Shot of Silence

Chapter 0: Prologue

"It's the end..." At last, he had managed to avenge his fallen comrades and bring an end to Nyxen's tyranny over this once lush land.

Glancing over the bloodied room, the swordsman had always been terrified of the moment he would become the king. It had been a fate he had avoided, being the only prince of this cursed kingdom. Yet, had he known that relinquishing his rights would result in this ring of fire, he would never have run away. If only he had known the number of souls sacrificed and the losses he would endure.

'If only I could turn back time and stop being a coward...'

However, that was nothing more than wishful thinking. After all, he couldn't possibly turn back time. Even with all the existing magic, including vile elements itself and the Quadradirmia, there had never been a way to alter the flow of time. It was something beyond human jurisdiction.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty. You finally did it," that short comment was uttered by none other than his sworn brother, Ernesh Mazzanti, one of the few who had vowed to stand by his side till the very end. Although Ernesh was a prince of the neighboring kingdom, their bond was strong.

"Ernesh," he mumbled back, his voice strained with fatigue and guilt weighing heavily on his shoulders, "Has the battle ceased?"

Slightly nodding, Ernesh confirmed, "Yes, the battle has come to an end. All of Nyxen's followers have been dismantled, and his reign has been put to rest." Despite the victory, there was a heaviness in his tone, as if acknowledging the cost of their triumph.

In the midst of his contemplation, Heath's eyes landed on a shattered stained glass window, its fragmented pieces scattered across the bloodied floor. Rays of sunlight seeped through the broken shards, casting fragmented beams of colored light upon the scene.

'How ironic,' Amidst the chaos and destruction, a solitary ray illuminated a single droplet of blood that had settled on the edge of a broken glass piece.

Heath's gaze fixated on the droplet, its crimson hue contrasting sharply against the pale shimmer of the glass. It was a stark reminder of the sacrifices made and the lives lost in their pursuit of freedom. The sight stirred a mix of emotions within him—a profound sadness for the fallen, a fierce determination to honor their memory, and a resolve to ensure that their sacrifice would not be in vain.

With a gentle touch, Heath shifted the stained curtain, staring at the glass shards.

Probably, it was his exhaustion that finally hit him, but the shards reminded him of their shattered dreams, broken bonds, and the hardships endured. Yet, they also represented resilience and the strength to endure even in the face of adversity.

Heath's fingers hovered above the jagged edges of the glass, lightly touching it and feeling its sharpness against his skin. In that moment, he recognized the significance of the broken shard. He understood that the weight of his decisions and the burden of kingship were not meant to crush him but to forge him into a leader worthy of Veridiania. Yet the pounding in his head had not yet ceased. It warned him that the struggle was not over, or perhaps it signaled something more.

'How ominous,' Heath, despite being born into royalty, had always despised this place. However, he could not, and definitely should not, run away from his responsibilities as he had done in the past.

With the bloodied glass shard still in his hand, he rose from the floor, his movements resolute and purposeful. The room, filled with the remnants of their struggle— the sight of this battleground would be burned into his brain, a dark core memory of the place where fallen comrades were immortalized in their collective spirit.

‘It’s okay… I’ll fix this. Somehow, I’ll fix this…’

The stained glass shard, clasped tightly in his fist. The pain in his hand and injuries all over his body still couldn't be compared to the pain in his heart. Heath strode forward, his every step felt heavy as it quietly echoed throughout the empty room. He has the means to rebuild Veridiania and honor the fallen who had given everything for its freedom; however, it was never an easy feat and it's only harder to do after everything.

"Brother?" Ernesh's voice echoed through the bloodied room, piercing through the growing silence, "You couldn't possibly regret your actions now, could you?"

"Well, it doesn't matter." With a rasp, the young king spoke softly, almost to himself, "I will carry the weight of their sacrifice with me always. Their lives will not be forgotten." Despite the victory, remorse and regret lingered within him, reminding him of the consequences of his actions and the price he had paid for his choices.

'Had I been any wiser...' he thought to himself, partly stuck in the past when he heard his brother says, "Oh my, that won't do."

"What—"

Eyes widened in shock, his words were not the only ones that got cut off.

"You... how dare you."

The blade that punctured his chest was not as painful compared to the betrayal he was experiencing in that moment.

"What? I'm simply agreeing with you, brother. I also think that you're not a suitable king for Veridiania. Don't you think I'm doing you a favor~?"

Heath's vision blurred as his lifeblood poured from the wound, staining his regal attire. He struggled to speak, his voice weak and trembling with both agony and disbelief.

"Ernesh... Why?" he gasped, his voice barely a whisper.

'We were meant to stand together as we protect our kingdom. Together...'

They already lost the other two Quadradirmias, the world's balance is already heavily compromised, and yet he did this?

Dimmed eyes shook with abandon. His blurry sight somehow captured Ernesh's cold smile which only stung him even further. The weight of betrayal settled upon him, heavier than the blade lodged in his chest. The realization that his most trusted companion had orchestrated this treachery crushed his spirit.

"Y-You... my sworn brother," Heath managed to utter, his voice filled with a mix of anguish and anger. "How could you...!!"

'After everything we fought for, how could he...?'

Ernesh's eyes gleamed with a twisted satisfaction, mocking the pain and confusion etched across Heath's face. The once-unbreakable bond between them shattered, leaving only a gaping void of betrayal.

"I have always been in your shadow, Heath," Ernesh sneered. "You were always the favored one even in my kingdom. The chosen one, destined for greatness. But not anymore. Veridiania needs a king who can lead, who can make the tough decisions. And that is not you."

Heath's strength waned, his body growing cold and heavy. With a final surge of defiance, he mustered his remaining breath.

"I... I won't let... Veridiania... fall...," he rasped, his voice fading into a whisper. The weight of his duty and the pain of betrayal merged, fueling his resolve even in his final moments. He raised his hand, wanting to shoot one last fire at him, or something of that nature. Wanting to use his last ounce of anger before his core entirely extinguished, yet—

SLASH

His hand was easily cut off.

'Ah...'

Feeling hopelessness cave in as darkness closed around him, Heath could only pray. It didn't matter if he couldn't live a normal life anymore; for the first time in his life, his rage overshadowed his sense of purpose.

'If this is how my life ended, this would be his as well.'

His last breath didn't end up dying as the last flicker; no, that dying prince was prepared to die for this cause anyway. There's a sliver of apologetic feeling in knowing that some lives would be taken away along with this stunt. But Ernesh simply cannot be left alone, alive, when people whom he knows can handle someone of his caliber had died.

His mentors. His comrades. His master.

There's a reason why he trusted Ernesh with his back despite the danger. In light of this, he decided to leave with a big bang, an end he never thought he would ever choose.

And with that, the noble royalty acted on the forbidden move and illuminated the whole palace with his exploding core.

He, who refused to succumb to the treacherous act of his once-loyal brother, chose to end everything as he prayed that their universe wouldn't crumble with the deaths of their last Quadradirmias...