Raelis had always enjoyed the glint of moonlight. It reminded him of his mother’s hair, the only mory he still clung to without bitterness.
The imperial courtyard was cold and still, marble tiles reflecting the scattered glow of overhead lanterns. Moonlight broke through in shards, barely visible past the encroaching circle of armored figures.
Yet, when he looked up, he barely caught a glimpse of the moon as the ring of swordsn surrounding him blocked most of it from view, their blades pointed at his throat.
"Raelis Varekan," one of the swordsn muttered. "You’ve been accused of treason. Do you have a defense?"
He couldn’t retaliate. He couldn’t even utter a word for that matter. His brothers and sisters made sure of that by petrifying his vocal cords.
Of course I do, Raelis thought with a sigh, glancing at the swordsman. But I can’t really tell you my side of the story now, can I?
"Your gaze tells you don’t," the swordsman added. "I guess that is to be expected from soone whose bloodline is at 0% purity. How you don’t have even a single percent is beyond ."
As his words faded, all the swordsn burst out into laughter, their swords inching ever so closer to Raelis’s skin, slightly cutting into it.
Blood was drawn, trickling down his neck and dyeing his previously white jacket red.
Raelis couldn’t care less. This wasn’t the first ti he was mistreated, but it looked like it would be the last.
His grandfather, Emperor Kaelith, was standing in front of him.
Dozens of nobles lined the courtyard’s periter, clad in ceremonial robes, their murmurs silenced by the emperor’s presence. The scent of burning incense drifted faintly through the night air, clashing with the tension that thickened by the second.
One of the officials stepped up, holding a long decree as he began reading it aloud.
"Raelis Varekan, the bastard and a stain to the imperial bloodline. You’ve been found guilty of treason against the crown. Your attempt to poison your siblings has not gone unnoticed. Since this is a repeat offense, you left us no choice but to take matters into our own hands."
The official’s eyes left the decree and landed on Raelis who wore a pokerface.
"Your sentence, as confird by the emperor, is death."
The mont his words fell, silence descended onto the imperial courtyard. No one could utter even a single word. This was the first ti in centuries that the emperor had to step in and bestow the death penalty upon one of his own.
And it just so happened that certain soone was Raelis. A child born between a discarded concubine and a prince who was killed in disgrace.
Raelis scanned the crowd, hoping maybe one person would step out and stop this. But alas, there was no one.
"Raelis." Emperor Kaelith called out, his tone cold. "I offered you the na Varekan, though you were never worthy of it. What you’ve done today is unspeakable, and your na will forever be removed from the Varekan imperial family’s records. Even in death, your disgrace shall be confined to these walls, unworthy of rembrance."
Raelis shuddered, staring at the nacing golden eyes of his grandfather and the emperor of the Varekan Empire.
Those very sa eyes once stared at him with affection. Even if Raelis was a bastard, he still had his blood.
But once Raelis turned twelve and underwent his bloodline purity test, that all changed.
The more blood of the founder one had, the higher their purity. In Raelis’s case, he asured a whopping 0%.
And now... I’m paying the price of my own fate...
Emperor Kaelith turned to one of the imperial attendants. "Have you prepared the furnace?"
"Yes your majesty... Everything is in order."
"Very well then." Emperor Kaelith’s gaze locked back onto Raelis. "Do it."
The mont those cold words ca out of the emperor’s mouth, Raelis closed his eyes, feeling the encroaching swords on his neck.
It felt like the entire world had slowed down, replaying his best mories. There weren’t many, only two.
The mory of his mother embracing him as they walked through a crimson flower field. And the second... the first, and only ti the emperor had praised him.
He rembered clinging to that praise like it ant sothing. Back when he still believed in earning love. But then again, whatever choices he had made, had all led up to this mont.
The man he aspired to be. The man who was like a shining beacon in his grim world after his mother was murdered.
That very sa man just gave the order to kill him.
If only I had what it took... if only my bloodline purity was higher... maybe I wouldn’t have ended up in this ss... Raelis thought, montarily reopening his eyes, witnessing his body below him.
He felt the brush of wind on his cheeks as his decapitated head rose high into the sky, and finally landed right before the emperor’s feet.
The bright moonlight illuminated Raelis’s handso face, covered by now shoulder-length white hair.
If only I had another chance... Raelis thought, his consciousness rapidly fading, replaced by pure rage. Then I wouldn’t bow down like a dog to any of these imbeciles. I’d rule over them, rise to power, and make their lives a living hell, just as they had done to my mother and ...
Absolute silence engulfed him as his vision faded.
Raelis couldn’t feel a thing after that. Only float in silence and wait God knew how long.
Yet instead of the darkness he was slowly growing accustod to, a faint glimr of light appeared in his vision, dyeing it completely white.
What’s happening? Raelis pondered, his unease growing. Am I not really dead...? Did they hire a necromancer to keep alive?
That single possibility made his heart beat much faster.
Yet as those thoughts struck him, he realized one crucial detail. He was dead, how could he have a heartbeat?
That wasn’t the only thing that ca back. A few monts later, he could hear a high-pitched noise, followed by a tingle in his hands.
Soon, the tingle spread out to his remaining limbs.
And before he knew it, his vision once again faded to black. Yet this ti, he had control.
Raelis tried to move his limbs. It worked.
Then, he tried getting up, which also worked. And in the end, he decided to finally open his eyes.
Imdiately, that irritating chandelier greeted his sight. It had dozens of little angels. He hated it.
But that was not what he focused on. Instead, he realized he was standing on his bed, feeling much shorter than usual.
What is happening? Am I dreaming? Raelis thought as he jumped off the bed, and approached the mirror.
The mont he arrived, he froze, looking at the sight ahead.
He saw himself, obviously. But he was much younger.
Raelis pinched himself a couple dozen tis, making sure what he was seeing was real, and only then did he pace around his room, looking for any sort of clue.
Then, he found it. There was a single piece of parchnt hidden in his bedsheets.
He picked it up, and quickly read it. Yet when he finished, he simply stared at the parchnt, holding it with trembling hands.
’You’re being summoned to test your bloodline purity. Be ready in 5 minutes.’
No way... This is before the test? The day my life officially went to hell?
But just as the thought settled in his mind, a soft chi echoed through the room.
And when he turned toward the sound, his eyes widened.
[System Assimilation Is In Progress...]
[Awaiting Bloodline Orb’s Results...]
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