"If you stand within five steps, your death will be certain in the hand of The Ghost of Obediah."
It was a well known sentences among the kings in Rurodia land, the great lands of magician.
It almost comical for the Great Emperor Solaris Aetherion to remember such legendary sentences during his free time on his throne, alone, without any elites protecting him.
The thing is, the emperor is not entirely alone.
The mysterious man suddenly appear, breaking through every most advanced detection and protection spell that emperor had.
He came alone, a tall and muscular man, covered with black mantle, which soon reveal his skeletal armor – a breastplate that shaped like a stylized rib bones that seamlessly flows on his shoulders, extended to arms, thighs, and legs.
Only the most feared assassin in Rurodia, or well known as The Ghost of Obediah, wears such grim armor.
His name is Zaden.
The assassin opened the skeletal face mask, revealing his face and his black hair, staring the emperor sharply with its cold blue eyes.
"I heard The Ghost of Obediah will reveal his full appearance when his target is in range, the well-known five steps range ...", the emperor said, still observing Zaden casually.
"Never expected you can be so calm in the verge of your death, Emperor Solaris.", Zaden replied in flat tone.
"I already know the situation, kid. I'm fully realized I was too late to anticipate when you managed to breakthrough my defense.", the emperor had long exhale for a while.
"Even I can sense your deadly soul destruction pressure, the unique spell to manifest the dreadful grim dagger that can penetrate the strongest magician armor and defense in this range.", the emperor added in flat tone.
"That would be helping me for not explaining lot of things. Any last word, emperor?"
The emperor leaning on his throne, not with any fear or anger, but with unexplained calmness that disturb Zaden for a moment.
"What's your motivation, Zaden?", the emperor asked after a long pause.
"For fulfilling my missio-"
"Cut the crap. You're not driven by the mission. You're the Ghost of Obediah, the leader of the strongest assassin brotherhood in Rurodia. You're come here to hunt me not because someone ordered you. I know there's something drive you to do all this planning and executing the assassin plan quite well."
The emperor stands up from the throne, which made Zaden prepare for the battle.
However, Zaden calmed, not escalating the tension since he's not sensing any murderous intention from the emperor.
The emperor even not showing any fear, a quite opposite for every kings that had been assassinated by Zaden after he reveals himself as The Ghost of Obedian at five steps range.
"From my experience, I always see the kings I murdered became weak and scared, begging for a mercy like a peasant. But you're the rare one, emperor.", Zaden still observing the emperor's intention.
"Interesting... tell me, what kind of face they show at you when you already revealing yourself like this?"
"Mostly fear, anger, and then desperate over winning. They went hysteric when I managed to strike their critical organ."
"...which I know will happen to me tonight."
"But you strangely calm, emperor. As a reward, perhaps I should give you my answer to your question, so your soul might can rest peacefully after hearing this."
The emperor smiled, "Tell me, Ghost of Obediah...."
"You ask me what's my true motivation? To be strongest assassin in the world, not only in the Rurodia, but in this damn realm. I raised as a child without parents or guardian, do whatever necessary for surviving, which lead me to become an assassin. I might begin my assassin life by fulfilling the order from the nobles, elites, kings, but right now, it's my own desire to select my target. To choose you, the strongest and the highest leader in Rurodia, as my target, is for proving I'm the best assassin."
The emperor stare bit intense, observing Zaden serious and honest answer.
He's not sensing any bit of exaggeration or lying from Zaden's words.
"Hahahahah! Good! Such a honest and bold answer, Ghost of Obediah!", the emperor laughed loudly that it create a slight of quake in throne room.
"To be strongest! The highest! The one who defied all! The one who controlling all! The one who defeats all! The one who regulates all! To be the one that chosen by the heaven and bowed by the world! It's inherently came from our long and eternal desire! I know you have the same desire as me, Ghost of Obediah!"
Zaden let the emperor laughed like a maniac, about a one minute before he executed him.
But suddenly, the emperor raise his both hand, chanting the spell which creating a light of magical circle.
In a second, at the speed of light, Zaden's dagger penetrate, successfully breaking the strongest emperor magical barrier, layer by layer, until it finally penetrated the emperor's heart.
"Gahh...!"
The emperor failed to completed the spell.
He kneeled in front of The Ghost of Obediah, painfully breathing with hollow on his heart, waiting his soul to be completely gone in seconds.
Strangely enough, the emperor smiled, not even showing any remorse or desperation as he fail to completed his spell casting.
"Zaden, fate might separate us as different person with different life. However, we have the same desire to be the strongest! Among my bloodlines! Among my armies! Among my subordinates! I know that it is you! Only you who can I trust with...!", the emperor said while grabbing Zaden's mantle, trying to speak his true intention.
"Your time is already over, Emperor Solaris. As a Patriach of Aetherion's royal house, your era had come to end. I respect your strong will for not showing any fear despite already locked with my deadliest assassin skill.", Zaden replied in flat tone.
"No, Zaden....! My time still continues in different path! With your soul and body! We begin a new start! The new journey to create a revolution on Magic in Rurodia Island!"
Suddenly plenty of golden magical circles emerge in the throne room emerges, indicating the emperor already finished the hidden spell that automatically activated when he's about to die.
Zaden pull the dagger, quickly slashed the emperor's head to stop this mysterious spell.
SLASH!
The emperor's head flies, but everything suddenly become froze.
Zaden's dagger stopped.
The motion of anything on the throne room stopped.
Everything become freeze.
Zaden can't move his body.
The dimensions gradually become fragmented, alongside with the emperor's body and Zaden's body.
At this rate, Zaden understand he's too late.
The greatest magician spell that shape time, dimensions, and souls, the spells only Emperor Solaris can do, had already activated and it succeed chained Zaden's core soul.
Getting yanked by the magical chain, Zaden's soul thrown into a different time, place, and ultimately, into a different body.
A body of the bastard and weak nobles that always getting mocked and bullied by the great houses family in Rurodia.
Little he know that the bastard nobles is Solaris's son and his secret concubine.
The illegitimate son that is cursed among Aetherion's elite family and noble families in Rurodia.