POV of Kael Lanpar
It had only been a few minutes since I parted ways with my parents, and to be honest, that sickening feeling wouldn't leave me. Something was going to happen. I knew it.
One of the first lessons I learned in the army —and in war— was to never ignore a gut feeling. The human body has a strange way of sensing the inevitable; it's fascinating how trauma shapes our reflexes.
Something's off, I thought.
The palace halls were unnaturally silent. Too silent. A short while ago, guards were moving back and forth, but now… emptiness.
Not even the weather brought any relief. Through the massive windows, the sky's tears fell relentlessly — in that subtle way of warning you that something is about to shatter.
I sighed.
I tried to channel my mental energy to sense Alfin and my sister, but… nothing. It was as if they had vanished.
"Nova…" I whispered, loud enough to be heard. "Something's wrong. Why did everything go so quiet all of a sudden?"
When I lifted my gaze and saw Nova's face, I froze. Thick, black liquid was streaming from his eyes. He stood motionless, silent.
Before I could process it, Nova screamed. A bloodcurdling shriek, as if he were being torn apart from the inside. The most disturbing part was that his body didn't move. Only when he collapsed to his knees and crumpled to the ground did the echo of his scream fade.
A shiver shot down my spine. Death was lurking close. I felt it in my bones.
I turned toward the window to catch my reflection… and what I saw made my blood run cold. I looked just like Nova. I couldn't feel my body. And maybe it was my blurred vision, but everything was starting to darken.
From the black mist, whispers emerged. Voices calling my name, celebrating my imminent death.
In that moment, I knew: I had never been this close to dying.
"So you're the little prince…" That voice. Shit.
I could hear the sparks of a sword dragging across the floor, slowly drawing closer.
"A pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty. I'm afraid death has already come for you."
I swallowed hard. My body wouldn't move. Worse: neither would my mind.
"I'm screwed…" I muttered, biting my lip until blood surfaced. That pain is what woke me.
"I don't know who you are," I snapped, inching slowly back toward the light, "but I am the son of the king and heir of the Lanpar line."
This is wrong. Think, Kael. Think.
I shut my eyes for a fraction of a second, searching for a way out.
Got it.
I lunged toward Nova's limp body. He wasn't dead; he was still breathing. A relief. I remembered he always carried a dagger at his waist. I couldn't use magic yet, so I had to improvise and rely on my combat skills.
I dove for him just as a rain of blades materialized out of nowhere. Quickly, I seized the dagger and, with precise movements, began deflecting the flying weapons.
"I see the little prince has some training," the voice hissed, pure venom — I still couldn't see his face.
"You're quite interesting, brat."
If this keeps up, I'll end up full of holes.
I couldn't allow Nova to be in more danger. My body, still too young, was already starting to fail me. Fatigue hit me hard. I was breathing raggedly.
"Shit…" I murmured as one blade slipped through my defense.
I closed my eyes. I didn't want to see my end.
But the strike never landed.
"Sorry for the delay, cousin," Alfin said, appearing beside me with a bloodied hand gripping the knife that had nearly killed me. "That bastard's a real nuisance. Leave this to us."
I let out a huge breath, steadying myself to get back on defense and protect Nova.
"Alfin, who is he?" I asked, gripping the dagger tighter. "What's going on?"
"No idea. I'll figure it out later," he replied calmly. "Stay back. I'll handle it."
I nodded and watched him vanish in a blur of speed, diving into the darkness as if it were nothing.
Within seconds, the clash of swords echoed through the hallway. Sparks burst from every impact.
I need to find help. If not… Alfin might…
The thought died as I saw Alfin's body hurled through the air and slam against the far wall.
"That damned brat is such a nuisance," the voice echoed right behind me. I didn't have time to turn around.
"Now it's your turn, heir of Lanpar."
Everything slowed to a crawl.
That feeling again. The same as always before death.
I tried to run, escape. Useless.
I felt his hand clamp around my neck, lifting me to his eye level. I couldn't breathe. His grip tightened like a vice.
I struggled, tried to punch him, but my strength wouldn't respond. The dagger slipped from my fingers.
"You're a bastard. You have no idea who you're messing with," I spat, staining his mask.
"Oh, I know exactly what trash I'm dealing with, brat," he muttered before hoisting me higher and slamming me to the ground with brutal force.
The impact knocked the air from my lungs. I bounced off the marble and spat saliva.
Through his mask, I saw something colder than any ice: he was smiling.
Slowly, consciousness began to fade.
The cold seeped in. But it wasn't ordinary cold.
The last thing I saw was my sister walking toward me from the shadows as the hallway began to fill with ice.
I'm safe… for now.
(Kael's mental space)
It took me a few moments to understand where I was. I could still feel a faint echo of the pain in my back and head from the blow I had taken.
Yet here… here, pain seemed not to exist.
A few days ago, I thought I'd found peace, but death —in one form or another— always follows me.
It sounds strange, maybe even insane, but in this place, I felt calmer than ever. Happy, even. Whatever happened outside… didn't matter anymore.
Still, I couldn't set aside that immense hatred I carried, because whenever I let myself believe things would get better, everything collapsed again in an instant.
I clenched my fists, furious at something that maybe couldn't even be hated.
I never even wanted to reincarnate.
I just wanted to die. To reunite with my parents, with my family, in a place where pain couldn't reach.
But clearly, that wouldn't be possible.
"Damn you, Kraidir, where are you?" I muttered.
His face, with that perpetual scowl of an angry dog, appeared before me.
"Anything you want to tell me? Or did you just come to drag me here?"
"I didn't bring you," he answered calmly. "You dragged yourself to this reality, Matias.
I see you're still seeing demons everywhere."
"The only demon here is you," I shot back with a dry smile. "You don't know what it's like to stain your hands with blood. You don't know the weight of taking a life. You have no feelings."
Kraidir said nothing. He just approached, sat beside me, and gazed at the sky. A sky more beautiful than any I had ever seen.
"Matias," he said after a moment, "listen to me closely. Suffering, carrying that pain you bear… it's part of being human. More than you think."
I looked at him. His eyes, fixed on the horizon, showed something impossible to ignore: love.
"Maybe you don't understand it now," he continued. "Maybe you'll never understand it. But both your reincarnation and your destiny in your past life were your choices."
I narrowed my eyes, weighing each word as if it were a dagger.
"What are you getting at, Kraidir?" I stood, feeling the fresh grass under my feet. "I didn't choose this shitty destiny. I didn't ask to live!"
"You did choose it. We all do. We just forget."
His words shook me. My legs felt weak.
"Kael," his voice was gentler now, "don't think about forgiving yourself just yet. The mistakes have already been made. Matias is dead. But you… are not."
"What… what are you saying?" my lips trembled. Doubts boiled inside me.
"I won't tell you more," Kraidir stood, his silhouette already fading. "You said you'd write a new story. Take this chance. Live… my son."
My mind clouded over.
His voice, this time, sounded like a farewell. Something final. Something eternal.
"Why?" I screamed, the words tearing my throat. "Who are you really? What god is playing with me? They can all go to hell!"
"I love you, son."
I didn't see those words coming. Tears sprang forth unbidden.
His voice was already an echo.
"You'll keep suffering," he said. "You'll feel like everything is falling apart. But for a reason… you are the one who reincarnated. Trust yourself."
I collapsed to my knees. I watched him disappear.
He left me alone, with questions that might never have answers.
"Don't leave me… not again," I whispered, the words dissolving into the breeze. "I don't want to be alone… What am I?"
I closed my eyes.
Slowly, consciousness returned. But I was not the same.
A sea of emotions overwhelmed me.
Perhaps it was rage.
But it was also power. A power that whispered: unleash hell.
(Back in the real world)
I snapped my eyes open. In front of me, my sister and cousin lay on the ground, badly wounded, covered in blood, writhing in pain.
The rage surged again like a torrent. Particles of color and unknown harmonies burst around me. I wasn't thinking. I wasn't reasoning. I was only responding to the blind scream of vengeance.
My hand burst into flames. I lifted my gaze and locked eyes with the masked man who had attacked us. He said nothing. He just took a step back.
I charged at him.
I took advantage of his exhaustion. I didn't give him a second to react.
In mere seconds, I moved like a flicker, blinking from one spot to another. My eyes were hollow; all that was left inside was hatred, fury, and a madness that bordered on the inhuman.
I twisted, just in time to see him fall.
First to his knees, agony shattering him. Then, collapsing fully onto the ground.
Another life taken.
Once again, my hands were stained with blood.
I didn't want this.
Who am I to decide who lives and who dies?
I'm no god. I'm not even good. I'm just… a killer.
Regret sank its teeth into me like a starving beast.
Everything blurred. I could barely make out the figures entering the room.
My mother ran to me, wrapped her arms around me, and pressed my head to her chest.
"Kal, my son," she whispered. "It's going to be alright. Don't carry guilt that doesn't belong to you."
"It won't be alright…" I murmured, low enough that she wouldn't hear me.
"I killed someone. I didn't want to."
I always knew my hands would stay stained.
The monster inside me had never left.
I hated killing… and now, in this body that was supposed to be my escape, it felt even worse.
I looked up.
And there it was.
Right in front of me.
My reflection. The real me. The one I only ever saw in my mind's space.
He smiled wickedly, his lips mouthing the sentence that had haunted me forever:
There is no forgiveness for you.
I hate you.
POV of Xavier Lanpar
After leaving the wounded soldier with his comrades, I grabbed my katana and began preparing myself.
I didn't know what kind of divine entity had arrived in Mayora, but its mere presence was a threat.
"I'm ready," I announced, fastening the katana to my back. "Boro, Luis, Rengar—you're coming with me. The rest of you… if a single word leaves this room, the consequences will be fatal."
They nodded silently. They knew I wasn't joking.
This was no longer a dispute. It was a continental war.
I took a deep breath, clenching my fists. Divine energy coursed through my veins like liquid fire. Feeling that power was intoxicating; it gave me the illusion of control, even though I knew how fragile it was.
"Ready at your command, Xavier," my father-in-law said, his crystal armor shining. "Let's hope this ends well."
"It has to end well… or we're screwed," I muttered.
My brown hair darkened to midnight black. My skin turned as white as snow.
It was the mark of the Murders. The lineage of death.
I approached Boro, this time with a request I knew could be my last.
"If I fall… take care of my family. Take charge of the throne. You know what to do."
He nodded, then vanished in a burst of lightning.
I did the same, soaring into the sky. The castle quaked in my wake.
Before leaving, I gave one final warning to the clan leaders:
"If anything goes wrong, you'll take over everything."
We flew off—Boro, my father-in-law, and Rengar at my side.
From the air, I saw my kingdom.
The people who trusted us.
They awaited news.
But I didn't know how to give it to them… how to tell them their lives were on the line and that their king might not even be able to protect them.
"Xavier," my father-in-law exclaimed. "Let's move. You get sentimental too quickly."
I shot him a cold glare before launching forward at full speed.
I knew what was at stake. If I had to sacrifice myself for peace, I would. Every peace comes with a price.
Within minutes, we spotted four silhouettes atop a mountain near Valdeluna, our coastal city.
We landed, taking defensive stances.
"Pillars of Altarya," I said firmly. "I am Xavier Lanpar, Murder bloodline. What do you seek in Mayora?"
One of them stepped forward.
"Xavier Murder, son of Death. You know well why we've come."
I gritted my teeth. This wasn't just a message. It was a sentence.
"The gods of Altarya have decided that your end has come."
Before I could process it, I saw Rengar drop to his knees, coughing up blood.
"What the hell are you doing!?" I roared, unleashing my power and creating a crater beneath our feet.
"Consider it a warning… and a gift," the hooded figure replied.
Rengar collapsed. He died instantly.
Another hooded one tossed me an hourglass.
"When the last grain falls… the souls of this continent will be ours."
I stood motionless.
I could only watch the sand flow.
"Remember it well, Xavier," his voice was the last thing on the wind. "You'll be the first to fall."
They vanished.
I looked up at the sky, holding back a scream.
My mother had warned me this day would come. I didn't think it would be so soon.
I must hasten the preparations.
War is imminent.