Once, there was a prince born beneath the brightest star, and from that day, fortune followed him like a faithful hound.
Doors opened before he knocked.
Storms broke before they touched his crown.
When he fell, the ground remembered him and rose to meet his feet.
Yet the prince learned early that luck is a borrowed thing.
It shines, but it never listens. The more lucky he gets, the more he's bounded to bring misfortune to others.
So the prince began to fear his own good fortune.
Each gift he received seemed to steal from another's hands.
Each miracle seemed to left a quiet wound somewhere he could not see.
Luck crowned him, but it also cast long shadows.
Sometimes the prince wondered... Is this truly the blessing of the star or a curse placed upon him.
Alas, not even the wisest scholars can answer him.
***
Inside the forest, the green-haired boy slowed to a stop.
The noise of the outside world faded behind him, replaced by the hush of leaves and the soft creak of branches. Shafts of afternoon light slipped between the trees, scattering across tangled roots and damp fallen leaves as he crouched low to the ground.
"A ring, huh…" he murmured, brushing aside moss and soil with absentminded fingers.
No matter how carefully he looked, there was no sparkle, no glint of metal, no trace that anything had ever been lost here.
Truth be told, the child had a feeling he will never find it.
He had a gut feeling the moment Reol agreed too quickly, his precise and practiced words somehow made the story sound suspicious.
And yet.
The thought didn't bother him.
The child believed him anyway no matter how much his intuition warned him.
Not because of the story.
Not because of the lie that sounded convincing.
But simply because it was Reol who had said it.
Trust did not ask him for logic.
It demanded consent without questions, a quiet certainty that turned away from warning signs and reason alike.
After all, for this child, trust was the first step toward teaching someone how to trust him too.
He straightened slightly with his emerald eyes catching the light, despite going through hours searching, the light in his eyes still never faded.
After all... His name is Sethos.
And if there was one thing he was known for, one thing he never failed at—once he decided on something, no matter how absurd it seemed, he would do everything to achieve it through.
And right now, what he wanted was something only Reol can do.
He wanted it so bad.
Badly enough to play along.
Badly enough to search a forest for a ring that might never have existed.
Badly enough to wait.
A small smile curved across his lips as he resumed his search, humming softly to himself.
After all, patience came easily for a kid looking forward for the favour he was about to ask.
And then, as if fortune itself had leaned down to indulge him, something glinted between the blades of grass.
A golden item.
Sethos blinked twice before crouching down, parting the grass with care.
Nestled in the dirt lay a golden ring with its ruby catching the light like a quiet, waiting ember.
"Woah! What a coincidence!" he laughed under his breath. "So he wasn't lying after all."
The disbelief lasted only a heartbeat before delight took its place. He slipped the ring into his pocket, a satisfied smile tugging at his lips.
"Looks like I made the right choice—"
He was smiling all happy for being lucky... Until....
"Grrr…"
A growling sound echoed behind him close.
Sethos immediately froze.
A chill crept down his spine as the forest seemed to hold its breath.
Slowly but carefully, he turned his back around.
****
Meanwhile, outside the forest's shadowed entrance, Reol paced like a caged predator, cloak trailing over the damp dirt.
His boots sank slightly into the soft ground with each step. Fingers clenched at his nails, chewing absentmindedly as his eyes flicked to the pocket watch in his hand again, and again, and again.
"What's taking him so long?" he muttered out loud.
The deadline should have passed hours ago. It's already 8:00 after all. The sun had long sunk beneath the horizon, leaving only the cold glow of twilight and the whisper of wind through the trees.
The forest ahead seemed to swallow every sound, every hint of movement.
"Maybe he ran away?" Reol considered, tilting his head.
"No… this is the only path if he wanted to leave," he quickly corrected himself.
The more he thinks about it, the more his jaws clenched through nervousness.
"Then… is he in danger?"
The thought made him stop mid-step.
He glanced at the dark forest, the shadows stretching, beckoning him to go inside, and a prickle of unease crawled up his spine.
Only then he felt something in the stillness felt off...
Something seems lurking ahead waiting... As a rustle from the bushes echoed Infront him.
Reol's body stiffened. Instinctively, he dropped into a fighting stance, fists clenched.
His scythe and sword were nowhere to be found. But it didn't matter. Whatever came next, Reol was determined to kill it.
Then, a scream cut through the air with a high-pitched and frantic tone.
"NOOOOOOOO STOOOP!"
Reol relaxed slightly, twitching an eyebrow upon hearing the familiar voice, going near. "What took you so long—"
But his words immediately froze mid-air.
The forest floor shook violently as a colossal shape emerged from the shadows.
A boar. No… a gigantic boar, at least 27 feet tall appears, its body radiating a dark, choking miasma that tainted the air like spilled ink. By it's appearance alone, trees shivered and leaves fell in its wake.
And on top of this monstrous beast sat Sethos, the green hair lad, trying it's best to yank the boar's massive head from its shoulders
"AHHH HELP!!!" Sethos's screamed.
Reol's jaw instantly dropped. His mind struggled to process the scene, scrambling for something logical.
Then it finally process after long 10 seconds.
"A… DEMONIC… BEAST??!!"