The knight, clad in a splendid suit of armor, held his own severed head with an eerie calmness. Dokja froze in surreal disbelief. Before he could muster a reaction, the knight, driven by an unknown force, closed the distance with unwavering determination.
The clang of steel echoed as the knight lunged forward with a swift, calculated strike. Dokja, agile and alert, anticipated the attack and deftly bent his body to evade the deadly swing of the knight's sword.
A tense silence hung in the air as Dokja, now on the defensive, cursed under his breath, his eyes flickering with a mix of determination and nervousness. The knight, undeterred by his opponent's skill, pressed on and launched a relentless assault. Each swing was met with graceful evasion from Dokja, who moved with fluid precision.
Out of the corner of his eye, the heir saw the glint of a slender sword's handle sticking up from the piles of treasure. Dokja lunged his body away from the knight's incoming blade, rolling across the floor to where the sword lay. Seizing a moment of opportunity, he grabbed its handle and countered the knight with his own swings. Each strike was calculated, aiming for the chinks in the knight's armor. As the battle unfolded, the metallic clashes of their blades resonated, creating a rhythmic symphony of conflict.
Dokja's agility was pitted against the knight's brute strength. The chamber became a battleground where skill, speed, and strategy intertwined, creating a captivating spectacle of combat. Despite the tension, there was a certain beauty in the way each combatant moved—the arches their blades made, the pace of their dodges and attacks, a strategic dance of warriors locked in mortal battle. The outcome of this intense confrontation remained uncertain, as both Dokja and the knight continued to give their all.
Dokja, aware of his limited combat skills, bravely persisted in the fight against the relentless assailant. Absorbed in the intensity of the battle, he failed to notice a sharp cut on his cheek. Blood began to trickle down from the wound, staining his cheeks in crimson.
The heir fought on, driven by his own determination. Each move, though not flawless, was executed with a sense of resilience and an unwavering commitment to face the challenge before him.
----
Joonghyuk ventured towards the source of the radiant glow that pierced the night sky. Upon reaching what he suspected was the source, all he found was a modest forest clearing with a few stones lying around. His confusion deepened as he surveyed the surroundings.
A chill enveloped the air, accompanied by a stormy wind. The cries of the forest animals sharply cut through the forest's silence, as if warning him of something. A firm grip found its way around the handle of his sword, his unease heightening. Something was amiss here. Was this place really responsible for the brilliant phenomena that happened moments before?
Joonghyuk pondered Dokja's safety. A hint of the impending sunrise showed itself just over the trees; his family would be expecting him home soon. He needed to secure his star's safety as soon as he could, and hopefully he wouldn't be subjected to the wrath of the Underworld Ducal afterwards.
He promptly drew his sword at the sound of a nearby plant rustling. Steadying his grip, the prince narrowed his eyes in anticipation of the potential threat. But his eyebrows furrowed in confusion as a rabbit emerged from the bush instead.
Hopping within a short distance from him, it stopped and faced him, its body unnaturally still. The rabbit, with its round, vast eyes, fixed its intense gaze onto Joonghyuk. The prince lowered his sword but couldn't bring himself to relax his stance as he stared back at the wild animal. It was like the rabbit was trying to communicate something to him.
After a brief, soul-penetrating stare, the rabbit turned around and hopped away, pausing briefly to make sure that the human was following it. Without knowing why, Joonghyuk found himself compelled to follow.
Sheathing his sword, his feet moved of their own accord, echoing the rabbit's rhythmic hops. Each step felt both deliberate and surreal. The surrounding winds whispered gentle incomprehensible words to him, encouraging him to go on. Joonghyuk couldn't tell how long or far he walked, but the rabbit's footfalls finally came to a slow halt as the both of them arrived at their destination. Snapping out of his daze, the prince was perplexed. Before him lay the fallen ruins of the Kaizenix Ducal, the once majestic structure now reduced to a decrepit shell of its former glory.
Joonghyuk watched with apt curiosity as the rabbit made its way towards the entrance of the ducal, leading him further into its barren remains. As they ventured forth, Joonghyuk couldn't help but notice the stark signs of abandonment. The estate stood eerily silent, on the brink of collapse. He walked past the former grand garden, reduced to a wasteland of dried, withered plants and overgrown weeds.
Upon entering the manor, Joonghyuk surveyed the interior, greeted by even more decay and dilapidation. There were pieces of furniture torn up and scattered haphazardly across the floor. The grandeur that once defined the interiors had given way to a desolate landscape of ruin.
Every corner bore the marks of neglect, covered in dirt and grime. The air inside the manor carried a musty scent, a testament to the years of abandonment. As Joonghyuk navigated through the rotting chambers, the silence echoed the remains of a bygone era. Just another piece of his mother's existence, forgotten and left to wither.
The rabbit, unperturbed by the surroundings, continued its trek through the halls, leading Joonghyuk deeper into the heart of the fallen Kaizenix Ducal. Entering the library of the Kaizenix Ducal, Joonghyuk's gaze swept over what must've been a grand collection of books at one point. Works of literature lay in disrepair, their pages scattered like fallen leaves. Some books had their spines cracked and bindings torn.
Despite the state of the room, Joonghyuk felt a sense of reverence for the remnants of the library. Each broken tome held within its pages a fragment of history, a story waiting to be told amidst the debris.
Unable to decipher the rabbit's intentions as it led him through the library's corridors, Joonghyuk sighed in resignation and turned his attention to a particular shelf before him. This one, despite being covered in cracks with its wood rotting away, was the most maintained compared to all the other shelves around it. Most of the books on it were just as unsalvageable as the others in the room. Yet one book caught his eye, its appearance unremarkable save for a curious pattern etched into its cover.
Joonghyuk reached for it, his fingers tracing the strange design upon its surface. As he opened the book, however, he was met with a puzzling sight—pristine, blank pages stared back at him, devoid of any inscription or text.
Joonghyuk's curiosity outweighed his apprehension, prompting him to explore further. As he turned the pages, a sudden sharp pain pierced his finger, drawing forth a bead of crimson blood that trickled onto the blank sheet before him.
In an instant, the once empty pages began to glow with a faint light, illuminating a hidden message that materialized before his eyes:
"Only the one who bears the blood of the true ruler may enter."
As the pages of the mysterious book began to luminesce even brighter, Joonghyuk witnessed a mesmerizing transformation. The radiant light coalesced and reshaped itself into a delicate ring, which brandished the emblem of the Kaizenix Ducal—the heirloom bestowed only upon the rightful heir of the ducal lineage.
Joonghyuk's eyes widened in astonishment as he looked upon the ring. It was no ordinary piece of jewelry; it symbolized the passing of the mantle, a sacred trust transferred through generations. The realization struck Joonghyuk with profound gravity—he now held the key to the legacy of the Kaizenix Ducal, a responsibility that transcended the bounds of time.
The rabbit, a silent witness to this historic moment, seemed to convey a wordless acknowledgment as it hopped away, leaving Joonghyuk alone with the weight of his newfound heritage. The barren surroundings of the ducal estate took on a different hue. The very air reverberated with a legacy waiting to be reclaimed.
With the heirloom ring now gracing his finger and the rabbit no longer guiding him, Joonghyuk looked around the room with a renewed vigor. Against the wall he spotted a stooped shelf that, with some jostling, revealed a concealed tunnel. Apprehension and anticipation mingled within him as he observed the unknown path that lay ahead. Despite the trepidation, an unknown force urged him forward.
Taking a deep breath, Joonghyuk stepped into the tunnel, the darkness enveloping him like a shroud. His footsteps rung through the passage. The tunnel was a gateway, bridging the desolation of the Kaizenix Ducal's ruins and the secrets concealed within its hidden depths.
Joonghyuk's heart beat in tandem with the rhythm of his steps, each moment thrusting him further into the unfolding narrative of his newfound heritage. The ring served as a guide and a tether, connecting him to the heritage of the ducal in ways that transcended the tangible world.
As Joonghyuk pressed forward through the dim tunnel, a flicker of light and the clang of swords drew his attention, sending a surge of adrenaline coursing through his veins. With resolve steeling his nerves, he hastened towards the source of the commotion, his pounding footsteps deafening in the cavernous expanse.
Emerging from the shadows, Joonghyuk's came upon a scene of conflict—a lone figure locked in battle with a headless knight, the clash of steel ringing out against the encroaching darkness.
"Kim Dokja!" Joonghyuk's voice bellowed through the chamber, cutting through the fight. His star was in his sights once more, a beacon of hope amidst the uncertainty that surrounded him.
The fight came to an abrupt halt as the headless knight completely stilled its movement. Then, it faced the prince and knelt before Joonghyuk with a profound sense of reverence. The sudden turn of events left both Joonghyuk and Dokja wide-eyed, their expressions mirroring each other's astonishment.
The chamber fell into an eerie silence, broken only by the echoes of their recent battle. Joonghyuk, his eyes fixed on the bowing headless knight, didn't know how to feel. On the one hand, it had been mercilessly attacking his companion, who he could see was now exhausted, his delicate face bearing a slash on it. But on the other hand, he felt strangely compelled to put his trust in it. The heirloom ring on his finger pulsed with an enigmatic energy, as if acknowledging the knight's loyalty.
Slowly, a light enveloped the knight's form, its armor disappearing as a spectral projection of a man materialized from it. The man's cryptic words echoed in the chamber.
"I have wandered these lands for decades, seeking my lost master. For gracing me with your presence, for finally claiming your right to the ring and the Kaizenix Ducal, I thank you. At long last, the fortune of a noble knighthood has bared itself before my withered body once more. I will be at your service for the rest of time, Young Master."
Fulfilled, the man declared his mission accomplished and the spectral projection vanished. Joonghyuk and Dokja exchanged glances, their eyes bewildered. The headless knight, once an adversary, was now a guardian bound by an ancient oath.
With a final glance towards the empty space where the man had vanished, Joonghyuk's senses seemed to falter. His body, overcome by the weight of that day's revelations, succumbed to exhaustion. As his consciousness waned, he found solace in the sound of Dokja's voice calling out his name, a point of familiarity in the midst of uncertainty.