Chapter 2: The Shadows Creeping In

There was once a great ruler, one greater than all there is and was. A king whose kingdom praised him with their souls, pure of happiness and love for the one they obey. This king, together with his wife, who was considered the most beautiful woman in the world, whose looks were only compared to those of the great Aphrodite, gave birth to three sons, three golden seeds.

But these seeds didn’t receive the same care. One was given more, another less. The one who had received the best care was the youngest, an elf who took his mother’s genes and became as beautiful as her. But sadly, he was born powerless.

Even with the extra care, the young elf was filled with jealousy for his brothers, who had taken after their father and become powerful people inside the kingdom. Meanwhile, he spent his whole life prisoner in his own home.

Though his mother always told him to be grateful for what he had, and when she died, he promised to take that to heart. He was said throughout the kingdom to be selfless, a light shining on them to keep them warm, only because of his good heart.

Soon, his father had asked him, hence being his heir, to meet at the border with one of the other kingdoms for a peace treaty. What the little prince didn’t expect was that he would be betrayed by his own people and trapped inside the enemy territory.

And so the elf prince found himself alone, the borders behind him closed, his home a memory. But what came after… the story did not say.

[…]

The prince turned the page, only to see that the page was completely empty. He froze for a couple of seconds before shuffling the pages of the book, trying to find a continuation, but there was none. No ink, just some blank paper. It was like that was the end, but the book had only started. It was as if… it was waiting for someone to complete it.

And to make it worse, the ending wasn’t to his liking. The young prince couldn’t help but criticize the little elf, as he could have prevented his betrayal if he had just not put that much trust in the people around him. In those, he considered family.

Frustration welled up inside the little prince, and before he could stop himself, the book slammed against the wall. But then he slowly walked over and picked it back up. He didn’t understand why he would do such a thing. It wasn’t like him to act so irrationally. He had done it purely out of the emotion that had bottled up inside him.

Or maybe… there was something else? Maybe our young prince had taken a liking to the elf since their stories were so familiar. His mother was a beautiful woman, the most beautiful he had laid his eyes on.

Sadly, she was brutally murdered by someone who had developed an obsession with her and thought that she loved him. And just before her death, she had told the young prince not to feel bad that he lacked his power… because it made him unique.

And ever since, he had lived with that idea printed inside his mind. But in truth, it lingered only because it was the last memory he had of her, clear enough to replay in his mind whenever he needed her voice.

Maybe that was why he had acted so irrationally. He saw himself in the little elf.

[…]

The town was filled with laughter as the festival took place. Kids were running all over the place, while the adults were having a drink together. But who could blame them? Today was a holy day. The birthday of a saint.

The little prince wandered through the buzzing streets all alone, stopping at stalls to either buy something or try to win some of the toys at the games scattered throughout the massive city.

So massive he didn’t know where to start. Well, wherever he did, he better have the stamina to explore the whole festival until night fell and he had to attend the ballroom.

While the prince was walking around the city enjoying the festival, he stopped by a merchant stall. The vendor, an old woman, gave him a strange look, one that lingered too long.

“So bright… but even the brightest stars fall into the Abyss,” she says in a hushed voice. Before he can ask what she meant, she’s already moved on to the next customer like nothing happened.

Confused, the little prince moved on, trying not to let strange words ruin his birthday. But even for royalty like him, all this attention had gotten to him. People approached him for autographs, some even to ask him to bless them and their families.

Even those who bask in the sun’s warm gaze have their limits. Even the darkness fails to absorb every piece of the light reflecting on it. So with that, the young heir retreated into an alleyway for a little break while things calmed down.

But as he took a deep breath, he heard someone cough beside him. Reacting like the little child he was, he jumped. But as his eyes met the source, he seemed to calm down a little. It was an old man, one who didn’t look to have long until the undeniable end of his sorrowful life. The little prince couldn’t help but feel pity for the old man. He felt his eyes begin to tear up.

This happened every time. One thing about the young prince is that he can’t tolerate death. You would think he would get used to it, living in a time where war and death are something you hear and see every once in a while. But you would be wrong.

The old man glanced at the prince, his dying eyes felt empty. That was when the young prince realized it. This man… he wasn’t dying, but had already died, only leaving his body to decompose in the dark streets.

His soul had long left to go to a place much brighter and full of hope. Well, at least that is what people think happens after one dies. This place is called The World Above.

The little prince knelt down to pay his respects, but that was when a hand shot out. Cold. Lifeless. The prince fell back on the hard ground, his heart racing. As he got back on his feet, he heard the last words of the man before his body finally gave in.

“The Abyss… It’s frightening. Don’t let it find you, kid, or else it will not en—oh… Just forget it. There’s no point.”

He got up, dusted off his clothes, and left the alley behind. As sad as it was, there was no time to dwell on cryptic warnings from dying men. The ballroom awaited, and royalty never arrived late, not even when their mind was somewhere else entirely.

[…]

After a long day of endless wonder, the prince had finally arrived at the final part of his birthday party. A party filled with royalty and nobility. Wherever you looked, you would be blinded by shining faces under the undying smile of the king who stood at the top, waiting for the young prince to walk to him.

The young prince smiled seeing his father, and squeezing through the crowd, he ran up to him and jumped into his big arms. And when I say big, I mean to the point he could hold the prince in one hand. Yet he could never use them to hurt even a fly.

While holding the prince with one hand, he grabbed a hairpin from his pocket. As soon as the prince saw it, his eyes lit up. It was a silver hairpin shaped like a moonflower, once worn by his mother on her wedding day. The only thing that wasn’t stained with blood was when she died.

Seeing the lights burning without stopping inside the eyes of his dear son, he couldn’t help but laugh before giving it to him as a birthday gift. But after the prince got hold of it, his father suddenly turned serious.

“She wanted you to have this when you turned of age. I was selfish to keep it… But no longer.”

Seeing his father’s behavior, the prince nodded and then went to enjoy the party.

After spending the whole day having fun, he even got tired. So he decided to sit down for a while and observe others having fun instead. But as he watched with a bright smile on his face, he accidentally overheard the conversation of two nobles beside him.

“His eyes… It’s said those who see the Abyss are marked with such color.”

He sighed. How many times had he heard that word now?

The Abyss.

He didn’t know what it was.

He didn’t think he needed to.

After all, his family would always protect him… wouldn’t they?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep