The capital was overflowing with noise, and the people were ecstatic. It was because of the festival, which only happened once every ten years.

This festival differed depending on the kingdom and the traditions observed in the various other Aasimarian kingdoms. But they all had one thing in common: they all requested mercy and continued protection from the world tree.

The world tree is an ancient concept that has existed since their race's inception.

Their forefathers worshipped it, and now they worship it as well.

The current generation has no idea what this thing is or what it represents.

However, they have carried on their forefathers' teachings into the modern era.

Some have even speculated that the feudal lords of the Age of Dogma purposefully created this concept to eliminate the influence of the "Gospel of the Red" on the common people.

Others countered that this was much older than anything else and that the "Gospel of the Red" had only recently emerged.

Anyway, in the New Age, this was a widely celebrated festival that was vital to the entire race.

Following his meeting with his siblings, Paul was completely free for the next few days until the festival began.

So he decided to go to the city for a short visit.

He was also certain that no one would allow him to leave, therefore he was surprised when the grey-robed elder allowed him to leave alone!

Paul dressed in common garments and wore a cloak on top of them. This was worn to conceal his identity and hair.

He also wore a special type of pigment in his eyes, which changed his eye color to a common brown as he went out.

This was a common trick used by royals who wanted to go out in public without being recognized.

Paul was no exception, but he did not do it alone; he had many maids who assisted him with the process.

But he was ecstatic today because it was almost the first time he had been allowed to leave the castle and explore the capital city.

He could see signs of other people and civilization as he walked out of the royal estate just a few minutes later.

The mood was upbeat in the capital city, where everyone had colorfully decorated their homes and streets.

Parents had time to spend with their families, and most working people were enjoying their vacations away from the drudgery of their usual jobs.

The majority of the people here were masons, garment makers, traders, farmers, and so on. Each job was difficult, and they had to make the most of their opportunities in order to earn enough Libram coins to survive.

The Libram coin was the official unit of currency of the Great Empire and was also used in the four kingdoms.

Many stalls had been set up throughout the city, and many merchants had traveled from all over the world to trade here.

Most of the races present here were unfamiliar to Paul, but he recognized the serpentine race, which was humanoid beings with serpent-like features, and the geddaye race, which was a dwarf-like race with soft blue skin and bright green eyes, and they were known to be famous traders who traveled the land and sold things to a variety of races.

It was unusual to see other races in the aasimarian race's territory because most kingdoms were xenophobic and distrusted all other races.

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Anyway, it didn't matter to Paul, who was slowly inspecting each stall one by one and becoming increasingly fascinated by the items brought from afar.

There were lovely fabrics, mysterious tomes, manuscripts of unknown origins, and even some unusual weapons made of materials he had no idea about.

There were even some stalls that didn't sell anything but instead featured people performing strange acts or predicting someone's future.

One of the stalls had "luck" written on it, and a middle-aged man with a glum expression sat there.

He appeared to be of an unknown race, but he had fangs in his mouth and appeared quite fierce.

Paul became intrigued by this stall, and because he was also curious, he entered the stall's counter.

"How much is it?" He inquired in one of Essear's universal languages, one with which he was somewhat able to converse.

The strange middle-aged man shivered as he struggled to open his mouth, and he said, "It will be two Libram coins."

He also made two gestures with his hands, and Paul could see that his fingernails were long and sharp, but they were also purple, making him appear quite frightening.

He staggered a little and was terrified out of his mind. He also realized something at that point.

He was just a kid, a five-year-old kid. Although even five-year-olds in his race would be much more mature to the point of human adolescence, he was still a small child.

He was also quite tall, standing nearly five feet tall thanks to his good genes and lifestyle.

However, he was deeply conflicted about becoming a child because of his previous life as an adult. It's just that he wanted to leave everything behind and forget about the life he once had.

Paul quickly adjusted his mind and gradually regained his bearing. The man didn't seem to mind, as he continued to look elsewhere.

"Here you go, two Libram coins." He took two coins from his pouch and handed them to the man.

The man accepted the coins and then took a strange-looking die from his cabinet and rolled it.

It landed on a column with strange symbols on it that was placed on the board, and the man took out a card that was placed on it.

He handed it to Paul, who read the information on the card with great interest.

"When the stars fall from the sky and the light comes to lifeless eyes, the Wheel of Space and Time shall spin again," Paul read on the card.

It was extremely puzzling and made no sense to anyone else.

However, when Paul saw this, he immediately associated it with the enormous wheel he had seen before his death, and the symbols associated with it entered his mind

He immediately felt a buzz in his head, followed by a splitting headache. He fell to the ground clutching his head.

"Prince!" Suddenly, two shadows appeared in the background, one lifting Paul up and the other capturing the stall owner.

Paul fainted as his vision went black.

***

Some hours later.

Paul woke up from his bed slowly while clutching his head and he felt a terrible taste in his mouth.

"Oh, the healer has given us those repulsive herbs yet again! I despise this sensation, and the taste is so revolting that it makes me lose my appetite for the rest of the day."

But he knew that he had gotten into major trouble as the elder had asked him not to buy anything or eat anything while he was away.

He already knew that he had guards accompanying him in secret but he also knew the two of them were quite lazy and only acted upon danger.

When the gray-robed elder heard noises from the prince's room, he clapped his hands and said, "Maids, dress his highness for the event; everything must happen immediately! Go on! Go on!"

Soon after, a swarm of maids entered and began dressing Paul, who was dazed and confused.

Before he knew it, he was in the hallways with the elder, on his way to the grand royal balcony, where his father usually spent his time.

"Elder I apologize for what happened earlier." Paul wanted to speak with the elder about the earlier incident.

"It's all right, prince Alar. The person who rendered you unconscious for an entire day has been executed."

"That's all there is to it. Please attend this event with your family."

The elder was extremely solemn, with a poker face.

A group of people in flawless white robes stood on the balcony, facing an enormous crowd gathered below.

He swiftly walked over to where the group was gathered after realizing he had been wearing the same kind of clothing.

"Oh, brother you have awoken haven't you? I have heard about your health problems ever since I arrived here," a man with flowing silver hair draped on his shoulders said abruptly.

He was nearly seven feet tall, and his deep grey eyes were strikingly similar to Paul's.

Galaden, the third prince! Paul also noticed a long scar on his brother's face that ran from his brows to his cheeks.

Before he could say anything else, he was interrupted by his father, the king, speaking loudly and majestically.

"Countryman and loyal subjects, today we have gathered here to honor our ancient traditions and celebrate this once-in-a-decade festival." The king wore a white robe like everyone else, except for a crystal crown on his head.

"This is the time to put everything else aside and focus on one thing: mercy and gratitude, for the sake of our race and our great kingdom, we must fulfill our vow to the bringer of all life, the world tree." He walked to the balcony's edge and roared, his sword clutched in his hand.

"Let "The Twilight of Mercy" begin!"

Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!