Darkness.

Kaden thought that by now he was getting used to darkness… to the very concept of absence of light, to the void, or to anything in between.

He had gone through enough of them, after all.

But each time, it seemed The Will or whatever force governed events was determined to remind him that he was not. The darkness he found himself in this time was unlike any he had ever known and yet closer to the darkness of death, to the darkness of darkness itself.

There was something about it that made Kaden calm down, his mind joyful as if swimming amidst celestial clouds woven for gods. And yet, there was also a very distinctive sense of fear grabbing at his entrails, making the heart he could no longer feel threaten to burst in trepidation.

He felt, in that darkness, that death was no more. A tempting feeling, he must admit. But that same feeling came with the awareness that life… life was also no more.

Kaden struggled, trying to keep himself together. All he felt during that moment was emptiness.

Only deep emptiness that threatened to devour all of him… his mind, his memories, his emotions, his soul…

Everything was being swallowed by—!

Light.

Kaden's eyes fluttered open with a loud snap, his heart beating so violently he thought it would leap out of his mouth. He staggered, instinctively trying to see where he was, only to feel an overwhelming force grab his shoulder. Then, with a strength that made his insides twist in shock, Kaden felt his knee kiss the floor a little too eagerly.

A jolt of pain pulsed through his skull. He winced.

Before he could even gather his thoughts, a deep rumbling voice echoed from behind him, hammering inside his skull like a godly hammer.

"You shall kneel before the Prince," it growled, a voice like earth-shaking mountains.

Kaden's eyes narrowed, his mind still hazy, his perception unconsciously activating as he quickly grasped his surroundings.

He was in an ornate room, riddled with gold and silver, everything shining too brightly for his current mood. He snarled inwardly.

In front of him, sitting calmly on a bed, was a golden-haired man Kaden immediately recognized.

Not because he was some long-lost friend he longed to see, but because this man was the exact copy of the painting he had found beside the corpse of the Mad Sun Emperor.

His mind, coupled with his Will, began to connect the dots, yet there remained the question of why he was kneeling before him.

He didn't have to wonder long.

The Prince, as the stern and bulky knight behind him had called the Mad, was looking at him with a calm smile.

He parted his lips, his voice a whisper, and yet Kaden felt something tugging inside of him, something that screamed to obey this man.

"Little Knight," the Prince, Solaris Asterion, said, "you have shown promise. And so, you have been selected as the Knight Guardian to a very dear person of mine."

Kaden shuddered at the sound of his voice.

He hated it.

If the Prince noticed his reaction, he gave no sign. He simply calmly continued,

"You shall protect her from the assassins my brother would certainly enjoy sending, and you shall accompany her on any missions or adventures she wishes to take."

"But be aware, little knight, that failure in your duty would be something neither you nor I would wish to witness." His words were cold, and yet his tone and voice remained disarmingly pleasant to the ears.

His voice the. softened, becoming almost faint.

"And if a situation arises where your strength finds itself lacking," he murmured, "perhaps your life would find itself ready for the task?"

He said it softly, almost kindly, and Kaden felt an instinctive urge to say yes. Not only to say it, but to believe it with all his being.

But he was no random man.

His Will was strong, strong enough to shield him from whatever influence was working on his mind. And yet, he knew better than to reveal that he was unaffected.

So, with a naturalness that defied understanding, Kaden lowered his head toward Solaris and spoke in a calm, submissive voice.

"I understand…" he said, only to feel a resounding slap across the back of his head that would have driven him to the ground, had the knight behind him not held him in place.

The same knight who had delivered the blow spoke next.

"You will address the Prince by his honorific," he growled, his black eyes glowing like twin voids filled with unreasoning hostility. "You will call him…"

The room tensed, as if holding its breath.

"…The Golden Son," the knight finished.

Solaris only smiled innocently.

Kaden's eyes flashed with cold light for a heartbeat before he lowered his head again.

"Your orders are my command, Golden Son."

Solaris smiled wider, then…

"Then go, little knight."

He paused, his smile widening, though his eyes remained slightly distant.

"…Go do your duty upon Aurora."

…

Kaden had never been so confused during a quest as in this one. His mind was being blown away by too many events happening at once, when he didn't even have a basic understanding of the world or his current situation.

The few things he had managed to make out during his time with Solaris — and on his way to some place he had no bloody idea about — were, first, that he was a knight under who he assumed was the Mad Sun Emperor, or rather, his younger version.

And second, that he was tasked with protecting someone.

The Will had called that person The Lady of Stars.

Solaris — or Golden Son, as that arrogant, smiling bastard loved to be addressed — called that person Aurora.

Now, Kaden didn't need to be a descendant of the Sphinx to connect the dots and realize that his Grandmaster Evolution Quest was to protect a Lady of Stars named Aurora.

'I might be Sherlock's descendant instead,' he added dryly inside his mind.

Until that point, Kaden had managed to connect the dots alone amidst people who were treating him like nothing more than an expendable soldier…

'Well… I think I am?' Kaden muttered inwardly, unable to hide the obvious dissatisfaction with his situation as he looked at the being in front of him.

A woman.

Kaden was honestly getting tired of the Asterions and their unfair beauty.

He was not one who cared much about appearances, but even he had to admit that the woman before him was one who shouldn't be walking on earth, where dirt and filth gathered at people's feet.

She seemed like a star, destined to shine brightly in the sky, untouched and unsullied by anyone or anything.

Her golden hair gleamed with an insufferable luster, paired with brown skin that seemed to embody the mercy of the earth.

What a paradox, Kaden thought.

Her face was dusted with freckles that only added to her charm. Her eyes were not eyes, but stars dancing inside their sockets. Her nose was small and pointed, perfect for her face. Her lips were heart-shaped, rosy, and plump.

She sat casually on her reclining chair, her body draped in a white robe that reached her ankles. Her shoulders were bare, the robe sleeveless, and around her neck was a small golden collar shaped like the sun itself.

In every respect, she was a distinguished woman. But then…

'What is this pigsty?' Kaden exclaimed inwardly, staring at the chaos in the room of this woman he now knew was Aurora.

Everything was scattered everywhere with brushes and ink spilled on the ground, clothes tossed across the floor and bed, painting tools carpeting the room like constellations scattered across the night sky.

There was no window, so the room felt damp, carrying a faint scent of rust.

Kaden felt uncomfortable. He was naturally a tidy person, and seeing this much carnage inside a single room made him feel awkward.

Once again, he was unable to hide his expression.

And this time…

"Now, young boy, are you a knight or one pretending to be one?" she said, her voice melodious.

Kaden's trance was broken by her voice, and he slowly refocused on her.

Not knowing what to do — and unfamiliar with the customs of the knights — he simply lowered his head slightly and replied in a calm, neutral tone,

"Sorry for my lack of understanding of your question, my lady." He tried to sound courteous.

Aurora only smiled, her starry eyes twinkling with something unreadable. "Well, I suppose my dear finally listened to my endless pleas and sent me not one of his rigid, boring, and boorish knights," she said with a strange smile, one that unconsciously made Kaden nod along, trying to follow her rhythm.

Only for Aurora to smirk.

"It's what I would have said if I didn't know him better," she chuckled. "He would never play with my safety for a young, inexperienced lad like you."

She stood from her chair, moving slowly and deliberately toward Kaden, her expression that of a bored cat who had just found a mouse to play with.

Kaden's heart tightened inwardly, though his expression stayed perfectly calm.

Aurora parted her lips again, ready to put Kaden on edge. "Maybe you—!"

BAM!

Aurora tripped over a pile of clothes and fell unceremoniously to the floor, face-first, with a loud thud.

Silence.

Kaden's mind froze. He lowered his head mechanically and saw Aurora's face flushed bright red, her magnificent eyes shimmering with unshed tears as a drop of blood trickled down her nose.

He shivered, then instinctively — for no reason except perception screaming at him — placed his hands over his ears.

And he was right, because moments later…

"KNIGHT!! FRAUD KNIGHT!! MY NOSE! BLOOD! BLOOD!!"

A bloody shriek thundered through the enclosed room.

—End of Chapter 302—

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