Chapter Eight: Three Days in Drevara
The next morning, I blinked my eyes open, still lying in bed. The room was quiet except for the soft rustle of the curtains fluttering from the breeze outside. I turned my head to the side—Ellyn was still asleep, curled up in the blanket like a lazy cat.
Crown Prince… I'm a Crown Prince.
I said it inwardly, letting the words echo through my thoughts.
It had happened so quickly. Just days ago, I was an ordinary boy living in Montreal. Now, here I was—in a palace in another world, a crown prince of a family I barely understood. But I wasn't scared. I felt something stirring in my chest, something steady.
I can do this.
No—I will do this, and I'll give it my best. That much I had already decided.
---
Mom told us we would stay in Drevara for a week before returning home to Montreal. There were only three days left now.
Three days.
I would use them wisely—to understand myself, my races, and the secrets that bound our family together.
Uncle Kaelen was the one chosen to teach me. I guess he was the only one who could—he knew things no one else did.
---
We sat in my room, moonlight—since Drevara always lay beneath a sky of eternal darkness—glowed faintly through the enchanted window.
Uncle Kaelen sat beside me, his posture relaxed but his eyes sharp. He started the lesson gently, easing me into the truth.
He told me about the East Demon.
"East Demon is not the same as what the world calls a Demon," he said. "It is… a result of Human evolution."
I tilted my head, curious.
"Humans couldn't use magic at first," he explained, "because their bodies lacked magical energy. But some evolved."
He walked me through the evolutionary stages: from Human to basic magic users—beings with only a small reservoir of magic. Then they split into two paths: one embracing the light, and the other, darkness.
"Eventually, those paths gave rise to the North Fairies and East Demons," he continued. "And beyond them… Angels and Fallen Angels. The highest forms. No one knows their true names—just titles."
Then came his question:
"Do you know what sets the East Demon apart?"
I remembered what Mom showed me once—her large, dark wings stretching behind her back, beautiful and fearsome.
"They have black wings," I answered.
"Correct," Uncle Kaelen nodded with a small smile.
He went on. East Demons age slower than Humans. They live longer, feel deeper—and carry something dangerous inside them.
Berserk Mode.
"It's not a skill," he said quietly. "It's more like a breakdown. A sickness caused by overwhelming negative emotions. But it can be stopped—with sleeping magic—before it fully manifests."
I tried to keep my expression still, but my mind was racing.
What would I look like if I lost control? Would my voice sound like mine? Would I still know Ellyn's face?
That part scared me—the idea that I could become someone I wouldn't recognize.
But he reassured me, "It's rare. Some never experience it at all."
I nodded, feeling the weight of the truth—but not crushed by it.
---
Uncle Kaelen gave me a break until the next morning. So Ellyn and I headed into the city with our attendant. Even though the skies were always dark, the city shone brightly. The streets were lined with tall crystal lamps glowing with magic light—blue, gold, and pale purple.
This was only our second time walking through the city, but it still felt like stepping into a fantasy book.
There were people everywhere—some with horns curling above their brows, others with soft animal ears twitching as they passed. One man had feathered wings folded behind him, and another woman had glowing runes tattooed across her arms. Uncle Kaelen told me before—they were Demons, Beastmen, and Dark Elves.
We blended in well now. Ellyn and I had spent the past few days learning to read and speak the Varnic language. It felt exciting, using words that weren't from Earth but still made sense in our mouths. Every signboard, every label—we could finally understand them. We even helped a confused shopkeeper find his missing crate using our Varnic reading skills. Ellyn bragged about that the entire afternoon.
We visited a row of food stalls lined with magical steam and warmth. The scents were amazing—spiced meats, sugar-glazed fruits, sizzling flatbreads infused with glowing herbs.
"Let me try that!" Ellyn pointed at everything.
She devoured most of the snacks, of course. I only got small bites. But I didn't mind—I liked seeing her so excited. Her eyes sparkled like twin emeralds every time we found something new.
Later, we stopped at a clothing boutique with robes that shimmered when touched. I tried on a deep blue tunic that had threads of silver woven through it. Ellyn found a forest-green cloak that matched her eyes perfectly.
As we left the shop, I noticed a cloaked figure watching us from across the street. I couldn't see their face, but I felt the weight of their stare until the crowd swallowed them.
We ended the day at a library so tall it looked like it touched the clouds—except there were no clouds, only stars.
Inside, we browsed scrolls and glowing tomes. I found a book about ancient East Demons who fought in a war. Ellyn grabbed a fairytale about a fox girl who turned into starlight. We curled up on a floating cushion near a window and read in silence until—
"Children."
Mom's voice echoed down the corridor of library.
"Time for dinner," she said, smiling softly.
---
The last two days passed in a blur of study and small adventures. Between lessons with Uncle Kaelen and visits to hidden parts of the palace, I pieced together the deeper story of who I was.
The word "Dark"—our family name—wasn't from any known language in Drevara. Not Varnic. Not Varneth. Not Drevari. It was… ancient. Forgotten. From an unknown source.
The imperial family was only one part of the broader Dark family. There were other branches, other hidden names. We were all once human. The first emperor became an East Demon, and that marked the beginning of the Harwen Empire.
I also learned that the empire stood on the Darkwest Continent, and there was another land far away—the Lighteast Continent. They spoke a different language altogether. Mom said maybe, someday, I would visit it too.
As the final day in Drevara drew closer, I found myself thinking back to that morning when I whispered those words to myself.
Crown Prince.
Now, they didn't feel so strange.
Now, they felt like mine.