“A prince was born!” The announcement of another prince being born was another miracle to the Imperial family. Indeed, the Imperial family is bestowed with many blessings from the heavens!
“A grand banquet shall be held!” Emperor Archiadus proudly announced to his subjects as they obliged.
However, Crown Prince Archimedes is not happy about the birth of his wife. In fact, he finds everything disgusting as he knew all along that his wife, supposed to be not his wife. If only he had known earlier that his wife is his blood, he might have considered ending his life before everything was arranged. But it is too late to back out as he had three sons to protect. His sons may have been a root of the Imperial family’s sickening tradition but they are innocent. This incestuous activity must end!
Crown Prince Archimedes had a plan on ending this incestuous practice that is passed down to the generation of the Imperial family that only the imperial loyalists knew. He waited patiently and obeyed the Emperor’s orders to gain his trust until he was crowned as the new Emperor of the Ahmosia Empire. When Crown Prince Archimedes became the Emperor, he immediately casted his wife and took a concubine from the nobles.
Somehow, the former Emperor Archiadus realized his son’s plan and made a move to avenge his son’s betrayal. He made another incestuous plan and played with his son’s administration without making him realize about it.
Emperor Archiadus had a smile on his lips before his death as he knew that he had succeeded in his plan to ruin his son’s life. At the same time, Emperor Archimedes thought that everything was cleaned up after his father’s death. He raised his sons well and never told them the dark secret of the Imperial family. Fortunately, the Emperor’s concubine was a considerate step-mother despite her inability to conceive.
Among all of Emperor Archimedes’ sons, his second son, Prince Aerelius was his favourite.
“Father,” the seven year-old Prince lowered his head before looking straight into his father’s eyes.
The Emperor would always get intimidated by his son’s direct and straight look. Although he is an Emperor, he feels low in front of his second son.
“Yes, my son?” He would show a genuine smile towards him even others would think that he is his favourite. He had no means of making it a secret that Prince Aerelius is his favourite son.
“I would like to have a private meeting with you, father.”
Upon hearing his son's request about privacy, the Emperor sent all of his subjects to go out and leave them two in the room. So then, Prince Aerelius walked towards the Emperor. He took his hand and kissed the back of his palm. The Emperor was confused about this sudden behaviour.
“Father, I would like to thank you for all of the things you have done.”
The Emperor suddenly chilled as he listened to his son’s compliment. “I know you are very tired and that you wanted to rest, father, however,” Prince Aerelius looked up to the Emperor.
“Prince Algautr is still very young to have your throne.”
That moment, the Emperor felt like his second son could read his mind. He had thought that he might have been manipulated but he knows very well that his second son would never use his ahmose towards him.
“My dear son, do you want to become the Emperor?”
Hearing Prince Aerelius say that, he can rest assured that the Ahmosia Empire will have a good future if he becomes the next Emperor.
“No, father.”
“May I ask the reason why?”
The Emperor was disappointed about this. He was looking forward to his second son to reign the throne but why did he reject his offer?
“I always had this dream, father.”
“What is in your dream?”
“I am not a genius, father. I believe that I was reborn as I can hear, see, and comprehend as soon as I had my first breath in this world.”
The Emperor was shocked to hear his second son say this. He does not want to believe it but he heard about stories of people being reborn. Perhaps, the reason why his second son’s uniqueness is because he had memories of his past life?
“I always had this dream every night. I was from another world, a world that is different from this world. And it tells me to look for something which is why I believe that once I find that thing, I will finally stop dreaming. I am not desiring for the throne and the Empire, father. I believe that if my dream stops, my will as a breathing being will finally be satisfied.”
The Emperor and Prince Aerelius had a serious conversation that time. They had also uncovered secrets together. And the second Prince was the first one to know the dark secret of the Imperial family. Later, the Emperor died in his sleep and his first son, Prince Algautr, succeeded the throne.
Year after a year, Prince Aerelius only focused on travelling as he desires for the people he dreamt of, every night. Until then, one night, his group was attacked by bandits. Prince Aerelius was protected by his comrades. He may be the known genius of the Empire and he can wield a sword but he is not confident with it. However, at that time, it seemed like he was losing as he did not expect that a large number of bandits would attack him.
“Please, run away, your highness!” One of his loyal comrades requested him as they could not be sure if they could outnumber the bandits.
Prince Aerelius does not want to leave his comrades and he thought about methods to fight but then, suddenly, they all heard a beautiful voice coming along with the wind. Unexpectedly, the fight stopped and suddenly everyone fell asleep except for him. He does not know, his heart was beating so fast and he had the thought of tracking where the beautiful voice was coming from.
He walked round and round to the forest but maybe because he is so good at tracing people that he found the root of the voice. There he got mesmerized by a sight of a woman, sitting above a big rock while looking at the bright moon. Her hair was bright red like blood was flowing down on it. The way she moves her lips while singing was delicate and at the same time heart-moving.
That moment, he never thought that the feeling of confusion within him, he had finally felt like he had found the cure of his curiosity.
“To be able to find me, you have a good hearing.”
The twenty year old Prince Aerelius flinched upon realizing that the song had actually ended and the woman was talking to him. As soon as the woman turned her head towards him, he felt the feeling of being alive. His eyes expanded and his body was feeling relaxed. Her eyes were entrancing and the way she looked at him, it felt like she had known him.
“Were you injured?” The woman jumped off the big rock and walked towards Prince Aerelius. She touched his clothes that got dirtied by blood.
“Seems like you are okay.”
He was still mesmerized by her beauty that he could not compare it to anyone else. She is just… so beautiful that it is such a waste if he takes his eyes off her.
“Mister, since I have helped you, you are going to let me tag along with you, right?”
Ah, Prince Aerelius got actually taken advantage of by this woman. She purposely helped him so he could take her with him but it does not matter. He won’t just stay still and he should also take advantage of this.
“As long as you will marry me?” He smirked.
The woman got flustered with his direct honest reply. She laughed.
“But I am a woman who does whatever she wants. Are you going to stop me whenever I want to do something I like?”
“No.”
“Then let us get married.”
On a whim, Prince Aerelius, the man who had too many girls to choose from, got married to a beautiful woman of unknown origin.
The news of the second prince being married to a foreign woman, had caused a lot of questions and dismay to the whole Ahmosia Empire. The current Emperor, his older brother, Emperor Algautr, wanted him to take another woman as his wife but Prince Aerelius stepped down to his position as a Prince to become a Duke as a punishment for breaking an Imperial rule.
The anti-imperial faction thought that the genius of the Empire would not be a threat to the throne anymore but not until a year later, they had heard too many accomplishments from the Dukedom territory that he had become a threat to the throne again. Because of the achievements done by Prince Aerelius, now Duke Agmundr, the noble faction have come to slander the Dukedom and take advantage of it. They have looked for faults and made it a big problem to take down the Dukedom but then, they have never succeeded.
On the other hand, as Duke Agmundr held his first child, tears were coming out his eyes. Since he got married to his wife, blessings are coming every day. The questionable dreams he had had found answers. This child, he would do anything to protect this child even if it will cost his life. He would be willing to give up everything for this family. He does not care if the whole world will hate him as long as this family stays happy and protected.
And then his second child was born, it was a beautiful daughter that resembled his wife. He thought that he would spoil this child. He would give her everything and anything she wants. But then—
Who would have thought that his world would turn upside down?
Like his world had crumbled into pieces, he held the cold hands of his daughter who had been lying on the bed for many months. He was so foolish about thinking that everything would be alright when he was away. He has failed as a father.
Within seven years, he relied on mana stones for his daughter but nothing has changed. His daughter had still not recovered. If only, if there is a way, he will destroy the world if it is the only condition.
“Uncle,”
One day, the new master of the magic tower came to him.
“I have found something that might help—“ The master of the magic tower was struggling with his breath because he came straight to the Dukedom after finding out about a cure.
Duke Agmundr immediately stood up.
“The Deuvil, he is a guardian of this world— he can cure Lady Amishta’s heart.”
Finally, they had found another way to revive his daughter. Although, hearing the story of the guardians was novel in his memory, he believed the story of the master of the magic tower as he knows that he will never do anything that could harm his daughter.
Duke Agmundr, along with the guide of the master of the magic tower, Xerxeses, and mages, took a dangerous journey to look for the said ‘The Deuvil’. They struggled with different types of storm in the ocean and fought with different barbarian tribes in some islands. Until then, they arrived at the ‘Divine Forest’ that is known to be opposite its name. It is a forest of different species of monsters who are said to be swirling around the ‘holy tree’ as their source of power and strength. It took them a month to have finally arrived at the safest place which is near the said ‘holy tree’.
The Duke was the only one to enter the cave below the holy tree and there he asked the ‘Deuvil’ for the cure. He was looking happy when he went out because he had finally found a way to recover his daughter’s broken soul but then, along his way back to the Dukedom, he had never seen a single pure soul.
“There is more…”
Since the day the Duke came out from the cave, he could hear strange voices from behind him. With another two months of travelling home, he had figured out that those voices from his back were the pure souls within him.
“At home…”
Those souls keep saying that there are more of them in his home so he hurriedly went all his way back to the Dukedom. But just as he arrived, his hope had been shattered into pieces as he looked at the large number of pure souls surrounding his wife and son. Not a single person possessed this number of pure souls but why does it have to be within his family? This is literally saying that his whole family should be sacrificed to cure his daughter.
“I know that something is going on.”
Duchess Jorunnr was worried about her husband. She knows that he is hiding something from her and she wants to talk about it. Many days have passed after Duke Agmundr came back from meeting the Deuvil, he did all means to find a single pure soul but he is running out of time.
She held her husband’s hand tightly, to show him that she would never leave until he told her.
Duke Agmundr got pressured as he knew that he can never keep a secret from his wife. He knows that this day will eventually come, when he tells his wife everything. So that night, he told her about the pure souls and every bit of information he had gone through. Duchess Jorunnr ended up hugging his husband while apologizing that she was not there when he needed her. They talked about their feelings until their hearts became light and easy.
The next day, Prince Eunuoa came to his father’s office. That moment when Prince Eunuoa did not speak and just remained looking at his father, Duke Agmundr could only stay silent as he had the feeling of the reason why Prince Eunuoa came to him.
“I will sacrifice my life—
“No, son.” Duke Agmundr immediately cut him before he could say anything else.
“Why not, father? I have two thousand and five hundred pure souls within me—
“I said NO, Eunuoa.”
Prince Eunuoa froze with his father’s firm demand. He clenched his fist as he knows that his parents are planning on sacrificing themselves for his younger sister, Princess Epiphany. He heard it. He heard it all.
“Tia needs to have a family. She shall not be alone after… we were gone.” Duke Agmundr could only look down and tone down his voice because his mouth is shaking just by the thought that he could not see his daughter smiling after he is gone.
“F-Father,” Tears coming down Prince Eunuoa’s eyes. He could not believe that this was happening in his family. He tried all his best to become the strongest man just to protect this family but why… is the world so unfair?
Five days passed, everyone was saying goodbye to the Duke and the Duchess for another trip. Everyone was thinking that they are going to look for another cure but Prince Eunuoa knows what they are planning to do.
“Your mother and I have one thousand of pure souls making it two thousand. You only need to find five hundred, alright?”
The things his father said to him last night will haunt him. He clenched his fist when his parents looked towards his direction and showed him a smile like everything will be fine. He bit his tongue in order to keep his eyes open without tears and then he could not do it anymore when his parents’ carriage was out of his sight.
During the night after his parents left, he broke down and cried soundlessly in Tia’s room while holding her cold hand. When he looks at the body of his sister, like a corpse lying in the bed alive, he could only hope that her sister’s pain should have been transmitted to him.
The next day, Prince Eunuoa would look around his father’s office and his parents’ room. He would stay there for hours before going around outside the Dukedom to look for five hundred pure souls. In order to have more pure souls, he had become even more ruthless so he could find these souls. However, just like how his father struggled looking for pure souls, he almost gave up. He is only looking for five hundred pure souls but why couldn’t he find a single one?
“Your highness,”
Prince Eunuoa’s knights could only pity him as they know that he is tired yet he is still going on and on just for his sister.
“Your highness!”
He was on his way back to the Dukedom to check on his sister’s condition but then a messenger came to him.
“The Princess was captured by the temple!”
His mind blew up and his body won’t move upon hearing the news about his sister. He immediately took a horse and rode it at full speed to see her. He used all his magic and teleportation ability to come as fast as possible. He even broke the Imperial palace’s gate. He even killed anyone who blocked his way but then…
He fell on his knees after seeing the body of his sister hanging in the execution ground. He had lost his rationality and strength as he put his head down to the ground while tears blocked his vision. That moment, he did not think of anything else and just swung and swung his sword. When blood covered the execution ground and the soil almost became a river of blood, again, he looked up to his sister. He held his sword to his chest.
“My sister, a world without you, this brother should follow wherever you go.”
Then he pierced the sword to his chest.
The unbeatable swordsman, Prince Eunuoa, had finally been lost in a battle. And the most notable Dukedom in history had finally crumbled down.