The king entered his room, tired, ran a hand through his hair and sat on the bed.
Despair was written all over his face.
"Sorry, my love… I couldn't protect our daughter," he muttered to himself.
Just then, he noticed a piece of paper.
A letter from Eric:
[Father, I can't just stand by while my sister gets hurt by others. It's my fault I couldn't protect her. I'll do everything I can, even if it's useless. I'm sorry.]
"Looks like I couldn't protect our son either," The paper clenched tightly in his hands.
He jumped off the bed in a rush.
"You idiot boy… why don't you get that there's nothing you can do?" he whispered, worried and angry, leaving the room.
-
Wearing normal clothes and a black cloak, Eric sat behind one of the many carts full of boys.
Boys who, after the bloodbath in the capital, still had to bow to survive—forced into the army of the Sakaris Empire.
Hoping to find a trace of Eri, Eric scanned the carts ahead—the carts that were filled with girls, taken as slaves by the Empire.
Everyone knew the fate of the slaves: if they survived, they'd just feed the vampires. A filthy trade between the Sakaris Empire and Vladmor Island.
Eric's gaze shifted to the boys sitting beside him.
None of them looked well.
Many had lost their sisters to slavery—others had witnessed their parents die while resisting. And ahead, hell awaited in the Sakaris army. Once someone joined this cursed army, there was no way out.
And each time it happened, the lands were also at fault—lands that couldn't protect their people. Just like Arindor.
'When I can't even protect my own sister… how can I dare call myself a prince?' Eric thought, filled with self-hatred.
His eyes fell on the person across from him.
Something delicate and fragile, wrapped in a large cloak. Red eyes, pale innocent face, short teal hair, two small uneven black horns—marking a demon.
Really a boy? Over twenty? Either way, he looked weak. Definitely one of the first to die on this journey.
Eric noticed the boy's bleeding arm. He tore a piece of his own cloak and bent over the weak boy carefully, taking his arm in hand and starting to bandage it.
The boy flinched—his face tightened in pain but said nothing. He let Eric bandage him but couldn't help, his eyes fixed on Eric's injured arm.
When Eric finished, the boy took the lower edge of Eric's cloak, tugged hard and eventually ripped a strip of fabric, making Eric give him a confused look.
Without objection from Eric, the boy started bandaging Eric's arm.
"You're hurt yourself… don't fix others," he muttered shyly, looking down when he finished.
Eric hadn't expected such kindness and scolding at the same time. But he softened a bit, glancing at his newly bandaged arm.
The boy was kind, though terrible at bandaging, which made Eric stifle a tiny chuckle.
"I'm Rick." he said with a soft smile.
Finally, the boy looked up, confused, at Eric.
"Ah… Aro," he whispered.
"Aro. You look so young and delicate. Why are you here?" Eric asked bluntly.
"Umm… well…" Aro struggled, lowering his head again. "I'm twenty… and… I was chosen by the knights."
Eric grew suspicious.
Why would a knight pick such a weak boy? Were they just trying to raise the death rate on this trip?
Or had Aro volunteered for the army, like Eric?
.
.
Hours passed, and the night grew darker.
The boys' carts stopped for a break, a short rest along the road.
But the girls' carts kept moving, nonstop.
Eric and Aro sat together on a stone by the roadside.
The others, hopeless, headed to the river to drink and wash their wounds.
"How much longer until we reach the Empire?" Aro asked quietly.
"Let me see…" Eric started counting the days in his head. "It'll take about a week to reach the Valkani border… then two more weeks to cross it and reach Zaravan…"
"In less than two months, we'll be in the Sakaris Empire." a gray-haired man said as he came closer to them. "Because no Shadow Knights have permission to enter Valkani, and Arindor only borders Valkani to the south, There's been a Transfer Portal. Instead of crossing Valkani, we can reach Zaravan directly."
Tall, with a gentle face and kind pink eyes, he explained really clearly and friendly.
His skin was pale with faint gray and pink markings all over. Soft, round gray ears and a long, thin pink tail.
He was a half-mouse, one of the populous Arkin race—half-human.
He held two water bottles in his hands and offered them.
Eric and Aro looked at him, a bit confused, before taking the bottles.
"I'm Nobel. I was in the last cart," Nobel said, giving a polite smile.
Aro reached out curiously toward Nobel's soft mouse ear. "You're a…"
Eric stopped Aro's hand midair and pulled it back. "Racism isn't right, Aro."
"S-sorry, I didn't mean to be rude," Aro said, lowering his head in shame.
Noble shook his head with a kind smile. "It's ok. Yeah, I'm an Arkin. Nothing unusual in Arindor."
Aro tilted back his hood, revealing his small uneven horns. "I'm Aro… a demon."
"Oh, demons are valuable. I'm sure you'll have an important spot in the army. And you?" Nobel gestured to Eric.
Eric couldn't say he's from Arindor's royal family—he couldn't even admit that he's an angel.
"I… I'm Rick," Eric said, awkwardly touching the Nexus on his neck. "A… human."
Nobel sat down calmly beside them. "So you gotta be super careful… places like this aren't kind to humans."
"I don't mean to be nosy, but…" Aro looked at Nobel curiously. "Mr. Nobel, why didn't you hide before they tried to bring you into the army?"
"Aro's right. Most of the Arkins hid until Honoring was over." Eric agreed with Aro.
Nobel looked at them calmly… then chuckled softly. "I just got unlucky and umm… got caught at the last moment. So my name went on the list, and there was nothing I could do."
They still stared at him thoughtfully for a moment before giving up and accepting that explanation.
Even so, he remained suspicious.
How many people would volunteer for the army on purpose? Surely everyone has their own reasons—like Eric.
There was a short silence before they heard four human boys passed by them, talking loud together.
"A girl?" one boy asked, curious.
"But if the king had a daughter, the kingdom would've fallen already," another said, annoyed.
"I bet he probably let her escape." a third smirked.
"So capital got soaked in blood just because our king's such a selfish idiot?" the angriest one growled.
"That old man doesn't deserve to be king," the second one insulted.
"Maybe the king did it on purpose to shrink the population?" the curious one said.
"If I were Commander Zaskar and found out the king had a daughter, I'd do something to her that would make angels cry," the angry one said seriously.
Eric listened, jaw tight.
He was about to step in at the last comment, but noticed Nobel had already moved toward the boys.
"Excuse me. I don't think what you're saying is right," Nobel said politely.
"What the hell are you?" one of the boys spat.
"I'm saying you better speak properly about the royal family."
Nobel's calm persistence made the four boys close in on him.
He was an easy target—a polite, kind man with ideals and morals that could annoy the boys.
"Royal family?" one mocked. "They're of the Light lineage… so what? What do we get? They should've just tossed their worthless light aside so the empire wouldn't make our lives miserable!"
You could see disappointment and sadness in Nobel's eyes.
The boys' circle tightened, but Nobel didn't flinch,
"It's not a good idea to blame your own land and betray your country just because another land is stronger," Nobel's tone stayed calm and polite.
A boy laughed, "Does a tin little mouse's opinion even matter?"
"Then tell me, disgusting Arkin, why are you in a foreign land? Why not go back to Valkani?"
"The king has no real control over the borders. All of Arindor is filled with elves, dwarves, orcs, goblins and weird Arkins fleeing their lands. And now they shamelessly lecture us about patriotism. Pathetic."
"Why didn't a filthy mouse like you just run away before being picked by the knights? Are Arkins stupid or what?" One boy lunged at Nobel, shoving him roughly, grinning wide.
"Keep your worthless opinions to yourself. If you want patriotism, go back to Valkani and worship those old priests. Oh wait… you're one of the Arkins running from the church, right? I bet if you go back, you'll be killed by divine will."
A cruel laugh spread among the boys, but it stopped when someone intervened.
Eric stood between them and didn't let anyone touch Nobel.
He twisted the boy's hand painfully behind his back, locking it, and stood firmly in front of Nobel.
"Ah! Let go of my hand, it hurts!" the boy shouted, bent over, wrist twisted behind him.
The second boy threw a punch at Eric, but Eric sidestepped easily, causing the second boy to crash into the bent-over boy and fall.
The third boy attacked.
Eric lifted the bent-over boy's hand and slammed it into the third boy's face, sending him backward into the ground.
The first boy groaned in pain, clearly feeling his wrist was useless now.
Before the fourth boy could approach, Eric kicked the bent-over boy in back, sending him straight into the fourth boy's face. Both tumbled to the ground.
The third boy, who had been punched, got up, tried to hit Eric from behind.
Aro, face full of fear, grabbed the boy's leg with both hands and yanked him back, make him fall face-first into the mud.
Clenching his fists in anger, the boy dragged himself up from the ground and turned toward Aro.
Aro, trembling innocently, quickly hid his small body in Nobel's arms.
Before the boy could make a move, Eric pressed his heel down on him, forcing the boy's head into the mud again. The pressure was so strong the boy couldn't breathe.
"What's your problem?!" one of the boys yelled in pain.
Eric just kicked this boy toward the other three.
"Next time, think carefully before spitting your trash. Make sure your filthy mouth doesn't taste blood," Eric growled, cold and serious.
He walked slowly toward the boys, grabbed one by the hair, and lifted him up.
"Unless you like the taste of blood," Eric threatened softly, throwing the boy backward.
Although these small threats, a few punches, and kicks weren't enough to teach them real lessons or make them behave. Maybe the boys were quiet now just because they realized they couldn't beat Eric, but that didn't mean their mindset had changed.
People will always judge everything however they want.
Eric managed to stand up to them, but he's not a fighter. His power is mainly support.
In an army where only talented people get accepted, the rest die. But Eric knows that even if he could get accepted, he'd definitely be at the lowest power tier.
Just then, the sound of the knights approaching reached their ears.
Time to move and continue the journey.
Eric ignored the boys, walking coldly toward the cart.
Aro, with childish pride, stuck his tongue out at the boys and quickly followed Eric along with Nobel. Both made sure to stay close.
"That was awesome, bro." Aro said excitedly, holding Eric's right arm tightly. "Are you really not part of the royal family?"
"Is all that muscle? Wow," Nobel said, gripping Eric's left arm and poking a few fingers against his muscles.
Eric continued straight toward the cart. Still a little angry at the boys, he let out a soft sigh—
—but a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
At least he wasn't alone on this path
A path he started because of Eri, heading straight into the enemy's territory… without even knowing what his real goal could be.
Maybe from the beginning, he thought he could rise in the empire's army and destroy the system from the inside.
Throughout the journey, these vague thoughts about the future kept running through Eric's mind.
Meanwhile, Aro felt a bit more comfortable beside Eric, and his face really brightened up.
And Nobel—
—he was quietly observing both of them...
His pink eyes flashed sharply...
The usually warm, gentlemanly mouse now looked a bit cold and analytical.