The palace corridors were silent that night, thick with the scent of old incense and forbidden magic. Roze stood before Princess Anne's chamber door, his black cloak dragging against the marble floor. Behind the door, he could hear her breathing—soft, nervous, expecting warmth, unaware of the dark purpose that had already taken root.
He entered slowly, the golden light of the room brushing his pale face. Anne smiled from her bed, her blue eyes shimmering with love and anticipation. "Roze, you came…" she whispered.
"Yes," Roze said, his voice calm yet cold. "I came to give you something that will make the king's wish come true."
In his hand, he held a small glass vial filled with a swirling crimson liquid. It pulsed faintly, as if alive. The light inside it shimmered between red and white—Hexos's emotion, Mysialsia's desire, Musan's soul, and Agarias's knowledge—all bound together in one infernal concoction.
Anne looked at it with curiosity. "What is this, my love?"
Roze smirked faintly. "It's a potion that will fulfill your father's dream. It will make you pregnant instantly—with the heir he desires."
Anne blushed lightly, shy but believing. "Truly? Then I must drink it now."
Roze's eyes darkened. "Yes, you must. Because I would never touch a vile creature like you."
Her smile froze. "...What?"
"Drink it," Roze said, his tone sharp, final. "That's an order from your new king."
Hesitant, trembling, Anne took the vial from him. Her eyes searched for warmth in his expression—but there was none. She uncorked it and drank every drop.
The effect was immediate.
Anne screamed—her voice breaking the calm night. Her hands clutched her stomach as crimson veins spread across her body like burning roots. The air around her warped; the bedsheets turned dark from her sweat and blood. She fell from the bed, writhing in agony.
"Roze!" she screamed, tears flooding her eyes. "It burns—what have you done to me?!"
Roze only watched, expressionless, his crimson eyes reflecting the chaos. "That's the price of creation, Anne. You wanted to bear a king's child. Now bear mine."
Her cries filled the chamber, then grew weaker. Her skin began to tear from inside as something moved violently beneath it—something not human.
Moments later, the room erupted in a blinding crimson light.
Roze stood still as a grotesque sound echoed—flesh ripping, bones cracking. And then… silence.
From the ruined body of Anne, a child emerged. A small boy, but not ordinary. His aura burned bright crimson, wrapping the entire room in its glow. His hair—pure white. His eyes—golden, unreadable.
Anne's body lay lifeless on the ground, her face twisted in pain yet oddly peaceful in death.
Roze exhaled softly. "So it worked…"
The doors burst open. King Fukudo and his guards rushed in, alarmed by the screams.
"What happened?!" the king demanded, then saw the child on the ground—glowing, alive.
A grin stretched across his face. "Magnificent… a perfect heir!"
He stepped closer, ignoring Anne's corpse. "A grandson blessed by power itself!"
The child turned its gaze toward him.
And then—Fukudo's smile froze.
His body jerked violently as invisible force gripped him. His ribs cracked open one by one, white bone tearing through his flesh like splintered glass. The guards screamed, but none dared to move.
Fukudo's body crumpled to the floor, blood soaking the carpet.
The glowing child now looked at Roze. For a moment, their eyes locked—crimson meeting gold.
Roze didn't flinch. "So… you're the heir."
The child tilted his head slightly, observing him. Then, with an eerie motion, his form began to shift. His hair shimmered like light being swallowed by shadow, his face morphing—until before Roze stood a perfect reflection of himself, except with snow-white hair and golden eyes.
The creature smiled faintly. "Life… Apocalypse."
Roze's smirk deepened. "Life Apocalypse, huh? Then I suppose I'm Death."
He raised his dagger, its edge catching the crimson light of the destroyed chamber.
The creature's eyes glowed brighter, a faint laugh echoing.
Roze pointed the blade toward him, his voice low and sharp. "Let's see which one of us truly deserves to exist."
The palace trembled as crimson and white energy intertwined around them—two forces born from the same corruption, ready to clash.
The night outside fell silent, and the kingdom, unaware of what had just been unleashed, slept peacefully.
Inside the shattered walls, Roze's smirk didn't fade.
He whispered, almost to himself, "Be smart… or be dead."
And as the crimson aura consumed the room, one thing became certain—the Apocalypse had begun.