Lunavale — Holding Cages

  Isaac jolted awake.

  A weird, stiff outfit on his body—rough fabric, unfamiliar seams, like someone dressed him without care. He sat up too fast and the world spun for half a second.

  Bars.

  A cage.

  “...What the hell is this?” he snapped, standing.

  From the other side of the small cell, a man spoke like he’d been waiting for it.

  “We’re locked up. That’s what.”

  He was sprawled on his back on a thin mattress, staring at the ceiling like this was just another boring day. A toothpick hung from the corner of his mouth.

  Isaac stared at him. “Who are you?”

  The man turned his head, grin lazy. “Derek. Leader of the Renegades. You’ve probably heard of me.”

  A pause.

  Isaac squinted, thinking, then shrugged. “I don’t think so.”

  Derek laughed under his breath, like that answer amused him more than it should.

  Isaac leaned forward until his forehead touched the bars. The metal was cold. He exhaled hard through his nose, trying to keep his pulse down.

  “Where are we?”

  “In a place called Lunavale,” Derek said, calm.

  Isaac’s jaw tightened. “The capital. Of course it is.”

  His hand curled around the bars. “Those… damn elves. They sold me out.”

  Derek’s eyes narrowed slightly, like he was enjoying this part. “Umi. Mini. And the adorable little Anya?”

  Isaac turned sharply. “You know them?”

  “Yeah.” Derek rolled onto his side. “Ran into them too. I’ve been here a while, man. One thing you learn fast—don’t trust anybody.”

  Silence sat between them for a moment.

  Derek pushed himself up, finally taking Isaac seriously. “Since I introduced myself… who are you?”

  Isaac didn’t look at him right away. He kept his head against the bars, staring out into the corridor beyond the cage. He could hear distant footsteps. Chains. Low voices. The kind of place that never really slept.

  “…Isaac.”

  The toothpick stopped moving.

  Derek’s smile faded for the first time.

  He stood up and walked closer until he was right in front of the bars, eyes locked.

  “Wait.” His voice dropped. “Like… the Isaac?”

  Isaac glanced at him. “Yeah.”

  Derek stared like he was looking at a ghost.

  “The King of Olympia?” he whispered, then shook his head once, like his brain refused to accept it. “No way.”

  Isaac watched him, expression flat. “You’re from Mundus too?”

  Derek nodded slowly. “I am.”

  He took the toothpick out and pointed it at Isaac like a weapon. “Then we might actually have a shot, Your Majesty.”

  “A shot?” Isaac repeated.

  Derek leaned in, voice low and fast now. “You’re strong. You’re supposed to be insane. So break us out.”

  Isaac’s mouth twitched—almost a smile, but tired. “It’s not that simple.”

  Derek’s brows pulled together. “What do you mean it’s not—”

  “Drop it.” Isaac stepped back from the bars, shoulders tense. “We’re getting out. That’s the only part that matters.”

  He grabbed the bars with both hands and pulled.

  Nothing moved.

  Not even a creak.

  Isaac pulled again, harder, jaw clenched.

  Still nothing.

  Derek’s expression shifted. He tilted his head. “Don’t tell me you lost your powers.”

  Isaac shot him a look. “Back up.”

  Derek lifted both hands, smirking. “Okay, okay.”

  Isaac closed his eyes and breathed in.

  He tried to feel the usual surge. The crackle under his skin. The weight of his element.

  Nothing answered.

  He opened his eyes, irritated. “...Fine.”

  He dug his heels into the floor and pulled again, putting everything into it.

  The bars didn’t even bend.

  “Shit.” His voice sharpened. “This is already getting on my nerves.”

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  His breathing changed.

  His shoulders rose and fell once.

  And something ugly, familiar, and dangerous started to crawl up from deep inside him.

  [Berserk Mode — weak]

  A faint glow flickered beneath his skin. Not the full blaze. Not the skull. Just a dim, angry pulse that made the air feel heavier.

  Derek’s eyes widened. “Yo…”

  Isaac didn’t answer.

  He grabbed the bars again, fingers tightening until the metal groaned.

  This time it moved.

  Slowly.

  A millimeter.

  Then another.

  Derek stepped closer, excitement creeping into his voice. “That’s it. That’s it—come on—”

  Isaac pulled harder.

  The bars screamed.

  His whole body shook.

  And with a final violent jerk—

  The gate ripped free.

  It didn’t swing open.

  It came off.

  Isaac tossed it aside like dead weight. It slammed into the floor and skidded across the corridor with a horrible screech.

  Derek’s grin snapped back. “YES. That’s what I’m talking about.”

  Isaac didn’t celebrate.

  He dropped to one knee.

  Then both.

  His hands hit the floor.

  He coughed—once, then again—

  And blood splattered onto the stone.

  Derek’s smile disappeared. “Hey. You good?”

  Isaac wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, breathing hard. The faint Berserk glow was already dying.

  “I’m fine,” he muttered, even though his voice sounded rough. “We move now.”

  Derek hesitated, then nodded. “Alright… alright. Lead the way, King.”

  Isaac stood, unsteady for half a second, then forced his legs to obey.

  He looked down the corridor, eyes cold again.

  “Stay close,” he said.

  And they stepped out of the cage.

  Isaac and Derek moved through the corridors like shadows, timing their steps between patrols. Guards passed so close Isaac could hear armor creak—but none of them looked twice.

  Derek leaned in, whispering, “Hey… where are we going? The exit was right there.”

  “We need gear,” Isaac whispered back, eyes scanning ahead. “Weapons. Anything. If we have to fight our way out of a capital, I want options.”

  Derek’s grin flashed in the dark. “Fair.”

  They slipped into a side room. Isaac shut the door slowly, careful not to make a sound.

  Derek immediately went for the racks and crates, pulling straps and buckles free. “Now this is what I’m talking about.”

  Isaac grabbed a heavy sword off the wall, tested the balance, then strapped it across his back. Derek found a bow and a quiver filled with strange arrows—black shafts, pale heads, not like the ones in Olympia.

  Derek raised one, squinting. “These look expensive.”

  “Take them,” Isaac said.

  They worked fast. Gloves. Belts. Cloaks. Hoods.

  Isaac pulled his hood up and glanced at Derek. “Alright. Plan stays the same. We get out of the capital without being seen.”

  Derek nodded, suddenly more serious.

  “And if it’s really true,” Isaac added, voice low, “that there are only women on this world… then we don’t draw attention. Understand?”

  Derek gave a mock bow. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  Isaac exhaled, annoyed. “Don’t start.”

  Derek smiled wider. “Couldn’t help it.”

  Isaac opened the door a crack, listened for footsteps, then motioned.

  “Move.”

  They stayed in the shadows, moving slow, breathing quiet—until footsteps echoed nearby.

  Derek stiffened. Isaac grabbed his sleeve and pulled him into the nearest room.

  They shut the door and listened.

  The footsteps passed.

  Isaac looked up.

  There was an opening in the ceiling—old beams, a gap wide enough to crawl through. Isaac climbed first, Derek right behind him, and they peered down.

  A throne room.

  A lot of people. Guards. Noble-looking elves. Silence so heavy it felt staged.

  And three seats at the front.

  On the right: a tall elf Isaac didn’t recognize—still as stone, eyes unreadable.

  In the center: the Queen.

  She sat like she owned the air. Royal clothing. Clean lines. Heavy presence. A massive hat that covered most of her face, shadowing her eyes.

  On the left—

  Isaac’s breath stopped.

  A woman sat there with her posture straight, calm… familiar in a way that made his stomach turn.

  Isaac whispered, “No… Amanda?”

  Derek blinked. “Amanda? Who’s that?”

  He squinted down at the center seat and smirked. “But yeah—pretty sure the one with the hat is the Queen.”

  Isaac didn’t laugh. His eyes stayed on her.

  Derek, idiot grin still on, muttered, “She’s kinda—”

  “Shut up,” Isaac said, voice tight. “Something’s off.”

  The doors opened.

  Three elves walked in—Umi and the others.

  Isaac’s jaw clenched. Derek’s expression snapped from playful to angry.

  “Those damn farm elves…”

  Umi and her companions dropped to their knees.

  “My Queen,” Umi said.

  The Queen’s voice came smooth, calm—dangerous because it didn’t need to be loud.

  “So you’re the ones who captured the man… near the dead creature.”

  Umi lowered her head. “Yes, my Queen.”

  “Where did he come from?”

  “He appeared at our farm.”

  A pause.

  The Queen leaned slightly, like she was bored… but listening anyway.

  “A man doesn’t ‘appear,’” she said. “He’s brought… or he’s summoned.”

  Isaac kept staring.

  Derek leaned close. “What is it?”

  Isaac’s eyes widened just a fraction.

  His voice came out like a warning.

  “Derek… move. She’s a—”

  The Queen smiled.

  Not sweet. Not friendly.

  Like she’d been waiting for him to say it.

  Her hand rose.

  The air pulled.

  The ceiling above Isaac and Derek exploded apart, wood and stone ripping upward like it was alive. Something invisible grabbed them and dragged them out of hiding.

  They crashed into the throne room, coughing dust, sliding across the floor.

  Isaac pushed up first, eyes burning with panic.

  “She’s a dragon,” he said, cold and certain.

  Derek choked. “WHAT? A dragon?”

  The Queen didn’t deny it. She just watched them like they were interesting.

  Then the woman on the left spoke—soft, but sharp enough to cut.

  “Isaac.”

  Isaac went still.

  Their eyes met.

  “Amanda…” he breathed.

  The Queen tilted her head slightly.

  “Amanda?”

  The woman’s gaze didn’t leave Isaac. “That was my name on Earth.”

  The Queen hummed. “Interesting.”

  Isaac’s eyes snapped back to the center seat.

  The Queen spoke again, calm as ever.

  “So you killed the night creature,” she said. “Tell me. How?”

  Isaac stayed silent.

  The Queen waited, like silence was something she owned too.

  “No answer?” she asked.

  Isaac looked at Amanda again—trying to understand what the hell she was doing there.

  The Queen’s voice cooled.

  “Fine.”

  She turned her wrist.

  A pressure slammed down on Isaac and Derek like the world suddenly gained ten times its weight. Their knees hit the floor. Derek cried out instantly.

  Isaac gritted his teeth. “Derek—”

  He tried to rise.

  He couldn’t.

  The force pressed harder, pinning him like an insect.

  The Queen’s tone didn’t change.

  “Tell me… or you both die.”

  Derek, shaking, looked up. “Help me, Your Majesty—”

  “Majesty?” the Queen echoed, amused.

  Her head turned slightly toward Amanda.

  Amanda didn’t smile. “Isaac was a king… in another world.”

  That landed.

  Even the unknown elf on the right shifted.

  The Queen’s interest sharpened.

  “A king,” she repeated, tasting the word. “So that’s what you are.”

  Amanda glanced at Isaac, tense now—like she regretted speaking.

  Isaac’s voice came out rough. “Let him go.”

  The Queen didn’t move. The field tightened.

  Derek’s bones started to bend the wrong way. He screamed. Tears ran down his face.

  Isaac’s eyes widened.

  “No…”

  Something inside him snapped.

  Pure fury.

  [Berserk Mode — weak]

  His body trembled, then rose an inch—fighting gravity like it was a living enemy. The Queen’s eyes narrowed, impressed.

  Isaac’s voice broke into a roar.

  His bones didn’t fully ignite—but they flickered. A faint electric glow crawled under his skin and died and crawled again.

  He raised his hand.

  A thin bolt formed—unstable, smaller than what he used to throw… but still lethal.

  The throne room panicked. Guards backed away. Nobles stumbled back.

  The Queen stayed seated.

  Waiting.

  Isaac hesitated for half a heartbeat—because she wasn’t dodging.

  Then he fired.

  The bolt shot across the room.

  The Queen caught it.

  With her bare hand.

  Like grabbing a rope.

  The energy twisted around her fingers—then she pulled it in, absorbing it, smiling wider.

  Isaac froze.

  The Queen’s voice came soft.

  “I like you.”

  Isaac’s blood ran cold.

  She leaned forward slightly, finally letting a hint of her eyes show under the hat’s shadow.

  “I’m not just a dragon,” she said. “I’m a lightning dragon.”

  Isaac’s throat tightened.

  She snapped her fingers.

  Everything went black.

  Isaac and Derek dropped—out cold.