Novel Full Chapter 869: The Fallen Prince
Chapter 869: Chapter 869: The Fallen Prince
They stopped to listen as more jeers followed.
“—Asked my merchant cousin about him,” one of the men inside said loudly, loud enough for half the street to hear. “Says the Rising Sun Kingdom has eight princes, not nine! None match this fool’s name or face!”
“See? He’s a fraud. Just another drunk telling stories.”
A burst of laughter spilled into the street as the bartender physically tossed the man out. The supposed prince stumbled onto the cobblestones, nearly tripping over himself. His face was flushed with both drunkness and humiliation. He cursed under his breath, kicked a tin can that clattered down the road, and began staggering away, muttering something bitterly about fools not knowing that death will be coming for them soon.
Serena sighed softly, watching him weave through the crowd. “That’s a ’prince’? Is Bea sure he wasn’t lying? He looks more like a failed street performer than royalty.”
Kain’s expression was unreadable. “Maybe. But Bea said he wasn’t lying.”
Serena frowned. “Bea could’ve misread it. He’s drunk out of his mind. People like that believe their own delusions.”
Kain’s lips twitched faintly. “No. Bea’s never wrong. Not to mention…” His eyes narrowed slightly. “Something is off with him. Bea said she couldn’t see all of his memories. Something blocked her.”
“That shouldn’t be possible,” Serena said sharply. “He’s just a normal person.”
“Exactly,” Kain murmured. “Which means he isn’t as ordinary as he looks.”
They shared a look, then silently began to follow him.
The man stumbled through the streets, occasionally stopping to yell at passersby who avoided him like the plague. Despite his apparent drunkenness, his path was surprisingly straight, taking him toward a quieter district of the city. The houses grew larger, cleaner, and spaced farther apart. Eventually, he reached a two-story manor built of dark wood and white stone, its roof tiled in green instead of red. Lanterns hung outside, glowing softly with spiritual energy.
Serena blinked. “That’s not a rundown shack of a crazy drunk. A home of this size, in a city like this would cost more than most of these citizens could ever hope to make in their lives.”
Kain nodded slowly. “So either he’s a thief who got very lucky, or…”
“Or he really is who he says he is.”
The man fumbled with his door for several seconds before finally pushing it open and stumbling inside. No guards, no servants, not even a dog greeted him. Just silence.
Kain and Serena waited until the street emptied, then approached casually, slipping around to the back entrance. Bea’s invisible presence spread outward, clouding their presence from notice. The latch clicked open without a sound, and they stepped into a surprisingly neat living space. The air smelled faintly of alcohol and incense. A stack of papers lay on the table beside empty bottles and a worn sword with a cracked scabbard.
The man sat slumped in a chair by the window, another drink in hand. His expression was vacant, the glassy eyes of someone long past caring. When he finally noticed them, it was with the sluggish blink of a drunk man whose mind was slow to register what it was exactly he was seeing.
“Ah,” he said dully after a few seconds. “Intruders.”
His tone was so flat that Kain almost laughed.
Then the man took another sip of his drink and smiled faintly. “Are you here to kill me? Finally?”
Kain arched an eyebrow. “You sound almost happy about that.”
The man let out a humorless laugh. “Wouldn’t you be? At least it would mean someone remembers I exist if they’re willing to send assassins after me.”
Serena crossed her arms, studying him. “You really believe you’re a prince?”
“I am a prince,” he said simply, then sighed. “The ninth prince. The one they never announced. My family only ever told the people there were eight.”
Serena exchanged a look with Kain. “Nine?”
The man nodded weakly. “Nine. But I was the only one without an affinity when we came of age. No flame, no light, no spiritual resonance at all. In a dominion where every member of the royal bloodline burns with the element of the sun, I was the shadow they hid away. A failure.” He poured another drink, spilling some across the table. “They locked me away in the palace gardens and told everyone I was a distant cousin. I used to resent them for it.”
His hand trembled as he raised the glass. “But when the Abyss came… they all died trying to protect me. My brothers, my sisters, even my father. They burned themselves out buying me enough time to escape.”
He took a long drink, voice cracking. “And now I can’t even do them the dignity of dying properly. How’s that for irony?”
Kain leaned against the wall, expression cold but thoughtful. “So you want to die because you survived?”
The prince looked up at him, eyes bloodshot. “I want to die because I don’t deserve to live. They were heroes. I’m a coward. I ran while they were turned to the monsters they were fighting against.”
Kain’s voice cut through the room, sharp and unflinching. “Then their sacrifices were wasted.”
The man blinked. “What?”
Kain stepped closer, his tone hard. “If you die now, what did they die for? You think they gave their lives so you could throw yours away at the first chance? Pathetic.”
The prince’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t respond.
Serena placed a hand on Kain’s arm, but he shook it off. “They fought for a reason. Maybe to protect you. Maybe to preserve the last of their line. Either way, they wanted you to live. If you can’t even do that, then you don’t deserve to call them family.”
The silence that followed was heavy. The only sound was the faint clink of the bottle as the prince set it down. His lips twitched, but no words came out.
Finally, he exhaled shakily and asked, “And what would you know about losing all of your family? Everyone you ever cared about!”
Kain didn’t answer. His expression flickered for a moment—an echo of something painful as he remembered his past life—but he pushed it down.
“More than you think,” Serena said softly, stepping between them before Kain could reply. “Listen, we didn’t come here to mock you. We came because you might have answers. You said the Abyss destroyed your dominion. How far did it spread?”
The prince rubbed his eyes, his drunkenness momentarily fading. “Farther than you can imagine. The Rising Sun Kingdom is gone. The Silver River Sect. Even the Jade Plains Dominion. The Abyss is spreading south.” He looked out the window toward the distant mountain. “It won’t be long before it reaches here too.”
Kain and Serena exchanged a glance.
Serena asked quietly, “And you’re sure of that?”
He gave a bitter laugh. “I watched my home disappear into black fire. I think I can recognize the signs.”
For a moment, silence hung again. Then Kain asked, “What’s your name?”
The man blinked as if surprised anyone cared. “Takeru Sun.”
Kain’s lips twitched faintly after recalling, based on the memories he’d absorbed from Bea, that this name usually meant Brave or Warrior. “Ironic…”
Takeru gave him a look. “For a coward like me, right?”
“But it’s fitting. For someone who survived,” Kain finished. “And maybe… someone who still has a part to play.”