He was on the ground, staring blankly at the swirling realm around them. Guinevere's words felt like knives. She promised to heal him, to help him move on, but now she was siding with Luciano.
"I should have done it…" His voice cracked, his chest heaving. "I should have done it that day…"
"I-I should've killed myself…"
"Please, Guinevere. Let me be. I'd rather live a normal life than chase the reason behind my family's death… I'm tired."
"No, Luc. You have to be strong—"
"I've been strong enough to watch everyone I love die!" Lucjan's voice echoed like a desperate plea.
Guinevere staggered back a step. "Lucjan…"
"I'm so tired, Guinevere…" His eyes were wet. "I just want to live without blood on my hands. I don't care about conspiracies or revenge. I just want to rest."
Luciano stepped forward, his shoes tapping on the stone floor with a cold finality. Just the sound made Lucjan's stomach twist.
"You don't get to rest yet," Luciano said. "Your brother, Lune, wasn't who you thought he was."
Lucjan's head snapped up. "What did you say?"
Luciano's eyes glinted as he reached into his coat, pulling out a folded document. "Lune was a spy. He worked for a sect targeting noble families. He had two personalities: the kind brother you knew, and another you never saw."
"You're lying…" Lucjan whispered, voice trembling.
"I'm not." Luciano flipped open the papers. "This is a record of secret meetings. Witnesses saw a boy matching Lune's description delivering messages to cloaked figures. Here's a letter sealed with your family crest."
"No… no, that's not true!" Lucjan clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white.
Guinevere looked at him, eyes wide. "Lucjan, please, listen—"
"LISTEN TO WHAT?!" he shouted. "LISTEN TO LIES? MY BROTHER WAS THE ONLY GOOD THING LEFT IN MY LIFE!"
Luciano's eyes narrowed. "Your father was already unstable, but Lune's actions accelerated everything. The sect wanted the Wurford bloodline erased. Your father massacred everyone, but it was Lune who brought the wolves to your door."
"You bastard…" Lucjan's voice was hoarse. "How dare you… HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT ABOUT HIM!"
He lunged forward but fell to his knees again.
"Lucjan, please…" Guinevere knelt beside him, grabbing his shoulders. "I know it's hard, but you need the truth to heal—"
"NO! THE TRUTH?!" he screamed, tears streaming down. "THE TRUTH IS I FAILED HIM! I FAILED EVERYONE!"
Luciano stepped closer, his shadow falling over both of them. "Whether you believe it or not, Lune had two faces. We have proof of his secret meetings and coded letters—"
"STOP IT!" Lucjan's voice broke into a sob. "JUST STOP IT… please… I can't hear this anymore…"
Guinevere wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly as he shivered.
Guinevere helped him up, her arms steadying his trembling body.
She kept her eyes locked on his. "I'm sorry, Lucjan… I thought this would help you heal, but I was wrong. We don't need answers right now. Luciano will leave. Let's just go back to living… the way we used to."
Lucian could barely breathe, his throat tight, tears dripping from his eyes. A peaceful life… is that really possible?
He let out a sob, pressing his forehead against Guinevere's shoulder.
They climbed into the carriage together, the silent ride back to Derek City heavy with everything unspoken. Lucian stared blankly out the window. Guinevere's hand stayed over his, grounding him.
When they arrived at the royal castle, Lucian collapsed on his bed. Guinevere didn't leave; instead, she slipped in next to him, her warmth chasing away the cold in his chest.
"From now on," she whispered, "I'll stay with you every night."
Days blurred together. Guinevere's birthday came, the kingdom erupting in celebration with lights, cheers, and gifts flooding the castle.
But Lucian barely noticed. He stood by the window most days, lost in his thoughts as Guinevere talked beside him, her voice the only thing anchoring him to the present.
Every morning, she checked on him, asking gentle questions during their "Therapy Check."
"How are you feeling today?"
"Do you want to talk?"
Sometimes he answered. Sometimes he just looked at her, empty-eyed. Either way, she stayed.
Weeks passed. Lucian gave up on his training. The Stances, the Arc Modes, the dreams of power — he abandoned them all. He didn't care anymore. Each day felt like drifting, the world moving around him while he stayed still.
Then, at last, the Southern Dravoj Academy reopened. Lucjan walked beside Guinevere through the grand gates. The academy grounds were alive with students laughing, sparring, and studying, but Lucian felt like a ghost among them, only Guinevere's presence giving him any sense of reality.
She squeezed his hand as they stepped into the courtyard. "Let's take it slow, Lucjan," she murmured. "One day at a time."
He nodded weakly. I'll try…
His days had settled into a quiet routine. He attended classes with Guinevere, ate meals without much taste, listened as she talked about little things to fill the silence.
Bit by bit, he felt something like sanity returning. His chest didn't hurt so much when he woke up. His thoughts weren't always dark. It felt like he could breathe again.
Then it happened. His mind jolted like someone struck him with lightning. Images flickered in front of his eyes, wild and violent.
They weren't memories, but they felt more real than his own.
"I want you to feel my warmth…"
A voice, soft and desperate, whispered in his head.
His vision split: Guinevere standing naked in the academy main hall; Guinevere holding a dove that bled between her fingers; Guinevere chained and crying in a dark room.
"Don't die…"
"Live…"
"Kill me…"
The words overlapped, echoed, twisted together until his skull throbbed. Lucjan gasped, clutching his head.
He stumbled back, bumping into a marble pillar in the academy hall.
What is this? These aren't my memories… are they visions? Dreams? Whose thoughts are these?
Then he felt it — a rush of warmth flooding his chest, like someone hugging him from the inside. The same voice came again, right in his ear.
"I want you to feel my warmth…"
"Argh…" He fell to his knees.
What the hell was that? He looked around wildly. Students passed him by without a second glance, as if nothing had happened.
But inside him, something had cracked open, and he couldn't shake the feeling that someone — or something — was forcing him to see these things.
"Don't die… Don't die, Guinevere…"
The words tore from his throat as his mind twisted. Everything around him vanished in an instant.
He wasn't in the academy anymore — he was trapped in a dark, damp cell. The air stank of rot and mold.
He couldn't move. His eyes darted around the cramped cell and landed on Guinevere.
She was chained across from him, just as helpless. Her face was pale and thin. Yet, even now, she managed the faintest smile.
Rats emerged from cracks in the stone walls, dozens of them.
They crawled over Lucjan's legs first, their teeth sinking into his flesh. He screamed as the pain exploded.
"ARGHH!"
The rats kept biting, tearing, devouring. He tried to kick them, but the chains held him tight.
He could only watch as Guinevere's eyes closed.
Her lips moved as if whispering something, but he couldn't hear.
No… I can't protect her… I can't save anyone…
"ARGHHH!"
The days blurred. He lost track of time. He lost track of himself. Pain became his world, and the smell of blood filled his lungs.
Then, when there was nothing left to feel, when his body was more wound than man, he finally died — his last sight the faint, peaceful smile on Guinevere's face as darkness swallowed him.
---
"ARGH!"
Lucjan gasped awake, his whole body shaking as his mind snapped back to the present.
He was still in the Southern Dravoj Forest, exactly where he'd been before. Guinevere's arms were wrapped around him, holding him so tight he could feel her warmth sinking into his skin.
"Lucjan! What happened?" she asked, her voice trembling. She hugged him even closer, like she was afraid he'd vanish if she let go.
Luciano stood a few steps away, his eyes watching Luc with a quiet intensity.
Luc sucked in a shaky breath. What the hell was that…? Was that… a vision? Or just some nightmare?
"I… I'm fine," he said, but his voice cracked.
"No, you're not fine. You were screaming. You looked like you were dying…" Guinevere said.
She cupped his face with both hands, forcing him to look at her. "Tell me, Lucjan. What did you see?"
He looked away. "I said I'm fine."
He didn't want to relive what he'd just seen.
Guinevere let out a shaky sigh but didn't push him. She just kept hugging him.
Luc's mind was spinning. Was that a warning? Was that what happens if I turn my back on this? But… how can I even know it's real? This could just be them trying to manipulate me.
Luciano finally stepped forward. "You need to choose now, Lucjan. Will you accept our help and face this, or will you go back to pretending everything is normal?"
Luc looked between them. His chest ached. His thoughts were tangled like a knot.
He remembered the pain of that vision.
Guinevere's face as the rats chewed at them both. The smile she'd given him, even as she died.
But he clenched his fists. That's not my future. I won't let it be. I'm done with this madness.
"Lucjan, you have to think carefully," Guinevere said.
"If you refuse, you might never learn the truth. You might be in even more danger—"
"I don't care!" he shouted.
"I don't care about truths, I don't care about conspiracies, I don't care about anything anymore! I just want peace! I just want to live a normal life, away from all of this!"
Guinevere's eyes widened. "Luc…"
Luc panted, his chest rising and falling. "I'm tired of losing everyone I love. I don't want any more of this."
Luciano's face darkened. "Then you've made your choice."
Luc turned his back to them both. "I'm done. Let me go back. I don't want your quests or your truths. I just want to live."
Guinevere's arms slipped from him. "Then… I'll stay by your side, no matter what you choose."
Luc kept his eyes ahead.
[Path Selected: Path of the Regretful]
[This Path Will Have Its Own Consequences]
They stepped off the carriage and walked through the castle gates in silence.
What did I even see? Lucjan thought, his mind still spinning from the flashes of agony and fear. The system… it talked about paths. Did I just change the future? Or did I make it worse?
He felt like his head was going to split open trying to piece it together.
As they reached his room, he lay on the bed, exhausted. Guinevere settled in beside him without saying a word.
Then Lucjan rolled onto his side to face her. "Guinevere," he said quietly. "What exactly do you want from Luciano? Why are you so intent on keeping him around?"
She looked at him, her eyes tired. "Because he's dangerous, but he also knows things we don't. If we push him away, we might lose our chance to find the truth behind what happened to your family."
Luc stared at the ceiling. "But what if he's the one lying to us? What if he's the reason everything's gone wrong?"
Guinevere shook her head. "That's why I need to keep him close."
Luc sighed, his eyes closing as he sank deeper into the pillow. "I just want it all to stop…"
"I know," Guinevere whispered, reaching out to hold his hand. "I know."
He squeezed her hand weakly. Did I really choose the right path…?
---
Days slipped by quietly, and before Lucjan realized it, Guinevere's birthday had arrived. The entire Dravoj Kingdom was alive with celebration.
Banners in every city fluttered the royal crest beside Guinevere's personal sigil: a white iris on a blue field.
Markets were filled with singing, people handed out free bread and honeyed pastries, and children ran through the streets wearing paper crowns.
The capital, Derek City, pulsed with music, and even the most remote villages lit lanterns in honor of the princess.
For one day, every dispute was forgotten. Farmers, merchants, nobles—they all toasted her name.
In the palace courtyard, performers reenacted stories of Dravoj's founding, telling tales of the first kings who tamed the rivers and raised cities among forests of dark oak.
Lucjan heard merchants whisper how Guinevere's popularity kept the kingdom united, even as the borders bristled with tension from neighboring kingdoms.
Luciano was nowhere to be found.
Word spread he had been exiled to Lirzska, a cold and distant kingdom across the mountains.
Lucjan didn't know if the exile was truly punishment or a way to move him out of sight. Either way, he felt no regret seeing him gone.
But his distrust of King Isaac only deepened. He's hiding something, Luc thought. He could've been the one who ordered the attack on Lune.
That evening, as fireworks lit the sky in bursts of blue and white, Lucjan found Guinevere alone in the castle gardens. She stood by a fountain.
"I… I got you something," Luc said. He handed her a small card, folded neatly.
Guinevere took it, her eyes curious. As she opened it, she found simple words written in Luc's careful hand:
"Thank you for being here, even when I wasn't worth it. Happy birthday."
She looked up, eyes wide, then smiled softly. "Lucjan… thank you."
He looked away. But seeing her happy, if only for a moment, made everything feel lighter. Even if the world outside still felt sharp and uncertain.