The night was heavy, blanketing a nameless wilderness in a deep silence.
The Moon hung high, its cold silver light cutting through the dense canopy of trees, casting scattered patches of brightness on the forest floor.
No stars filled the sky — only the lonely moon, like a forgotten lantern, hanging in the endless black.
The towering trees twisted and stretched their gnarled branches upwards, blocking most of the light, while the underbrush rustled softly with the movements of wild creatures.
A single path had been carved through the dense vegetation, just wide enough for a carriage to pass through. The jagged edges of the trail suggested it was made by human hands.
The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and wood, broken only by the faint crackling of a campfire nearby.
Around the campfire, ten soldiers sat in a defensive circle, their armor reflecting the fire’s flickering light.
They remained silent but alert, scanning the shadows for any sign of movement.
In the center of their formation, two carriages rested, well-guarded.
Near the bonfire, Lucian and Drake sat together.
The warmth of the flames offered a small comfort against the chill of the night, while the mouth-watering smell of roasting meat filled the air.
A soldier was carefully tending to a wild animal they had hunted earlier, preparing it for meal.
Lucian stared up at the sky, his eyes locked on the moon, the only light in the dark expanse above.
The lack of stars made the sky feel empty, a stark difference from what he remembered in his previous life.
In that blue planet, the night sky had been full of stars, glittering like distant jewels.
Now, the starless sky reminded him just how foreign this world was — a world where he had been reincarnated, and a world that still felt unfamiliar even after months of living in it.
It had been four months since Lucian had awakened in this new body.
He still remembered the shock of realizing he had been reincarnated as a royal prince — an identity far from the failure he had been in his past life.
Before, in his previous life, he had wasted his days on women, alcohol, and reckless pleasures.
His previous life ended abruptly at the age of thirty-three, when a man whom he had cuckolded — someone whose wife, sister, and even mother Lucian had been f*cking — murdered him in a fit of rage, when that man saw him having a foursome.
Weak from years of sexual indulgence, Lucian hadn’t even been able to defend himself, before he died.
Waking up and receiving the memory of the previous occupant of the body, Lucian was stunned to know that his predecessor had been poisoned.
After absorbing the memories, although he had some suspicious who had killed ‘him’, the maid who supplied the meal had already vanished, most likely killed by the person behind the scenes.
So Lucian didn’t spread the news of his poisoning, after all he was even grateful for ‘his’ death because of that he got the chance to reincarnate here.
But, if that person tried to kill him again, he would not be so easy to deal with this time.
“Your Highness, the meat is ready.”
The voice of one of the soldiers broke him out of his thoughts.
Lucian shifted his gaze, focusing on the roasted meat.
The soldier stood up and approached them, carrying two steaming pieces of meat, before offering it to Lucian and Drake.
Lucian took the piece of meat and held it to his mouth, savoring the aroma of the freshly roasted game.
Although it couldn’t compare to the Royal Palace’s gourmet meals, the smell was still mouthwatering.
After a moment, Lucian bit into the meat, feeling the juices fill his mouth. The meat was tender, and Lucian felt the fat melting as soon as it touched his tongue.
Seeing the both Prince seemed to like it, the soldier heaved a sigh of relief.
Abruptly,
Whoosh~~
A sudden gust of wind sliced through the air, drawing the attention of all present.
“An ambush?!”
One soldier, instincts honed from countless battles, sprang to his feet, scanning the shadowed surroundings with a predator’s vigilance.
His alertness ignited a fire within the others, their bodies tense as if coiled springs, ready to react at the slightest hint of danger.
But before they could steady their nerves, a piercing shriek echoed — a whistling arrow found its mark, burying itself deep in the throat of a soldier.
The man’s hands shot up, futilely grasping at the crimson fountain erupting from his wound as he crumpled to the ground, life spilling away like sand through an hourglass.
“Damn it! Seems like poisoned arrows!”
“Identify yourselves! This is the Royal Prince’s retinue! Surrender, and we might show you mercy!”
The commanding officer’s voice rang out, a desperate plea swallowed by the encroaching silence of the forest.
“Mercy? Hahaha…”
In that stillness, another arrow sliced through the air, claiming yet another soldier in its deadly arc.
“Who dares to attack us?!” The officer’s voice trembled, a mix of rage and fear.
Lucian’s heart quickened, a sense of foreboding gripping him.
Whoever orchestrated this assault was clearly unafraid of the repercussions.
“Commander! Several figures have been spotted in the trees!” a soldier called out, urgency lacing his words.
“How many?”
“More than four!”
“What? only four?!”
“Don’t underestimate them!”
“Then what is our course of action, Commander?”
“Form a protective perimeter! We must shield His Highnesses at all costs!”
At the Commander’s command, the soldiers rallied, positioning themselves around the ornate carriages and the two princes, a bastion of resolve amidst the chaos.
But their valiant formation only provoked the attackers, who unleashed a series of shrill whistles that echoed through the night like a mournful dirge. In response, a barrage of arrows descended upon them.
The soldiers raised their shields, but the projectiles tore through the defenses as if they were mere parchment.
“Argh!!”
“Where is Prince Drake?”
“W…what ghost is haunting us?” a soldier cried, panic flickering in his eyes.
Before the officer could respond, a fireball erupted from the shadows, blazing toward a soldier.
Boom!
The intense heat engulfed him, and within moments, he was reduced to charred remains, a horrific reminder of the attackers’ bizzare power.
The battlefield was soon painted red, each fallen soldier’s blood pooling beneath them, oozing from their mouths like the whispers of the dying.
Soon,
Step~
Step~
The sound of approaching footsteps resonated ominously, each step heavy with intent.
Lucian turned, his eyes narrowing as a figure emerged from the shadows, clad in an obsidian robe.
The man exuded a commanding presence, a sinister aura enveloping him like a shroud, enhancing his striking features.
A sleek blade hung from his waist, glinting ominously in the dim light.
Flanking him were four assassins, each distinct in their menace: two wielded bows, arrows nocked and ready, their faces hard and devoid of emotion; one brandished a spear, eyes cold and calculating; while the fourth held a long sword.
Their eyes sparkled with malevolence, Lucian could see the contempt in their hardened expressions.
“You are…!?” Lucian asked.
“Don’t kill him directly!” Drake’s voice suddenly cut through the chaos, sharp and authoritative, as he stepped forward, flanked by the two death soldiers he had brought along.
The leading man paused, annoyance flickering across his features, a blend of arrogance and superiority radiating from him.
Slap—
Without warning, one of the men struck Drake across the face, leaving a vivid palm print on his fair skin.
“Do you really think that just because your brother provided a few spirit stones, you can give us orders?” he spat, the scorn evident in his tone.
“I dare not Immortal,” Drake replied, a cruel smirk playing on his lips, “but I want to enjoy torturing him first.”
“Immortal!?” Lucian eyes widened.
The leading man snorted, a dismissive sound. “Your elder brother will soon join our sect. In that case, to give him face, I’ll only cripple him. Then you can do whatever you want.”
The leading man then turned to face Lucian, his lips curling into a mocking smile, anticipating the terror he would find in the young prince’s eyes.
However, he was taken aback to see Lucian standing eerily still, an unsettling calm enveloping him.
Rather than the fear he expected, Lucian’s expression was one of intense focus, his widened eyes shimmering with a strange mixture of excitement and defiance.
It was as if he relished the imminent danger, unyielding in the face of death.
“Ignorant”
With a flick of his wrist, he slashed at Lucian’s arm with deadly intent, the blade cutting through the air with lethal precision.