The day Lidien got home had arrived.
A trumpet reverberated through the Central Territory of the Blood Rose Clan, welcoming their Prince and Princess who had been gone on a mission that would change the life of its people.
As a young girl giggled and walked beside Lidien, she asked:
"Big Brother... Where is Princess Lily?"
Lidien stopped, his eyes turned crimson and stared at the child, when a parent immediately covered the child's mouth and kneeled, slamming his head on the ground.
"I'm sorry, my Liege... she doesn't know what she was doing..."
Lidien walked towards the child and the kneeling man, crouched and gently stroked the head of the child, and smiled.
"She went somewhere far away... she will be back very late..."
As he stood, everyone seemed to sigh with relief.
Rumors traveled faster than the wind. News regarding Lidien leading the attack against hordes of Magical Beasts and eating his enemies' hearts spread like wildfire.
Some were amazed by his resolve and others flinched from his monstrosity, while most of the soldiers thought it was an exaggeration for a child not even fifteen to do something most adults could not.
However, upon confirming it with Mad Dog... they only stayed silent and watched Lidien walk towards the Rift.
Lidien entered the Rift of the Shattered Mirrors with two Clan Elites following behind him.
The Rift wasn't different from his dreams; millions of shattered mirrors floated under the crimson sky.
It was said that in this Rift, looking at your reflection would make you see how you would die, and thinking of it would make it happen much sooner.
But for Lidien it was different now; accidentally glancing at a mirror let him see how the old Lidien stabbed his chest, overlapping how he got shot in the end.
He stared at the floating castle for quite some time before taking a deep breath and carefully traversing the dilapidated bridge.
So far, Lidien hadn't heard the Whisper of Soul, yet, he dared not relax.
Especially since inside that Castle, Mother was waiting for him and his report.
'I can't wait for your reaction, Mother...'
As the screeching sound of an ancient door echoed, people inside glanced at the teenager walking without care under their prejudiced stares.
Lidien knelt on his left knee while placing his right hand on his chest, bowing before the throne made of shattered, polished blades.
No one dared to look at it, afraid of accidentally catching a glimpse of their future demise.
But Lidien wasn't.
Staring at the woman sitting on the throne, her black silky long hair and crimson eyes stared back at him with longing.
"Mother..."
Pulling the Relic from his ring, Lidien held it out, presenting it with both hands.
"One of the lost Relics of the Death Church has been successfully brought into our hands..."
The people present rejoiced at Lidien's declaration but immediately fell silent when Mother raised her frail-looking hand.
"And Lily?"
Lidien stared at the people present before locking eyes with Mother.
"Lily... had gone to scout the Dark Wolf Clan... and she also told me to prepare for War..."
As the murmurs grew louder as they debated whether to send additional scouts or rally their troops, Mother's hand whitened at her grip and she shouted, commanding everyone to leave the throne room.
Leaving only Lidien and her.
"Lily would not make a move unless I told her to... tell me the truth, Lidien... where is Lily?"
Lidien knew this wasn't a warning... but a threat to his life... one wrong answer and he knew his head would fly.
Lidien slowly opened the chest... inside was a heart, still beating, full of veins webbing around it like a cocoon.
"Lily died protecting me... and I placed her heart in this chest as a living memory..."
Mother stood, slow and graceful... gently walking down the steps before standing in front of Lidien.
Mother kneeled and hugged him so tight that even Lidien's eyes widened from surprise.
"It's a good thing you survived... my child..."
Lidien's stone-cold heart almost melted when he tried to embrace Mother back, but stopped when he heard what she said next.
"So, why do you want to start a war with the Dark Wolf Clan by killing their Princess?"
Lidien's hand uncontrollably gripped, digging his nails into his palms, as the blood dripped to his Mother's back, he said:
"I need blood to revive Lily using the Relic... and not just normal blood... I need Blood Essence for the ritual to work."
Knowing all his plans couldn't be hidden from Mother, Lidien didn't have a choice but to spill the truth.
Mother laughed, graceful and majestic, before helping Lidien to stand.
"Here's your new Mission, my Child... Lead the attack against the Dark Wolf Clan and Revive Lily... it's time for the Savage Expanse to know their true ruler."
Lidien knelt and accepted the command, though he was reluctant to follow Mother, War was the only way for him to gather blood and produce a Blood Essence from it.
"Yes Mother..."
As Lidien stood, Mother said another thing.
"Remember, our resources are limited from the still ongoing War with the Cannibals... I don't care what and how long you do it, I only care about the result... and no one should know Lily died, not even your siblings."
Lidien bowed his head and left the castle, going out of the Rift.
'I need knowledge... Playing chess is not enough to win this fight.'
He stared one last time at the Rift before calling for a soldier still drowsy from his duty.
"You... Bring me to the Library, and tell me all the News you know that is open to the public since the past month."
Lidien walked with the soldier along the way, and noticed that all the people flinched when he stared at them, making him sigh, not from dissatisfaction but from relief.
Relief that even in this life, he was still a loner, the same as his past life.
'At least no one would dare bother me... unlike my past where I was being bullied.'