Chapter Twelve
Faithless awoke in the midst of darkness, standing before three colossal gates—each one marked with a terrifying symbol. His vision was foggy, and he couldn't see clearly into any of them.
But each gate had a color… not a natural one, but something cursed, suffocating, a color so wrong it made him want to run, just to forget it existed.
The first gate was drenched in blood—yet from Faithless' perspective, it appeared as murky, indistinct blood, as if seen through smoke.
The second gate held a tall pillar, and at the top of that pillar was a horizontal plank—like a cross—dripping with black blood.
As for the third gate, it was barely visible at all. His vision grew cloudier and cloudier… but he managed to glimpse a girl crying bitterly, staring at something unseen.
Until that moment, Faithless had no idea what was happening around him. He clutched his neck and touched the collar upon it. He tried to remove it—but failed. As if the collar was the reason he found it so hard to breathe.
He collapsed to the ground, gasping as if he'd been chasing a rabbit through the woods, desperate to catch it. He wanted to scream—but couldn't even move his lips.
Then he woke up in his room, panting, drenched in sweat. He clutched his chest, swallowing slowly. He rose from his bed and walked to the basin to wash his face. Staring at his reflection, he found his features frightened, overwhelmed, full of pressure.
He wiped his cheek with two fingers and muttered in a broken voice:
"What are these nightmares that haunt me now? The appearance of these strange gates in such a way… they must be some omen of the future."
"Tsk… could these be the errors Antrowis spoke of? Or are they unclear signs of what's to come?"
Faithless placed his palm against his chest, emotions of rage, fear, and sorrow flooding him from every direction.
"When I used to have a string of nightmares, I'd go to my mother, and she would help me forget. She would say to me in her gentle voice, 'Everything will be alright, little emperor.'"
"But now… who is left to tell me that everything will be alright? My heart is strong—and yet so fragile. I descended into the depths of hell and didn't feel fear, but when I think of my family… I can't breathe."
"I'm terrified. But of what? I don't know. Is it the future, hiding secrets from me? Or the past, taking form as memories that torment me?"
He looked again into the mirror and saw his right eye faintly glowing with golden light. Faithless was surprised—but he felt as if the entity inside him understood the depth of his sorrow.
"I was the failed son of the empire—just a simple swordsman. My brother was the center of attention because of his beauty and abilities. He was more famous than me."
"But I never hated him. On the contrary, he resented me… for no reason. I was merely a shadow behind him. Why would he hate his own shadow?"
He clenched his teeth in anger, speaking in a harsh tone to himself:
"And now… I don't even know if he's alive or not. It was a quiet night… until Jin Lee and a group of kings arrived and turned the imperial palace into an ocean of blood."
"I swear on my mother's soul—I will make you suffer, Jin Lee. You and the rest of the kings. I will turn the kingdom into an ocean of blood—not just a sea."
"Because a sea won't quench my thirst."
Just then, a light knock came at the door. Faithless wiped his face and called out for the visitor to enter.
The door opened, and it was Towakizra. He entered the room quietly. Faithless couldn't help but smile softly and said in a calm tone:
"What a lovely visit, Lord Towakizra."
Towakizra raised his hand with a gentle smile and replied:
"No need for formalities, my prince. I came to check on you… I saw you in a terrible state yesterday morning."
Did I lose consciousness for a whole day? Faithless thought to himself.
He scratched the back of his head and smiled slightly.
"Oh, right… I was training with Isaac. That saint almost drove me insane with the strange tasks he assigned me."
"His tasks are always weird and a bit harsh… but they help in the long run." Towakizra sat on a chair near the corner by the door.
Faithless sat on the sofa and spoke in a calm tone:
"I didn't expect your visit… seeing you walk in like that felt… strange."
"You can consider me a father to everyone here. I love to check on people, and it saddens me when I see one of them hurting. So I go to help." Towakizra's voice was sweet and full of warmth.
Looking at him, you'd think he could kill you in just a few strikes… yet he has this exception—he can't bear seeing his friends sad. These are genuine emotions of a man who doesn't want to lose again, Faithless thought to himself.
"When I first saw you… I felt you were kind, someone with a big heart. But more than that—you seemed like a man who had lost much, and doesn't want to lose again."
Towakizra widened his smile slightly, eyes closed.
"Each of us has lost something dear to them… but we hide it with a smile. And you're no different. Also, don't take Lady Marian's anger too seriously—she's just a girl who often lets her rage take control."
Faithless was surprised by this sudden shift in the conversation, but he smiled lightly.
"Lady Marian… she's beautiful and strong. I don't hate her at all. Her hatred toward emperors and the kingdom is understandable… and I, myself, share that hatred."
He continued with the same tone:
"Yes, she tried to kill me—but I almost killed her too because of a moment of instability. I want to apologize to her for that."
Towakizra smiled, looking him in the eyes with a calm voice:
"I can usually tell when someone is lying… but with you, just like Saint Isaac, I can't read your expressions clearly. Still, your words come from the heart, not just arranged lines."
He continued:
"You are strong, Faithless. Very strong, and I admit that. But this world is vast, and you must be careful. The kings possess terrifying power—they ruled this land and many others alongside the emperors."
Faithless looked directly at Tawakizra and realized that the words coming from him were pure reason… Swinging a sword, anger, and shouting wouldn't make him stronger than them. At the very least, he needed to be insane like the jester.
"You have a long-term vision, Tawakizra, and I agree with you… Success takes time. Not everything comes for free."
As they were talking, someone knocked gently on the door. Faithless called out for the visitor to come in. The door opened quickly, and it was Marceline and Joline.
Faithless smiled when he saw them, as if he had known them for a long time. Joline jumped onto him and hugged him. Faithless gave a faint smile.
"Even with the bandage around your stomach, your muscles are still showing. Meow~" Joline said sweetly.
"Easy, Joline. The wound still burns, thanks to your weird jump."
"How are you, Your Highness? Seems like Saint Isaac made you suffer a lot in training," Marceline said with a calm tone, her hands on her hips.
"I didn't expect Isaac to have such painful training methods… He turned me into a body without a soul," Faithless replied sarcastically.
Joline sat on the bed near him and spoke sweetly while twitching her cat ears:
"Will you train with us tomorrow? Meow~"
"Of course, I'll be there. Training with a beautiful group like you all makes me happy."
"Then, I'll teach you the claw technique I learned from my tribe!" Joline showed off her sharp black claws.
"It's better to learn the Royal Guard technique. Claw techniques are completely useless," Marceline said mockingly, placing one hand over the other.
Joline stood up and walked toward Marceline, and they both began teasing each other sarcastically about their techniques. Tawakizra smiled and tried to calm things down.
But on the other side, Faithless felt like crying—not out of weakness or desire, but because he had finally found a real family that cared about him.
Sometimes, you need someone to support you in life, no matter how strong you are… And just then, someone knocked on the door.
The knock was gentle, as if the person had tried several times before finally letting their hand touch the door. Faithless, still smiling, called out for the visitor to come in.
The door slowly opened, and Faithless was surprised. Silence fell over the room. It was Lady Marian, standing at the door, blushing deeply.
Faithless didn't know what to say, but Tawakizra understood what was happening.
"Joline, Marceline… We should give them some privacy. See you later, Your Highness."
The three of them left the room and closed the door behind them. Lady Marian stood with her beautiful height, her silky white hair, wearing a long Victorian white shirt with short sleeves and black pants.
She was still blushing, looking at Faithless, who himself had no idea what was going on. She sat beside him and placed her hand over his.
They both looked into each other's eyes. Faithless focused on her eyes, her skin, and even her lips. Her gaze was fixed on his eyes, which concealed an unspoken sorrow.
She raised her other hand and formed a small dagger from blood. Slowly, she placed the dagger on his chest and cut him just enough to make him bleed. He looked down at his chest, then back into her eyes.
She made the dagger disappear, wiped the blood with her finger, and used it as lipstick on her lips… then kissed him on the mouth with both their eyes closed.
She kissed him for fifteen seconds, then stopped… Faithless still had no idea what was happening. She pulled his hair gently back, stood up, and walked toward the door.
She looked back at him with beautiful eyes and spoke in a sweet tone:
"This is my beautiful apology to you… lost from faith."