Chapter 152: ¹⁵²The Fleeing Prince

?The door to the Valen residence closed behind them.

?The main hall still reeked of smoke, blood, and scorched earth. Overturned furniture and shattered glass littered the floor, and the fireplace lay cold and dark. Ethan sat on a cracked wooden chair, his shirt rumpled and his coat stained with dried blood. His Sin Mana had yet to recover, and the Horned Crown tattoo on his left chest throbbed faint and steady.

?Caelum sat across from him. His gray coat was caked in grime, his white shirt stained with mud and dried blood. Matted silver-gold hair fell over his brow, and his hands—encased in black leather gloves—rested neatly folded in his lap.

?Isolde stood near the hearth. Valera leaned against the wall, fresh bandages wrapped around her right arm and left shoulder, her Zweih?nder slung across her back. Kaelia sat at the edge of the sofa. Lilith lingered at the doorway, her crimson-gold eyes fixed on the prince without pause.

?"Repeat what you said," Ethan instructed. "For those who weren’t at the gate."

?Ethan noted his hands. Caelum hadn’t taken off those gloves since stepping inside.

?Caelum gave a quiet nod. His voice was steady, yet weighed down by exhaustion. He flicked a subtle glance toward Lilith at the threshold, seemingly weighing whether she was even human. Lilith returned his gaze with a cold, mirthless smile, the sharp tips of her fangs glinting faintly.

?"Astrea fell in a single night. I know my father is dead." He paused. "My brother... I didn’t ask what became of him. I could already guess."

?Kaelia cast her gaze downward. No one uttered Edward’s name. He had once been her fiancé, and everyone in the room knew what had transpired that night in Astrea.

?Caelum didn’t pry. Perhaps he simply didn’t want to know.

?"I fled before the carnage ended. Rode hard for a full day until my horse collapsed from exhaustion, then covered the rest on foot. Spent two nights in the woods."

?"And Astrea?" Isolde asked.

?"Is there any news from the Ashford territory?" Kaelia interrupted softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

?Caelum shook his head. "Nothing from anywhere. None of the royal messenger birds returned. I’m sorry."

?Kaelia offered a stiff nod and lowered her head once more.

?"From the ridge outside the city, all I saw was a red mist blanketing the capital. No fires. No alarm bells. No soldiers marching out. Just absolute silence." Caelum’s blue eyes stared blankly into space. "That was the most terrifying part. As far as I know, I am the last breathing Valois. The kingdom no longer has a king."

?"How do we know you weren’t followed?" Valera chimed in from the wall, her voice raspy yet sharp.

?"I checked my trail for two full nights. Nothing was pursuing me." Caelum met her gaze. "Or they deliberately let me reach this place. The thought hasn’t escaped me."

?"An equally grim possibility," Ethan said. "Which means you might have led them right to my doorstep."

?"I know. That’s why I’m asking for nothing more than shelter. If you choose to turn me away now, I understand."

?Ethan studied him for a silent moment.

?"Why Ethan?" Isolde asked. "There are other powerful figures in the kingdom."

?"Few remain," Caelum answered. "King Evander is dead. Duke Alaric is dead. Duke Reinhard is dead. Everyone stronger than him has perished."

?"And you came here to claim the crown?" Ethan asked flatly.

?"I came here so I wouldn’t die alone. The crown can wait." Caelum held his gaze. "Last night, I saw a golden light radiating from beyond the woods. Brilliant and blinding. It came from the direction of this village. So I followed it."

?Kaelia tensed. Valera shot Ethan a swift glance. Isolde remained entirely motionless.

?Ethan didn’t interrupt, though his eyes narrowed imperceptibly.

?"I have nowhere else to go," Caelum added softly. A flicker of pride lingered in his tone, but he possessed no strength left to cling to it.

?Ethan observed him in silence for a long moment.

?"You may stay."

?"Thank you."

?Ethan stood up. "Valera, organize guard shifts. The gate and the tree line. Isolde, reinforce the wards surrounding the house and check on Cornelius."

?Valera gave a firm nod. Isolde nodded as well after offering him a brief glance.

?Ethan strode out of the hall. In the corridor, Asrof was already waiting to escort Caelum to a guest room.

?Isolde trailed a few steps behind Ethan before bringing herself to a stop.

?"Do you trust him?" she whispered.

?"No," Ethan replied. "But I need to know what he knows."

?Isolde watched his retreating back, then headed toward the stairs without another word.

?Ethan entered Cornelius’s room without knocking.

?Cornelius lay resting upon a modest wooden bed. His face was gaunt, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes carved deeper than Ethan remembered. Clean bandages wrapped around his left arm. His gray robe hung neatly folded over a chair, though his oak staff was nowhere beside him. It had been left behind in Zenithar.

?Miya sat on a chair beside the bed, her medical bag resting in her lap. Her eyelids drooped half-shut, her head nodding off faintly, but she jolted awake the moment Ethan drew near.

?"My Lord..." She scrambled to her feet.

?"How is he?"

?"He’s stable. But his mana has been severely drained—it will take days for him to recover. He was delirious earlier, mumbling about his students."

?Ethan remained silent.

?Cornelius stirred. His sharp right eye slowly opened.

?"Ethan..." his voice came out raspy. "Zenithar?"

?"Partially destroyed. Head Instructor Vane fell in battle."

?Cornelius closed his right eye for a brief moment. "Vane..." he whispered, saying no more.

?He opened it once again.

?"Save your strength," Ethan said.

?"Forgive me," Cornelius continued faintly. "I should have guarded the archive better. I’m simply too old to stand against a Crimson Moon."

?"It wasn’t your fault."

?"That seal," Cornelius whispered. "You must understand. It is not mere magic. It is law."

?"I’ve read the records."

?"You read them. But you have yet to understand."

?Ethan said nothing. Miya took a step back, keeping her head bowed.

?"To lock away something eternal, you require something eternal in turn. The only eternal thing in this world is a bond." Cornelius drew a shallow breath. "The seal demands an anchor. The deeper the love, the stronger the anchor becomes."

?"What happens to the anchor?"

?Cornelius stared up at the ceiling for a long moment.

?"I don’t know the exact details. The records do not state it." His voice faded to a faint murmur. "All I know is this: the price is paid. And nothing ever returns the same."

?"Is there another way?"

?"If there is... it lies beyond that library."

?His right eye slowly closed. His breathing settled back into a deep, steady rhythm as he drifted unconscious once more.

?Ethan gazed at him for a brief second.

?"Look after him," he instructed Miya.

?"Understood, my Lord."

?He turned toward the exit.

?"My Lord," Miya called out softly, her voice trembling. "If you require anything of me... for that seal... I am ready."

?"Don’t," Ethan replied without looking back.

?He stepped out. Cornelius’s words continued to echo in his mind. The price is paid. And nothing ever returns the same.

?Elara’s room was peaceful.

?Ethan slipped inside quietly, deliberately leaving the door slightly ajar. He only needed five minutes.

?Asmodeus had remained dormant since last night. The tattoo across Ethan’s chest throbbed faint and steady, as if waiting in silent accord.

?His sister remained lying in bed, her faint brown hair spread across the pillow. Her skin was as pale as marble, though a delicate flush now touched her cheeks. Her white-filmed eyes were closed. From her pores, a subtle white-gold radiance still seeped out, rising and falling in sync with her breathing.

?Ethan took a seat on the edge of the bed, watching her in silence for a long time.

?The inscription from the scroll surfaced in his mind once again.

?The bond you cherish most.

?He knew precisely where those words pointed, but he refused to let his thoughts wander down that path. Every time the realization drew near a face, he severed the thought and forced himself to start over.

?He recalled the nights his sister had shivered from stagnant mana, leaving him to sit right here on this same bedside, completely helpless. He loathed that feeling. He had no name for what he was experiencing now, so he left it unspoken.

?He reached out and took Elara’s hand in his. Warm. Remarkably warm for a girl who had been coughing up blood just last night. In the past, this delicate little hand would pull back instantly at the slightest touch. Not anymore.

?From outside came the rhythmic thud of shovels, the muffled cry of a child, and Valera issuing orders at the gate. The house was crowded this morning, yet inside this room, an absolute silence reigned. This light was visible from afar, Caelum had said. If a prince hiding in the forest could see it, then perhaps others had too.

?"I will find another way, Elara," he whispered. "Whatever it takes. You don’t ever need to know about this."

?No answer came. Elara’s breathing remained slow and peaceful.

?Then Ethan felt it. Someone was standing at the threshold.

?Caelum stood right in the gap of the open doorway. His blue eyes locked onto Elara, then shifted to the luminescent glow emanating from her skin, before finally resting on Ethan.

?A few paces behind him, Lilith leaned against the wall with arms crossed, offering no commentary.

?Ethan stood up slowly.

?"Who is she?" Caelum asked.

?"My sister."

?Caelum fell silent, his eyes sharpening slightly.

?"Does she know what she carries?"

?"No."

?"Then who does?"

?"No one."

?Lilith shifted subtly behind Caelum. "He’s been standing here for a while, Master. Staring at the door."

?Caelum didn’t deny it.

?"That glow..." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "I’ve seen light like that before. In an ancient painting inside the royal archive."

?"What do you mean?"

?"That’s all I know." Caelum glanced at Elara once more. "I won’t speak of this to anyone."

?"Where is the painting?"

?"At the palace. Assuming the palace is still standing."

?"Though that light isn’t like any mana magic I recognize. It feels... much older."

?Ethan offered no answer, his jaw clenching faintly.

?"Listen closely," Ethan said coldly. "If you intend to use this house as a stepping stone, you had better leave right now."

?"I am no traitor." Caelum’s voice was flat, devoid of offense. "I have nothing left to betray."

?Ethan stared at him for a quiet moment, then brushed past him out of the room. Before leaving, Ethan glanced back once toward the bed. Lilith stepped aside to make way, her eyes remaining fixed on Caelum.

?Caelum remained standing at the threshold.

?He gazed at the blind girl on the bed one last time. Her face was serene, as though entirely unaware of what she had wrought the previous night. That white-gold luminescence flowed softly beneath her skin, warm and quiet. For years, he had spent his days reading ancient texts in the royal library simply because he had nothing else to do. He had seen this light before—on a page he had never quite understood.

?Elara shifted faintly. Her lips trembled as if trying to speak, yet she did not wake.

?Caelum drew a quiet breath and softly pulled the door shut.

?Down in the corridor, the faint murmur of Isolde chanting wards drifted up from the lower floor. Caelum touched his left glove, as though confirming it remained firmly in place.

?He didn’t know what he had just witnessed. But he was certain of one thing: that ancient painting had depicted something far from human.