If someone were to ask Reivan if he thought he was special, he would undoubtedly say "yes".

In the deepest recesses of his mind, Reivan was convinced of his own specialness. With five unique abilities, four elemental affinities, and being the first human-warbeast hybrid in history, who wouldn't be? To top it all off, he was someone who reincarnated as a prince!

How many people had such a real-life portfolio? Absolutely nobody, that's who.

In his mind, he was the star of his own power-fantasy isekai, destined to overcome all obstacles — stomping on everything that stands in his way after only a few chapters.

And that's why his failure was such a shock to him.

Of course, Reivan absolutely wasn't expecting to win against knights and Ascendants after doing a few push-ups, however, he expected to end his first day of combat training a little more smoothly. At the very least, he didn't expect to be left with such an unbearably stifling feeling in his chest. The world around him seemed much dimmer than before and the sounds flowing into his ears felt like they came from far away.

There was only one thing he could hear clearly.

"You failed. In record time, too." Donovan's words, delivered in the drollest way possible, only served to kick Reivan while he was down. "Just like I said you would."

Reivan said nothing, only staring at the giant orb that was half-buried in the ceiling. His eyes were starting to hurt now too, just like how the front part of his torso ached — but nothing could compare to the agony that his crying soul felt. He didn't know if Donovan's special ability had something to do with it, but the old warrior's words hit Reivan like a ton of bricks, causing him to question everything he believed about himself.

'I failed... I failed... I failed...'

Those words repeatedly bounced around in his head. In his muddled state, Reivan thought of those words and what they meant for him and his big dreams — not being left behind by the extremely talented Helen; taking care of his family and the kingdom; reviving Kyouka and Hanzo.

And then growing strong enough to protect his happiness for eternity.

But now, the insecurities he'd been trying to suppress were rearing their ugly head, reminding him of the overwhelming odds against him. Reminding him of what he'd seen and experienced in that fragment of eternity.

'I...' Reivan's breathing turned ragged as his body trembled.

Before today, he had managed to banish those thoughts to the back of his mind. To him, the overwhelming chance of failure didn't change what he had to do — he had to try. He would not forgive himself for standing by and not doing anything like when he was still called Ken Kagami.

And over time, he began to think much more optimistically. His country was much stronger than he thought. Its history ran deeper than he thought. And its progenitor was even an otherworlder, just like him! Reivan was sure that the first king left behind some goodies for the kingdom — goodies that would aid Reivan in his desire to safeguard the nation. Furthermore, those around him constantly praised him for his excellence and expressed confidence in his future success.

But today's failure was a harsh wake-up call.

"You failed."

Reivan's heart sank as Donovan's words of failure echoed in his mind. He felt as if his dreams and aspirations were crumbling down around him like towers of sand. This failure had utterly shattered the self-confidence he'd built up.

He wasn't as special as he thought he was. Things weren't going to be as easy as he thought. Gaining immense strength wasn't looking to be as plausible as he thought too.

'Can I... Can I still do it...? Will I be able to do it...'

Reivan didn't want to give up. He didn't want to let one setback define him.

But the fear of failure was like a pool of boiling tar, preventing him from getting up while also plunging him deeper and deeper into its depths.

What if he couldn't attain his aspirations?

It would be fine if Helen left him far behind. Sure, Reivan would be upset and frustrated with himself. However, it wouldn't be such a big deal if it happened. In fact, Reivan could only rejoice at having such a capable person as an ally.

But what if the Nightmare Spawns spilled onto this world, and he could do nothing to prevent them from destroying his family and the kingdom? What if Kyouka and Hanzo's revival was truly unachievable? Or worse, what if their revival was possible, but he lacked the competence to pull it off?

'What would I do...'

Lost in visions of horrifying futures he was too powerless to stop, Reivan drowned in his anxiety as he stared at the light.

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As Reivan's pessimistic thoughts acted as weighted chains that coiled around his body and bolted him to the ground, Donovan observed him from above.

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'It's so much worse than anyone could have ever expected.'

It was just a single failure, but the boy looked as if the kingdom was falling. The look of despair hidden in Reivan's eyes was like nothing Donovan had ever seen before — not even the veteran prisoners of Grimharbor's penitentiary could compare.

A slight twinge of guilt pricked Donovan's heart but he quickly suppressed it.

'Looking at the bright side, it's a good thing this happened now, while he's young and in a safe environment. At this point in time, there's a lot that can be done to help him...'

If Reivan fell into this state as an adult on the front lines, or a place where composure was required, everything would have been over for him.

Donovan cleared his throat and scratched his head, wondering how to handle this situation. The aged warrior was so used to giving his perpetually arrogant and immature recruits the stick, that he'd forgotten how to give out carrots.

'Agh. Damn it all. I'm just not the right person for this...'

Anything that came out of his mouth would only sound like sarcasm and pity to the young boy.

That's why, in the end, Donovan decided to call for reinforcements.

"Haaah..." With a sigh, he took out a transparent crystal.

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Reivan didn't get to make the choice of whether to get up or stay down. The decision was made for him when Donovan picked him up by the scruff of his shirt.

"Stop moping around, boy. It's not the end of the world." Donovan said as he helped Reivan stand up and gave him a light tap on the shoulder. "Not yet, at least."

Still a bit unsteady, Reivan did his best to smile. "Yes, sir. I'm... I'm alright."

You have used [Essence of Falsehood]

"Is that right? Good, then." Donovan nodded before clearing his throat. "Don't be too hard on yourself, boy. Nobody passes the first time."

'Yeah. But nobody else but me has five special abilities and four elemental affinities, a hybrid racial lineage, and a past life.'

Still, Reivan appreciated the usually snarky old man's attempt to cheer him up. "Sir, you said something about failing in record time though..."

"Oh..." Donovan's brows furrowed for a moment before he cleared his throat again. "That's because most of the people who undergo this sort of training are somewhat older than you, and have already gone through other types of physical conditioning. Nobody trains as early as you do. Unless they're from nutjob families who want to train future knights, that is."

The young prince chuckled despondently at that, but a hint of curiosity sprouted in his heart, temporarily dulling the despair he felt. "Why would you say they're nutjobs, sir?"

"Because only a few people who are in this country's military would want to make their children join it too. Those 'few' are nutjobs in my eyes." The old man shook his head as he crossed his arms. "It's a commendable job and someone has to do it, I am also personally proud to be one, but no respectable parent would want to subject their children to it voluntarily. Well, it doesn't really go the way they want it to sometimes. Having a parent with such an honorable profession does things to a child — whether that parent wants those things to happen or not."

Scratching his cheek, Donovan's lips cracked a smile. "At least, that's how it was for me."

Reivan's eyes widened at the sudden piece of information about the old knight's past. "So one of your parents was a knight, sir?"

"Hm." The ancient warrior nodded. "My mother. She's dead now by the way. The crazy woman told me to scatter her ashes to the eastern sea since she didn't wanna take up space in the mountain."

"O-oh..." Reivan gaped, not knowing what to say.

Donovan smirked as he looked down at the boy in front of him. "Don't worry about it, boy. Happened hundreds of years ago. I'm already over it."

Feeling slightly more relieved, Reivan nodded.

'So she died... and she's a knight...'

Having a dead relative was something Reivan shared with the old man, and it made him feel slightly closer to the aged instructor.

"Uh..." Reivan hesitated, but he couldn't restrain his curiosity. "How did she... um. Y'know..."

"How did she die?" Donovan finished the question for him. He then shook his head. "It's probably not what you think. You see, she died of old age."

"Oh. Really?"

"That's right. Though she wasn't an Ascendant, her body was still forged with Qi and all sorts of other methods, so she lived right up til the age of 236 before she keeled over in her sleep. It was just after I Ascended, too... the old bat didn't wanna wait for me, it seems. Died with a smile, she did."

"Oh. That's... good for her." Reivan's lips curved up into a smile. He was even more similar to the old knight than he thought.

'Kyouka also died of old age. Though the cause of her death was a bit...'

And as far as Reivan knew, Hanzo also died of old age. Sure, Reivan was sad they died, but he liked to think that they'd lived their lives to the fullest — especially Kyouka, who died while doing what she loved.

'Seriously... if I ever revive her, she won't ever hear the end of it from me... though I'll have to make her teach me how to get girls. If anything, she was definitely good at that.'

Thinking about his dumb little sister, Reivan's smile grew even warmer as his eyes regained their light. It wasn't just Kyouka either, Hanzo, Rodin, Vianna, Roland, Stella, Helen, Hector, and Valter all came to mind. Hanzo aside, the others must have been trying their best in their own ways — to achieve their dreams; to protect their loved ones; and to maintain the peace of their nation.

'I can't keep moping around either.'

He didn't have the right to get so hung up on his failures.

'My dreams aren't going to fulfill themselves.'

It was Reivan who would accomplish them.

Feeling slightly rejuvenated, Reivan straightened his back before bowing to his teacher. "Sir, I apologize for letting you down. I'll... I'll continue to work hard in the future. You can rest assured. I may fail, but I will never stagnate. Please continue helping me in the future as well."

"Hoh?" Donovan raised a brow before nodding in satisfaction. "You bounced back quickly. How admirable."

"I just remembered why I was doing all of this in the first place, sir." Reivan chuckled awkwardly.

'I have loved ones who are still alive. They aren't dead yet. There's no need to despair. I just have to make sure it never actually happens. Even if the voices at the back of my head keep saying that I'll fail.'

"Seeing how forlorn you were over your failure, I felt no need to punish you at first." The old warrior straightened his brows and crossed his arms in front of his chest, but the smile on his face didn't fall off. "But it seems you had more spunk left in you. How about it?"

Reivan's eyes widened in surprise before a challenging smile crossed his face. "Of course. Defeat has consequences. I won't run away from mine, sir."

'Besides, it's probably just harder tasks or drills. I'm ready for them! In fact, give me more! My motivation is through the roof, I'll train until I literally drop!'

His enthusiasm had only risen exponentially after suffering his first taste of defeat. No matter how talented he was, it wouldn't matter if he didn't put in the elbow grease.

Nothing could prepare him for the devastation Donovan's words would bring, though.