The illusion smirked, speaking with an air of mischief.
"Magic illusion, it can't be... Are you telling me this is not Milla?"
Hassan replied coldly, "Nothing close to her. Nor is this Milla."
The illusion chuckled. "I knew I couldn't fool the dragon killer Hassan. Your eyes see through everything. But we will meet again, some other time. For now, I have a message for you from the boss: your time is coming to an end. A grand opera will take place in a year. Be sure to attend—we'll send you an invitation."
Hassan laughed, unfazed. "Sure, I'll come."
With those words, the illusion of Milla disappeared into the air.
I shouted in confusion, "Father, what does this mean?"
My father's face darkened, a rare emptiness overtaking his features. Then, as quickly as it appeared, he smiled warmly.
"You really are a troublesome son," he said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Let's get to the cart. Your mother is waiting."
We left Asra behind, and as we climbed into the cart, I silently wished my friends would come to bid me farewell. But deep down, I knew it was better this way.
The silence in the cart stretched for hours, heavy and suffocating, until my father finally spoke.
"You must hate me, right? You have every right to feel that way. But I'm a royal—I had no choice. Do you know why I named you Lion?"
I answered quietly, almost under my breath. "Why?"
"For royalty, strength, and courage," he replied firmly. "That is what your name means. I thought that one day you would rise above, become the king this kingdom deserves—greater than the current rulers, the Hawk family. But your talents never revealed themselves. I only exiled you for your own sake. One day, you'll understand."
His words infuriated me, but I couldn't bring myself to deny them.
"So, what do you want? My thanks?" I snapped, my voice trembling with suppressed anger. "My whole life has been a lie. I was forced to deceive my friends. The one person who cared for me left. What else? Maybe I'm not even your son. I wish that were true—I wouldn't have had to suffer."
My father laughed, but his tone turned ominous. "You can say whatever you like to me, but never speak that way about your mother."
I smirked bitterly. "Like I ever would."
And with that, silence returned to the cart
After hours of travel, we arrived at a set of ancient ruins. The cart came to a stop, and I frowned.
"Why are we stopping here?"
My father answered, "Right, you've never been here before. This is a teleportation portal. Only those with a royal pass can use it."
We stepped out and walked a short distance until the knights began chanting a spell:
"By starlight's grace and ancient lore,
A gateway forms, a cosmic door.
Through realms unseen, my path align,
Luminexus Aperio—space and time combine!"
The knights drew glowing runes in the air with their hands as the portal began forming.
My father glanced at me. "This spell is called Luminexus Aperio. It takes a tremendous amount of mana. Only you and I will pass through. On the other side, a knight will escort us home. It takes a while to activate, so be patient."
As he spoke, an arrow pierced one of the knights. A mob of people appeared, shouting,
"Get them! They can't move while casting the spell! Kill the royals!"
The knights hesitated, some attempting to cancel the spell, but my father barked a command.
"Do NOT cancel the spell! I want to go home early—and this is the perfect time to show my son his father's strength."
He unsheathed his sword, its blade gleaming with light as he chanted,
"Light, awaken, blaze so bright,
Guide my blade with heavenly might!"
The sword became enveloped in a radiant glow, pulsating with divine energy.
He turned to the attackers. "Stay where you are, bastards. This will only take seconds."
With a flash, he dashed forward. My eyes could barely follow him as he cut down the first attacker. Then, chaos erupted. I couldn't see anything clearly—only bodies falling, lifeless and brutalized. The carnage ended as quickly as it began.
Standing amidst the bloodied battlefield, my father sheathed his sword and muttered,
"These bastards died too easily. I should've spared one to interrogate who sent them. But it doesn't matter—I just want to go home."
He turned to me, his face calm despite the massacre. "What? Don't worry. I'll train you. Just make sure you don't die as easily as they did."
His words chilled me to the core. There had been nearly a hundred people, and he had ended them in the blink of an eye. This wasn't a man—this was a monster. Was I really expected to live alongside this?
He patted my back, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Don't make that face. Relax. It's not like you were going to die."
Eventually, the portal activated, its light engulfing us. My father glanced at me with a sly grin.
"Oh, I forgot to mention—we'll be falling from the sky. Be careful."
Before I could react, the light consumed us.
As we fell, the stars stretched across the night sky, their brilliance unlike anything I'd ever seen. Below, a breathtaking city sprawled—a temple of pure white, a long bridge adorned with massive statues. It was more beautiful than I remembered.
My father shouted over the wind, laughing. "Scared? Don't worry! We're close to the ground!" He grabbed my hand mid-air, chanting another spell.
"Levitas Ascendit Elevare!"
We slowed as the spell took effect, floating gently toward the ground.
When we landed safely, guards approached. "Master Hassan, the cart is ready."
My father waved them off. "No need. We'll walk. Inform my family we'll arrive late."
"As you wish, Master."
The guards left, and for the first time, it was just the two of us in the quiet streets of the city.