As I stepped into the room, darkness enveloped me completely.Heavy curtains blocked every trace of light that tried to pass through the windows, plunging the space into a suffocating gloom. The atmosphere inside was unlike anything I had ever felt before—denser, heavier, as if the air itself carried an invisible weight.
The sensation returned.
It was as though invisible threads slowly slid across my skin, touching me without haste, wrapping around me in an almost oppressive manner.
My body reacted before my mind could comprehend it.My breathing grew shallow, and each step demanded more effort than the last, as if moving forward within that room was a challenge imposed by the very existence of the place.
Then, a voice echoed.
Weak—Yet still laden with authority.
"At last, you have arrived."
I turned my gaze toward the sound. The voice came from the bed, which was entirely covered by a long veil, far too thick to allow any glimpse of what lay beneath.
"Come closer."
There was no raised tone, no need for force. Even so, the command could not be ignored. My body recognized it before I could even question it.
I took a few steps and stopped beside the bed. Nothing could be seen beyond the veil.
"Yes… Your Highness."
That was all I managed to say.
The sensation intensified.
The invisible threads no longer merely brushed against my skin; they pressed down, as if they were beginning to turn into thin, sharpened blades.
Then, the voice spoke once more.
"I see you remain the same…"
There was a brief pause.
"Weak… and pathetic. As always."
The words did not awaken immediate anger, nor sorrow. What I felt was something deeper—an unease that did not originate from me, but seemed to belong to the body I now inhabited.
"It is impressive that a man like you could be my son."
The voice faltered for a brief instant, then resumed its cold tone.
"Perhaps that is explained by the fact that you are a bastard."
At that moment, I became fully certain: the former owner of this body had never known anything resembling a healthy relationship with his own father.
"Enough…"
The voice sounded weaker now, almost dragging itself along.
"I do not have much time left."
A brief silence followed, heavy and suffocating.
"You must be… pleased."
Something indistinct escaped his words—something between laughter and contempt.
"Lygni informed me that you went out drinking yesterday. To celebrate."
Everything fell into place at once. The bitter taste, the nausea, the alcohol I had vomited earlier.
"I have already spoken with your brothers and distributed the lands of the kingdom between the two of them."
There was a restrained relief in his voice, as though that matter had finally been settled.
"But since you still carry my blood within your veins, I must grant you something… even if it is a waste of time."
A hand passed through the veil. Thin, trembling, yet still firm enough to hold a document.
"Take it."
I extended my hand and received the paper. When I opened it, I recognized it as a deed.
"This small territory is yours."
I looked once more at the sheet in my hands. It was something I had never imagined owning.
"...thank you."
That was all I could say.
A bitter laugh echoed through the room.
"On the brink of death, this is the first time I have heard gratitude from you."
Those words struck me like a blunt blow—not because of their tone, but because of the weight of truth they carried.
"You are weak."
The voice was nearly extinguished now.
"And in all these years, you have never shown even the slightest progress in power."
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Then, the voice spoke once more.