The man looked up at the walls, his blurred eyes slowly igniting the sharp glare once more. However, he remained there, glancing at the sophisticated, gilded ceiling of the throne room. Accompanying him, a faint clanging sparked out through the space, cyclically appearing before dulling away.

  Similarly, right as the clashing metals rang out, tens of keen gleams struck his eyes, illuminated by the chandeliers made from magical crystals.

  One toss after another, Lutiel threw the golden crown up, swiftly catching the countless gems embedded in it once more. Repeating the motion a few times, he quickly turned tired however, stopping before tightly clenching the regal headgear.

  Slowly, as he sat on the throne whilst staring at the pile of corpses gathered of at least a hundred guards ahead of him, Lutiel put the crown on top of his head, spreading his legs out before putting both of his forearms at the throne’s arms.

  Engulfing the images with his eyes, he kept sitting there, meekly changing his position.

  Alas, a few tens of breaths later, as he finally scoured through the blood pooling throughout the whole floor, his right hand traveled towards the crown again, swiftly taking it off before palming it on each side with both hands.

  Between the hands, Lutiel clasped them abruptly, bending the crown to a meager, flattened piece of metal entwined with diamonds and sparkling crystals. Throwing it right at the dead bodies before gradually raising himself, his mind once again blurred out whilst his sabatons splashed the blood away.

  -

  “ARGHHHH!” A scream bounced through the darkness, a faintly lit abode fitting two shadows within. Candles blazing away along the walls, they produced just barely enough light to witness the small figure hanging on the chains.

  His wrists shackled together, he dangled, breathing harshly both from pain and exhaustion. Unable to place his feet on the cobbled floor and rest the flesh, he could only solace himself through the sharp voice of his.

  Once again, a deafening slap resounded in the space, his body scattering reddened stains throughout, the skin on the verge of tearing apart. Still, faint marks of blood appeared along his bare torso, the whip with countless ends brushed softly across the robed man.

  Standing with a disgruntled expression, the priest was still not satisfied with his reactions. Raising his right arm, the one that held the scourge, it swiftly fell down before the figure cocked his head back, the lips shivering from the pain.

  “Huu, huu,” Lutiel breathed out, getting rid of the sweat dripping down his face before glancing at the priest. “I’m sorry, I won’t sleep during lectures again,”

  “Oh, it’s not that, and you know it very well,” the priest muttered out, promptly drowning in his agony.

  From the intense pain, tears began to drip away, alas, the man didn’t abate beneath his reactions. Instead, his nose scrunched up further. “Do you think it’s normal to lash out at one of the heroes like that? What if you hurt them? Do you think you could ever replace them?”

  As his words ended, the man’s hand descended even faster than before, ripping through his skin, blood splattering out weakly.

  “Please, please, I’m sorry. We were sparring, I didn’t want to do any harm to Raphael, it was him who stepped into my attack,” the boy spat out, however, it only aided the priest’s fury.

  “YOU LITTLE! Are you saying the hero purposefully wounded himself? What sort of shit!” The voice rattled through the space, Lutiel’s body promptly swinging as the man punched him in the stomach.

  The insides churned briskly, emptying themselves down to the floor, flowing together with the tears.

  -

  Grabbing one of the sparse torches scattered in the old parts of the royal palace, Lutiel moved through the spaces slowly. Right before he entered another room, his figure lowered itself, making the carpets flutter in bright flames.

  Quickly engulfing the room behind him, the fire swiftly made its way through the emperor’s palace.

  The courtyard, practically empty because of the disappearing guards, eased their way for the man, letting him easily go through the gates whilst screams started to envelop his ears.

  Having caught the palace fully on fire, the night surrounding the royal parts of the city washed away slightly, igniting distress in the nobles as they went onto the streets, watching the blaze trying to be extinguished by the demonic guards around the streets.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Meanwhile, Lutiel steadily walked through the people, despite their concerned looks flowing at him as he headed directly from the place.

  “HEY! DID YOU DO THIS?” A man tried to halt him with a raised voice, stepping in front of the man and trying to scare him off with his brawny figure. Regardless, his eyes opened up briskly as Lutiel’s hand suddenly rested on his mouth, swiftly thrusting away and tossing the man into a wall of buildings on the left.

  The people quickly scattered away, letting him go through with their frightened faces, all whilst he wandered through the streets with his clouded eyes.

  -

  Basking in the shade with closed eyes, he listened to the melody from above. The leaves rustled faintly, aiding to his rest. The palms nestling along the back of his head, Lutiel felt as warm gales washed through him silently.

  Lying on a hill similar to the one he had always gone to with Sheila and Raphael, the man kept mum throughout, immuring in the thoughts coursing through him.

  Still, his brow raised itself suddenly, growing at the sudden shadow dimming his eyelids. Adding on to the one coming from the tree, he barely witnessed the sun’s blaze anymore.

  Slowly, he opened one of his eyes, watching the figure loom over him. With the pale face and bright, purple eyes, as well as the strictly white hairs swaying in the wind, the man’s blank mien kept peering at him.

  However, witnessing him, Lutiel closed the eye again. “What is it, Raphael? He uttered, promptly listening to the mellow sigh crawling out of him.

  “Haa, are you still lingering on that matter? A whole year has passed already. Your training has basically vanished completely since then. I know she was your first love, but you still have your own duties to uphold,” he spat out, making Lutiel’s eyebrows crease slightly.

  “Then, you should also know that’s exactly why I’m struggling.” Once again, his eyes opened up. Peering through the hero’s face with a weak glare, Lutiel stayed silent only for a few breaths. “Every time I close my eyes, she’s there, bleeding out. I can’t concentrate properly without thinking of her death,” he muttered, looking to the side as the words fell out.

  Yet, the other’s only response was a new sigh, Raphael letting it out as he kept staring at his miserable state. He himself looked around the landscape, unable to find proper words. The man wondered quietly before eventually lowering his head at the other.

  “How many times do I have to repeat it wasn’t your fault? The rest saw it too, it was a pair of sneaky demons that ended her life, not you,” he said aloud, briskly making Lutiel’s face churn.

  His lips quivering, he promptly stretched them out whilst his nose scrunched away. “That’s not it. I felt my body move so clearly at that time,” said Lutiel, slowly nestling his palms around the grass blades before raising his torso.

  Leaning on the tree, he looked at Raphael momentarily before glancing at the bulging hills ahead of them both, enveloped in the sun’s embrace.

  Then, his eyes trembled whilst he grabbed himself with a hand, turning down to witness his opened hand. “I don’t know anymore. Whether it was me or not,” he whispered away, briskly widening his eyes after something met his face.

  Tilting his face to the side, Lutiel promptly covered his left cheek, feeling the slap radiate through his skin deep inside. He glanced up quickly however, towards the man retracting his arm back to himself, a somewhat irritated expression settling on him.

  “Do you think she would have liked seeing you like this? You’re thinking of some fantastical dream that didn’t even have a chance to happen. Lutiel, get yourself together, for her,” Raphael muttered out, his fair shirt fluttering out as a sudden gale swept through them.

  With his widened expression, the man brought his knees closer, resting his elbows on them before glancing away at the ground, a deep breath leaving him soon enough.

  “I... don’t know, Raph. I will try my best to get back in my rhythm for the party’s sake, but I’ll need some more time before that happens, alright?” Asking after raising his head back, he swiftly creased his eyes again, staring at the shakes he was receiving.

  “No, we’re going to spar right now, and you have no option to refuse,” Raphael spat out vehemently, gradually letting out a smirk on his face whilst lowering himself towards the man. Bringing out his right hand, he hovered it around Lutiel, keeping track of his stagnated expression.

  Still, the hero’s brows suddenly faltered, frowning as he heard the faint spark of breaths coming from below.

  Lowering his head further from the sudden impulse, Lutiel’s sigh grew steady despite the wind, following with his voice. “Get rid of that face. It doesn’t work on you,” he said after locking eyes with the sword hero, promptly clasping their hands together before the man raised him up.

  “You made the correct choice. You don’t know how horrendous it felt watching you like this. Especially when you’re the hope in this war,” he said whilst bringing the free hand towards his right shoulder, making Lutiel furrow his eyebrows at the heartfelt words.

  “What are you talking about? You’re the heroes, why the hell would I be the hope?” The man spoke, confused slightly, however, Raphael’s straight face only let out a snort of air, a faint smile lingering on his face.

  “You will see in the future, Lutiel,” he muttered away, slowly growing silent before mingling with the storming wind around the gnawing night.

  Going through him harshly, it threatened to sway his figure, alas, Lutiel stood firmly, gathering his steps along the empty streets of the outer city.

  Falling to the ground silently, a gentle brush stroked through him. Like a droplet gliding down a rose’s stem, tears trailed along his face, fading away into the unknown as he followed into the darkness of the city.

  …