In a dark and quiet royal chamber, muffled and rough wheezing could be heard. In the covers and sheets of the bed lay a ghastly youth with ghostly pale skin and hollowed cheeks. His skinny fingers rested over his eyes, blocking the stray evening lights crashing through the curtains. His breath cut in and out slowly, leaving one to wonder if the next breath would ever come.

For a split second his eyes fluttered open before a knock was heard at the door. A delicate feminine voice announced through the door.

"Young Highness, the party is about to begin, let me help you with your robes."

"C-Come in…"

The youth's words devilishly twisted around each other, yet still contained a warmth towards the familiar voice. Light cascaded into the room as the door swung open, revealing a beautiful young maid, with long, swaying hair as dark as midnight. The girl walked to the bed and gently removed the covers, unveiling the frail youth.

Now, without any more obstructions, the girl mildly blushed at his appearance. Despite his sickly outlook, his gaze and demeanor retained an intensely noble and handsome aura. His dark eyes contained a deep profoundness and mystery as if no part of the world could escape his watch. Finally snapping out of her stupor, the girl hurriedly helped him sit up and adorn his formal robes.

In silence, the youth slowly tied up his flowing, snowy white hair, and reached for the cane resting by his bed. As the girl began to tidy up the sheets covering the bed, the youth reached to grab her thin wrist.

"Ah! Y-Your Highness-"

"Do not worry about the bed, we won't be returning."

A glint flashed through his eyes, soon accompanied by a sorrowful glance at the girl, who, visibly startled and confused, tried to refute.

"B-but we'll be back in just a few hours..."

A thin and sad smile broke on the youth's face as he peered at the young maid in front of him.

"Today will be my last day with you. I'll see to it that you're taken care of."

"You-... Just what are you trying to say, Your Highness?" The girl's eyes opened wide.

The youth ignored the question and slowly stood up, shuffling towards the door, as he whispered under his breath.

"Today is the day that I die."

~BANQUET HALL: SUNSET~

Numerous groups filled the white hall, each chattering about news in the empire or the state of the imperial family. In a corner, a group of four quietly conversed.

"I've heard this could be the last party for the second prince. Who would have thought his illness could spread so quickly."

"His inevitable death will definitely be a great loss to the imperial family. His talent and intellect far exceeded that of the first prince, even at the tender age of 10. I heard he was secretly the Emperor's favored kin up until he fell ill."

"My daughter would surely have forced me to propose a marriage if his situation were different. The foolish girl was too obsessed with his appearance."

"It is surely a great shame for the Imperial family. The first prince has a nasty personality, but now who else is there to take the throne." Sighs were heard from the group, silently dreading the future of the empire.

At the end of the grand hall, atop a luminescent white throne, sat a white-bearded and elegant man, who exuded a noble aura and expertly refined temperament. His unwavering gaze covered the whole interior until a black-haired man and a beautiful girl knelt in front of him.

"I humbly greet Your Majesty and bear a one hundred thousand-year-old dragon blood orchid as a gift. Perhaps it will ease the pain for the second prince in his 15th year."

"I applaud your family's efforts to the empire and thank you for this herb. I'm sure the second prince will be overjoyed." The Emperor remained stoic and scanned the massive hall.

"Where exactly is that boy anyway, it's his birthday for heaven's sake."

"A maid was sent to fetch him, Your Majesty." A masked man behind the Emperor said in a low voice.

At that moment, a sickly but handsome youth walked into the hall, using a cane to support himself. He looked across the room, seeming to be searching for someone until his eyes finally landed on the stunning young woman standing gracefully in front of the Emperor. Her ice-blue hair rolled off her shoulders like a silken waterfall, only to be matched by serene, pale eyes that drew in the mind.

Countless young masters in the hall cast glances in her direction, unable to focus on much else. Numerous young ladies growled in envy, wishing to bear half the enamor of the gorgeous young miss. The prince's face turned into a smile as he started to ease toward the girl across the hall.

Catching a glimpse of the approaching prince, the girl's eyes flickered with a noticeable warmth, before returning to their usual coldness.

"That girl's beauty truly makes flowers ashamed to bloom." An onlooker sighed in wonder.

"How can someone like her fancy a prince with a foot in the grave?" Another youth sneered.

The ill prince ignored the comments and started to approach the girl across the hall. But before he could take a second step, a tall figure stepped in his path. Looking up, the second prince gazed at his white-haired older brother, bearing a similar resemblance to himself, only slightly less refined.

"I'm glad I could finally see brother out of bed for once."

"I'm honored to be meeting elder brother once again. I heard of your breakthrough to the Celestial Realm."

"Well, I suppose someone must improve the imperial family strength... Say, I wonder who will keep sister company once you're gone. She doesn't seem to talk to anyone else, not even father. Hell, she's not even attending tonight because of the crowd."

"You seem like you're already assuming me dead, brother."

"You appear to be halfway there, after all, you've already lost your cultivation, who knows what will happen after a few months' time? I only pray that the little enchantress over there you're so fond of can peacefully move on after your death, and marry someone of higher nobility... A king perhaps." The first prince smiled coldly towards his brother and chuckled.

The air around the ill prince dropped several degrees before he spoke.

"Older brother too, could benefit from my passing I would imagine."

"What could you mean by that, younger brother?" The first prince's eyes narrowed greatly, as the young prince leaned in close to his ear and whispered.

"After all, maybe if brother can manage to crawl his way out from under my shadow, he'll finally be able to steal some recognition for himself." The younger prince held a firm smile towards his brother.

"You-"

The second prince ignored his brother's response and stumbled past him toward his initial destination. Anger flashed on the first prince's face, before exhaling sharply and leaving the hall.

Finally, the young prince continued his walk, catching the pitying glances of many young maidens, who were once extremely fond of him before he fell sick.

Arriving in front of his target, the young prince bowed and held out a hand.

"Would this young miss be opposed to a dance with me?"

Instead of speaking the young woman gently placed her milky-white hand on his and began to follow him toward the center of the hall. But before they could begin, an astounding crash was made at the entrance to the hall as the doors were slammed open. A lone exasperated guard crashed through the hall before making his way in front of the throne.

The Emperor released a heavy murderous intent towards the man and he was instantly frozen in place from fear.

"What could possibly move you to disturb an Imperial event!?" The masked man to the Emperor's side shouted.

"I-I have news! The fifth God-Grade Artifact is being born in the lower realm! Only a year is left until its appearance!" The guard finally choked out.

Shock filled the room as greedy smiles began to cover the faces of the large family heads. It must be known that a single God-grade artifact could cause whole empires to wage wars. The value of one simply could not be measured. In the past, these few treasures have been rumored to be capable of trapping or even slaying a God. The only artifact to make a cultivator salivate more would be the Mysterious Grade, said to hold an incalculable power even beyond that of Gods! Sadly, only one treasure of this grade had ever been recorded, and rumor says it lay within the Imperial Grounds!

"Send word to the lower branches to begin the search. If we can gain control of a God Artifact our family will be at a level only surpassed by the imperial throne!" A gray-bearded senior shouted to his subordinates.

"Surely, a middle-grade family like yours doesn't truly expect to even catch sight of that treasure. It'll be taken away before your lowly mortals even hear of it." A bald middle-aged man said with a sneer to the older fellow.

"You dare to insult my clan! Who was it that saved your family from disaster only 400 years ago! I'd first die before your family puts their hands on the treasure!" Black flames erupted along the old man's arms as a surge of heat exploded through the hall.

Within the chaos, the young prince gave a longing glance towards the beautiful girl in front of him and whispered to her.

"I'll miss you... so much" He squeezed her hand before letting go and rushing off, leaving the confused girl watching him disappear.

Amid the mayhem, a certain pale youth slipped out behind the backs of the distracted guards and disappeared into the night. Only one pair of cold, crimson eyes caught his exit, followed by a quick flash of black as the figure disappeared.

~IMPERIAL SACRED GROUNDS: NIGHT~

Outside the entrance to the Imperial Sacred Grounds, echoes of a clicking cane and several winded breaths could be heard.

¨Shouldn't we stop whoever that is?" A young, weary-eyed guard said to the more mature man next to him.

"That's just the second prince, rookie. He likes to take walks through the grounds, when he's out of bed, that is. He's certainly an odd prince to miss out on his own party!" Chuckling, the older guard shook his head as he waited for the figure to emerge.

Within minutes, a young prince halted in front of the gate, and surprisingly bowed his head, with hands clasped, towards the pair of guards.

"I thank you two for your dedication to the Empire, and I humbly request entry to the Sacred Grounds."

"Well, how could we deny such a modest prince!" The man's face shone with a glint of greed as he held up his arms welcomingly. Seeing his acceptance, the young guard's eyes widened, in a shocked silence.

The gate slowly swung open, unleashing a cold mist floating along the ground as a mystical energy began to seep out. The second prince shuffled past the two, making sure to carefully drop a translucent stone into both their pockets, before disappearing into the fog.

"B-But not even the royal princes are allowed entrance to the Sacred Grounds! We'll be hung if this comes to light!" The young guard finally snapped out of his daze.

"Why don't you pay more attention to that stone in your pocket? That alone is worth 5 years' salary, and within a few years you could even propel yourself out of your measly Saint Realm."

The rookie held out the gleaming stone in front of him, as his jaw slowly fell. A pure essence emanated from stone, swirling around his rough palms. He hesitated before stuffing the stone deep into his vest, taking a deep breath.

"Good choice, kid. Besides, the Second Prince can be trusted. Just with his payment over the years, I can nearly afford a Heavenly Dao Pill! Not to mention the fact that he's no longer even capable of stirring up trouble in there–HA HA HA!" Leaning back in laughter, the guard uncorked a barrel of wine, making his partner sigh in exasperation and turn away.

Suddenly, a splash of fluids hit the young man from behind, and every hair on his body stood on the edge, a foreboding feeling enveloping his entire being. This was the feeling of death.

He slowly turned towards his partner, watching his headless corpse fall to the ground. The wretched stench of blood permeated through the air. The guard's eyes opened as wide as saucers and he began to choke on his words.

"W-Who-" A fist then erupted through the young man's chest, as he watched his own beating heart get crushed in front of him. The arm retracted out from his body as he fell to his knees. The last thing the young guard saw in his life was a flash of red disappearing through the closing gate.

*THUMP*