"Is this the end? Angie... save me."
The youth gazed up at the sky, his vision blurred with regret.
His once-pristine royal attire was now tattered and stained with blood, his silver hair clinging to his scarred forehead, streaked red from his wounds.
His sharp blue eyes, once brimming with pride and confidence, now flickered with something gentler—warmer, or perhaps, regret.
His body was broken—one arm missing, one leg gone. A massive sword loomed above him, ready to bring the final blow.
Pain, sharp and unbearable, consumed him for only a fleeting moment.
Then, it vanished. In its place, warmth and an eerie sense of comfort settled over him, as if death itself were embracing him.
He had lived a noble's life—the second prince of the kingdom. More capable, more revered than his elder brother.
He had even been engaged to the Duke's daughter, Karina—a woman widely revered by the people as the most beautiful in the entire kingdom.
Yet, he had never been satisfied. No, he could never be satisfied. He knew now.
When he entered the academy, he was drawn to Angie—the girl who shone like a soft beacon in the chaos of noble politics.
She was kind, gentle, a picture of serenity.
That was where everything unraveled.
Blinded by desire, he betrayed Karina's devotion, forsaking her for a dream that was never his to claim.
Angie was never meant to be his.
His elder brother sought her, the hero longed for her, and every influential man in the kingdom seemed to covet her very presence.
And Karina... Karina, who had always been timid and hesitant, finally stood her ground.
For once, she spoke up—she confronted Angie about him.
Then everything fell apart.
A fight. Heated words. Accusations. And betrayal.
It was only in his final moments, as darkness swallowed him whole, that he understood—his greatest regret was never choosing Karina. Never cherishing her when she was right beside him.
A tear slipped from his eye.
Or so he thought.
For he could no longer see anything.
"Venzel... Venzel…"
A voice, faint yet desperate, called out to him through the void.
His mind drifted between the warmth of death and the ache of something familiar.
Slowly, his eyes fluttered open.
The battlefield was still. The sword that was meant to end him lay discarded at his side. And kneeling before him—Angie.
Tears glistened in her eyes, her delicate hands trembling as they reached for him.
How kind... Venzel thought bitterly. Despite being married to my brother, you still worry for me.
His heavy eyelids slowly drifted shut as the voice calling his name faded into silence. He couldn't bear to watch Angie cry for him—not when she belonged to his brother.
His body was broken beyond repair.
But the voice came again.
Urgent. Pained.
"Venzel! Venzel!"
His eyes snapped open once more. But this time, the bloodied battlefield was gone.
No blood. No corpses. No shouts of suffering.
Instead,he was surrounded by a—lush, green, quiet and alive.
The gentle rustling of leaves, the distant chirping of birds, the scent of damp earth.
And before him knelt Angie, tears streaking down her face.
His breath hitched.
Is this a joke?
His mind spiralled between disbelief and meltdown. He had been dying. No—he had definitely died. Hadn't he?
Yet, here she was. The exact sorrowful expression. The exact desperate gaze.
"Why aren't you answering?" Her voice broke. "You're awake… so why won't you say anything?"
Venzel didn't respond. He couldn't.
Because he remembered this day.
It was the day he had actually fallen in love with her.
He had jumped into the river, intending to end his own life—but she had stopped him.
She had pulled him from the water, saving him when he no longer wished to be saved.
I'm still trash.
The words echoed in his skull, gnawing at the remnants of his already broken soul.
"Venzel… does it still hurt?"
Her voice was soft, trembling with concern. She knelt beside him, hands hovering hesitantly over his wounds.
"My healing isn't the best, but please… let's go to the doctor." Her eyes pleaded with him, filled with genuine worry.
Venzel stared at her, his lips barely parting as a single word escaped—
"Why?"
Whether he was asking her or questioning the heavens, he himself didn't know.
Angie seemed to believe the question was meant for her.
She hesitated, then spoke with quiet conviction.
"Venzel, I don't know what drove you to this… what pain made you want to end your life. But I can't just stand by and watch you throw it away."
A delicate cough escaped her lips, her shoulders shaking slightly.
The cold from the water must have been seeping into her bones.
And yet, she smiled at him, warm and resolute.
"Life is precious, Venzel. And… I want you to help me make this world a beautiful place."
Venzel remained silent.
Angie—she was still the same. The gentle, kind-hearted girl who always believed in something better.
But even as he looked at her, another face haunted his mind.
Karina.
His betrayal had shattered her, twisted her into something dark and unrecognizable. In the end, she became a servant of the Dark Lord.
In the end, he—Venzel—was the one who had slain her.
The unbearable weight of that truth pressed down on him.
The memory of her final moments, the sorrow in her eyes even as he struck her down, lingered like a ghost in his soul.
Yet, he did what he had always done. He buried it. Held it in. Forced a small, fragile smile.
"I'm okay, Angie," he lied. "Can you bring the doctor for me?"
She hesitated for only a second before nodding quickly. "Of course! Wait here, I'll be right back!"
Then, she turned and ran, disappearing into the distance.
Venzel exhaled shakily, letting his smile fade the moment she was gone.