The kingdom of Valtheris was burning.
Flames devoured the once-glorious capital, Aurelios, turning its golden towers into ashes. Screams echoed through the night as the sky itself darkened, choked by smoke and despair.
Inside a dimly lit chamber, a young man knelt silently before a shattered window.
Aether Valencrest.
The second prince of the empire.
His silver hair swayed slightly as the distant glow of fire reflected in his lifeless eyes. He watched as his kingdom collapsed—soldiers dying, citizens fleeing, and everything he had once known turning into ruin.
"…So this is the end."
His voice was calm. Too calm.
As if he had already accepted it.
Creaaak—
The door behind him opened.
Heavy footsteps echoed across the room.
A man stepped inside, his armor drenched in blood, his face twisted with triumph. He stopped just a few steps behind the kneeling prince.
"So this is where you were hiding."
Aether didn't turn.
The man laughed coldly.
"You truly are a worthless prince."
Silence filled the room.
"Today," the man continued, his voice dripping with cruelty, "your royal family dies… and I will take the throne."
Still, Aether did not move.
Then, slowly—
He raised his head.
His eyes, once empty, now held something else.
Not fear.
Not despair.
But resolve.
"I only wanted a quiet life…" he murmured.
The man frowned.
"But in this world…" Aether continued softly, "there is no place for peace."
Outside, another explosion shook the palace.
The flames grew higher.
"The world has already begun to change," he said.
"And even if I die today…"
A faint glow appeared in his hand.
"…I will return."
The man's expression shifted.
"What—?"In Aether's palm lay a small, ancient artifact—its surface carved with strange, glowing runes. A relic long forgotten by time.
A relic said to defy fate itself.
Aether whispered, "I will save them."
Before the man could react—
The light burst forth.
Blinding.
Overwhelming.
But instead of spreading outward—
It surged inward.
A beam of radiant energy shot from the artifact and pierced straight into Aether's chest.
"—!"
His body trembled as the light flooded through him, spreading across his veins like fire and lightning combined.
The world around him began to distort.
Time itself seemed to shatter.
Yet Aether did not scream.
He endured it.
His eyes burned with determination.
"Even if it costs me everything…"
The glow intensified—
Then—
It consumed him completely.
The man yell "Stop—!"
But it was too late.
The room fell silent.
The glow vanished.
And Aether Valencrest—
Was gone.
Only the faint echo of his final words remained in the burning kingdom.