Iexpected everything to have been a dream—or closer to a nightmare than a dream. King Jin Lee was lifting me by the neck on the edge of the Emperor's Mountain.
He was breathing with rage and deep hatred, his violet eyes piercing into my head with the absolute majesty he possessed.
He said in a sharp, terrifying voice:
"The Fifth Emperor, your mother, your brother, and you… all of you will be sent to the depths of hell. You will be erased, Rosestarlight family."
Then he continued mockingly:
"Your brother carries something great and powerful inside him, but you—what do you have? Most likely just a useless nobody."
His words sliced through my ears like knives… until suddenly his eyes widened at something strange, something terrifying. He was staring directly at my heart.
Without hesitation, he drew his sword and cut my neck in a swift strike, throwing me like a pig from the peak of the Emperor's Mountain. And in his eyes, there was a strange fear.
———
Lundis woke up terrified from the dreadful nightmare that had just haunted him. He gasped violently, sweat pouring from every side of him, panting rapidly while holding his neck.
He said while panting:
"What a terrifying nightmare… I thought I would relive that horror again."
He placed his five fingers over his face, then gently touched the muscles of his abdomen. He moved his hand away from his face and noticed a soft delicate hand touching him gently.
Then he looked beside him and saw a girl with short messy silver hair, and on her head were cat ears. She was wearing a shirt with a short black skirt.
She said to him in a sweet, calm tone:
"You have nice muscles, meow."
Lundis was startled, blushing heavily, and spoke to himself:
'Who is this girl? And how did she enter the room without permission?'
He asked her:
"Who are you? And is this how you enter someone's room and touch their body?"
She smiled sweetly at him and said in a gentle voice:
"Why so angry? The leader spoke about you, and my deep curiosity drove me to come and see you, meow."
Lundis gave a faint smile, then said calmly:
"You're probably from the Beast Tribe… I didn't expect your kind to exist in the Kingdom of Lucia."
She answered with a beautiful smile:
"That's right, I'm from the Beast Tribe, and I'm also part of the Vowless. My name is Julian, meow."
Lundis spoke quietly while his eyes studied her ears:
'Man… I didn't expect the Beast Tribe to have women this beautiful.'
Someone knocked softly at the door. Both of them turned to see Isaak standing there, watching.
Isaak said in a deep, calm tone:
"Julian, as usual you're intrusive… you disturbed my disciple on his very first day."
Julian rose from the bed, twitching her ears, and said in her sweet tone:
"No, I didn't disturb him. I just wanted to see him because you spoke about him, and it made me excited, meow."
Isaak looked at Lundis and said firmly:
"Get dressed, and meet me in the great yard behind the house… and you, Julian, leave now."
The two left the room. Lundis rose from the bed and looked at his face in the mirror. He lowered his head, grinding his teeth in anger.
He said with fury:
"That bastard… I'll kill him. No, that would be mercy for him… I'll tear him apart slowly until he begs for death, Jin Lee."
He looked into the mirror, noticing that his face and the things it reflected were fading gradually, until the mirror became nothing but darkness.
He asked in a trembling voice:
"What's happening now?"
A white smile appeared through the mirror, making Faithless shiver and his heart pound violently.
He said with difficulty:
"Sin? The Saint of the Cathedral of Mary?"
Saint Sin spoke with a mysterious, distorted tone:
"How are you, my son? You look frightened, disturbed, and sad… I am here, but I am neither with you nor against you."
Lundis stepped back in horror at the terrifying sight, his mouth agape, not knowing how to reply.
He muttered to himself:
'The great Saint Sin…'
Sin continued in his eerie tone:
"It seems you don't know how to express what lies within you… That's fine, all humans are like that."
He paused briefly, then added:
"I won't prolong this. Much is forbidden to say… But I'll tell you this: the sky will rain blood, and your body will be exhausted and torn apart in the most gruesome ways. A great betrayal will occur, so be very cautious."
His eerie smile vanished, and the mirror returned to normal. Lundis placed his hand over his chest, drenched in sweat.
He asked in a fearful tone:
"Is this really Saint Sin? Or just an illusion… am I starting to lose my mind?"
He pressed all ten fingers against his face, speaking with unease.
He heard Isaak's deep voice:
"You're not ready yet… what's keeping you?"
Fear filled his eyes, but he shut them tight, then opened them again.
He said in a broken tone:
"I'll come… there are things troubling me."
He put on his long red coat, open in the front, with black pants. He left the room, where Isaak was waiting.
Isaak said:
"You look ready… let's go."
———
Lundis left the room following Isaak, stepping through a long corridor heavy with the scent of age, its walls covered with faded paintings of men and women of whom only the names remained.
Isaak stopped before a rusty door, speaking in a calm tone:
"Forgive the simplicity of this place… I know it's unworthy of a prince like you."
Lundis replied with a mocking smile:
"The place doesn't matter… as long as there's someone you can laugh with."
Isaak closed his eyes and smiled sincerely:
"What a wise thing to say."
Before pushing the door, he muttered in a low, mysterious voice:
"But your name, Lundis… it carries a taste one never forgets, like someone who has lost faith in mankind."
Lundis felt a sting of suspicion… how did he know? But before he could ask, the door opened into a wide courtyard bathed in warm sunlight, surrounded on all sides by dark trees, like a yard hidden inside a sleeping forest.
In the center of the courtyard, they were there: the Vowless.
Each of them stood differently, but something united them… a presence that imposed itself even without words.
Isaak pointed at a tall young man standing firmly, with yellow eyes, long brown hair tied with a leather strap, and a black coat.
"Towakira Darklight, nicknamed 'the Father' because of his great kindness."
Towakira approached with steady steps and extended his hand without hesitation:
"An honor to meet you, Lundis."
Lundis gripped his hand, feeling the coldness of skin like one who has lived in shadows all his life. He responded with a faint smile:
"Likewise."
Not two seconds had passed when a sharp female voice came from behind:
"You know, the teacher gave him the title 'Father' only because he talks too much…"
Lundis turned to find a tall girl with messy dark orange hair. Her sharp blue eyes pierced like daggers.
She wore a short shirt that revealed her firm abs, her hands on her waist with biting confidence.
"My name is marceline Beyond… and you? Your appearance is really strange…"
Lundis raised a mocking eyebrow:
"Thanks… I guess."
She chuckled softly:
"I'm just joking."
Before he could reply, a shadow leapt lightly from a branch, landing on the ground with grace. She smiled as she walked toward him as though she had known him forever:
"I saw him first! I have the right to introduce myself before the rest. Julian of the Beast Tribe… meow."
She stepped forward, gently touching his shoulder:
"You're strong, at least physically. What I like most is your muscles. Meow."
Lundis's face flushed slightly… but he remained silent.
"…"
Isaak pointed at a young man sitting on a rock, wearing a half-transparent mask that concealed part of his face. He was staring into the sky, motionless, as if listening to something no one else could hear.
"That one is Eric Vinter… he doesn't speak much, like a ghost, that's his trait."
Eric responded in a low voice:
"Lundis… I don't know where I've heard that name before!"
Lundis glanced cautiously, without uttering a word.
Then, a girl emerged from between the trees, her steps silent as if she were a ghost walking, unwilling to be noticed.
Her hair was white, reaching her shoulders, and she wore a black hat on her head. Her eyes were sharp and white. She wore a long gothic black coat, open to reveal a white shirt stained with blood, and black trousers.
She stood before Lundis and spoke in a quiet voice, yet it pierced the ear like a wire:
"I am Arlequin Crimson… the manipulator of blood."
Then she tilted her head slightly, smiling a smile that could not be easily understood:
"Your face suggests you are from a noble family…"
She said that, then slowly turned around…
Lundis felt something strange and terrifying hovering around this girl, especially in the tone of her voice and her last words.
And finally, a young man remained in the corner, smoking his pipe calmly. His hair was white, and he wore an elegant suit—strangely out of place for the surroundings.
"His name is Kaidos… he's a spy who delivers me important news from the kingdom."
Isaak said this without further explanation. Kaidos replied without turning his head:
Lundis stood among these faces—some sparked suspicion, some ridicule, and some curiosity.
But all of them… were unlike anyone he had ever met before.
Isaak clapped his hands while keeping his eyes closed, wearing a mysterious smile. He spoke in a deep tone:
"Well then… well then, I haven't properly introduced Lundis to you. He is one of the sons of the fifth Emperor, Sairon Rosestarlight."
Silence spread through the place, as if the earth had stopped spinning. The silence was deadly and terrifying, their eyes widening in shock. And in a strange motion, a dagger made of blood appeared, flying fiercely toward Lundis' face.
But before the bloody dagger could strike Lundis' face… Isaak stopped it without even touching it, then shattered it until it turned into glass-like fragments. Lundis couldn't notice how it had happened at all.
Isaak opened one eye and spoke in a sharp, mysterious tone:
"Lady Arlequin, what do you think you're doing?"
Her features were sharp and frightening. She stood before Isaak and spoke in a strong tone:
"We want to kill the ancestors of those fools—from the Emperor down to his servants… and now you bring us his son?"
Lundis had no idea what was happening around him; his eyes only calmly observed the events…
'It seems that everyone hates my father, and the kingdom as well, but I don't blame them at all…' murmured Lundis quietly to himself.
Isaak lowered his head slightly toward Lady Arlequin's face, speaking softly with a smile:
"But how do you explain the murder of the Emperor and the Queen by the Nine Sovereigns… and his brother, whose fate is unknown—whether he is dead or not."
Her expression turned to shock—not just hers, but everyone's in the place… and then he continued:
"Lundis has one simple goal: revenge on the Sovereigns who killed his family… and to find his brother. His goal is the same as ours: to overthrow the kingdom and kill the Sovereigns."
"Wait… wait, do you mean the Sovereigns staged a secret coup and killed the Emperor?" Marceline placed her five fingers on her face and spoke in a shocked tone.
"Yes," Isaak answered with a single deep word, smiling.
"Before anything else," Tawakizra suddenly spoke in a heavy, mysterious tone. They all turned toward him as he walked toward Lundis with steady steps, his hands inside his pockets. His feet emitted a white aura from his sheer presence.
He stopped right before Lundis' face and smiled a cold smile.
"His goal, and our goal, is to kill the Sovereigns… but if we see anything wrong from him—such as betrayal—we will cut off his head like a pig."
Lundis smiled deeply at Tawakizra and spoke in a firm tone:
"Lundis… means the one who lost faith in humans, in family, and even in friends. Do you expect a broken man to betray anyone, Lord Tawakizra?"
Tawakizra smiled, but said nothing.
Isaak clapped his hands three times loudly and spoke in a deep tone:
"Enough arguing. Let's begin the training… As I and Tawakizra explained, our goal is one: to overthrow the kingdom and the Sovereigns…"
Lady Arlequin looked sharply at Lundis, then pulled her hat lower over her head and quickly turned away.