I had expected that everything was just a dream—or closer to a nightmare than a dream. King Jin Lee was lifting me by my neck on the edge of the Mountain of Sovereigns.
He was breathing with fury and immense hatred, and his violet eyes pierced into my head with the overwhelming majesty he possessed.
He said in a sharp, terrifying voice:
"The Fifth Emperor, your mother, your brother, and you… all of you will be sent into the depths of hell. You will be forgotten, the Rosestarllight family."
Then he continued mockingly:
"Your brother has something great and powerful inside him. And you? What do you have? Probably nothing but a worthless nobody."
His words cut into my ears like knives… until his eyes suddenly widened at something strange and horrifying, staring directly at my heart.
Without thinking, he drew his sword and sliced my neck in a swift motion, throwing me like a pig from the peak of the Mountain of Sovereigns. And in his eyes there was a strange fear.
————
Godwyn woke up terrified from the nightmare that had just plagued him. He gasped violently, sweat dripping from every side, panting heavily while clutching his neck.
He said between breaths:
"What a terrifying nightmare… I thought I would relive that horror once more."
He placed his five fingers on his face, then gently touched his abdominal muscles. As he pulled his fingers away from his face, he noticed a soft, delicate hand touching him lightly.
He turned his head and found a girl with short, messy silver hair, cat ears above her head. She was wearing a shirt with a short black skirt.
She said in a sweet, calm tone:
"You have nice muscles, nyaaa."
Godwyn was startled and blushed in embarrassment, speaking to himself:
'Who is this girl? And how did she enter the room without permission?'
He asked her:
"Who are you? And is this how you intrude into someone's room and touch their body?"
She smiled sweetly at him and said in a soft voice:
"Why so angry? The leader spoke about you, and my curiosity pushed me to come and see you, nyaaa."
Godwyn gave a faint smile, then said calmly:
"You must be from the Beast Tribe… I didn't expect to see your kind in the Kingdom of Lucia."
She answered with a beautiful smile:
"That's right, I am from the Beast Tribe, and I'm also one of the Vowless. My name is Julian, nyaaa."
Godwyn spoke quietly while looking at her ears:
'Man, I didn't expect the Beast Tribe to have women this beautiful.'
Someone knocked on the door gently. Both of them looked toward it and found Isaac standing there, watching them.
Isaac spoke in a deep, calm tone:
"Julian, as always, you're intrusive… you've disturbed my disciple on his very first day."
Julian rose from the bed, twitching her ears, and said in a sweet tone:
"No, I didn't disturb him. I only wanted to see him because you spoke of him, and it made me excited, nyaaa."
Isaac looked at Godwyn and said firmly:
"Put on your clothes and meet me in the large courtyard behind the house… and you, Julian, leave."
The two left the room. Godwyn rose from the bed and looked at his face in the mirror. He lowered his head, grinding his teeth in rage.
He said with anger:
"That bastard… I'll kill him. No, that would be mercy… I'll tear him apart slowly until he begs for death, Jin Lee."
He looked into the mirror and noticed his face and its reflections gradually vanishing, until the mirror became nothing but darkness.
He asked with a trembling voice:
"What's happening now?"
A white smile appeared across the mirror, making Godwyn shiver as his heart pounded.
He said with difficulty:
"Sin? Saint of the Cathedral of Mary?"
Saint Sin spoke with a vague, distorted tone:
"How are you, my child? You look afraid, troubled, and sad… I am here, but I am neither with you nor against you."
Godwyn stumbled backward at the terrifying sight, his mouth open, unable to reply.
He muttered to himself:
'The great Saint Sin…'
Sin spoke in a shadowed tone:
"It seems you don't know how to express what's inside you… That's alright, all humans are like that."
He paused for a moment, then continued:
"I won't go on too long, much of this speech is forbidden… but I will tell you one thing: the sky will rain blood, and your body will be exhausted and torn apart in the most brutal ways. A great betrayal will occur, so be cautious."
His mysterious smile vanished, and the mirror returned to normal. Godwyn placed his hand on his chest, sweating heavily.
He asked in a frightened tone:
"Was that truly Saint Sin? Or just an illusion… am I starting to lose my mind?"
He placed all ten fingers on his face, speaking in distress.
Isaac's deep voice echoed:
"You're not ready yet… what's keeping you?"
Fear lingered in Godwyn's eyes, but he closed them and opened them again.
He said in a broken tone:
"I'll come… there are things weighing on my mind."
He put on his long red coat, open at the front, with black pants. Leaving the room, he found Isaac waiting.
Isaac said:
"You seem ready… let's go."
—
Godwyn walked out of the room, following Isaac down a long corridor steeped in the scent of age, its walls covered in faded paintings of men and women of whom only names remained.
Isaac stopped at a rusty door, looking toward it with a calm tone:
"I apologize for the simplicity of this place… I know it's unworthy of a prince like you."
Godwyn replied with a sarcastic smile:
"The place doesn't matter… as long as there's someone you can laugh with."
Isaac closed his eyes and gave a sincere smile:
"What a wise saying."
Before pushing the door, he said in a low, cryptic voice:
"But your name, Godwyn… it has a flavor not easily forgotten, like one who has lost faith in mankind."
A prick of unease struck Godwyn… how did he know? But before he could ask, the door opened onto a vast courtyard bathed in warm sunlight, surrounded on all sides by dark trees, like a clearing in a slumbering forest.
At the center of the courtyard, they stood: Vowless.
Each of them stood in a different manner, but they shared something in common… a presence that imposed itself even without words.
Isaac pointed toward a tall young man standing firmly, his yellow eyes steady, long brown hair tied with a leather string, wearing a black coat.
"Tawakizra Darklight, nicknamed the Father because of his tender nature."
Tawakizra stepped forward with steady steps and extended his hand without hesitation:
"An honor to meet you, Godwyn."
Godwyn shook his hand, but felt the coldness of skin that seemed to have spent a lifetime in shadows. He replied with a faint smile:
"The honor is mine."
Barely two seconds passed before a sharp female voice came from behind:
"You know, the teacher gave him the nickname Father because he talks too much…"
Godwyn turned to see a tall girl with messy dark-orange hair. Her blue eyes were piercing and sharp.
She wore a short shirt that showed her toned abs, her hands resting confidently on her hips.
"My name is Marceline Beyond… and you? You look very strange…"
Godwyn raised an eyebrow sarcastically:
"Thanks… I guess."
She chuckled softly:
"I'm only joking."
Before he could reply, a light shadow leapt from one of the branches and landed on the ground with ease. She smiled as she walked toward him, as if she had known him for years:
"I saw him first! I have the right to introduce myself before the rest. Julian from the Beast Tribe… nyaaa."
She touched his shoulder gently, in a way that carried suspicion:
"You're strong… at least physically. What I like most are your muscles. Meoww."
Godwyn's face flushed slightly, but he remained silent. It wasn't shyness as much as unease about the intentions of this group.
Marceline smacked Julian's head… Julian yowled at her and tried to strike back. But Marceline grabbed her head effortlessly, laughing while staring at her fingernails.
Godwyn smiled involuntarily…
Isaac gestured toward a young man sitting on a rock, wearing a half-transparent mask that concealed the upper half of his face. He was staring at the sky, as if listening to ghostly whispers.
"That one is Eric Vinter. He doesn't speak much… but he can vanish for a few seconds."
Eric's voice drifted like the wind itself:
"Godwyn… what a strange name."
Godwyn looked at him, but said nothing. Eric seemed to know far more than he revealed.
From the shadows of the pillars, another girl emerged. Her steps were silent, like a phantom walking among the living.
Her long white hair was tied tightly back, swaying like a severed tail, and her face was pale as snow.
Her eyes were completely white, yet her gaze was sharp as blades.
She wore a long black coat, left open to reveal a white shirt stained with blood and black trousers that radiated discipline.
She advanced slowly, as though each step was part of a funeral rite:
"I am Lady Arlequin Crimson…"
Then she tilted her head and smiled faintly—whether polite or threatening, none could tell:
"You seem strong, through those cold eyes of yours."
Then she turned away as though leaving a stage after a finished performance—but without applause.
Something cold crept into Godwyn's heart… this girl was not ordinary, but something else entirely. He muttered to himself:
"Why is my heart trembling? Her features resemble her so much."
And finally, in the corner sat a young man quietly smoking his pipe. His hair was white as ash, and he wore an elegant formal suit, strangely out of place in this setting.
Isaac said:
"That man over there is Kaidus… a hidden soldier who slips across the sovereign's lands to deliver us information."
"…"
Godwyn stood among these faces… some inspired suspicion, some admiration, and others pure terror.
But all of them… were far from ordinary.
Isaac clapped slowly, closing his eyes with a faint smile:
"Well then… time for the true introduction. Godwyn… is the son of the Fifth Sovereign, Syron Rosenfield."
Time froze. Silence drowned the air as if it itself had stopped. Their gazes burned with fury, ready to pounce upon him.
Suddenly… a bloody dagger shot through the air, aimed precisely at Godwyn's face.
But Isaac raised his hand without touching it, and the dagger dissolved into shattered glass-like ashes.
He opened one eye and spoke in a deadly calm tone:
"Lady Arlequin… what do you think you're doing?"
She stood firm, but her eyes blazed:
"We want to kill those bastards, from the Sovereign himself down to the lowest servant in his palace… and now you bring us his son?!"
Godwyn stood unmoving, watching the storm with calm eyes:
'It seems everyone hates my father… and the kingdom as well. I don't blame them.'
Isaac, smiling quietly, locked his gaze with Arlequin's:
"And what about the murder of the Sovereign and his wife at the hands of the Nine Sovereigns? And his brother, whose fate no one knows?"
Their faces changed. Arlequin was stunned, and the others followed in shock.
Isaac's deep voice pressed on:
"Godwyn wants nothing of the throne… he only seeks vengeance for his mother's killers. His goal is simple: to bring down the Sovereigns… just like us."
Marceline covered her face with her hand in astonishment:
"Wait… you mean the Sovereigns killed the Sovereign? A coup?!"
"Yes. And it seems the truth has yet to reach the public eye…" Isaac answered, but that was enough to shift everything.
Tawakizra advanced slowly, eyes closed, a white aura emanating from his steps. He stopped before Godwyn, speaking coldly:
"If you betray us… you'll watch your head fly through the air."
Godwyn smiled slowly, his tone unwavering:
"Godwyn… means one who has lost faith in everything: humans, family, even friends. So tell me—do you expect someone as broken as me… to betray you?"
Tawakizra smiled faintly, but said nothing.
Isaac clapped three times, his voice resounding:
"Enough… let the training begin. Our goal is one… to topple the kingdom and the sovereigns."
Arlequin lowered her hat over her eyes, turning sharply without a word.
And deep within, Godwyn felt that this place… was the first true step toward a path unlike any he had walked before.