The night was calm, the only sound being the occasional rustle of leaves in the wind. The moon cast a faint silver glow over the land, but within Licht's room, no light seeped through. The curtains were drawn, the windows sealed, and the door locked.
Sitting cross-legged in the center of his room, Licht took a slow, steady breath. His heartbeat aligned with the rhythmic pulse of mana flowing through his body. This was the night. The moment he had been waiting for.
He slowly opened his eyes, their crimson hue flickering with determination.
"Finally… I'm ready to advance to the next realm," he murmured. His voice was calm, yet beneath it lay frustration. "I could have reached this point sooner if not for this damn Crimson Crown symbol."
He clenched his fists, pushing aside his irritation. Now wasn't the time to dwell on setbacks. Closing his eyes once more, he focused, waiting for the precise moment. The mana inside him swirled, coiling tightly like a serpent waiting to strike.
Then, he felt it.
His eyes snapped open, a fierce glint within them.
"Now!"
In an instant, he directed all of his mana essence toward his core, condensing it with precision. A powerful pressure surged within him, searing pain spreading through his veins. His face twisted in agony, but he endured it.
His old mana core began to crack, fractures forming as his refined essence prepared to reshape it. At the same time, a bunch of new mana vein slowly connected to his heart, intertwining with his evolving core.
Just as the final stage of his advancement neared, the Crimson Crown symbol on his nape flared to life.
A sudden, unbearable heat seared his skin. His eyes widened in horror.
"No, don't start now! I'm in the middle of advancing! Don't take my mana essence now!"
The symbol pulsed ominously, and in the next second, an insatiable force surged through him, siphoning his mana essence like a ravenous beast.
"No!" he gasped, his body convulsing.
His mana core, already shattered to make way for his new advancement, was being devoured instead.
An uncontrollable pain wracked his body. He gritted his teeth, his breath ragged. His limbs trembled violently as he struggled to resist the siphoning, but it was futile.
Then, a burst of crimson light flooded the room.
Before his eyes, his stolen mana essence morphed, taking on an eerie, blood-like radiance.
"Crimson… mana essence?" he rasped, barely able to comprehend what he was witnessing.
The next instant, the crimson essence condensed, and pierced straight through his heart.
His irises flared, glowing with an otherworldly light. A pain beyond human comprehension tore through his very being. This was not the natural process of advancement, this was something far more terrifying.
"Aarghhh!"
His scream shattered the silence of the night.
For the first time in both his lives, Licht felt true helplessness.
"Help me!" His voice, weak yet desperate, broke through his pride. Even if it meant exposing the secret of his early advancement, he couldn't let this unknown force consume him.
In the dimly lit study, Julius Arthas sat in his chair, deep in thought. An untouched glass of wine rested beside him. The night had been peaceful, until a piercing scream tore through the stillness.
His son's scream.
"Licht?!"
Julius's eyes widened. In an instant, he was on his feet, instincts as his fighting spirit kicking in. His hand flew to the nearby stand, grasping his sword. Mana surged into the sword, enveloping it in a soft azure glow.
"Benson!" he shouted, his voice sharp with urgency. "Prepare yourself! Something's wrong with Licht!"
The family's knight, Benson, immediately moved. "Understood, my lord! I'll secure Lady Antonette at once!"
But Julius was already moving. His heart pounded as he dashed up the staircase, his worry deepening with every second. The air felt wrong, it is thick, heavy, charged with something unnatural.
Then he heard it.
Licht's ragged breathing. The muffled sounds of pain.
He reached the door and twisted the handle.
Locked.
"Damn it!" He slammed his fist against the wood. "Licht! Open the door! What's happening?!"
No response, only another cry of agony.
That sound made Julius's blood run cold.
"Hang in there, Licht! I'm coming!"
He took a step back, then kicked the door with all his strength.
CRACK.
The sturdy wooden frame splintered, but it held. Gritting his teeth, he kicked again, harder.
BOOM!
The door burst open.
And then, Julius froze.
The entire room was bathed in crimson.
Violent currents of blood-red energy swirled around Licht's convulsing body. The Crimson Crown symbol on his nape pulsed ominously, searing bright with an unnatural hunger. The sheer force of the energy distorted the air, making it hard to breathe.
"Licht!" Julius took a step forward, only to be thrown back by an unseen pressure.
Then, with a pulse of raw power, the Crimson Crown took its final offering.
A final surge of Licht's mana was ripped from his body.
The crimson energy collapsed inward, then exploded outward in a devastating shockwave.
BOOM!
Julius barely had time to react before the blast hurled him backward.
CRASH!
He slammed into the corridor wall, debris flying around him. The entire second floor trembled, cracks splintering along the stone foundation. Smoke and dust clouded the air.
Coughing, Julius pushed himself up, his ears ringing.
The hallway was in ruins.
Where Licht's room once stood, only crimson energy remained.
Through the haze, Julius saw him, Licht who is standing in the center of the devastation, his body enveloped in an eerie crimson glow. The chaotic, violent energy from before had stabilized into a calm, yet unfathomable force.
Julius tried to stand, staggering toward him.
"Licht!"
He reached out, but a powerful force stopped him.
A translucent crimson barrier surrounded his son, preventing anyone from getting near.
At that moment, Antonette and Benson rushed onto the second floor.
"What happened?! Is Licht okay?!" Antonette's voice trembled with panic.
Julius, still breathing heavily, gritted his teeth. "Benson, secure the house! Make sure no one has infiltrated our estate!"
Benson immediately nodded. "Yes, my lord!" He disappeared down the hall, his presence vanishing into the night.
Antonette turned to Julius, desperation in her eyes. "Julius! What's happening?! Tell me! Why is Licht in that state?!"
Julius looked at his son, the Crimson Crown Symbol still pulsing on his nape, the air around him shimmering with unknown power.
"I don't know," he admitted, his voice strained. "But if it's the Bersil family behind this, they'll pay dearly. However…"
His eyes narrowed, fear creeping into his expression.
"That symbol…"
...
"Where... am I?"
The air was thick with the stench of burning flesh. Corpses lay scattered across the scorched earth, their charred remains unrecognizable. Once-proud buildings crumbled into skeletal ruins, their foundations reduced to dust. The sky, no longer the deep navy of night, was a sinister crimson, tainted by an endless inferno consuming the land.
He clutched his chest, fingers trembling. His heart still burned from the piercing sensation of crimson mana essence. His pulse was steady, yet something within him felt... different. Off.
"Am I dreaming?" His voice wavered, the absurdity of the thought clawing at his mind. "Did I... reincarnate again?"
No. That couldn't be right. The pain was too real. The heat of the flames licked at his skin, and the acrid scent of death filled his lungs. This wasn't the afterlife.
This was something far worse.
He staggered to his feet, his legs weak beneath him. As he turned, his gaze locked onto a path, eerily untouched by the devastation. No corpses. No fire. Only a narrow road stretching into the crimson haze, leading toward a looming silhouette in the distance.
A palace.
Licht hesitated, then took a step forward. Then another. His instincts screamed at him to turn back, but something, someone was calling him. He could feel it. An unseen force tugged at his soul, drawing him closer.
As he reached the palace gates, his breath caught in his throat.
Before him stood a grand dome, massive beyond comprehension. Its darkened exterior bore ancient carvings, pulsating with a dull, eerie glow. Though half-ruined, its presence was overwhelming, as if it had withstood the weight of time itself.
"This thing is... enormous." His voice barely carried over the infernal winds.
Then..
Screeeeech.
The sound of grinding stone reverberated through the air as the dome began to open. The heavy gates groaned, an unseen force pulling them apart. Dust and debris crumbled from the structure, the echoing wail sending a shiver down Licht's spine.
He tensed. His fists clenched.
"What... is this place?"
A gust of wind surged from within the palace, thick with an aura both foreign and foreboding. It coiled around him like unseen hands, seeping into his skin, making his breath hitch.
His instincts screamed louder now. RUN!
But his feet refused to move.
From the depths of the dome, shadows churned and twisted, writhing like a living entity. A low, guttural rumble echoed through the void, shaking the ground beneath him. Something ancient stirred within.
Then..
A pair of giant crimson eyes flared to life, piercing through the darkness.