After a spar with Ellie, Aeren returned to his room—one of the guest chambers given to him by King Barlet, situated conveniently near Olivia's quarters. He had come here as a guest for Olivia's birthday celebration, an announcement regarding the marriage between a royal empire prince and princess. Aeren had no memory of her, and so he hadn't thought much about the marriage or asked many clarifying questions.
"Hmm… that knife was mine, and yet it pierced my body. How is that even possible? How could my own invention turn against me without my explicit permission?" Aeren's thoughts deepened significantly as he walked toward the washroom. "Something's not right about Ellie. She's different from how I had trained myself, or her training is not the same. Though I lost the memory about her training with me, but she has become stronger, faster. She handles a weapon better than I ever did. Her technique is sharper, effortless. And when she uses her clone knife in that state beyond danger… no one could see through it."
He washed the blood from his body thoroughly and changed into clean clothes. The royal ball would take place in a few days, and he needed to prepare properly. Most of his current clothes no longer fit his altered body—his build had changed noticeably, his frame more defined and stronger. He would need to buy new clothes in bulk.
However, Aeren had never explored the capital properly. He found no genuine interest in its bustling streets or its crowded markets, and navigating them alone would only waste his valuable time. He needed someone local to accompany him—otherwise, he might lose his way amid the endless crowds.
As Aeren pondered this problem, he suddenly remembered that the princess was staying in the chamber directly next to his. Since she was the princess of this capital, she would undoubtedly know the city well—making her the perfect guide for his shopping trip.
"Hmm… she's the best company for this—and she's also my fiancée," Aeren mused, realizing that asking Olivia to accompany him would be the most efficient solution. It would save time, and he might finally acquire the proper attire he desperately needed.
Stepping out of the bathroom, Aeren changed into fresh clothes and left his chamber. Turning left, he paused to take in his surroundings carefully. Knights lined the corridor—standing guard, their eyes subtly following his every movement. Their stares were too sharp, too calculating and suspicious.
'Hmm… are they here to protect me, or are they watching for an opportunity?' he thought, his gaze narrowing slightly. One of the knights began walking toward him, the sound of armored boots echoing loudly through the corridor. The man stopped near Olivia's chamber, standing directly in Aeren's intended path.
The knight looked down at Aeren, his expression completely hidden beneath his heavy helm. Though their heights were nearly the same, the heavy armor made the knight appear broader, more imposing—his presence radiating unmistakable authority.
"Prince Aeren, why have you left your chamber?" the knight demanded, his tone sharp and unnecessarily dismissive, as though addressing a subordinate rather than a royal guest.
Aeren noted the profound disrespect in his words. A faint irritation flickered inside him—an ember of anger threatening to rise dangerously. But in the next breath, it vanished completely. His emotions fell utterly still, consumed by the cold equilibrium he had long since mastered.
The reality he had touched—the one beyond illusion—silenced all unnecessary reactions. Emotions, impulses, and worldly irritations were nothing but echoes before that fundamental truth. His body could still sense them, could still feel the spark of anger or pride—but only when he chose to allow it. Otherwise, they would be smothered completely, erased by the weight of the nothingness he had long embraced.
Aeren's gaze fixed on the knight with terrible stillness.
"Who are you to question me?" His voice was low and cold—each word carrying the weight of quiet authority. The sound cut through the air like frost, reaching the knight's ears and freezing the tension between them.
Aeren's eyes remained absolutely steady, emotionless and blank. He made no move to assert dominance overtly, yet his very presence demanded it inevitably. Though he had long cast aside all worldly desires, he had chosen to remain human—to observe, to understand, to find new meaning. Somewhere within that search, he hoped to glimpse once more the nothingness he had once embraced—the pure, silent reality that existed beyond illusion.
And for that, he needed to walk this path differently.
The knight's eye twitched noticeably. He could sense no fear from the young prince—none whatsoever. Even as he subtly released a wave of suppressive magic, Aeren stood completely unshaken, utterly unaffected.
The knight frowned deeply. How? There was not a trace of magic within Aeren's body, yet he could not suppress him. It was as though the boy before him wasn't real—as if he were an illusion wearing the convincing shape of a human.
"I am your assigned guard," the knight said stiffly and formally. "I was ordered to keep watch over you and follow your movements carefully."
Though his words carried the formality of duty, his tone lacked any hint of respect or deference. His arms crossed over his chest defensively, feet unmoving. Even after his failed attempt to suppress Aeren, arrogance lingered stubbornly in his stance.
Aeren's eyes narrowed dangerously. His hand slowly clenched into a fist as he studied the knight's prideful expression intently. A faint thought surfaced, dark and detached:
If I killed him, nothing would change… would it?
His gaze sharpened intensely.
No. If I wanted true change, I'd need to cleanse everything—just as I always have.
Aeren's expression didn't shift noticeably, but the air around him seemed to thicken considerably, the corridor growing subtly heavier. The knight felt it immediately—a chill running down his spine, though he couldn't understand why.
"Get lost. Otherwise, you will not see the next morning."
Aeren's voice cut through the air—calm, flat, and utterly merciless. It was not a threat, but a statement of fact, offered as the knight's final chance to live long enough to watch his life bloom… or dissolve into nothingness, into the same void Aeren once embraced.
There was no emotion in his words—no anger, no malice, no heat. Just truth.
As the sound reached the knight's ears, something in his body and soul trembled violently. For a brief, terrifying instant, he felt himself disappearing, as though his very existence was being erased completely. But the sensation abruptly stopped the moment Aeren finished speaking.
Confused and terrified, the knight opened his mouth to respond—but before he could form a single word, his body collapsed to the ground, consciousness severed like a snuffed flame.
Aeren looked down at him with distant, emotionless eyes.
"Useless," he whispered coldly.
His gaze lifted toward Olivia's chamber door—but the interest that had led him here was gone now, smothered under the weight of disappointment. He no longer wished to ask her to accompany him anywhere.
"I should have done this from the beginning. Wasting time on waste…"
He turned away and began walking deliberately toward the palace exit. If he needed clothes, he would find them himself. No guide. No distractions. Perhaps, outside, he might find something more… interesting.
A faint smile touched his lips as he walked, forgetting the knight behind him like an erased memory.
The palace stretched around him—vast, almost a city unto itself. He had seen countless places, and though this one was not as grand as the Green Heaven he once witnessed, neither was it insignificant. In fact, the comparison itself proved something meaningful: in its own way, this capital stood close enough to be measured against that heaven. That alone made it noteworthy.
Servants passed him along the halls—maids and butlers, each graceful and refined, their beauty and poise fitting perfectly for a royal household. Upon seeing Aeren, they bowed with impeccable manners. He acknowledged them with a slight nod, emotionless, and continued forward without pause.
At last he stepped past the palace gates. Outside, open space spread wide—a training ground where knights drilled diligently under the bright sun. Aeren cast a calm glance over them, then toward the city beyond.
"So this is it," he murmured softly to himself. "My second adventure in this capital."
A faint smile—small, strange, almost human—touched his lips as he stepped forward into the unknown streets ahead.