For some reason, I felt as though I'd lost consciousness for a split second, and when I caught my breath, I found myself standing in a half-ruined hall; a cold wind was blowing, and a snowstorm had blanketed the hall in snow and ice
I looked around in confusion, noticing strange figures dressed in cursed white robes, some in combat gear, hanging like puppets from silver spiderwebs that stretched like a net across the hall, binding everything around me. From the looks of it, they all seemed… dead?
Where am I?... I felt a strange sense of confusion because, for a moment, I didn't really understand where I was or what I was doing
For a moment I felt a heaviness in my hand, so I looked down and found a white book in my hand with no inscriptions or words. I touched its cover with my other hand and tried to open it, but it simply turned to ash, so I frowned.
I took a deep breath and then closed my eyes.
First, let's start with the first question: who am I?
The name came to my mind instinctively and with a strange sense of pride
Eckehard Khaos von Grünewald Ehrenfeld, son of His Revered Majesty, XCVII Emperor of the Hagelmark Nordreich Empire,
Emperor Ludwig Adalhard von Luxemburg Ehrenfeld.
The First Prince of the House of Ehrenfeld and Crown Prince of the Great Empire of Hagelmark Nordreich.
As for where am I?
When I looked around again, I saw horribly mutilated corpses, crudely sewn together with the same spider-like threads that held them suspended around the hall, judging by their clothing
lab coats, anti-plague suits, combat gear, and a few people wearing civilian or aristocratic attire
I tilted my head and looked at the scene, which seemed both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.
Ah, right... Was that about thirty years ago or so (?) when I was abducted by a group of strange men? What were they called?... Hmm, I can't quite remember.
But wait... Why does the scene seem so distant in my memory? Even though, judging by my body, I'm barely ten years old, or perhaps a little older?
Despite my confusion, I began to feel my identity gradually returning, so I turned my senses towards something else and shuddered with a thrill at the metallic scent of blood.
I approached one of the people who seemed to have died under a hundred times worse torture than the others.
I touched one of the wounds on his hand and my hand became stained with blood. Although I hesitated slightly, I felt an overwhelming desire to do so, so I closed my eyes and gently licked my fingers.
Hmmm
What a pleasure... but something is missing... oh right... the screams...
To drink your enemy's blood without enjoying the symphony of his screams... that is blasphemy and heresy.
Oh, if I remember correctly, there are people in the dungeon too... Although they're captives like me, it doesn't matter; I'll end their misery once and for all... How generous and compassionate of me.
I smiled as I thought about how I should tear them apart.
Well, since they aren't criminals, I'll make a beautiful painting out of them...
With that thought, I headed towards the dungeon, opened the half-broken wooden door and went down the stairs
I grimaced at the smell of rot and blood, but I simply ignored it. I passed through a stifling, dark corridor and finally reached the cells where wretched children, even more wretched women, and a few broken men lay
To my knowledge, more than half of them were dead, and the other half were on the verge of death, their eyes empty and devoid of hope
I looked at them with sadness
Poor souls. I shall ensure their memory is immortalised in a beautiful painting. I shall pull them up and crucify them on the walls, and make that scum kneel beneath their feet, bowing to them forever
What a wise I am
As I was thinking, my feet froze when my gaze fell upon a child who looked to be between eight and nine, staring at me in astonishment and caution from one of the cells. He had messy, dirty black hair, pale red eyes, and a gaunt face; his skull bones were clearly visible due to his extreme thinness.
Oh...
Wasn't that our hero, Eisen, or whoever he was?
Did I kill him?
I will, but the problem is that there's a 90% chance I'll fail, given our shared history of battles spanning more than twenty years. I've always been smarter and stronger than him, but it's astonishing that despite having ravaged the continent from north to south, I haven't been able to kill this disgusting cockroach
But that's not all; I'm also curious about something else now… How did this man survive here? As I said, according to the strange memories in my head, I destroyed this place and killed even the mice.
Hmm…
But should I kill him?
Kill him.
A voice commanded in my head.
But I shook my head and banished the disturbing thoughts, trying to focus on reality, and...
Judging by the strange memories in my head, I killed all the kidnappers and also killed everyone in the cellar, but the problem is that because I destroyed the villa, the Imperial Knights were able to detect the disturbance in this place and it didn't take long for them to be here, and by the time they arrived I had just finished the massacre in the cellar
Given my position as Crown Prince of the Empire, it wasn't difficult to overlook my killing of a few peasants, and that is indeed what happened; but later, this incident was one of the key events that led to my exile to the mental asylum.
Because of what happened here, I was always under strict surveillance and monitoring by psychiatrists.
So I abandoned the idea of creating the painting, despite feeling tempted and drawn to the idea, but
" You are safe now, The Imperial Knights will arrive soon."
I told them this, turned around and left the cellar without looking back at the hero. I returned to the ruined hall, which was still barely held together by silver threads
Considering the consequences of what happened, according to the intrusive memories in my head—which, incidentally, I do not trust and know I need to investigate further—but for now, if I am to be wise, it is best to clean this place up if I do not want those memories in my head to come true.
And even if it is merely a possibility... I don't like that, and I cannot bear the thought of being imprisoned for nearly ten years in a mental asylum. That is utter blasphemy, for I am Eckehard Khaos von Grünewald Ehrenfeld, Crown Prince of Hagelmark Nordreich
After making sure I was standing in a safe spot, I pulled the strings and the bodies fell like dolls, followed by parts of the villa
I ignored it, raised my hand calmly and activated my sanctuary
"Sanctuary of Annihilation - The Last winter"
Soft, gentle snowflakes scattered from my palms, swirled around me, then spread gently and quietly throughout the space. Every flake literally erased everything it touched, leaving no trace:
corpses, blood, stone, glass, weapons, everything
Everything around me vanished within two minutes, and in the end, only I remained, standing in the open forest, with other parts of the villa still standing behind me. After all, I had only cleared the hall area. Then I felt a metallic taste in my mouth and a trickle of blood ran from my lips. I coughed up blood, and my body fell to the ground, accompanied by an excruciating pain that felt as though it were tearing my entire being apart. The last thing I heard was my own scream before everything went black and silent.
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