The silence that took over the environment after the revelation of Cassander seemed deafening to Lucian. For a moment, he believed that time itself had frozen. His hands were cold, and the heart pounding in chest as he tried to digest what he had just heard.
It was not a novelty that the Eighth Prince should die in the original story. Precisely for this reason that Lucian was striving to change the fate of the character he possessed, and avoid the tragic end. That's why he repeatedly dreamed of the scene of the death of the Eighth Prince, as a reminder not to relax, because the end could still happen.
However... At no time was mention of Emperor Rehael and Consort Cassander doing some kind of ritual to bring the Eighth Prince back to life.
"What did you said?" He said suddenly, frowning "How? When?"
Rehael took the lead, crossing his arms with an impenetrable composure, but there was something in his gaze that conveyed... pain.
"The Imperial Palace had been invaded by rebels. Everything was destroyed, and we did not know exactly who hurt you" explained Rehael, the low but firm voice. "When we found you, Lucian, you were lifeless in your own palace. We chose the ritual because... we can not stand to see the imperial palace bathed in blood and... our son dead."
The image of Cassander crying as he held his withered body flooded Lucian's mind. The ruin around, the despair in Cassander's face... It was the same vision that had haunted him for months, but now gained a new layer of horror.
Lucian felt a chilling chill run through his spine. His mind struggled to process the truth.
But there was a big 'however' in this story. A detail that made everything seem even more bewildering.
"But... It has not yet happened" Lucian muttered looking at them perplexed "The destruction of my palace and my death are still far from happening. So how to..."
"They were the ones who went back in time" Skyler said thoughtfully, drawing Lucian's attention to the detail.
Those words fell upon Lucian like a storm. He felt the world spinning around him, and the truth of what was happening began to emerge, but it was such a surreal truth that he could hardly believe.
"Although this is not enough to justify the messy soul of the Saint. Your souls are intact, as well as the rest of the royalty and people I have met. Why would His Holiness be the only one so entangled?"
"I am afraid unable to answer such a question, priest. We just looked for some way to bring Lucian back to life, and found those ruins. Unlike now, Priest Skyler had already assumed the post of High Priest, and personally conducted the forbidden rite for us."
"When we opened our eyes..." Cassander continued holding his husband's hand, as if he needed support to remember the tortuous past "... We were back at the Imperial Palace before it was invaded."
Lucian trembled at that conversation. He sat on a bench next to the statue and sighed heavy feeling his mind becoming a real mess. Leaning forward, Lucian pressed his palms against his temples, trying to ward off the growing pain in his head. It was too much to absorb at once.
Did they go back in time?
What did that mean for him?
"Give me a moment to think" he asked when he felt Cassander by his side.
The silence surrounded him, and Lucian was able to dive into the storm that existed inside of him. The words of Rehael and Cassander echoing within themselves, like the beating of a distant bell that reverberated through memories. But Lucian knew deep down that the truth was still incomplete.
Considering the events of
The room was still in silence. Skyler's gaze was calm but attentive, as if he was waiting for Lucian to come to a conclusion on his own. Cassander, beside him, still held his hand firmly, and Rehael kept quiet, analyzing every move, every unspoken word.
Lucian had a lump in his throat. He needed to talk. He needed to confess. After all, they had told so much.
He took a deep breath, knowing that from there there would be no turning back.
"What if..." He began hesitantly to have the pairs of eyes on him "... In this ritual you ended up bringing the soul that not your son?"
Cassander widened his eyes, letting go of his hand for a brief second, but then held it again.
"What are you saying, my son?" Cassander asked, the voice trembling, as if he feared what was to come.
"If you went back in time, then technically speaking I would need to act like the first timeline. However, I acted of my own free will."
Cassander widened his eyes as if the truth was revealed before his eyes. His grip weakened, Lucian came to feel his trembling. The Emperor approached his husband holding his shoulders with affection, comforting him as he kept serious in that conversation.
"In fact, you have been acting on your own, which made me think that maybe you also remember your past life. Am I correct? Do you remember, Lucian?"
He swallowed dry, eager to answer and hesitant about their possible reaction. The Emperor certainly had his eye on their actions. It was he who told Lucian to marry Magnus, which was already something off the curve of the main story events. Cassander visited him and sent letters frequently, which also corroborates the idea that they had travelled back in time.
If those two had opened the game to such madness, then Lucian would enter too.
"I remember... but I'm not Lucian."
"What?"
"What are you saying, of course that..."
"My name was Luciano" he said, finally raising his eyes to find them. "I... I came from another world. A world where all this here..." he gestured around, pointing to the environment "... it's just a story. Something I read. I knew this story, I knew the fate of the Eighth Prince. But... I should never be here."
The horror and awe stamped on the faces of those three made Lucian shut up for a moment. They would think he had gone mad, definitely. However, Lucian remained serious and raised his shoulders as he told them about his past life. Something to remember cost you punches in the head.
The flashes of his life as Luciano went and came back. The feeling was that a veil was removed from his face, leaving him to contemplate the past life to tell them as if it were a fairy tale. Lucian counted with accuracy, even fatigue exhausting him at a price to be paid for the removal of the veil.
He told. Told about his worldly and lonely life, with few lovers and only focused on work, finding comfort in a story written by someone he did not even know. The story titled
Lucian reported the original events of the story, where nothing happened as it was happening in the current timeline.
"By now, I should have committed the atrocity of killing Magnus at that person's command. This would weaken Cadec's political power..." Lucian sighed "What I've been doing is just pure selfishness to want to survive this dream and save the life of a character I love. Nothing else matters to me."
"Lucian..."
"I'm not Lucian!" he cried exasperated "don't look at me for the person who doesn't exist! he's... dead. Accept it."
"Actually, no" Skyler intervened by approaching them "Now it makes sense for your soul to be so messed up, and that goes beyond you not being someone."
"What do you mean, Priest?"
"Every soul has a reincarnation cycle. After we leave this world, the Goddess welcomes us and leads us to our next journey." Skyler stopped in front of Lucian and looked at him calmly "That what claims to be your past life as Luciano was only your next life. You went your way as nature demands. However, the forbidden ritual broke such a cycle, and brought you back."
The heart gave a strong beat inside Lucian. Unbelief bathed him coldly.
"Are you saying..."
"Return to the cradle that should never have left..." Skyler looked at the Emperor and the Consort "Return to your parents' arms and avoid being killed."
Lucian looked at the couple still surprised. His head was spinning with so much information.
Back to the cradle...
In the original, it was never mentioned that those two were so affectionate with Lucian. But there they were saying otherwise, that they suffered with his death to the point of making a forbidden ritual and bring him back.
It would make sense if he thought that everything would be resolved if the Eighth Prince received the attention and affection of his parents, he would never fall into the clutches of the villain. His lack was his greatest weakness to be manipulated and killed in the original. The villain must have done everything to keep Lucian away from everyone, living reclusive making him believe that the villain was the only one who cared about him.
But that does not change the fact that the Emperor and the Consort did nothing...
Ah, it was confusing.
"Are you saying that... he was already living his next incarnation when we brought him back?" Cassander questioned.
"This would explain why his soul is so messed up. The scythe of the Goddess means that his fate has not yet been delivered. But he remember the past life as a story upon returning to the cradle... is proof that he has the chance that Your Majesty asked of the Goddess."