Cold…
Everything felt cold.
Blood pooled beneath him, warm at first, but fading fast as the blizzard swallowed the battlefield. His vision shook. His breath trembled. His chest burned with every heartbeat.
"Yeah… I remember… when this all started…"
he whispered weakly, staring at the white sky.
A painful smile formed on his cracked lips.
"My mother gave me birth… that was the beginning of everything."
He coughed
A violent, metallic cough.
Blood spilled from his mouth.
"The true Demon King… does have power…"
His fingers twitched, trembling.
"…but not love."
Memories flooded through his fading mind
His cold father.
His cruel siblings fighting for the throne.
The betrayal.
The war.
The destruction of the Demon Realm.
Everything burned.
"My siblings… everyone…"
His voice broke into a ragged whisper.
"…argh—!"
Another mouthful of blood splashed onto the snow.
The wind howled like a beast devouring the world.
He closed his eyes slowly.
"I will never forget… the last winter of my life…"
The sky faded.
Sound faded.
His heartbeat… slowed.
"…if I have a chance again…"
Darkness closed in.
"…I will protect this family…"
Silence.
"…again…"
And then
Nothing.
Floating.
Weightless.
Lost.
Then
A gentle voice pierced the darkness.
"My good son… how long I've been waiting for you."
Warmth wrapped around him.
"Please… wake up."
His eyes snapped open
He gasped.
Soft sheets beneath him.
Sunlight through a large window.
A lavish bed canopy above.
And surrounding him
Strangers.
Dressed in royal garments, watching him with concern.
He tried to sit up, but
His hands were small.
His legs were tiny.
His entire body felt lighter… weaker…
He stared in shock.
"W–What… what is this body…?"
Panic shot through him as he scrambled off the bed, ignoring the startled cries.
He burst out the door.
Down the hallway.
Through the garden.
Across the kitchen.
Until he reached a wide hall filled with dozens of mirrors.
He froze.
Slowly… he stepped closer.
In the reflection
A small boy.
Silver-blue hair.
Clear sapphire eyes.
A royal crest on his clothes.
Not the dying demon he remembered.
A child.
"This is… really me…?"
His fingers touched the mirror.
Cold glass pressed against his skin.
"I'm sure… I died."
Memories surged into his mind
Not his old ones.
But new ones.
Memories of this tiny boy.
His name…
His life…
His world…
His eyes widened as everything snapped into place.
"I-I see… I reincarnated."
He swallowed hard.
"My name now is… Liadain Abrivo."
Second prince of the Kingdom of Abrivo.
Loved by the Queen.
Protected by the King.
Cherished by many.
A peaceful family.
A peaceful future
Until the tragedy eighteen years later.
Liadain's small hands clenched tightly.
"The incident happens… eighteen years from now…"
His heart pounded.
He stared at the mirror
At the new life given to him
At the child who held a second chance.
"This time…"
A fierce determination sparked in his eyes.
"…I will protect my family."
Forever.