Hello! I didn't think I'd be publishing a new story but here I am! I've always wanted to write a medieval themed story so here it is! The update won't be regular since I'm still working on it.

And today is Eiichi's birthday! Happy birthday, Eiichi!

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How could this have happened.....

The whole empire was blazing, abolishing human lives and also everything in it. The night sky didn't have a single cloud. Yet the stars were hidden by the smokes. The once proud capital of the Otori Empire had now crumbled into ruins.

The crown prince, or rather, former crown prince, Eiichi watched with horror how the city was burning, taking away people's lives and possessions.

I've failed...... I've failed to protect my people......

"Your Highness, the 2nd order of Saotome kingdom is also arriving! At this rate...!" Nagi, the son of the late Prime Minister, exclaimed.

"I'll go." The soft yet firn voice belonged to the 2nd Prince, Eiji. Eiichi snapped his head to look at his younger brother beside him, unsheathing his sword.

"Eiji-"

"I'm also a prince, nii-san!" The reflection of the burning city in Eiji's honest and pure purple orbs tugged at the crown prince's heartstrings. It was a reminder that he had failed to protect the innocence of his brother. "I'll go with whatever knights we have left to hold them off."

"I'll go with you too, Your Highness. I'll use all my knowledge to help you." Nagi, a mere fifteen year boy, proclaimed.

No.... wait... if you go....

The stern look disappeared, and Eiji smiled. That angelic smile he always used to wear. "I'll be back, nii-san."

N-No.... you won't.....

"Me too, Your Highness Eiichi." Nagi forced a bright smile.

Not Nagi too....

The two young boys bowed their heads to him in courtesy before running off without giving Eiichi a chance to stop them. Eiichi's outstretched hand couldn't reach them.

"N-No..... come back......" The lump in his throat prevented him from uttering anything else. The kids he had basically raised...... would he not be able to see them again?

"Your Highness, we should retreat to the castle." His right hand man and his most loyal knight, Kira, said from behind him. "As long as you're alright.... we still have hope."

"What hope, Kira?" Eiichi whispered, his glasses glaring. "Do you really believe.... any hope left?"

"Your High-"

"Don't you dare say that!" A gruff voice from behind them shouted. The voice of the intruder alerted Kira, and he gripped his sword, ready to attack. Kira didn't understand how he couldn't sense the intruder's presence.

But when Kira saw who the person was, he relaxed. One of the strongest knights there was, Yamato.

"Who are -" Eiichi got cut off by the brash knight covered in blood, supposedly the enemies'.

"All of us are risking our lives for the crown prince! My buddies still believe we can defeat the Saotome kingdom. That's why they're not afraid of dying. But for what?! A cowardly crown prince?! Don't make me laugh!"

"You don't understand! Have you seen how everything has turned out to be?! The emperor has been killed, too! No matter what a ruthless emperor he was, he could have countered the occupying forces!" The prince raised his voice.

"You can do that too!" Yamato walked up to him and grabbed the shorter man by the collar. "Your people believe in you, dammit!"

"You....."

"Yamato..... let go." Kira commanded the fellow knight.

"Tch." At his friend's order, he let go. "I'm going to the frontlines. I won't stop fighting till I die!"

With this, the knight rushed off towards the grand gate of the capital. Kira looked at Eiichi. "Your Highness..."

"He's right, though.... I'm a coward, but..... I can't abandon my people...." Eiichi fixed his clothes. "Let's go, Kira."

Just as they were about to rush towards the imperial palace, they were stopped by a desperate voice. "Wait!"

Looking behind, they found an albino boy around Eiji's age. "You're bleeding!"

"Huh?" Eiichi looked down at his left arm to find it slashed. It must've occurred when he was still in the frontlines. "This is nothing."

"You must not ignore this!" The young boy was carrying treatment supplies and walked towards him. "You cannot fathom how deadly minor injuries can be."

The boy started addressing his wounds. He disinfected the cut and applied bandages.

"What's your name, boy?" Eiichi asked calmly.

"I am Shion Amakusa." The brown haired prince recalled that Amakusa was one of the fallen noble houses. But that must've been years before this kid's birth.

"What are you doing here? The citizens are being sheltered in the imperial palace." Kira said quietly.

"Yet there are people who are under the rumbles here, still breathing. As a paramedic,I cannot ignore their cries of pain." Shion finished wrapping.

"It's not safe, Shion. You should retreat too," said Eiichi.

"I must not." Shion stood up straight, taking his treatment supplies. "If there's even one more life I can save.... I will go...."

The two men watched the young boy running towards danger with the pure intention to help the injured.

"Let's go." Eiichi hardened his heart and covered his head with his black cloak. I couldn't protect that boy too.....

The two men finally reached the imperial palace. As they moved, Eiichi asked quietly, "What about the crown princess?"

Kira replied, "The knights have safely escorted Lady Haruka back to Saotome kingdom."

"Good.... At least she should be safe in her homeland...." Eiichi sniffed a bit. "Do you smell something, Kira?"

"......It does… smell like blood….." Kira spoke sceptically. "Your Highness….. I feel faint traces of-" Bloodlust- but Kira couldn't complete the sentence.

When the prince and his knight reached the hall where they were supposed to regroup, men covered in black suddenly appeared. There were a minimum of 15 of them.

"Assassins!!" Kira immediately pulled out his sword. "Escape, Your Highness!"

Eiichi also unsheathed his sword. "Are you out of your mind, Kira!? You expect me to leave you to deal with this many assassins on your own?!"

"Please, Your Highness! Calling us out here to regroup..... it was a trap!"

"How can that be! Wasn't it your messenger, Van, saying that-"

"Ah, you mean that messenger?" Slow footsteps echo in the otherwise silent hall.

Eiichi stiffened and gritted his teeth. "Shining Saotome."

The man behind this destruction, the fall of the Otori Empire, his father's death, his citizen's suffering.

"It was difficult to track down that spy...." The older man spoke slowly. "And he wouldn't open his mouth to any state secrets he knew....."

Saotome grinned. "So I had to remove that head."

"What...." Kira stiffened. Van was Kira's best friend and the greatest spy of the empire. To think he would be found out... and... and.....

"You'll pay for it." Kira muttered.

"I've already paid quite a price, you see? It was thanks to my elder son that the spy could be exposed. But after killing the spy, when that innocent kid began protesting to my ways, I had to kill him too."

"You can't mean...... Prince Otoya....." Eiichi gasped. Eiichi always considered his own father to be the most cruel man alive. But he was dead wrong.

"Anyways, I'm here now for your head, young prince. I've defeated your father and your little brother will be taken care of. All that leaves is you, the strongest force to be reckoned with." Saotome stepped closer. "However, you're no longer worthy of being an opposing force, considering you have no one left. The peasants you were trying to protect in this place.... they've all met their end."

A cold shiver ran through his spine. No.... there were.... hundreds of people... taking shelter here...... innocent children and senior citizens...... people who hoped for peace.... who had nothing to do with war.....

"Your Highness!" Kira raised his voice to make him snap out of it. "Run! You can still run! As long as you're safe, you can create forces....!"

"Kira!" Eiichi watched Kira get slashed in the arm by one of the assassins he fought. Yet the raven knight didn't weaken and continued to fight for his country. "No, I-"

"Eiichi!" Kira pleaded to him as a friend, not a subordinate. "Go!"

Eiichi steeled his heart, filled with shame and helplessness, and ran towards the huge balcony. Saotome made no moves to catch him and only laughed. "Hahahahaha....! Let's see how long you can hide!"

Eiichi jumped from the balcony to the ground. He ran.... and ran.... and ran.....

Eiji..... Nagi.... Yamato.... Shion... Van.... Kira..... I'm sorry.... I'm sorry for being so powerless.... and for not being able to save you...

Having run for a long time, he reached one of the battlegrounds outside the capital. However, the battle was long over because of all the corpses of his soldiers lying on the ground.

Eiichi's breath hitched as he recognised the white uniform trimmed golden. The 1st order knights....

The 1st order knights of the empire were the most powerful knights. They were the glory of the empire. And their captain was....

Eiichi continued running, panting for air. He ran forward, dread filling his heart. At least you have to be alive.... If you're with me, then I....

From a distance, before one of the most significant war forts, he could see soldiers of Saotome retreating. But not before hoisting their kingdom's flag and shouting in joy,

"The captain of the 1st Order has fallen!"

At that, Eiichi's world completely crumbled. No.... no, no, no, no, no..! You can't be killed too.... Akari!

He rushed towards the fort, killing the little group of soldiers that were still there without even blinking an eye. His heart was thumping painfully as he searched throughout the fort. When he finally reached the pinnacle of the fort, his blood ran cold.

At the centre of the pinnacle, lied the commander of the 1st Order knights, covered in her own pool of blood.

"No....." His sword slipped from his hands. "Please, no...."

With much difficulty, he dragged his shaky legs towards the female. He got on his knees, picking the limp body of the knight.

She was so cold..... unmoving and.... not breathing. He saw the stab on her chest, right where her heart was.

"You're leaving me too....... Akari.....?" Eiichi whispered, pulling the body covered in blood closer. "That's not it.... I left you first..... but.... for what....."

Eiichi always thought about the empire first, even before himself. He loved this empire and its people. He had decided that once he ascended the throne after his merciless father, he would devote himself to the country's people.

For the betterment of the country, he even let go of his love. Instead of marrying the love of his life, he chose to marry a foreign noble lady for the sake of establishing a peaceful treaty with the neighbouring nation. But what did that even do?

His friends, allies, family, and lover were dead. He was alone. The once proud prince felt helpless and alone. It's over..... Everything's.... over....

"Found you.... I knew you would come here for that lady knight." came Shining Saotome's voice from behind. Eiichi no longer had the strength to turn around and simply hugged the cold body close. He could hear the clanging sound of Saotome's sword unsheathing.

I'm sorry.... you all gave your life for me. Yet I..... I have failed you all.....

Saotome stopped behind Eiichi and raised his sword up in the air.

If only I could have a second chance..... I would change this cruel fate..... I will save you all.... and you, Akari....

Is the past..... really unchangeable...? A single tear fell from Eiichi's eyes as the sword came down.

To be continued...