20 _ Blood, Death...Rebirth.

Lucian opened up his eyes.

He was back in his Kingdom.

How... When...

His mind grappled around attempting to find a reason he should be back in Kanerria after managing to escape. He moved mindlessly through the streets but there was not a single soul in sight. He edged on and made his way to the palace.

The large halls that were once filled with elaborately ornamented designs were now cracked and weary. A thick fog of despair hovered in the air as Lucian felt himself struggling for breath as he moved desperately to inhale some fresh air down his lungs. The atmosphere around him began to sink into a void of eternal darkness as he sunk down deeper into the abyss.

Darkness...

Loneliness...

These were most familiar to him. No matter how he tried he would never escape them. They were a part of him , the chains that bound him because of his Vile blood. The only person that had been his moral compass , guiding him from turning into Li Huang was his Mother , Noble righteous and Virtuous.

But now she was gone.

He descended into the immeasurable depth of the black , he heard a voice call out to him.

"Your Purpose...

What was truly his purpose in this vast world? To live a meaningless existence or die a meaningful death? To build or destroy?

"Life...Blood...Death...Rebirth"

Lucian woke up panting, his head slick with sweat as his heart was pounding. What had the dream meant. Death? Blood? He glanced at his sword lying beside him . This weapon that turned him into a wild being , desirous for bloodshed.

He looked towards the girl lying next to him as she lay breathing softly , her eyes shut tight as she mummured incoherent words with the sleight of the wind. In a way they were bought tortured souls searching for freedom. Looking for a way out of their suffocating lives.

Kaya was on her side , Her cropped yet thick tresses of straight dark hair nestled around her neck and half obscured her face. A morning breeze wafted over them.

Kaya.

An exquisite name for such a lovely girl.

The type of creature that princes would fight over , that raiders would slaughter themselves to obtain , the kind that bandits would have captured and enslaved without a moment of hesitation.

All his life , he had been around glamour and false beauty as every woman he had met had always sought to please him. But she saw him not as a prince but another regular human being in this world , who did not matter.

And he loved every minute of it.

It surprised him that his heart no longer ached for Jian but for this girl right here. When he looked into her eyes , it was as if all the pieces fell into place .The morning light adored her black locks and her now rosy-gold flesh. Kaya's lips were parted and he wanted to steal a kiss from them but he controlled that wild urge.

If she was one of his Servants , he would have little qualms of taking her. To stroke her skin , taste her lips and enter her body would be simply child's play. It wasn't because he had saved her life , It was something else...

Something odd.

Besides, Kaya had a lot of pains without him giving her more and he knew enough about suffering. It had never bothered Lucian to do what he must or wanted , but this situation was different. If she knew the truth about his connection to Li Huang, he knew that she would be horrified.

Best to keep that one under wraps.

It was unusual though stimulating being close to a girl like her as Lucian felt a blood warmth and the blood mount to his chest

Seeming aroused by her close proximity, he gazed skyward at the slow moving clouds and took a deep breath.

Kaya rolled to her back , stretching as she yawned. The moment her eyes opened and the sky's were viewed she jerked upward and scanned her surroundings. Her wide - brown gaze settled upon the man who was watching her. She smiled at him and he looked away.

Hikaru was already awake and was analyzing his map , as he looked at it beneath the soft rays of the uprising sun.

"How did you fare ?" Lucian asked Kaya , glancing briefly in her direction before continuing what he was doing.

"Same as always." She grinned lightly as she stood to his feet and dusted off the dirt.

"We're almost there." Hikaru heaved a sigh as he looked forward. "A few more steps and we shall arrive at the Fuyo Empire."

They then continued on their journey. It was relentless and tiring but still , the three forged on , determine to get to their destination, not resting until they did.

Alas, as sun as the harsh rays of the sun bore down on the earth , they emerged from the depths of the green and looked ahead with hopes and great expectations, For At last...

They had arrived in the Fuyo Empire.