivi remains under my responsibility, I won’t abandon its people.”
Elena lowered her head.
Something changed in her breathing.
It became slightly uneven, almost imperceptibly so, but Javier noticed.
He did not comment on it.
He simply waited, allowing her to make the decision for herself.
After several moments, Elena reached beneath her cloak and pulled out a small piece of folded paper.
“Come here tomorrow.”
Javier turned toward her as she extended it.
“Use the route written here. It’s one of the entrances to the Underworld.” Javier accepted the paper and carefully folded it between his fingers while Elena continued.
“There will be a special event tomorrow. A lot of important people will be there, so security will be tighter than usual, but there’ll also be enough guests coming and going that two unfamiliar faces won’t attract as much attention. If you really intend to enter, that will be your best opportunity.”
“I understand.”
“Be careful, Your Highness.” Elena pulled the hood back over her head, once again concealing most of her features beneath its shadow.
“The people you’ll meet tomorrow aren’t like Gardo. Some of them are far more dangerous.”
A faint smile touched Javier’s face.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Elena looked at him for another moment before turning away.
She walked between the abandoned buildings without another word, her footsteps gradually becoming quieter until they disappeared into the darkness.
Javier remained beside the warehouse with the folded paper resting in his hand.
The night breeze brushed against his coat as he listened until he could no longer hear Elena’s footsteps.
“Alaric.”
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“We’re entering the Underworld tomorrow.”
Alaric showed no hesitation.
“I’ll prepare everything for the disguise.”
“I want us to look like nobles attending the event. Nothing about us should attract unnecessary attention.”
“Understood.”
Javier ran his thumb once across the folded paper Elena had given him.
Tomorrow, he would be entering a place controlled by people who had survived precisely because they knew how to remain hidden from the law.
One careless mistake could expose not only himself, but everyone involved in the investigation.
“And make sure no one can connect our identities to the Guild.”
Alaric’s expression became serious.
“Understood, Your Highness.”
Javier tucked the paper safely inside his coat before turning away from the warehouse.
Alaric fell into step beside him as they disappeared into the darkness of the abandoned district.
Behind them, the decaying building remained silent beneath the moonlight, concealing an entrance to the same underground world that had quietly poisoned Srivi for years.
Tomorrow, Javier would enter it himself.