They called me a traitor.
A prince who had dared to betray his own kind.
For that, I was stripped of my name, my title, and any right to stand in the elven race.
Exiled.
Now, I stood alone in a land I did not recognize, with nothing but a small pouch of coins and the weight of a crime I did not commit.
The air felt different here.
Thinner. Cruder.
Nothing like high elf forests.
For a moment, I simply stood there, unmoving, letting the reality settle in. The silence around me was not the comforting stillness of the elven lands …it was empty, unfamiliar.
Cold.
I exhaled slowly and reached for the pouch at my side.
Light.
Too light.
I loosened the strings and glanced inside, already knowing what I would find.
A few coins. Enough for a handful of days at best, that is, if I were careful.
"...Pathetic."
The word slipped out before I could stop it.
Not mine.
Theirs.
My fingers tightened around the pouch before I closed it again and tied it securely to my belt.
Complaining wouldn't change anything. It never had.
I needed three things.
Food, shelter, and a way to earn more coins …fast.
Without those, nothing else mattered.
My gaze lifted, scanning the horizon. There was no sign of life, no smoke, no structure, no movement—just an endless stretch of unfamiliar land.
"...Then I'd better find a road," I murmured.
Civilization always followed roads.
And where there were people, there were opportunities—no matter how small.
A tavern would be the easiest place to start: cheap food, a place to stay, and information if I listened carefully.
And beyond that…
Work.
If this land were anything like the others, there would be those willing to pay for a blade.
Even a poor one.
Time passed in silence as I walked.
The ground beneath my feet shifted from terrain to something more worn. Subtle at first—but enough.
A path.
I followed it without hesitation.
It wasn't long before I heard it.
Wheels.
Voices.
My steps slowed as I approached, my posture straightening instinctively. Through the trees, a wagon came into view—large, sturdy, flanked by a pair of armed escorts.
Merchants.
My first sign of life.
I stepped onto the path just enough to be seen.
The guards noticed me immediately.
Hands moved towards their weapons—not drawn, but ready.
Good.
Cautious.
That meant they weren't fools.
The wagon slowed.
A man seated at the front glanced down at me, his eyes sharp as they took in my appearance—worn clothes, no insignia, no visible wealth.
Suspicion settled in quickly.
"State your business," one of the guards said.
Direct.
I met his gaze without hesitation.
"Where is the nearest town?"
A brief pause.
The merchant and his guards exchanged looks before the man at the front spoke.
"Follow this road east," he said. "You'll reach a city by nightfall… if you're lucky."
East.
I nodded once.
"...I see."
I turned slightly, then stopped.
"I'll pay," I said, looking at them. "For a ride."
Silence followed.
The merchant looked at me again, longer this time. Measuring. Calculating.
Then he shook his head.
"Not interested."
No hesitation. No negotiation.
A clear refusal.
"...Understood."
I didn't argue. There was no point.
Trust wasn't given freely—especially not someone like me.
Without another word, I stepped aside and continued down the road.
The wagon passed.
No one looked back.
The path stretched on.
Step after step, the distance slowly closed.
Fatigue crept in—not enough to stop me, but enough to remind me of my limits.
"...So this is what it means to have nothing."
No title.
No protection.
No place to return to.
Only what I could build with my own hands.
By the time the sun began to set, I saw it.
Walls.
A city.
For a moment, I said nothing.
Then I continued forward.
The gates loomed ahead, guarded by armored figures standing at either side. Their attention shifted towards me as I approached, their expressions neutral but alert.
"Stop."
I did.
One of them stepped forward, eyes narrowing slightly.
"Name?"
The question hung in the air.
For the briefest moment, silence followed.
Then
"...Lelouch."
The rest of the name never came.
It no longer belonged to me.
The guards watched me for a second longer before speaking again.
"Purpose?"
"Work."
A simple answer.
After a pause, the guard stepped back, gesturing toward the gate.
"Don't cause trouble."
The gates opened.
Noise hit me first.
Voices. Movement. Life.
A world completely different from the one I had lost.
People passed by without a second glance. Conversations overlapped. The air carried the scent of food, metal, and something unfamiliar.
Chaotic.
Imperfect.
Alive.
I stepped forward.
No name. No status. No place.
…Good.
That meant nothing was holding me back.
My gaze shifted deeper into the city, calm and steady.
This time
I would carve my name into a history this world could never forget.