LUNA: Alpha’s Soulmate from Another World

After security was established around him by the Veniam knights, Markus was immediately directed by his commander, Atlas, toward the border fortress. There, healers promptly treated him to ensure his condition was stable. Afterward, he briefly explained what had happened in the capital and how he ended up outside the border.

“Is that why the Goblins have become more aggressive? Because of your presence?” asked Atlas, his brow furrowing slightly.

Markus shook his head and explained that ever since he arrived via Alkrevas’ teleportation, the changes in the Goblins had already become apparent. When Markus fought them directly, he realized how heavy Alkrevas’ burden had been while stationed at the border. They continued discussing until a commotion was heard outside the command room within the border fortress.

Not long after, the door burst open. His aide, Jaxon, appeared with a look of both relief and confusion. Markus drank water from a bottle handed to him by one of the knights. He watched with amusement as his aide struggled to catch his breath.

“Your Grace, Duke? How could this be…? The capital…” Atlas gave Jaxon a sympathetic look and patted him gently on the back, instructing Jaxon to calm down before speaking. Jaxon swallowed, took a deep breath, straightened his posture, placed both hands behind his back, and then looked at Markus curiously.

“You have no idea how worried I was after receiving a one-way message from you.” Markus then remembered the events of a few days ago and immediately placed the bottle he held on the table.

“You didn’t send my sister, did you?”ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“No, Miss Luna was clever enough to realize that it wasn’t a letter sent by Beta Savon. How is the Royal Beta?”

“What do you mean by the state of the Royal Beta?” Markus asked, now alert, as he had received no information from the informant who had accompanied Beta Savon’s entourage.

“The Royal Beta was attacked on its way here.”

“Damn it.” Markus clenched his fists and slammed the table beside him to vent his frustration. Then he stood up, recalling that Sigmund was one of the traitors, which meant that Zyne knew that the Veniam duchy had a portal mirror. He couldn’t stay here long; he had to check on his sister and ensure she was alright. Markus had no idea what had happened at the imperial palace after his wretched cousin kicked him into the teleportation portal and sent him away, so the worst-case scenario was entirely possible.

“Have you heard anything from the capital?” Markus asked his aide.

Jaxon shook his head and replied that Veniam Duchy had not received any further news beyond the message he had sent because the border gate was closed, and Veniam was preoccupied with the Goblins’ sudden change in aggression. Markus was deeply worried, especially since several days had passed, and he didn’t know whether Alkrevas had defeated the dark sorcerer.

He tried again to contact his cousin via mind-link, but just like his previous attempts, a large barrier blocked him, preventing him from reaching Alkrevas. He immediately ordered Jaxon to prepare a one-way magic message, remembering that Sigmund had advised him to open a communication channel, even if limited. At the very least, he had to try; perhaps the situation in Morgena Capital had stabilized.

“Where is my sister?”

“She’s in the safest place in the castle.” Markus nodded in relief. At least Luna was in a place only he and Jaxon could access. But his relief didn’t last long when one of the knights entered with a worried expression.

“What’s going on?” Atlas asked his subordinate. Markus stood tense and on high alert, preparing to head to the castle.

“I’ve just received a report that the castle is under attack.”

“Who dares to attack the Veniam castle?” Atlas growled.

“According to the report, an old man… with dark powers… black magic…”

“Damn it!” Markus yelled as he ran out of the room, followed by Jaxon and Atlas. The three and several of the best knights ordered to accompany them transformed into wolf forms-except for Markus, who became a Lycan-and ran swiftly through the forest that connected the border fortress to the castle. Markus felt caught off guard. How could that old bastard get into his territory? Did Alkrevas fail to kill him? The Goblin attack at the border was just a diversion, intended to focus the knights’ attention on the border rather than the castle because Zyne must have known that Alkrevas’ weakness lay here and the portal mirror. Markus could only hope that Luna was alright.

…

Alkrevas suddenly opened his eyes and took a deep breath. His eyes darted around the room, and he found himself in his private chamber in the imperial palace’s Grian Palace. He immediately threw off the blanket covering him just as Annabeth, followed by maidservants and imperial attendants, entered the room with worried expressions. Shortly after, the imperial family’s medical team and healers also arrived.

“What happened?” Alkrevas asked, confused about how he had ended up here, as the last thing he remembered was losing consciousness in the middle of the palace courtyard. Annabeth, the highest-ranking person remaining after Zyne’s betrayal, immediately knelt, followed by everyone else in the room.

“We will always be loyal to you, Your Majesty,” said Annabeth, followed by the others. Alkrevas sighed heavily. He nodded and gestured for them to rise. Then, he asked Annabeth to explain.

“We took shelter when we saw most of the knights and palace residents being killed and turned into the undead by the traitors. We hid in the special bunker in the servant quarters. When we emerged, we found you unconscious in the palace courtyard,” Annabeth paused and glanced toward the remaining imperial attendants. “With the help of the men, we brought you to Grian Palace.”

Then, the head of the imperial medical team stood and approached. “Your body was in a critical condition for several days, and we were worried we might lose you. The mana in your body was completely drained, and it will take time to recover. But after much effort from the healers, you have stabilized.” Alkrevas carefully processed the explanation, realizing he had been unconscious for quite some time. He tried to stand, but his weakened body staggered.

Fortunately, a bedpost was nearby, allowing him to steady himself before embarrassing himself by falling in front of his subordinates.

“Annabeth, have you contacted General Almbra and Gamma Mathias?”

Annabeth nodded. “General Almbra is on his way back, and Gamma Mathias will follow once the border situation has improved.” Alkrevas sat down carefully on the edge of the bed. His hand gripped the bedpost tightly. How many of his knights and people had he lost due to the selfishness of a few individuals? If they sought revenge on him, they didn’t need to involve people who had nothing to do with the past. He remembered Abigail’s words, ‘That woman…’ Alkrevas frowned deeply. That meant there was still another traitor, whose identity he didn’t yet know, only that it was a woman. Should he use his magic to replay the past few days’ events to find out who Abigail was referring to?

“What about the bodies of the knights and palace residents affected by Zyne’s dark magic?”

“They all turned to ash, Your Majesty,” answered one of the senior healers. Alkrevas nodded and instructed Annabeth to document the victims so they could be compensated. After that, he underwent further examination by the doctors and treatment from the healers to expedite his recovery. Once he felt better and no longer weak, Alkrevas walked to his main office and entered Sigmund’s adjacent room, where he began to search for any small clues or evidence.

Dressed in a simple white tunic, black pants, and a cloak draped over his shoulders, with a pale face, he still looked very much like a patient. Yet Alkrevas didn’t care. He needed to act quickly against the Ballion family. Fortunately, only part of the imperial palace had been damaged-the main palace where governmental affairs were conducted. As he searched, he hadn’t realized that the large mental barrier preventing him from mind-linking was still in place. He couldn’t communicate with Norris for the time being and couldn’t shift into his Lycan form due to the effects of using magic in Lycan form. The healers had told him that his bond with Norris would be closed for the next few days as part of his mana and body recovery, and Norris was in the same condition.

Realizing that the barrier was still in place, Alkrevas immediately lowered it to communicate with Mathias and Almbra. However, his plans were interrupted when he suddenly received an urgent mind-link from Markus.

‘Alkrevas? Thank goodness I can finally reach you…’

‘What’s wrong, Markus?’

There was no response, but then Markus said, ‘Zyne, that old man… he’s at Veniam Castle, and Luna is there. He’s after her.’

Alkrevas froze, his body stiffening. A growl escaped his lips moments later. He immediately dashed out of Sigmund’s office and back to the Emperor’s private residence. The attendants following him, who had been monitoring his condition, did the same, calling after him with concern. But Alkrevas paid no attention to his body’s state-his concern was solely for Luna, his soulmate.

“Zyne… how dare you…!” Alkrevas growled as he walked toward his private study in the imperial residence.

When he arrived at his private study, Alkrevas swiftly pulled aside the carpet covering his teleportation magic circle.

“Your Majesty, you can’t leave, your condition…”

“SILENCE!” Alkrevas roared in fury, causing all the attendants to immediately close their mouths and bow their heads obediently under his Alpha Command. Alkrevas took a deep breath. He hoped Luna was still wearing the ring containing his mana on her finger so he could pinpoint her location without using his magic.

Then, he stood in the center of the magic circle and activated the teleportation with a single command word. Without thinking about anything else, Alkrevas went to where his soulmate was.

…

Alkrevas groaned and immediately collapsed to the floor when he arrived in Veniam Duchy, though not exactly at Luna’s location, but rather in a bedroom. He shook his head to dispel the dizziness and nausea caused by overexerting himself before rising to his feet. His eyes scanned the room, and he took a deep breath. Luna’s scent filled the room, indicating that this was her temporary chamber. Then, he saw an object lying on the vanity table.

“Damn it! No wonder! She left her ring here,” Alkrevas cursed, grabbing the ring. He felt slightly better as the mana stored in the ring flowed into his body. After that, he commanded Almbra regarding the castle’s state before dashing out of the room in search of Luna or Zyne, but neither could be found.

Instead, Alkrevas ran into Markus and the commander of the Veniam knights, Atlas, in the castle’s main hall.

“Alkrevas? You’re here…?” Markus was stunned by the Emperor’s presence but even more shocked by how pale Alkrevas appeared, almost like a dead man.

“Your condition…”

“Don’t worry about me, and the important thing is that old bastard. Where is he now?” Alkrevas demanded from the lord of the land. Markus only shook his head, though his brow furrowed as if deep in thought. Alkrevas cursed quietly, regretting that he hadn’t killed the man before his body gave out. He shouldn’t have collapsed like some helpless woman and chased after that bastard instead. Because of his failure, Luna was in danger and powerless, his body as weak as a mortal’s.

“Luna is in the safest room in the castle, but I don’t know where Zyne is…” They ran up the stairs and gasped at seeing the castle staff lying on the floor. One of the knights checked on them, and everyone sighed in relief when the knight confirmed that the staff members were merely unconscious.

“Then where is that bastard… could it be…” Markus suddenly panicked and sprinted away. Alkrevas, of course, followed, but unlike Markus, neither Alkrevas nor the others could see any more stairs indicating another floor. They stopped when Markus disappeared.

Alkrevas narrowed his eyes. For a brief moment, he felt powerful magic mixed with dark magic in the air and could smell Zyne’s scent. He inhaled deeply and tried to focus. When his eyes opened again, he saw a transparent wall infused with protective magic energy that was incredibly strong. Alkrevas muttered in admiration, as the magic was almost on par with his own. Could it be magic left behind by his late father? Alkrevas wondered. Or was there an archmage-level mage in Veniam Duchy? But the real question was, how did Zyne know? Dark magic couldn’t penetrate such a powerful protective barrier unless Zyne were a high-level warlock.

He then saw the protective magic slowly lower and disappear, as if Markus, who had gone ahead, had issued a command for the barrier to deactivate. Jaxon then said, “The previous Duke set up the magical barrier to hide the secrets above and protect the memory of the late Duchess.”

Alkrevas nodded in understanding and sprinted upward, followed by the others.

As he stepped onto the top floor, Luna’s scent grew stronger, but it paled in comparison to the atmosphere of the beautiful hall, marred by a dark and oppressive aura that filled the corridor, emanating from a door at the far end. Alkrevas saw Markus desperately trying to break through the closed door and quickly rushed to his side.

…