Axelius stared at the last line of the book, his eyes wide with disbelief. His hands clenched the edges of the black, gold-lined cover, his knuckles turning white. He stood there for a moment, frozen, before suddenly yelling out, "You son of a bitch!"
Without warning, he hurled the book onto the floor with all his strength. It landed with a loud thud, its dusty pages flapping open. Axelius marched over to it, his face red with anger. He began kicking it fiercely, sending it sliding across the wooden floor.
"You ruined a whole kingdom! You attacked your own family! And now... now I'm supposed to be your successor?" he shouted, his voice echoing in the quiet library. He stomped on the book again, the dust puffing up from its worn-out cover. "I refuse!"
Owen's laughter only grew louder, echoing through the library as he flapped his wings wildly. "Dang!" he hooted, barely able to keep himself steady. "You... you're the successor of that? Hahaha!"
Axelius glared at him, still breathing heavily from his outburst. "What's so damn funny?!" he snapped, kicking the book one last time.
"Oh, it's just perfect!" Owen cackled, practically rolling around on the edge of the table. "Out of everyone in the world, it just had to be you! The crazy brat who picks fights with everyone and talks back to nobles! Hahaha! You're practically made for it!"
"What the hell are you talking about?!" Axelius shouted back, his fists clenched.
"I'm saying," Owen said, finally catching his breath, "you're practically a villain already! All that temper, the chaos you cause around the estate... hell, you might even be worse than Lorian was! You're a psycho anyway!" He burst into laughter again, his tiny body shaking so hard he nearly toppled off the edge. "I mean, really, this is too good! Fate really has a sense of humor!"
Axelius stomped his foot, his face turning red. "Shut up! I'M NOT!"
"Says the kid who just kicked a book like it owed him money!" Owen shot back, still chuckling. "Face it, Axel. You're already halfway there. Might as well start summoning wraiths and setting things on fire!"
"Screw you, Owen!" Axelius yelled, his face flushed with both embarrassment and fury.
"Hey, don't be mad!" Owen teased, flapping his wings. "I'm just saying... if you're gonna be a villain, at least be a good one! Hahaha!"
"Damn it!" Axelius growled, pointing a finger at the smug little owl.
Owen only smirked, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "We'll see, 'Dark Lord Axel.' Got a nice ring to it, don't you think?"
Axelius stomped away from the book, fists still clenched, muttering curses under his breath as Owen's laughter echoed behind him, his footsteps heavy against the wooden floor. His mind raced with frustration and disbelief.
'A villain? Me? That old bastard really set me up...' he thought, gritting his teeth. He could still hear Owen's laughter echoing behind him, the little owl enjoying every second of his misery.
"Hey, calm down before you break something," Owen finally called out, gliding over and landing on a stack of dusty books. "Look, I'm just messing with you, alright?"
Axelius stopped, taking a deep breath before slumping into a chair nearby. "Messing with me? You think it's funny that I'm the successor to that... that Villain?!" he snapped, pointing back to the battered book on the floor. "Everyone in this place already thinks I'm a freak. Now I find out I'm tied to the biggest villain this kingdom's ever seen?"
Owen tilted his head, his eyes narrowing with a bit more seriousness. "Well, that depends on you, doesn't it?"
Axelius frowned, leaning back and crossing his arms. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," Owen began, hopping down from the stack of books and waddling closer, "just because you're the successor, doesn't mean you have to be like him. To not end up like Lorian, you need to control that power. If you don't... well, history tends to repeat itself, doesn't it?"
Axelius stared at him, his expression shifting from anger to something more thoughtful. "Control it..." he murmured, glancing down at his hands. He remembered that black tattoo that had appeared on his body.
"Right," Owen continued bounced up to land on the table beside him. "Lorian couldn't control it. He let it control him. But you... you've got a chance to do it differently. You can master it, bend it to your will. Isn't that better than just running from it?"
Axelius stayed silent for a moment, then finally nodded. "You're right..." he said slowly, his eyes hardening with determination. "I'm not gonna be some puppet to this power. I'm gonna own it."
"Now you're talking," Owen grinned, his wings spreading slightly as if in approval. "So, what's the plan, oh dark lord?" he teased.
Axelius rolled his eyes but couldn't help the small grin that tugged at his lips. "First, we figure out exactly what this power is. And then..." His grin widened. "I'll make it mine."
"I like the sound of that," Owen chuckled.
Axelius grabbed Owen, placing him firmly on his shoulder, and strode out of the library with determined steps. Millie was waiting just outside, her hands neatly folded in front of her. The moment she saw him, she straightened and immediately followed behind.
"Whoa, where are we going?" Owen asked, his tiny wings fluttering slightly as he tried to adjust his balance.
"Where do you think?" Axelius replied without slowing down. "Gonna do something about this power before it's too late."
Owen's eyes widened, and he flapped his wings in a panic. "Huh?! Hey, hey, relax! Don't rush things! We barely know what that thing even is!"
Axelius ignored him, glancing around cautiously before leaning closer to Millie. He pressed a finger to his lips and gave her a quick, silent gesture to stay quiet. Millie blinked in confusion but nodded hesitantly, still trailing behind him.
They navigated through the estate with swift, practiced steps, ducking behind curtains and slipping through servant paths to avoid the watchful eyes of guards, maids, and butlers. Millie seemed nervous, her eyes darting back and forth as if expecting someone to jump out at any moment. But Axelius moved with confidence, his steps light and determined.
Finally, they reached the far edge of the estate—a tall stone wall covered in creeping vines and patches of moss. Axelius turned to Millie, his eyes glinting with impatience. "Help me get to the other side," he ordered.
Millie's eyes went wide. "B-But young master," she stammered, glancing nervously around, "if the Duke knew this... you'll get punished—"
"I don't care," Axelius cut her off sharply, his gaze unyielding. "Just do what I say. Hurry, let me step on you."
Millie hesitated, chewing on her bottom lip before letting out a resigned sigh. She glanced back at the mansion, then took a deep breath. "This is dangerous... follow me, young master," she whispered, motioning for him to follow.
Axelius and Owen exchanged a quick glance, surprise flickering in their eyes, but they didn't question it. Millie led them swiftly through the shadows, sticking close to the wall until they reached a dense patch of bushes hidden by ivy. She pushed the leaves aside to reveal a small, iron-grated hole covered by three rusted metal bars.
Millie knelt down, fingers deftly working to remove the bars one by one. "It's safer this way, young master," she whispered, brushing the dust off her hands.
Axelius beamed, clapping his hands together. "Good job, Millie!" he exclaimed, surprising her by leaning forward and planting a quick kiss on her cheek. Millie's face turned bright red, her eyes going wide as saucers as she watched him crawl into the hole without hesitation.
"W-Wait! Young master! Be careful!" she called softly, but Axelius was already halfway through, Owen bouncing along with him.
As Axelius crawled out from the small iron-grated hole, he dusted off his clothes and glanced around. What greeted him was not the quiet backroads he had imagined, but a sprawling forest stretching far and wide. Tall, ancient trees loomed above them, their branches tangled together, casting shadows across the uneven ground.
Millie crawled out after him, brushing off leaves and dirt from her uniform. Her eyes went wide with disbelief. "What... don't tell me?" Owen stammered, bouncing on Axelius's shoulder, his wings fluttering nervously.
Axelius grinned wide, excitement flashing in his eyes. "Hell yeah," he declared, stretching his arms out toward the dense woods. "We'll drain this forest!"
Millie blinked, clearly confused. "D-Drain the forest?" she mumbled, but before she could ask more, Axelius turned to her with a mischievous grin.
"Millie, go face the wall," he ordered, waving his hand dismissively.
Millie hesitated, glancing between him and the dark woods ahead. "But, young master—"
"No buts, just do it," Axelius said, crossing his arms.
With a small sigh of resignation, Millie turned around slowly and faced the wall, her hands clasped tightly in front of her. Owen, meanwhile, bounced off Axelius's shoulder and landed right in front of him to block him. "Hey, hey! You can't just drain a whole forest! That's insane!"
Axelius merely laughed, his eyes glinting with something wild. "Who says I can't?" he replied, cracking his knuckles.
Suddenly, the air was shattered by the blaring sound of a horn. A deep, resonating blast that shook the very ground beneath their feet. Axelius winced, covering his ears.
"Ouch! That's so loud!" he shouted, his voice muffled by the sound.
Before the echo even faded, another horn blast roared through the trees, louder and closer this time. Millie, who had been obediently facing the wall, turned around in shock, her eyes wide with fear looking up.
Axelius looked up, his eyes squinting against the sunlight that poured through the cracks of the canopy. he saw it—a massive wyvern, its wings stretched out wide, scales glimmering like polished stone. Its wings flapped powerfully, sending gusts of wind that rustled the trees below. But it wasn't the wyvern alone that caught his attention; small, green-skinned creatures with jagged weapons were riding its back, gripping the scales tightly as the beast soared above.
"Goblin riders, Young master!" Millie yelled, her voice cracking with fear.
"We're under attack!"