The Calm Before The Storm (Part 1)

The next day, the room felt suffocating. Rowell's voice trembled as he read from the scroll, his eyes darting nervously toward the prince. We sat at a long, ornate table, the only sound filling the silence was the soft, rhythmic tapping of the prince's fingers against the wood. Each tap sent a jolt down my spine, the tension building with every beat.

When Rowell finally finished, the prince leaned back in his chair, his gaze sharpening as he scanned the scroll. He studied it like a puzzle only he could solve, dissecting each line with terrifying precision.

"So, it's about this heart again," he mused, almost to himself.

"All the previous holders of these scrolls had their hearts pulled out, as you all suggested," he continued, his tone unnervingly casual. "And yet, we're still empty-handed. As expected, it was never about the heart."

His gaze swept over us like a predator surveying its prey. "Do you know what that means?"

My stomach churned. Hearts pulled out. Who even thought of that? My mind screamed at me to run, to do something, but I forced myself to stay perfectly still. If I made even the smallest mistake, it could be the end of me.

The prince's lips curled into a twisted smile. "It means the heart we need is in the Homonhon Empire. The right path is in there." His eyes gleamed with a madness I hadn't seen before.

"Nixon, prepare the warriors. We're heading to Homonhon," the prince commanded.

Nixon bowed, his expression as cold as the prince's. "As you wish, Your Highness." He left without another word, leaving the rest of us to grapple with the brutal reality—we were heading into war.

I tried to steady my breath, but my hands trembled under the table. I dug my nails into my palms, willing them to stop. I wanted to protest, to beg to stay behind, but the moment I met the prince's gaze, the words died in my throat. I had no strong excuse, no real way out. If I said the wrong thing, if I misstepped even once, I wouldn't make it out alive.

I had to survive. Somehow. But how?

I needed that last piece of the puzzle just as much as they did. If I had to drain my funds and risk my life to infiltrate the black market, so be it. In this world, survival meant becoming like them—cunning, ruthless, calculating. It was the only way.

***

A month had passed since that meeting, but the weight of the prince's words still pressed down on me. The days blurred together, a haze of fear and preparation. And now, as war loomed closer, there was no turning back.

The emperor's farewell speech echoed in the open air, his voice heavy with the grim reality of war. We stood in line with the other warriors, his words washing over us like a tide I couldn't escape.

I didn't belong here. The polished armor on my body felt foreign, my thoughts spiraling with doubt and confusion. What was I doing among seasoned fighters? How had my life twisted into this nightmare?

I had begged, pleaded, grasped at any excuse to avoid this. Nothing worked. And now, here I was, forced to march alongside killers. This was my reality now.

At least I was placed in the second-to-third group, trailing behind the prince. It wasn't much, but it was enough to make me feel slightly safer.

My heart pounded as I stared at the endless desert ahead. The sand stretched out like a barren wasteland, broken only by the silhouette of the distant palace. It looked like a mirage, barely visible through the shimmering heat. And the waterfalls—why were there waterfalls in the middle of a damn desert?

"Seriously, where do those waterfalls even come from?" I muttered, coughing as the swirling dust burned my throat.

Months of living on the edge had drained me. I was running on fumes, scraping by, barely surviving. Adapting to this world felt exhausting.

I looked at the desert, its emptiness reflecting the life I had left behind. This was the first time I really saw the place, and it felt unreal—like a dream. My old life had been simple. I worked from home, went out only when necessary. Back then, my biggest concern was getting the right size for my orders.

Now? Now I was standing among warriors, preparing for war.

How had my life spiraled this far out of control?