Regret does not come when we have the power to fix things, but when we realize the end has arrived.
And in a suffocating moment of calm, everything turned upside down.
"Your Majesty, please calm down. I have ordered the soldiers to search for him everywhere in the empire."
General Andrew spoke with a stern expression, trying to soothe the emperor, who seemed incapable of staying composed.
"That's enough… you may leave now. Just keep me informed of any updates from time to time."
The emperor said, barely restraining his tension, his voice composed in words alone, not in heart.
The general bowed respectfully and left the hall in silence.
The emperor remained alone, staring into emptiness with lost eyes before whispering:
"I must not lose Adrian. If I lose him, the empire will perish."
---
The search for Adrian continued everywhere, but in vain.
In another palace, the empress stood by her window, staring at the cloud-covered horizon with emotionless coldness.
"So… have you confirmed his death?"
She asked in a calm tone, as if inquiring about the weather, not a human soul.
The hired killer answered with a bow:
"Yes, Your Majesty. I saw the monsters dragging him before I left the place."
She raised an eyebrow in disbelief:
"Is that all?"
The man hesitated slightly before answering:
"My apologies, but if I had stayed any longer… I wouldn't have been able to tell you anything, because I would have died as well."
The empress smiled a twisted smile before whispering with contempt:
"Tch… well, it doesn't matter. He won't survive; after all, he is just a weak human."
Then she let out a long laugh that made the place tremble, a victorious laugh full of evil:
"Hahahahaha…"
But behind the closed door, her son Kieran was listening to every word, his eyes widening in shock and fear.
---
Deep in the forest, where fierce winds tore through the trees,
the sky was heavy with red clouds, and thunder struck the earth with unrelenting fury.
The crimson moon, high above, was completely veiled by clouds.
A deafening silence settled over the place, lasting only a few seconds, before a massive lightning bolt struck Adrian's torn, lifeless body.
A blinding light enveloped the entire forest, as if night had turned into day.
At that moment, Adrian opened his eyes in an unfamiliar realm—a world bathed entirely in white light, where no shadow could be seen.
"Adrian… you've truly grown."
A gentle, feminine voice, full of tenderness and sorrow, pierced the silence like a warm breeze amidst the storm.
Adrian turned and saw his sister Diana, barely recognizable.
"My sister… Diana? How…"
Adrian asked, astonished and confused.
Diana replied:
"I arranged this meeting for you, so everything you see now is real, not a dream."
Tears streamed from Adrian's eyes as he lowered his head.
"I'm sorry… this happened because of me. If you hadn't always defended me, perhaps Father would have loved and protected you."
She approached him as he spoke, embracing him tenderly:
"You are not to blame. It's not that our father would choose us over the empire."
He clung to her tightly, as if afraid she would slip from his grasp again.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"
He repeated the words with a broken voice.
Diana wiped his tears with a gentle smile:
"It's alright, okay? I'm truly happy with what happened… I am now living with our mother, and you cannot imagine my happiness."
Adrian asked with a sad, childish expression:
"Sister, can we stay together now?"
Diana looked at him with a wide smile before bursting into laughter:
"Hahaha, you're still kind even though you've grown."
Adrian grumbled, turning his gaze away:
"Sister! Don't make fun of me!"
Diana brushed a tear of joy from her eye and said:
"Sorry, sorry… but my dear brother, are you happy enough to wish we could stay together?"
She added with playful pride:
"But I don't want to stay with you, Your Highness."
Adrian protested theatrically:
"Knight, will you leave me and go?"
She replied with childish arrogance:
"Of course."
Then continued with a slightly sorrowful expression:
"Because magic never lasts."
Adrian asked with a suspicious look:
"What do you mean?"
She smiled gently, patting his head:
"I mean the skill I used is about to run out. After all, it was forbidden magic."
Adrian stared at her in awe and admiration:
"Magic after death? That's incredible! Were you learning forbidden techniques in the palace?"
Diana feigned a slight frown:
"You little nuisance, do you dare mock my achievements?"
Adrian said:
"I don't mean to mock. Anyway, I'm dead, so we could go together."
Diana replied:
"No, you still have a chance to live."
He froze, astonishment spreading across his face:
"What are you saying? I… I was already killed."
She looked at him with eyes full of both firmness and tenderness:
"No, you're not dead yet. Because I ****—"
Adrian was puzzled as Diana's voice disappeared.
"What are you saying? I can't hear you!"
Her shadow began to fade gradually, and her voice returned for the final words:
"Goodbye… Adrian."
"Wait…"
He ran toward her to embrace her, but only grasped empty air.
Tears fell to the ground, and suddenly, a strange door appeared before him.
He wiped his tears, looked at it with hesitation and concern, then slowly reached out and opened it.
Suddenly, he was pulled through the door.
At that moment, the thunder stopped, and the light gradually faded.
A pulse… then another pulse.
His heart began to beat again, and life returned to his dead body.
He rose slowly, staring at himself in disbelief.
"I thought I had lost my limbs… all that blood, where did it come from if my body wasn't really injured?"
He looked around, whispering to himself:
"What happened was real, no doubt… but something brought me back to life."
---
Elsewhere.
The child ran through the palace corridors, filled with terror and fear, wiping his falling tears with his small, trembling fingers.
"This is impossible… Mother couldn't have done that. Adrian is my brother… she can't have killed him!"
He kept repeating those words to himself, unable to believe what he had heard.
Old memories flooded his mind—when he was little, secretly watching Diana and Adrian play and laugh with joy.
The second prince, Kieran, had always lived alone because of his mother and her strictness, which forced him to study and obey instead of play.
But when he saw Adrian and Diana, for a brief moment, he felt as if life itself was smiling at him.
"You there! Why are you peeking at us?"
Adrian had appeared before him then, with a childish, mischievous smile.
"I… I… I…"
Kieran stammered, unsure what to say, but Adrian reached out his hand with a smile:
"Come on, let's play together!"
It was the first time Kieran truly felt alive.
They played together and laughed until the sun went down, and that memory became his most treasured possession,
despite the harsh punishment he received afterward from his mother, merely for daring to play with them.
Kieran returned to reality, his eyes shining with determination through his tears.
"If Mother really killed my brother… shouldn't I tell Father?"
Then he muttered, flustered:
"That man said he only saw the monsters drag him… maybe he's not dead yet! Maybe he's waiting for help!"
Kieran dashed toward his father the emperor's palace, without saying a word to his mother.
At the gate, he shouted in his small, hoarse voice:
"Let me in! I must tell Father something important!"
General Andrew approached him, surprised:
"Your Highness, return to the palace at once. His Majesty is busy—"
Kieran cut him off, shouting:
"I know where my brother is!"
The soldiers exchanged astonished glances, and Andrew quickly stepped forward to take him inside.
Kieran rushed into the royal hall and stood before his father, whose face showed signs of exhaustion.
"Kieran? Why are you here at this hour? Shouldn't you be asleep?"
The emperor said, his tone tense.
"Father… I know where my brother Adrian is!"
Kieran said, fearful and flustered, his voice trembling with every word.
"It's Mother… I mean, I heard someone say he was taken to the forest, and the monsters dragged him. The man said he was dead, but I don't believe it! I think he's still alive and waiting for help!"
Silence filled the hall, astonishment written on everyone's faces.
The emperor stepped closer slowly, asking cautiously:
"Do you mean this person was speaking to your mother?"
Kieran stammered, panicking:
"Y-… Yes… I mean, no, not really! I heard him in the street… Mother had nothing to do with it!"
But the tension in his voice betrayed him, and the emperor stared at him for a moment before shouting at the top of his lungs:
"General! Take your troops and head to the farthest part of the forest—the barrier between monsters and humans! Search there, immediately!"
General Andrew bowed respectfully, then set off with his soldiers at full speed toward the dark forest…
while the emperor remained standing in place, his face overflowing with worry over the truth he would soon learn.