VOL. 1(EPILOUGE): CHAPTER 17 — "THE BOY AT THE GRAVE, THE PRINCESS LEFT BEHIND, AND THE ANOMALY WHO WALKS INTO THE DARK"

— AERIN’S FUNERAL —

The funeral was quiet.
Elven funerals always are.
Moonblossom petals drifted over the ceremonial lake, each glowing softly as Aerin’s wooden vessel floated out toward the mist.

He was not a prince.
Not a noble.
Not a warrior or a prodigy.

He was just—
A child.
An orphan.

A boy who laughed too brightly.
Ran too fast.
Held onto Kai’s hand too tightly.

And now—
He was gone.

Lythiriel stood at the edge of the pier, fingers digging into her sleeves, eyes red from crying.
Kai stood beside her…
but distant.

Far quieter.

Far colder.
Lightning no longer flickered around him.
It hid.

Buried beneath something deeper.
Something darker.

When the vessel sank beneath the mist, Lythiriel whispered:
“…Goodbye, Aerin.” Her voice cracked.

Kai said nothing.
Not one word.
Not even a whisper.

His eyes remained locked on the lake’s surface…
As if he were memorizing the shape of loss.


— THE AFTERMATH IN SYLVARINE —

Queen Vaelindra closed the Academy for three days.
Postponed the Festival.
Declared a national mourning period for Aerin and the other children lost to the Abyss.

But the Council…
they whispered other things.
“Anomaly.”
“Catalyst.”
“Danger.”

Fear spreads quickly.
And fear pointed to Kai.


— Lythiriel’s Perspective: The Night She Couldn’t Sleep —

Lythiriel lay awake, staring at her ceiling.
Her pillow was damp.
Her chest hurt.

Every time she blinked—
Aerin’s smile flashed behind her eyelids.

Every time she closed her eyes—
Kai’s breaking expression echoed in her mind.

She pressed her hand over her heart. “…He will leave.”

She knew it.
She felt it.
Kai couldn’t stay in Sylvarine.

Not after this.
Not with the Council watching him like a loaded bowstring.
Not with the Abyss targeting him directly.
And not with the pain in his chest eating him alive.

Her voice broke into the empty room. “…Please… don’t go…”
But there was no one to answer.


— The Royal Garden: Kai and Queen Vaelindra —

Kai stood alone near a silent willow tree.
He didn’t flinch when the Queen approached.

She didn’t waste time.“You intend to leave.”

He didn’t deny it. “…Yes.”

“Will you tell my daughter?”

“No.”

Her jaw tightened. “She cares for you.”

“I know.”

Silence.
Heavy.
Painful.

Vaelindra finally spoke. “Kai… wherever you go, whatever you choose…please do not lose yourself.”

He looked at his hands.
The same hands that failed to hold a child’s life.
“…I don’t think I have myself left to lose.”

Lightning crackled faintly between his fingers.
Not wild.
Not chaotic.
Controlled.
Cold.

Vaelindra took a breath. “Then at least let me give you something.”

She handed him a silver crest—
the symbol of Sylvarine. “For safe passage. And a reminder that you are not alone.”

Kai didn’t take it at first.
But eventually—
quietly—
he accepted it.
“…Thank you.”

The Queen bowed her head. “Aerin cherished you. My daughter cherishes you. I only pray the world does not take more from you.”

Kai looked out over the garden. “…It already took enough.”


— Arcthel’s Perspective: Watching the Threads Shift —

From the spire above the Academy, Arcthel traced patterns through the air.
Threads of mana appeared.

Blue.
Red.
Black.
Fate-strings.

Aerin’s had vanished.
But Kai’s?
Kai’s line wasn’t a thread anymore.
It was a scar through the weave.

“Interesting…” Arcthel murmured.

A new thread split from Kai’s scar.
Long.
Chaotic.
Unpredictable.

Headed toward the Human Nations.
Toward war.
Toward betrayal.
Toward destiny-shaking conflict.

“…The next conflict begins,” he whispered.
He closed his eyes. “Kai Rajput…the world will not survive you unchanged.”


— The Abyss — Azrathoth’s Throne —
In the void between realities, the Abyssal Duke Azrathoth sat upon a throne of black roots.
His avatar faded in the corner.

He smiled faintly. “The anomaly tasted loss.”

He raised two fingers.
Shadow converged on one point—
the location of the Human Kingdoms.

“That grief will drive him toward power.” He chuckled softly.
“And that power will drive him toward ruin.”

A dozen Abyssal cultists knelt below.
“The Fatebreaker begins his journey.”

He leaned forward. “And I will be waiting in every shadow.”


— Lythiriel’s POV: The Discovery —

The next morning, Lythiriel ran through the palace halls.
She knocked on Kai’s door.

“Kai—!”
No answer.

“Kai, please—open—!!”
She pushed the door.

It swung open gently.
Empty room.
Empty windowsill.
Empty wardrobe.

Only one thing remained:
His Academy cloak.
Folded neatly.
With a single moonblossom resting on top.

Lythiriel sank to her knees. “…He left.”
Her breath trembled. “…Kai…”
She pressed the cloak to her chest. “…Why didn’t you let me go with you…?”

Tears dripped down her cheeks.
She choked out a whisper meant only for the empty room:
“I didn’t want to lose you too…”


— Kai’s POV: The Road Out of Sylvarine —

I walked alone through the forest.
No luggage.
No banner.
No destination.
Just a cloak wrapped around my shoulders and lightning simmering beneath my skin.

Amara’s voice whispered calmly:
> 『Master. Two paths lie ahead. East—toward the Human Nations. West—toward the Red Frontier.』

I didn’t slow. “Where’s the path that leads to killing the Duke?”

> 『Both. Eventually.』

I tightened my grip on the silver crest in my pocket. “What about the path that stops fate from killing more kids?”

> 『Unknown.』

I exhaled silently. “Then I’ll make one.”

The wind rustled leaves overhead.
Moonlight filtered through the canopy.
My footsteps echoed like a vow.

“From now on…” Lightning hummed around me.
“…I walk where fate does not reach.”

Behind me, far away, I heard the faint toll of bells—
the mourning bells of Sylvarine.
I didn’t look back.
Not once.


—WHAT'S ABOUT TO COME—

As I crossed the border, Amara spoke again:
> 『Master. Warning. Multiple parties have taken interest in your movements:
— Human Kingdom spies
— Abyssal cult cells
— The merchant guild
— The Red Fang assassins
— The Astryllan Elven Empire
— A masked wanderer
— A prophecy interpreter from the west』

I smirked darkly. “Good.”
Lightning snapped at my feet. “Let them come.”

Amara paused.
> 『Master… your emotional readings are unstable.』

“I know.”

> 『This path will change you.』

I stopped walking.
Looked toward the rising sun. “…Good.”

A shadow moved behind a tree line.
A figure watched silently.
—hooded
—masked
—face unseen.
Waiting for me.
But not yet approaching.

I whispered into the wind:
“So it begins.”

Lightning sparked.
I stepped forward.
And the world of humans—
politics, assassins, kingdoms, war, betrayal—
opened its jaws to swallow me whole.