An abandoned village, with no trace of life. The wooden houses lay in ruins, as though a violent storm had swept through and destroyed everything in its path.
"We're here," Nina said after stopping in front of one of the houses.
But strangely, her house was not in ruins.
Adrian wondered suspiciously to himself, "Why is this the only house that hasn't been damaged? Could this little girl have something to do with it?"
He was pulled from his thoughts when he noticed Nina looking at him questioningly.
"What's wrong, big brother? Aren't you coming in?"
He replied in a calm tone, "Alright."
He entered the house with her and closed the door behind him. The interior was tidy despite its simplicity, but it contained only a single room.
Adrian wondered to himself, "Why is there only one room? If she had parents before, shouldn't there be at least two rooms?"
He approached the room and opened the door to inspect it. There was nothing particularly remarkable inside... a small bed in the center, a wooden chair beside the window, and a little doll placed on it, as though silently watching the outside world. Yet the overall appearance was so simple that it aroused suspicion.
Adrian continued to wonder, "Does this house really belong to Nina? Or does she have no parents and lied for some reason?"
Despite the many questions, one thing was clear: the chaos that had engulfed the village, along with the looks of disgust and indifference with which the people regarded Nina, all pointed toward a hidden truth.
Adrian unconsciously whispered in a low voice, "Nina... isn't Nina."
While he was lost in thought, Nina called out to him from behind in a calm, childish tone, "Big brother... what are you doing?"
For some reason, Adrian felt uneasy upon hearing her strange tone of voice. He slowly turned around to find her staring at him with her wide eyes and a small smile.
He whispered to himself, "If you're playing the role of a little girl, shouldn't I play the role of the big brother too? Let's see how long you keep this up."
He smiled coldly and said, "Nothing... Will you be alright on your own? As you know, I have to leave."
Adrian knew she wouldn't let him leave in the first place, so he deliberately avoided explicitly asking her to let him stay, lest he arouse suspicion. However, his expectations were proven wrong, as Nina agreed with unexpected ease.
"That's fine. You can go."
Adrian felt strange; Nina's voice sounded sincere at that moment.
He thought to himself, "Could I have been wrong? Why is she letting me leave so easily?"
He wanted to say something, but he couldn't.
He calmed himself, cleared his thoughts, and then turned to leave.
He stopped at the door when Nina called out to him in a sad tone, "Big brother!"
He turned toward her and found her standing there with a pale, sorrowful expression. He waited silently for her to continue.
After hesitating, Nina spoke. "Can you stay with me just for today?"
She was afraid of being rejected, afraid that Adrian would disappear just as everyone else had before him. She wanted him to stay with her a little longer.
She closed her eyes, anticipating his answer, but was surprised when she heard Adrian say, "Alright... I'll stay."
She remained motionless for several seconds before finally processing what had happened. Then she smiled with overwhelming happiness.
"Thank you, big brother."
~~~
At the Imperial Palace.
The Emperor summoned Crown Prince Kieran to his office after spending some time thinking about Duke Pristan's words. He understood that the duke had no reason to support Adrian without cause, and so he had finally made his decision regarding which of the two princes should take priority.
A light knock came at the door. The Emperor set down his pen and said in a steady tone, "Come in."
The door opened, and Kieran entered. He offered a formal greeting before standing in front of the Emperor's desk, his expression unmistakably cold.
The Emperor stared at him for a moment before a suspicious smile formed on his lips.
"You've changed so much in such a short time... I can hardly believe it myself."
Kieran replied in a cold tone, "I haven't changed, Your Majesty."
The Emperor rested his face against his fist and murmured inquisitively, "You don't even call me 'Father' anymore. Now it's 'Your Majesty.'"
Kieran remained silent, staring into space without uttering a word.
The Emperor's expression turned serious as he said, "You're aware of what the nobles have been saying lately, aren't you? They all oppose your continued position as Crown Prince and want Adrian to be the heir instead."
He paused briefly before continuing in a decisive tone, "But I will not change my decision. You will remain the Crown Prince of this empire... Kieran."
Kieran's eyes widened slightly in shock.
"Why don't you appoint Brother Adrian as the heir? You're going against the will of the nobles... and that's not like you."
The Emperor smiled calmly and said, "The people's opinions may be important, but to me, they are not more important than the interests of the Aetheris Empire."
Kieran furrowed his brows in confusion, prompting the Emperor to continue in a calm but weighty tone.
"You don't need to understand it now. But my decision to support you serves the interests of Aetheris."
He then looked directly at him and spoke in a low, firm voice.
"Remember, Kieran... if the day comes when someone you love becomes an enemy of this land, do not hesitate to kill them."
After finishing his words, the Emperor gestured for Kieran to leave.
Kieran returned to his late mother's palace, where he now resided.
He entered his room and lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling as his father's strange words echoed through his mind.
He whispered to himself, wondering, "What... did he mean by that?"
Silence lingered for a few moments before his inner voice returned, deeper this time.
"He said that choosing me was for the sake of Aetheris... Does that mean Adrian wouldn't be suitable for this empire?"
He slowly closed his eyes, as though the weight of his thoughts had become unbearable.
"I honestly don't care about any of this... I just want to disappear."
His expression tightened with faint irritation.
"Just hearing his name makes me angry."
~~~
The wind outside grew stronger, striking the closed window with a steady, gentle patter.
Adrian sat on the wooden chair beside the window, while Nina played with her doll on the bed.
Adrian broke the silence between them in a calm tone. "Nina... how long have you been living here?"
"Hmm, this has been my home ever since I was born," she replied, playing with her doll.
He looked at her and asked again, "Then what about your parents? How long have you been alone?"
Nina fell silent and stopped playing. Then she answered in a sorrowful tone, "From the very beginning."
Adrian understood what her words meant, so he chose to remain silent and turned his gaze back toward the window.
Nina began singing to her doll in a soft, sweet voice, yet it was steeped in hidden sorrow.
"Smile, smile, little one, the moon will disappear for a little while. Flowers will wither, and trees will grow old, but you will awaken with a new dawn. Smile, smile, little one, behold, the moon has returned, beautiful once more."
It might have seemed like an ordinary song, but it was not.
Adrian suddenly froze as unfamiliar memories flooded his mind. Blurred images of a battlefield drenched in corpses and blood, humans and demons fighting mercilessly. And a white-haired figure dressed in luxurious clothing, wielding a sword with deadly ease and wiping out an entire group in a single instant.
Adrian's heartbeat quickened, and he whispered deep within himself in a troubled voice, "What was that? What the hell did I just see?"
He turned his gaze toward Nina, who continued singing in harmony, gently rocking her doll.
He whispered inwardly, "This song... I'm certain I've heard it before, but where?"
He clenched his trembling hand tightly, trying to remember, before his expression suddenly relaxed as the memory of the dream that had haunted him on the front lines came rushing back. A strange feeling of nostalgia washed over him, and his heart grew calm.
He whispered to himself, "Now I remember... It was her."