An abandoned village, no signs of life in it.
Dilapidated wooden houses, as if a fierce storm had passed through and shattered everything in its path.
"We've arrived,"
Nina said after stopping in front of one of the houses.
But the strange thing was that her house wasn't damaged.
Adrian wondered suspiciously to himself:
"Why is this the only house that hasn't been destroyed? Does this girl have something to do with it?"
His thoughts were scattered when he noticed Nina looking at him with curiosity.
"What's wrong, brother? Aren't you coming in?"
He answered calmly:
"Alright."
He entered the house with her and closed the door behind him.
The house was organized inside despite its simplicity, but it only contained one room.
Adrian wondered inwardly:
"Why is there only one room? If she had parents before, shouldn't there be at least two rooms?"
He stepped toward the room and opened the door to inspect it.
There wasn't anything special inside…
A small bed in the center of the room, a wooden chair by the window, and a small doll placed on it, as if it were silently observing the outside world.
But the overall appearance was simple enough to raise suspicion.
Adrian thought to himself with an incessant question:
"Does this house really belong to Nina? Or does she not have parents and lied for some reason?"
Despite all the questions, there was one thing that was clear:
The reason for the chaos in the village, and the looks of disgust and indifference the people gave Nina, all pointed to a hidden truth.
Adrian whispered unconsciously in a quiet voice:
"Nina… isn't Nina."
While he was lost in thought, Nina called out to him from behind in a calm, childish tone:
"Brother… what are you doing?"
For some reason, Adrian felt uneasy when he heard the strange tone of her voice.
He slowly turned to see her staring at him with wide eyes and a small smile.
He whispered to himself:
"If you're playing the role of the child, shouldn't I play the role of the older brother too? Let's see how long you can keep this up."
He smiled coldly and said:
"Nothing... Will you be fine alone? As you know, I must leave."
Adrian knew that she wouldn't let him leave anyway, so he didn't ask her to stay outright to avoid raising suspicion.
But his expectations were shattered when Nina unexpectedly agreed.
"It's fine, you can go."
Adrian felt strange; Nina's voice at that moment sounded sincere.
He thought to himself:
"Could I have been wrong? Why is she letting me leave so easily?"
He wanted to say something but couldn't.
He calmed himself, scattered his thoughts, then turned to leave.
He stopped at the door when Nina called out to him in a sad tone:
"Brother!"
He turned toward her and saw her standing with a faint, sad expression.
He waited silently for her to speak.
Nina hesitated before saying:
"Can you stay with me today, just for today?"
She was afraid of rejection, afraid that Adrian would disappear like everyone else before him.
She wanted him to stay longer.
She closed her eyes, expecting his answer, but was surprised when she heard Adrian say:
"Alright… I'll stay."
She stayed still for a few seconds, processing his words, then smiled with overwhelming happiness:
"Thank you, my brother."
---
At the Imperial Palace.
The emperor summoned Crown Prince Kieran to his office after spending some time contemplating the words of Duke Briestan.
He was aware that the duke didn't support Adrian for no reason, and had finally made his decision to prioritize between the two princes.
There was a light knock on the door, so the emperor put down his pen and said in a firm tone:
"Enter."
The door opened, and Kieran entered. He gave a formal greeting and then stood before the emperor's desk with a clear coldness.
The emperor stared at him for a moment before a suspicious smile appeared on his lips:
"You've changed a lot in a short time… I can hardly believe it."
Kieran answered coldly:
"I haven't changed, Your Majesty."
The emperor rested his face on his fist and muttered questioningly:
"Not even calling me 'father' anymore, but 'Your Majesty.'"
Kieran remained silent, staring into space without uttering a word.
The emperor's expression turned serious as he said:
"You're aware of the nobles' discussions these days, aren't you?
They all refuse to have you as the heir, and they want Adrian to be the successor."
The emperor paused for a moment, then continued with a firm tone:
"But I will not change my decision. You will remain the heir to this empire... Kieran."
Kieran's eyes widened slightly in shock:
"Why not make Brother Adrian the heir? You are going against the will of the nobles… and that is not like you."
The emperor smiled calmly and said:
"While the people's opinions matter, they are not more important than the welfare of the Atheris Empire to me."
Kieran frowned in confusion, so the emperor continued in a calm but heavy tone:
"You don't have to understand now. But my decision to support you is in the best interest of Atheris."
Then the emperor stared directly at him and said in a low, firm voice:
"Remember, Kieran... if the day comes when someone you love becomes an enemy to this land, do not hesitate to kill them."
After finishing his words, the emperor gestured for Kieran to leave.
Kieran returned to the palace of his late mother, where he now resided.
He entered his room and lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling as his father's strange words echoed in his mind.
He whispered to himself in question:
"I wonder… what did he mean by that?"
There was silence for a moment before his inner voice spoke again, deeper this time:
"He said that his choice of me was for Atheris… does that mean Adrian would not be suitable for this empire?"
He slowly closed his eyes as if the thoughts were too heavy to bear.
"I don't really care about all this… I just want to disappear."
His features tightened in faint irritation.
"Just hearing his name makes me angry."
---
The wind howled outside, lightly tapping against the closed window.
Adrian was sitting on the wooden chair by the window, while Nina played with her doll on the bed.
Adrian broke the silence between them with a calm tone:
"Nina… how long have you been living here?"
She answered as she played with her doll:
"Hmm, this has been my home since I was born."
He looked at her and asked again:
"So, what about your parents? How long have you been alone?"
Nina fell silent, stopping her play, then answered in a sad tone:
"Since the beginning."
Adrian understood the meaning of her words, so he chose silence and turned his gaze back toward the window.
Nina began to sing softly to her doll, her voice gentle but filled with a subtle sadness:
"Smile, smile, little one,
For the moon will be gone for a while.
The flowers will wilt, the trees will grow old,
But you'll awaken with the new dawn.
Smile, smile, little one,
For the moon has returned, beautiful once more."
It may seem like an ordinary song, but it was anything but.
Adrian froze suddenly, as memories he didn't recognize flooded his mind.
Blurred images of a battlefield soaked in corpses and blood, humans and demons fighting ruthlessly.
And a figure with white hair, dressed in fine clothes, skillfully wielding a sword, slaughtering an entire group in a single moment.
Adrian's heartbeat quickened, and he whispered to himself with a disturbed voice:
"What was that? What the hell did I just see?"
He turned his gaze to Nina, who was still singing in harmony, gently swaying her doll.
He whispered inwardly:
"This song... I've definitely heard it before, but where?"
His trembling hand clenched tightly as he tried to recall, before his features suddenly softened as the memory of that recurring dream he had during the frontlines hit him.
A strange sense of longing washed over him, and his heart calmed.
He whispered to himself:
"Now I remember... It was her."