The roles have been reversed.

Chapter 5: "The Noose of Vurkin" - Part One

They reached the end of the hallway, where a massive wooden door stood like a terrifying guardian. Its intricate details and overwhelming strength made Leo shiver uncontrollably, but Vileria was the only one who dared to open it. Despite its apparent weight, she opened it effortlessly, as if it were just an ordinary door under her control.

Leo stopped, his feet frozen at the threshold when he noticed that the other men didn't follow her. Each man went his own way, leaving Leo alone in that strange moment, as if the world had swallowed him whole.

Is this my chance? Leo thought for a moment, his heart racing. Should I run? Why did they leave me? Aren't they afraid I'll escape? Is this a trap?

His mind spun like a whirlwind, drowning him in questions, but his inner voice was suddenly interrupted when he heard Vileria's stern command from inside the dark room.

"Enter."

Leo hesitated for a moment, but her voice was like a noose tightening around his neck. It wasn't just a request; it was a clear order that could not be refused. He stepped forward reluctantly, as if walking toward his inevitable fate.

As he entered the room, he realized its size was larger than he expected. The towering walls seemed to swallow him, and the air inside was heavy, saturated with the scent of danger.
In the center of the room stood an enormous desk, fit for royalty. Vileria sat behind it on a throne-like chair, her fingers intertwined above the desk, her cold eyes fixed on him with a gaze that froze the blood in his veins.

Fear surged in Leo's chest, and an overwhelming feeling rose inside him that this room might be the last place he'd ever see.
The look in her eyes, the same one he saw when his father was killed mercilessly, was present again. He knew he might leave this place only as a corpse, just as his father had before him.

His breathing quickened, and his body began to tremble. Every detail in the room, every movement from Vileria intensified his tension. His nose started to bleed again from sheer terror, and that's when he heard a voice from behind, the voice of a towering, imposing man:

"Scared that much?"

Leo turned around quickly to see a large, muscular man standing by the door. Had he been there the whole time? His hair was gray, and his bulging muscles spoke of a strength untouched by the years. Compared to Leo, the man looked like a giant, making Leo feel like a small child in his presence.

"A nosebleed in moments like this either means extreme stress or intense fear... or maybe anger. But I don't think you're bold enough to be angry, are you?"

The man said with a cold smile, as if savoring the sight of fear in Leo's eyes.

This man was different from the others. Everything about him suggested he held a higher rank, more dangerous, and closer to Vileria.

Leo glanced at Vileria again, but she was engrossed in writing on some papers, as if no one else was in the room. She paid him no attention, as though his presence meant nothing.

"What should I do, Vileria?"

The man spoke, his voice carrying a tone of unsettling confidence, as if he were speaking to a partner in an old game.

Leo looked at the man in disbelief. Who dares speak to her like that? he wondered, trying to grasp what was happening. The man had called her by her first name, not "ma'am" like everyone else did. No one dared to address her by her title, let alone her name.

Without lifting her eyes from the papers, Vileria replied coldly, "Answer his questions... his curiosity is annoying."

"Are you sure? What if he asks about"

She cut him off sharply: "Do as I said, William."

The name struck Leo. William? This man had the audacity to speak to her in such a manner, and he seemed to be one of her most trusted. Leo felt as if he were being dragged into a whirlpool of mystery from which he couldn't escape. Suddenly, he realized he had a rare opportunity: he could get answers.

"Come and sit."

William pointed to a nearby chair, then laughed casually, as if they were in a friendly gathering, not a place of judgment. Leo, who had been expecting the worst, felt a strange sense of relief, and cautiously sat down, his eyes never leaving Vileria.

"Is it true you're seventeen years old?"

William asked with a friendly tone, smiling as if he were talking to a child.

"Yes, that's right."
Leo replied, trying to keep his voice steady.

William laughed again and said, "No need to be formal. Just call me William. Sure, I'm older, but I don't like to be treated that way."

Vileria interrupted in a sharp tone:
"You're 58."

"Oh, come on, Vileria! No need to remind me every time! I'm still young at heart!" William said, joking, but Leo was in a state of shock. How is this man joking with her, and why isn't she responding?

He glanced at Vileria again, but her expression hadn't changed. As usual, she was a cold, silent statue. What is happening here? Leo wondered, his mind on the verge of breaking from the overload of questions.

At that moment, Leo couldn't hold back any longer, and his voice came out: "What is going on?"

William smiled and said with a laugh, "I know you're confused, but don't worry. You're in luck, I'm here to answer all your questions."

William took a confident step toward Leo, kneeling to meet his eye level. "What do you want to know? I promise I have the answers."

Leo hesitated for a moment, but something about this man's mysterious demeanor made him feel a bit more at ease. He looked at him and asked in a quiet voice: "Can... can I really ask anything?"

William glanced at Vileria, who nodded slightly without speaking, then turned back to Leo and said:

"Yes, anything."

Leo didn't hesitate and asked the question that had been haunting him since he first heard it:

"Vurkin... what is this Vurkin, and why am I here?"

William chuckled softly, then looked at Leo with piercing eyes and said:

"You're bold... and clever, for someone as cute as you look..."

To be continued...