Between two worlds

Haaah... Finally…

I sighed in relief as I watched my life fade before me. **I'm going to die…**

I will leave this cursed life behind, and just like that, it will all end.

At last… I will finally get the rest I deserve…

"The king must suffer..."

"The king must live..."

At that moment, I heard voices...

Not just one or two, but a staggering number, as if a massive army was preparing for war…

Their voices struck my mind with an overwhelming force.

Then, suddenly, an eerie silence swallowed the air.

A strange sensation crept over me.

The pain of my wounds disappeared.

The cold touch of death no longer reached me...

Slowly, I opened my eyes.

Darkness.

Nothing but endless darkness.

I floated weightlessly, powerless...

There was no sound.

No touch.

No presence.

For a fleeting moment, I felt as if I stood at the birth of the universe and its end all at once.

A crushing realization struck me.

I was nowhere. I was nothing.

Panic crawled into my bones. Fear coiled around my soul.

How much time had passed?

Seconds? Minutes? Years?

I remained there, adrift in the infinite void, powerless, lost…

"The king must suffer..."

"The king must live..."

The voices returned, echoing from everywhere and nowhere.

I turned my gaze in all directions, but I saw nothing.

Nothing at all.

Then—suddenly—**a golden thread of light** tore through the darkness, splitting it in two with a divine brilliance.

I parted my lips, awestruck by the sheer majesty of the radiant force that cast its light upon half the void…

"The king must suffer..."

As the darkness receded, my senses slowly returned.

I turned toward the shadowed half and saw them…

Thousands—no, millions—of figures...

Shrouded in pitch-black mist, their eyes glowed with an eerie, crimson ferocity, like burning embers in a starless abyss.

"The king must live..."

On the illuminated side, an equal number stood—millions, just like the others—but their eyes shone with the same intensity, the same unwavering resolve.

I couldn't understand what was unfolding before me.

Were they two opposing factions?

Light against darkness?

Or… were they one and the same?

I didn't know.

I didn't care.

All I wanted was to leave.

To die and finally rest…

Their chants grew louder, their cries rising in perfect unison—

Then suddenly, the world fell silent.

A deep, unnatural silence that made my breath hitch in anticipation.

Then, a sound shattered the stillness—

A horn, ancient and otherworldly, blaring across the vast emptiness.

"The king… has returned!"

A voice roared from the ranks of light, his declaration booming like thunder—

And then another followed, and another, and another…

"The king has returned! The king has returned! The king has returned!"

Their cries thundered like a war drum, shaking the very air around me—

Yet the army of darkness remained eerily still.

Then, amid the shadowed masses, I saw them.

A pair of golden-yellow eyes.

Sharp. Cold. Merciless.

They pierced through me, paralyzing me where I floated.

For the first time, I felt as though I stood before *death itself.*

A shudder ran through my being.

Desperate to escape his gaze, I turned toward the light—

And there, I saw him.

A figure among the luminous ranks.

No nose. No mouth. No features.

Just a face with glowing, white eyes.

And then—

A single thought slammed into my mind, like a hammer striking an anvil:

"It is time for war."

A brilliant explosion of blinding light consumed everything.

An overwhelming radiance that drowned the world, swallowing all in its wake—

And I was pulled into it, dissolving like a single drop of water lost in an endless ocean.

And just like that… it was over.

At last… I can rest…

I sighed, believing this was truly the end.

That I had finally found peace.

But in the depths of my heart, a whisper of doubt remained, like a seed taking root, fed by the horrors I had just witnessed.

As the light devoured me, a cacophony of voices erupted.

Curses. Screams. Wails of grief.

And somewhere among them—

The sound of someone weeping.

Damn it… Just let me die in peace…

I begged, but my prayers went unheard.

Then, suddenly—

Everything **vanished.

Nothingness.

Pure, empty nothingness.

And then…

Pain.

A dull ache spread through my limbs.

My hands.

My feet.

My fingers…

Slowly, I pried my eyes open—

And found myself staring at a sight so bizarre, so surreal,

It felt like a dream.

An old vase, holding melted candles, hung from the ceiling, swaying slightly as the wind slipped in through an open window.

I turned my gaze elsewhere and found a small, worn-out desk covered in dust-laden books.

In the corner of the room, I spotted spider nests, remnants of neglect, and clear signs of decay surrounding me…

Everything here was ancient, as if from the Middle Ages—worn down, eroded, and crumbling.

Summoning what little strength I had, I lifted my back, my eyes widening in shock.

I glanced at my palm—pale and frail. I moved my fingers, still unable to process what was happening, then pinched my right cheek to make sure…

"I... I'm alive..."

I muttered in disbelief, still overwhelmed by the shock.

I ran my hands over my body, only to realize something unsettling—this wasn't my body.

It was taller, older than my previous one, yet weak and emaciated, its skin unnaturally pale…

"Y... Your Majesty! Your Majesty, are you alright? How do you feel? Does anything hurt?"

A soft, anxious voice pulled me from my daze.

I turned toward the speaker…

She had slightly reddish hair, large amber eyes, and a round face. Her skin was pale and delicate, yet malnourished. She wore a long maid's dress, blending black and white…

I pressed a hand to my head, trying to silence the damn headache threatening to split my skull apart.

"Your Majesty, are you alright?"

Your Majesty? Your Majesty?

Who the hell was this girl talking to? Was there a king here somewhere?

The pain in my head made it impossible to think properly…

"Who are you talking to...? No, before that, who are you?"

Her face froze in shock, and she instinctively took a step back, visibly frightened.

She must be this body's personal maid… but that didn't matter right now.

"Answer my questions. Who are you? Who am I? And where the hell is this place?"

I sharpened my tone, injecting it with authority and threat.

She quickly composed herself, straightening her posture with forced calm and respect.

"W... What are you saying, Your Majesty? You must still be exhausted. You've been asleep for ten whole days and nights... It seems you're still suffering from the aftermath of the incident."

What the hell did this body go through to sleep for ten days straight? Was he trying to challenge a god and got struck by lightning or something?

The maid kneeled on one knee, her voice laced with reverence.

Then, she spoke, her tone steady but carrying a touch of pride:

"I am your servant and personal caretaker, Leona. And you, Your Highness, are the fourth prince, Arthur Raithorn, son of the great King Ygris Raithorn. This is the Holy Empire of Novarin, the Empire of Humanity. More specifically, you are in the palace of Queen Elizabeth—your late mother."

I cursed inwardly as her words sank in.

Is the universe playing a joke on me? Damn this situation! I never asked for another chance... So why was I given one? And why wasn't it given to someone else—someone who actually wanted to change their life?

"Damn it..."

I muttered under my breath, my eyes burning with frustration.

"Elizabeth, Ygris, Arthur Raithorn, the Holy Empire of Novarin…"

"Why, out of all the places in existence, did I have to reincarnate into this godforsaken world?!"

Three thoughts surfaced in my mind. Thoughts so dreadful that, if true, they could only mean one thing—

That suffering was all that awaited me in this life as well.

In my previous world, I used to read novels endlessly. They were an escape—a door to another world, one where I could forget my pain.

And one of those novels… had mentioned all of these damned details.

"Leona, give me one of those books."

She quickly obeyed, dusting off an old tome before carefully wiping it against her sleeve.

"Here, Your Highness."

I took it from her, flipping through its pages.

Without realizing it, I was able to read it effortlessly.

The contents were utterly useless, yet they confirmed my worst fears.

Of all people… I reincarnated into the body of the fourth prince, Arthur Raithorn.

The talentless prince, abandoned by his father… left to suffer… only to die a pitiful, miserable death.

What kind of cruel joke is this...?

I just wanted peace… so why the hell am I being dragged into suffering again?

"Leona, leave me alone for a while, please."

"As you wish, Your Highness."

She bowed slightly before leaving the room, a mix of concern and confusion lingering in her amber eyes.

I collapsed back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling, disappointment and turmoil twisting inside me.

"I refuse to live again—especially not a life as harsh and cruel as this one. Wasn't the suffering of my past life enough? Do I truly have to endure another?"

"Why...? What did I do wrong in my previous life to deserve this nightmare?"

Struggling, I stood and staggered toward the window.

A heavy sigh left my lips as I took in the sight before me.

Despite being a palace, the building was in a pitiful state—run-down, aged, and so neglected that it looked more like an abandoned ghost castle.

"I must be cursed… I'll never find peace, never be loved, never be acknowledged anywhere…"

I sank to the floor, forcing out a bitter, hollow smile.

Memories flashed through my mind—

The darkness and the light…

That strange, glowing entity…

And that one cursed phrase…

"The time for war has come..."

The events of my previous life…

The horrors that nearly drove me insane…

I leaned back against the wall, deep in thought.

"Could what happened in my past life be connected to what's happening now?"

If so… why me? Of all people, why was I chosen?

But really… what were the chances of such a thing?

Setting all of this nonsense aside—

"What the hell am I supposed to do now?"