Chapter 3: The darkness will come back by devouring a weak light

Some days had passed since the young prince’s birthday. Today was an important day, the day he would fulfill his duty.

You see, the Caelurea kingdom, the kingdom where the prince is from, had been on bad terms with their neighboring friend for some time now. So, to break the ice, the king had chosen to send the little prince himself for a peace treaty.

It was a big deal, especially for the prince. This was his moment to show his worth to his people, and he wasn’t going to waste it, as dangerous as it was. So as the sun blessed him with its light, the young prince opened his eyelids.

Rising up from his bed, he felt the wind gently brush his face with its grace. As he looked outside his window, the streets were filled with joy. The birds sang with all their might as the sun rose to his glory.

The young prince stretched his body before leaving his room and roamed the halls of the gigantic castle until he arrived at the throne room door, where his father was resting. As their eyes met, the prince smiled and ran up to his father.

After his mother, he loved his father more than anything in the world. His sister was a close second, but she could never replace their father.

He didn’t know why, but he felt some sort of connection between them, like they were bound by fate. He always thought it was just because of their father-son relationship, but what if there was more to it?

He could just be overthinking it, but there’s no harm in it.

The reason for their meeting was for the little prince to say goodbye to his father. It was supposed to be a quick goodbye, but tears were already falling.

After what seemed like ages, the prince left his father behind without looking back. He knew if he did, he would start crying again. Even if he was only going to be away for some days, for them, this journey already felt like it had been going on for months.

A grand carriage awaited him outside the castle, one fit to carry such a radiant light. Alongside it, five shining knights awaited on their mighty horses. In their hands, they held swords so sharp they could even cut the scales off the most wicked dragon of them all.

As their eyes met the blinding light, they bowed down to its glory and guided it inside the golden carriage without their eyes ever meeting again. Aside from the prince, inside the carriage sat a knight, but not like the others.

He didn’t wear his helmet to mask his face from the light, but instead gazed straight into the sky, held inside the calm eyes of the prince.

The name bestowed on this honorable knight was Jude. Praised by the king, aside from his name, he gained his trust. So the king knew who to send to protect the little prince.

Soon enough, the carriage began moving, marking the point of no return for the prince.

The world outside blurred by as the carriage rolled onward, its gentle rumble rocking him back into thought.

As the carriage wheels went on and on, the little prince couldn’t help but feel himself fall into the world of dreams and wonder. He felt the sun bless his eyes one more time before his eyelids closed, and only the merciless darkness remained.

He spent some time in his dream, a bright smile appearing on his face. And judging by the soft smile on his face, we can be sure his dream was a gentle one.

But I do wonder what he was dreaming about, what could make him smile so brightly.

As he awakened from his slumber, he gazed outside the window, wondering how long it had been since he left, and how much they still had to go until he could return to his family.

But as he stared into the horizon, he felt a voice call his name.

“I hope you slept well, Aether. You woke up just in time. We’re on the last stretch.” The knight looked at him, his eyes staring into the depths of the ocean, almost like they were challenging its glory.

The little prince smiled, ensuring the knight that he wasn’t an ocean that would unleash its wrath upon him, but instead was a calm river.

Seeing the bright smile of the prince, the knight grinned back, just his was more sinister. Yet the little prince was not afraid of him. How could he be, when the person in front of him was supposed to be protecting him?

He would never be scared of those dear to him, not even if they died and then crawled back from their graves.

And true to the knight’s word, they soon arrived at the border of the two nations. As the little prince stepped on the ground, he felt a weird feeling inside him, one he had never felt before.

It was like it was telling him something, but he just couldn’t figure out what. He was never good at understanding those around him.

With this feeling boiling inside him, he decided to ignore it. It was time for him to fulfill his duty. If he didn’t do this, then who else?

So he took a deep breath, one good enough to fill his lungs, and put a bright smile on his face.

With confidence, he carried himself while his knights followed, ready to protect him at any moment. On the other side, there stood seven golden soldiers, and in the middle stood a tall figure, one whose hair was pure white and whose eyes were golden. The little prince was sure that if he were to cry, his tears would be pure gold.

He was definitely intimidated, but he tried not to show it. Though some caught on, as the knight who had stood beside him in the carriage stepped in front of him and gave him a reassuring smile, just enough to calm the prince.

But as he was about to speak, he heard a noise he never expected to hear at that moment, and moreover, not from whom he expected. The sound of metal rubbing against leather. The sound of a sword being drawn.

But not from the side of the enemy, from his own knight. It all happened in a second, in the blink of an eye. He looked at his hands, painted in blood. He felt a shiver run down his spine as he looked to see what had happened.

What he saw was Jude, who had put his hand in front of a blade, a blade that was going after the prince’s head. Aether froze.

Looking around him, he could see that the other knights had also drawn their swords and were running toward him. He couldn’t understand what was happening. Only Jude’s voice woke him up.

“What are you doing, kid? Just run already!” Hearing the serious tone in his voice, he understood this wasn’t a joke, this was reality. So he didn’t hesitate and made a run for it.

As he ran, Jude was left behind to battle both the enemy and those he considered allies.

Aether couldn’t understand what had just happened. He didn’t know much, but he was sure that this wasn’t how you signed a peace treaty. He ran, as tears ran down his pale face.

Soon enough, the knight had killed Jude and was already running after Aether. Luckily, he was able to find an abandoned building to hide in. So with his bones shimmering, he burst inside the house, with an army of soldiers following him with their only intention being to eliminate him. He hid behind a counter as he heard the knights’ footsteps around the house, their sharp swords clenched in their fists.

Aether curled up in a ball, and he waited. He waited until this nightmare was over. That had to be it, he had to still be dreaming. Yeah, that’s it. This wasn’t real. It was just a dream. He should just reveal himself so he could wake up already.

And yet, a part of him still thought this was real. That this was actually happening. So he stayed hidden. He stayed there for hours on end, until he could only hear the footsteps of one knight.

He only had to endure it for a little longer. That was until he felt the same feeling he felt when he arrived, only this time, he could understand what it was saying.

He crawled over to a knife that was on another counter before sneaking behind the knight and piercing his neck multiple times with the blade. Only after it was all over did the little prince realize what had happened.

He had taken a human life.

His hand shook as he fell to the ground, tears bursting out of his eyes. He felt like he was about to throw up, knowing that he had killed a human like him, someone who had a family that loved him.

But that was until he noticed something he had once dreamed of, yet it felt more like a curse than a blessing.

***

[Character Codex: ERROR—Unstable Sync Detected]

Name: Aether Moirai

Age: 9

Race: Human

Affiliation: Royal Family

[Path]: —Vessel of the Abyss—

Designation unlocked prematurely. Sync in progress…Warning: Subject underage. Instability imminent.

Knowledge Rank — [Fragment]

>1/1000 knowledge shard

Codex Class — [Reader]

> Sync Rate: 1%

[Affinity]: —Abyss—

>A slumbering void stirs within you. It gazes back.

[Affinity Bane]: —Stranded Resolve —

Mental Fortitude: 87/100

Emotional Spike Detected: Kill Count [1]

Status: Stable — Abyssal Influence: Dormant

[Mental Fortitude Thresholds]

> 80 — Clear Mind: Subject resists Abyssal influence entirely.

60–79 — Subtle Echoes: Whispered thoughts appear. Minor tension.

40–59 — Instability Detected: Reflexive Abyssal traits may emerge. Partial control possible.

20–39 — Possession Risk: Abyss seeks control. Dreams become gateways.

< 20 — Vessel Breach:Abyss overrides host. Control lost temporarily.

[Abyssal Pulse Log]

[Mental Fortitude: 87]– Subject is in full control.

[Skills/Abilities]

ACCESS LOCKED — Conditions not met.Note: Awakening abilities may trigger premature Abyssal emergence.

***

After awaiting it for ages, it had finally appeared. It was just, it’s timing couldn’t be worse.

As the young prince was crawling up on the floor, he heard the buzzing noise of a TV nearby. Curious, and with tears flowing down his soft cheeks, she crawled over to it.

Soon enough, the buzzing became more intelligible, and not long after, into words, and then full sentences.

As the prince listened carefully, he felt something inside him die. Like a flame being extinguished.

“I, the king of the Serathia kingdom, am officially declaring war on the people of the Caelurea empire. I am also here to announce the Death of Caelurea’s prince.”

Aether stared at the screen, speechless. Earlier, he wondered what to do next, and now, he wasn’t sure if he was even alive anymore. He had just witnessed the announcement of his own death. He didn’t know if this was reality or just his imagination.

Only a sudden falling showed him the truth. One that, unlike before, was now loud and clear, he didn’t need to understand what it was saying, it already knew.

As tears continued to flow from his eyes, a smug smile corrupted his innocent face.

Only one thing came to his mind anymore:

He had died today. Not by blade, but by betrayal.

And from this death, something else had risen.

A storm, born to burn Serathia from the inside out.

…

[Abyssal Pulse Log]

[Mental Fortitude: 87]– Subject is in full control.

[Mental Fortitude: 79]– The abyss gazes into your eyes, will you look back?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep