Chapter 13 Saved by a Stranger, Brought Into a New World
Leon POV
The dungeon door slammed shut behind the Crimson King. Darkness swallowed the room again.
Then pain returned. The Heir suddenly kicked me hard across the face.
“Save yourself now,” he mocked cruelly while laughing.
Blood sprayed from my mouth onto the concrete floor.
Vincent Korr joined him immediately.
Both of them kicked my broken body over and over again like animals feeding on something already dead.
Heavy boots slammed into my ribs.
I couldn’t even scream anymore, couldn’t move and could barely breathe.
Every part of my body felt destroyed.
The siren sound inside my head screamed louder and louder until it almost drowned out their voices completely.
Death was close. I knew it. I truly gave up.
My vision faded slowly while blood spread wider beneath me.
The Heir crouched beside my barely conscious body and grabbed my hair violently.
“Look at you,” he whispered hatefully. “The mighty Crimson General.”
I stared at him weakly through swollen eyes.
“You should’ve died with your family.” Something inside my chest cracked painfully.
Seraphine’s face flashed through my mind again. Her lovely smile and her beautiful voice.
The way she looked at me like I was still human even after everything.
And right now she's gone, because of me. My body finally stopped responding.
Korr nudged my shoulder with his boot. “I think he’s dying.”
The Heir smirked coldly. “Good.”
I heard chains rattling faintly. Then suddenly—Nothing.
My heart stopped for one terrifying second. “Oh,” Korr muttered. “He’s dead.”
The Heir stood slowly. “Finally.” My body felt weightless.
Like I was floating somewhere far away from myself.
Then I felt hands grabbing my arms and dragging me.
Concrete scraped against my broken skin while they pulled my lifeless body through the dungeon.
I couldn’t move. Couldn’t open my eyes.
But somewhere deep inside the darkness, I could still hear them.
“Throw him in,” the Heir said carelessly.
Cold air hit my face. Water rushed nearby, it was a stream.
Then— a loud thud! My body slammed against rocks before rolling into freezing water.
Pain flickered weakly through me again. The current dragged me instantly.
Cold water flooded my mouth and lungs.
But I no longer fought it.
I was tired, so tired. The stream carried me deeper into darkness while blood spread behind me in the water like red smoke.
Above me, rain began falling heavily across Ravenport.
Lightning flashed across the sky. Then everything disappeared.
Voices, that was the first thing I heard, but it was distant voices and blurred.
“…still breathing…” “…impossible…” “…too much blood loss…”
The voices sounded strange and unfamiliar. I tried opening my eyes.
Nothing happened. My body felt trapped under darkness.
Then another voice spoke. “Get him inside now.” Strong hands lifted my body carefully.
Pain exploded through me faintly. “Sir, his pulse is weak.”
“Move!” The voice sounded commanding, sharp and fearless.
I drifted again In and out. Sometimes I heard thunder. Sometimes machinery.
Sometimes people shouting in another language. Then darkness swallowed me again.
I woke briefly to unbearable pain. Bright lights blinded me overhead.
My body felt numb and burning at the same time.
Several people surrounded me wearing surgical masks.
One of them spoke Chinese quickly while another adjusted equipment nearby.
“He’s crashing!” “No, stabilize him!”
“We’re losing him—” “Again!” A familiar deep voice cut through the panic.
“Save him.” The room instantly became quieter.
“But sir,” one doctor said nervously, “his injuries are catastrophic.”
“He’s already survived longer than most men would.”
Another doctor swallowed hard. “Even if we save him… his face…”
The voice answered calmly. “Do the surgery.”
Everything blurred again, all I could feel was a sharp pain and sounds of machines, hovering round me.
Three years later. Rain tapped softly against the large windows.
I stared blankly at the ceiling above me. All I could was white ceiling with white walls and white sheets.
Everything smelled clean and quiet. Sometimes flashes appeared inside my head. But whenever I tried remembering more, my head felt like it would split apart.
So eventually… I stopped trying. The door opened quietly.
A tall man entered holding a cup of tea, with dark suit and calm eyes. Silver strands mixed through his black hair now.
Eli Thorne. The man who saved me. Even after three years, I still didn’t fully understand why.
“You’re awake early today,” he said gently. I sat near the window silently.
Eli placed the tea beside me. “You didn’t sleep again.” “I had the dreams.”
His expression softened slightly.
“The same ones?” I nodded weakly. Eli sat across from me quietly.
“You remembered anything new?” “No.” The answer frustrated me.
Three years. And most of my memories were still gone.
I remembered pieces. Painful pieces. But never enough.
Sometimes I wondered if forgetting was better.
Maybe whoever I used to be deserved to disappear.
Eli studied me carefully for a moment. Then he sighed softly.
“The doctors from Beijing did remarkable work saving you.”
I touched the faint scars near my jaw unconsciously.
After the surgery… My face changed.
Not completely. But enough. The old me looked gone now.
Buried somewhere inside the river that almost killed me.
“You should see yourself less like a victim,” Eli said quietly.
I laughed bitterly. “You say that every week.” “Because it’s true.”
I looked away toward the rain outside. “Who was I?”
Eli became silent again.
That silence always happened whenever I asked that question.
Like he knew more than he wanted to say.
“You were someone important,” he finally answered.
“That means nothing.” “It means you survived things most people wouldn’t.”
My chest tightened strangely. “Did I hurt people?” Eli didn’t answer immediately.
That alone scared me. Finally, he spoke softly. “You were hurt first.”
Something about those words made my chest ache painfully.
Before I could ask another question, a young nurse entered the room carrying fresh towels.
She smiled politely at Eli.
“Mr. Thorne, the medicine has arrived.” Eli nodded once.
Then the nurse turned toward me.
While adjusting the blankets near my bed, something slipped from her pocket.
A ribbon it was silver in colour My entire body froze.
The moment I saw it—Pain exploded inside my skull.
Images flashed violently through my head.
A girl smiling under moonlight, with silver eyes and soft laughter.
Then blood pouring down pale skin, my breathing stopped.
“No…” I whispered. The nurse jumped slightly. “Sir?”
The ribbon fell directly into my hand. The second my fingers touched it—
Everything came back. All at once Ravenport, the council, the Crimson King, Vincent Korr the dungeon, The torture and Seraphine.
A scream tore from my throat as memories slammed into me violently.
I collapsed off the bed onto the floor. Pain ripped through my skull.
“Leon!” Eli shouted while rushing toward me. I froze instantly.
Leon...... Leon Hawke....
.. That was my name. Oh God.
I remembered everything now. Seraphine dying.
The Crimson King stealing my power.
The river, The darkness. Tears burned down my face uncontrollably.
“No…” My voice broke violently. “Seraphine…”
