Barely hours had passed since the knights had left the village when an urgent message arrived:
"Emergency! A member of the royal family has been robbed!"
Without hesitation, Darius, Aqua, and a group of elite knights were en route to the estate.
But this wasn't just any estate — it belonged to Prince Ilarious.
When they arrived, everything was… still. Too still.
Servants lay asleep where they stood.
Guards were sprawled out as if their consciousness had been stolen.
Even the birds on the balconies made no sound.
Darius was the first to speak:
"What is this? No signs of forced entry… no cries for help?"
Aqua knelt beside one of the fallen guards, checking his pulse, then sniffed the air around them.
"There's a scent… but it's unfamiliar."
He closed his eyes, trying to focus, but something disrupted his senses.
"This drug… it's not from any formula I know."
Then — the soft sound of footsteps echoed.
A tall, elegant man emerged from one of the hallways, a calm smile on his face and a royal robe embroidered in gold.
In his hand, he held a feathered fan, fluttering it gently in aristocratic fashion.
His hair was a deep silvery gray,
His eyes crimson like a smoldering sunset,
And his smile… unreadable.
"Welcome, noble knights…"
he said, his voice smooth, almost musical.
"It seems I've been robbed, wouldn't you agree?"
Darius narrowed his eyes.
"Are you harmed?"
The prince chuckled, a soft, graceful sound.
"Oh, don't worry about me… nothing taken but a small amulet . No real value, really… though it holds symbolic weight to the royal family."
Aqua stepped forward.
"Did you see who did this? Or sense anything?"
Ilarious slowly shook his head, waving his feather fan lazily.
Then he paused… his voice dropped.
"A black cloak… that's all I remember."
He fell silent for a moment before adding in a deeper tone:
"But it didn't feel… entirely human."