"The King has arrived!"
Everyone rose from their seats as the King entered. Unlike his usual casual attire, Zane now wore regal garments—something that truly screamed King of the Kingdom.
Following behind him was the Queen, clearly displeased. She didn't bother to hide her disdain; it was obvious she didn't want to be here but had been forced to attend.
Once Zane sat on his throne, the rest of the room followed suit, settling down as hushed whispers filled the air—some curious, others excited.
Louis crossed his arms and glanced around. Leaning toward Arthur, he whispered, "Where are the princes?"
He hadn't seen the two bratty royals since morning and half-suspected they'd ditched their brother's coronation.
Only Luna and Sol were present, seated at their table and clinging to each other with excitement—well, mostly Luna.
"They'll come later," Arthur whispered back. "Before Mika's introduction, they present the royal blood who've already completed their coronation. It's part of the opening."
"Whoa… I didn't know it'd be this formal," Echo murmured in awe. This was his first time witnessing a coronation in person.
Elain stepped forward, clearing his throat. Standing tall, he folded his hands behind his back and spoke with a soft yet commanding voice that silenced the room.
"The Royal Family welcomes all of you to this auspicious day. Let the introductions begin. We welcome the royal sons."
The doors swung open, and Kyle entered. But instead of heading straight to his table, he stopped at the edge of the royal carpet.
"Crown Prince Kyle Wyatt Verhault."
Louis and Echo exchanged confused glances before looking to Arthur for clarification.
"Oh, that?" Arthur gestured toward Kyle. "We call that path the Revelation Path. Just watch."
The ordinary red carpet in the center of the room suddenly ignited, burning away to reveal a stone path beneath—etched with glowing runes and ancient spells. A sound like clockwork gears echoed through the hall as the walls began to crumble—not into rubble, but into dust, revealing not another wall, but a vast darkness surrounding the throne room.
The Revelation Path began to glow brightly, and then—an explosion of light.
Sparks clung to the darkness, illuminating the room like a billion stars.
"Woah…" Echo gasped, eyes wide as he looked around. It felt almost like the Astronomy Faculty back at the Royal Research Institution.
Kyle held his head high as he stepped forward. The moment his foot touched the Revelation Path, the stars began to flicker—then vanished, plunging the room into darkness.
Suddenly, the path burst into a crimson glow. From the ceiling, hundreds of swords rained down, stabbing into the stone ahead of Kyle. But he didn't flinch.
He kept walking.
A wall emerged from the shadows, ghostly and faded murals shifting across its surface—depicting wars from the past, or perhaps even the future. Cracks formed in the floor, and sand began to flood in, making Kyle's path more treacherous.
Still, the Crown Prince pressed on.
As he neared the throne stairs, harsh winds surged from the darkness, trying to push him back. But Kyle remained steadfast, continuing forward until his feet stepped off the path.
The room turned pitch black.
Then, slowly, the stars flickered back into existence.
Kyle bowed his head before his father, then walked to his seat near Sol and Luna.
"That was… awesome!!" Echo grabbed Louis's arm, shaking him excitedly. Louis, however, looked unimpressed.
"What is that? Why is the room like this?"
Arthur chuckled at Echo's enthusiasm. "This is the Truth Hall, and what you saw was the Revelation Path. This building existed long before the kingdom itself. The Path reveals what lies in someone's future. What you saw was the Path of Sword—usually reserved for future kings."
Elain smiled gently before speaking again. "We welcome the Crown Prince. Now, let us welcome the Second Prince."
Kyre didn't wait for Elain to finish. He stepped into the room and walked straight toward the Revelation Path.
As soon as his foot touched the path, the sound of water droplets echoed through the hall. Water began to flood from beneath his feet, and the scent of salt filled the air—like the ocean.
Kyre's eyes remained fixed on the path, his expression bored and detached. The water beneath him stayed calm, mirroring his demeanor. But beyond the path? The water raged, crashing against the walls like a violent storm.
"…What Path is that?" Echo asked nervously. Unlike his twin brother, Kyre's path was harder to interpret.
Arthur shrugged. "No idea. Even I don't know what Kyre's path means. Is it a calm ocean… or a raging tsunami? No one knows."
Just like Kyre himself, the Path offered no clear answers. As he neared the end, the ocean slowly drained away. Kyre didn't offer pleasantries or bow to the King and Queen. He simply walked to his table and sat beside his twin.
Elain remained calm and composed, standing tall as his smile widened just slightly. Then, with a clear voice, he announced the main star of today's event.
"Lastly, let us welcome the Third Prince."
The doors swung open, and Mika stepped forward.
Gasps echoed throughout the hall as all eyes turned to him. Whispers filled the room as guests studied Mika's attire.
Unlike his brothers, Mika didn't wear traditional royal garments. Instead, his outfit was strikingly unique: a loose, oversized long-sleeved shirt in white and dark navy. The white sleeves were puffy, adorned with black rose patterns at the cuffs. The dark shirt featured a high collar, fastened with a black rose brooch and a red ribbon bow. Crimson rose patterns bloomed across the chest and waist.
Below, Mika wore layered dark navy shorts decorated with golden horizontal bands. His legs were clad in knee-high black socks with vertical stripes, and he finished the look with white ankle boots—black soles, red buttons.
"Is that the Third Prince…?" Echo breathed, cheeks flushed as he stared in awe. "…Cute. He's so cute—almost like a doll."
"Of course he is. He's my lord," Louis huffed, pride lacing his tone.
But Arthur didn't share their sentiment. …Cute? He swallowed nervously, glancing toward the King and Elain—only to find even the ever-composed Elain sweating slightly.
To them, Mika didn't look cute.
He looked like death.
A ghostly figure, pale and fragile—like a vessel of something far beyond mortal reach.
Many guests stared at Mika with pity. Rumors said the Third Prince was nineteen, but he looked far too frail and thin for a man his age. His clothes, while elegant, only emphasized his softness, his vulnerability… and how easily he could be targeted.
How pitiful.
Truly pitiful.
Will his path be as pitiful as he is?
Would even the Revelation Path reject the third prince?
Mika stands silently. On the outside, he appears calm—but inside, panic claws at him. He's trembling beneath the surface. He'd read about the Revelation Path in Crimson Revenge, the sacred trial that determines the fate of royal children.
But Mika isn't the real Mika. The body belongs to the third prince, but the soul inside is just a regular office worker. A man who slaved away in a black company, buried under deadlines and despair. Would this Path recognize him—or reject him? Would it expose the truth?
He takes a deep breath and lifts his gaze to Zane. Sitting there, Mika sees not a father—but a King. Zane cannot help him this time. The Revelation Path is sacred, a test of royal blood. Mika must face it alone.
With quiet resolve, he steps forward. His feet touch the Revelation Path.
Death.
The moment Mika steps onto the path, a wave of death crashes over him. A dark aura erupts from the stone beneath his feet. Gasps and screams echo from the guests as a mark of death bursts from Mika's body. A rotten skeleton, cloaked in tattered black robes, hovers behind him. Its bony fingers clutch the prince's arms, halting his advance.
The room plunges into pitch black.
Then—agony.
A scream pierces the silence. Wails of torment fill the air as decaying corpses erupt from the floor. They claw at Mika's clothes, grasping, dragging, desperate to pull him under.
Path of Death—a path that ends only in death.
Mika's path is Death. No matter what. His fate will always lead to the same end. Even if the soul within him is someone else, as long as they bear the name Mika Lyre Verhault, their destiny is sealed—death, just like the body's original owner.
Nothing can change that.
Nothing truly can alter the fate of a dead man.
"Is that what you mean, Gods?"
Mika grits his teeth, fury rising as he struggles against the skeleton and the corpses. He isn't angry at the Path itself. No—he knew, even in Crimson Revenge, that Mika's fate was sealed the moment he was born under the mercy of the God of Death. What enrages him is the Gods themselves.
Why?
Mika never asked to be born only to die.
He certainly didn't beg Death to save him. He was barely an infant then. It was the God of Death who brought him to life, branding him with the mark of death. It's not fair. Not fair at all.
"Why is fate so cruel?"
That's what the King thinks as he grips the armrest of his throne, knuckles white. He watches helplessly as his son is surrounded by corpses, clawing to drag the third prince into the underworld. His face is pale, drained of color. Sweat drips from his chin as he stares at the child born of his love with a commoner woman—fated to die.
And he can do nothing.
Even if he wants to.
He simply can't.
"My lord!" Louis gripped his sword, fury burning in his eyes as he watched the corpses dare to lay their rotten hands on his master. He rose from his chair, ready to leap into the fray, to cut down the monsters and free Mika.
But before he could move, Arthur's hand clamped down on his shoulder, forcing him back into his seat. The strength Arthur used wasn't the usual carefree touch—it was the iron grip of the Captain of Einard Kingdom. Veins bulged on his forehead, his jaw clenched tight. Arthur, too, was seething at the sight of Mika's cursed path.
"No! I won't accept it!" Mika screamed inside his mind as he kicked the corpses away. "I won't accept Mika's fate!" He pushed forward, fighting against the skeletal grip and the weight of death itself. "I won't let you decide what my fate is!"
With a final surge, Mika tore his arms free from the skeleton's grasp. He took a step forward.
But just as he prepared to take another, his eyes widened—the floor beneath him turned to black mud. It sloshed ominously, and then a rusty chain shot out, wrapping around his body, yanking him to a halt.
The corpses and the skeleton melted into blood, splashing into the rising sea of mud that slowly filled the room. Yet none of it touched the guests. Only Mika was affected. The mud crept up his body, cold and suffocating.
As if the Revelation Path itself was declaring:
Mika has no future.
"Does you now?"
A voice—deep and slow—filled the room. The Revelation Path stilled, as if even it feared the presence behind that voice. Yet it still clung to Mika, unwilling to release the third prince.
"How amusing."
From the darkness above, a crack appeared in the ceiling. It began to spread—widening, stretching—until a jagged rift split the air. Black, inky liquid dripped from the crack, and as it touched the muddy floor, the ground transformed into thick, swirling smoke. The ink spread, cloaking the floor in a dense, shadowy mist.
"Rejoice, for I have descended."
From the crack emerged a massive figure. He looked like a man, but the way he glowed—the sheer scale of him—made it clear: this was no mortal. This was divine.
His slicked-back, jet-black hair shimmered subtly with every movement, as if stardust had been woven into each strand. A black robe hung loosely from his shoulders, bunched at the elbows, revealing a chiseled torso—each muscle defined, each motion deliberate.
And then there were his eyes.
Four irises stared out from his gaze. The top two blazed gold, burning with authority. The bottom two gleamed silver, cold and unreadable.
"God of Nothingness…"
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Then silence. One by one, the guests fell to their knees, overwhelmed by the divine presence that had descended upon the kingdom.
Echo clasped his hands together, awe etched across his face as he knelt. He couldn't believe it—he was witnessing the very God who protected people like him. Face to face.
And He had descended… for Mika's coronation.