Kael Lanpar's POV
Looking into my mother's eyes, seeing that anguish turning into tears, finally broke something inside me. It was as if any spark of hope that had begun to ignite in my small body was crushed without mercy.
It was ironic… In my past life, I went through almost the exact same situation. Except that back then, I was the one who failed to save her.
I wasn't fast enough. Not even time—something that had once bent to my will—extended a hand to help me.
How could someone who can manipulate time at will fail to save his own mother?
I slowly shut my eyes, squeezing them tight, ready to face cold, bitter death once more. Ready to say goodbye to this new life.
Smack!…
"Crystal armor…" The whisper, barely audible, forced my eyes wide open.
I froze. In front of me, countless particles of dust drifted through the debris-filled hallway, catching the sunlight. My mind struggled to understand how the ceiling that had been about to crush me just seconds earlier had vanished without leaving a trace.
"Your Majesty, are you alright?" Lilia asked, drawing my attention.
For a moment, my eyes locked onto her, but when I realized who those words were directed to, the confusion only deepened.
The figure kneeling before me, holding me in its arms like a savior, wasn't a person at all—
it was armor. Armor that shimmered with thousands of pink reflections, each crystal embedded in its surface sparkling like a living jewel.
I had already accepted that this wasn't my world… but what kind of being was this? Is this what they call magic here? I whispered in my mind.
My throat tightened, and a shiver ran through my body at the magnitude of what I had just witnessed. Then another realization struck me with even greater force: I didn't know where my mother was.
"Your Majesty…" Lilia's voice grew heavier. "Multiple individuals are approaching our position. Their intentions are not good."
What did Lilia just say?
Slowly, I lifted my eyes toward the motionless helm of the armor. I froze, watching how it tracked each of my movements with silent attention. Then, a warm hand rested gently on my head, stroking it with tenderness.
"My baby, are you okay..." A female voice, familiar, painfully familiar, escaped from inside the armor. "Lilia, I need you to cover me."
"As you command, Your Majesty," Lilia replied without hesitation.
My suspicions were confirmed when I saw the helmet begin to dissolve. The pink crystal shattered into thousands of glowing particles that scattered into the air, revealing my mother's worried face.
Boom!…
The ground trembled again, cruelly reminding me that this was not the moment for answers.
Trying to keep her balance, my mother leaned against the wall. She straightened slowly without letting go of me, then looked through the shattered windows to take in the catastrophic scene left behind by the fall of Auroria's capital.
Luzarion I had heard praised so many times by the kings no longer radiated majesty… but death and chaos.
The merchants' constant chatter had vanished, replaced by desperate screams and sobbing pleas. Ash from burned homes drifted through the air, thickening it until every breath felt sharp and heavy.
"My Queen, they're getting closer," Lilia warned, raising her voice. With blinding speed, she drew a hidden dagger. "Stay behind me. I will protect you."
My mother didn't answer. She simply exhaled softly before raising her arm. The crystal particles that had once caught the sunlight now gathered in her hand, forging a bright, deadly spear.
"I never wanted you to see this…" Her voice trembled. "I swore you wouldn't go through what we did. But in the end… I couldn't prevent it."
Her grip around me tightened, as if she wanted to fuse me to her chest, while her other hand held the spear with overwhelming strength. She swung it lightly, ready for whatever came next.
Wham!…
The door to the room collapsed, revealing several people whose eyes overflowed with pure contempt. Their hands, firm around their weapons, showed no fear of death. They wanted blood at any cost.
Different worlds, yet the same brutality rooted in our souls. Nothing had changed; I had simply ended up in a place where, apparently, the only rule was that if you want to live, you must kill.
In a matter of seconds, I barely caught sight of Lilia launching herself at our attackers, wielding her dagger with lethal speed. The first drops of blood stained the floor, and their owner collapsed lifelessly on top of them.
In one eye, I saw my world reflected in this one; in the other, a faint, false hope of never hurting anyone again.
Like a demonic symphony, metal clashed violently, accompanied by the dull thuds of bodies hitting the ground. Everything moved to the rhythm of a music that only tormented me.
In the end, only Lilia remained standing among a pile of twisted corpses, covered in blood and without a trace of remorse.
"They're getting closer, Your Majesty," she panted. "You and the prince won't be safe here."
"No place is safe right now," my mother replied, biting her lower lip. "I can't leave Kal anywhere."
Lilia walked over to us, cleaning her dagger and trying to compose herself… until the entire atmosphere shifted.
My mother noticed it. Lilia did too. And I, by simple logic, knew it wasn't good.
The hairs on our bodies stood on end as the air filled with magnetism and electricity. I didn't even have time to react: he was already there, standing.
Behind Lilia, barely inches away from severing her head, a sharp blade stopped right before reaching its mark. Its wielder froze in place.
The answer came quickly: Lilia stepped aside, revealing the attacker choking on his own blood as he tried—and failed—to pull out the katana lodged in his chest. He collapsed almost instantly.
First he fell to his knees, then fully forward, exposing a hooded figure. Beyond the mask and the white hair that caught my attention, what unsettled me most was the person's apparent age.
"Your Majesty, are you unharmed?" the stranger asked in a deep voice. "Lord Marquians sent me…"
"Mai, forget the formalities," my mother interrupted, shattering my understanding. "Come, help me with your brother, please."
"All right, Mother," the figure replied, removing the mask. The voice—and the face—were unmistakably feminine. "How's Kal doing?"
My mind couldn't take any more. I didn't want to repeat my mistakes, nor keep witnessing so much blood. I understood nothing of what was happening, and at this point, nothing surprised me anymore.
I had a sister who, at an age when I was still learning how to live, was already capable of killing without hesitation.
"Daughter, I need you to listen carefully," Mabel ordered. "Take your brother straight to the Mage Academy. Don't stop for anything, and find refuge with the others."
"But, Mo—" my supposed sister tried to argue, unsuccessfully.
"I don't need you to prove your bravery in battle right now," Mabel said, her voice heavy with pain. "That was never your duty. Just protect your brother… and yourself."
Reluctantly, she accepted, gripping me with protective determination as she prepared to leave.
Weariness began to wash over me, reminding me that I had been born only a short time ago, still incapable of staying awake for so many hours.
All this time, I had limited myself to listening… and that was my mistake: drawing conclusions without having lived the truth behind the words.
My eyes closed on instinct, pulling me into a deep sleep, trying to escape the mental exhaustion tearing me apart.
Mayrei Lanpar's POV
Right now, I could feel my blood boiling. I couldn't be angry at my mother's words; more than simple phrases, they were the unvarnished truth carved into each syllable.
My duty was not entirely to the kingdom. I could have chosen a different path, listened to my mother's advice… but being a Lanpar meant understanding that life never forgave those who refused to see the world with clarity.
Seeing Kal asleep pierced me with guilt. I hadn't been there for him, not even on the day he was born; I had been too busy completing missions in distant lands.
I shook my head, accepting that the past couldn't be changed. Then I activated the flow of mana within my body, letting the aura flare around me before pulling it back into my core to reignite my magic.
Without a second thought, I jumped through the window. I glanced back one last time, catching sight of new enemies storming into the castle… only to fall instantly beneath my mother's spear.
Gravity claimed me immediately, dragging me toward the cobblestones. The wind lashed against my face, trying unsuccessfully to slow my fall. I held Kal tighter, manipulating the air around us to soften the impact.
"Help! … please, help us!" a child screamed, trying to free his mother trapped beneath the rubble.
I wanted to run to him, but it was too late. A group of enemies reached him first. All I could do was clench my teeth and turn away as the child's strangled cry chased me from afar.
"Move quickly, don't waste time!" ordered a Roamer mage, leading a squadron toward the center of the capital.
I leaped, rising above the houses and landing on the rooftops. In the distance, a towering elemental guardian was tearing through entire royal battalions. No soldier seemed capable of stopping it.
Someday, if the human kingdom falls… it will be by his hands or by—
No. That didn't matter now. I kept running, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, crossing through a landscape of chaos I couldn't reverse.
"Fire Spiral!" an attacker roared.
His shout was the only warning that saved me. The scorching heat grazed my skin, but the thin layer of ice I conjured protected me, turning the flames into vapor.
"I see you're talented, little girl," he growled. "And it looks like you're carrying someone very important. That emblem… damn Lanpars."
Carefully, I set Kal down on the rooftop and raised an ice dome around him.
"You'll be safe," I whispered to myself, transferring a bit of mana into him to keep him warm.
I lowered my mask, altering my voice.
"You don't care who he is. Your fight is with me."
The attacker grinned, knocking his blades together. Adrenaline burned in his eyes as he charged at me.
I drew my katana and met the full weight of his attack. Sparks burst through the air as our weapons clashed mercilessly.
"For a princess… you don't fight half bad," he mocked.
I didn't respond. I took advantage of an opening in his guard and deflected his blades, leaving him exposed. He had no time to react. His arms—still gripping their hilts—fell to the ground along with a torrent of blood.
"Ah… damn it," he gasped. "Wait… please… I don't want to die."
I felt no compassion, only pity for how low he had fallen—begging for mercy he never gave to others.
"I… I have a family…" he whispered, broken.
"Like many of those who lie dead here today," he whispered bitterly.
I raised my Katana and ended his life with a clean strike.
I picked Kal up again and saw the kingdom's forces beginning to regain ground, cutting down the remaining enemies.
Then something made me stop. The air grew heavy. Even the elemental guardian and the soldiers stood still.
From the sky, a powerful bird's cry shattered the silence. Atop it was my father, his expression hardened. With a single gesture, he commanded the rest of the birds circling the area. From them descended hundreds of Alkaster soldiers, accompanied by the Striker Boro.
My eyes fixed on my father—the man who had protected me for most of my life. Without hesitation, he lunged at the elemental guardian.
He raised his arm, and from it erupted a green light so intense it eclipsed the sun for an instant. It struck the guardian directly. The final sound was its agonizing scream.
I conjured an ice dome around myself, shielding us from the blast that sent a massive cloud of dust billowing across the battlefield.
This was becoming far more common than it should have. The kingdom had been under attack with alarming frequency in recent months.
Kael Lanpar's POV
(Unknown Location)
I felt exhausted… but it wasn't simple physical fatigue. It was a deeper kind of exhaustion—the kind that comes from being trapped in an endless roulette of trauma and unending torment.
I didn't know where I was, and I didn't want to know. My mind didn't have the strength to even question why I was still conscious after sinking into that mental drowning that had knocked me out.
I found myself sitting against the trunk of a white tree, alone, lost in the middle of nowhere. Everything around me was an empty space bathed in light, a blinding, pure white… but unlike paradise, this place held nothing but suffering.
I wondered if somewhere in existence, true peace could be found. Not false paradises, not illusions… just genuine rest.
"That world you seek doesn't exist," a familiar voice echoed, spreading from everywhere at once.
"As long as you live," it continued, "you are condemned to feel… and to suffer, no matter where you belong."
In front of me, Kraidir began to manifest. His form emerged slowly, shaped by white butterflies swirling around him, weaving his silhouette as if they were part of his very essence.
"And what are you supposed to be doing here?" I snapped, anger boiling up. "Did you come to mock me or what?"
He didn't respond. He simply looked at me with pity… and that only enraged me further. A god showing compassion to a mere human, as if he actually cared, was something I couldn't tolerate.
"What cursed world did you send me to?" I shouted, standing up and facing him, my eyes burning with fury.
"This world is the one the gods chose to send you to," he replied calmly. "I had no power to intervene in that decision."
I didn't sense a lie in his words… and deep down, I didn't even understand why I hated him so much. Humans killed each other; I had never seen a god shed human blood… only manipulate it.
I walked toward another tree and let myself drop heavily to the ground, resting my head against the trunk. I resigned myself to not getting answers.
"Magic… a fantasy world," I muttered, knowing he could hear me. "Just like a book. And I… I guess I'm supposed to be the martyr of the story."
"You chose to be that. No one chose it for you," Kraidir replied as he began to walk away. "If you want to be a martyr, then be one. No one will stop you. In the end, it's your life."
I stood back up and followed him, as if looking for a fight without reason. I knew he was right… and that was exactly what bothered me the most.
"And this place?" I asked, stepping closer. "I'm guessing it's my mental space."
"What you call your mental space, I call the reflection of your existence," he said, stopping in front of three stakes.
A chill ran through me as I saw them: impaled on each one was a version of myself. Three Matias, bleeding tears of red, staring at me and whispering a single word—Guilty.
"These you see here are part of you," Kraidir said, his expression filled with a compassion more terrifying than any threat.
"They represent your soul, your past… and the present you're living now," he added. "And they are nailed here by your own hand."
I tried to respond, but I couldn't. My voice was trapped in my throat.
The white butterflies began to scatter, dissolving Kraidir's form until he vanished without a trace, leaving me alone with them.
I lowered my gaze to my hands… and realized I wasn't in my current body. These were my former hands—still stained with a blood that could never be washed away.
My eyes rose to the pillar holding the "me" of the past. In its pupils burned a hellish fire, one that had never extinguished… a wild, indomitable hatred and pain.