Life, in the end, was meaningless. Regardless of how hard one squirmed around in the sea called life to make a splash, they would eventually wither away from existence and if one was lucky, they may be able to remain as a distant memory in a few hundred years. So what reason was there to so meaninglessly chase impermanent desires such as wealth? In a blink, it would all be washed away. It meant absolutely nothing—like it hadn’t even existed.

The rising sun slithered through the small cracks in the closed drapes, the few rays gliding down the resting figure’s face. His brown eyes finally lived up to its hazel name with the assistance of the spreading light which now spread its roots across the room. With a large yawn, the cover on the man was gently lifted up and tucked in as he stood up, opening the drapes in the room to permit the full majesty of the Sun to enter.

A small smile was plastered on his face whilst he looked across the wide expanse of the royal palace’s garden. Truly, it wasn’t a mistake to put more effort into cultivating a better view to gaze at when waking up.

“Tonight's the night.”

What started out as a small smile grew to a hearty grin. Even his fingers seemed ecstatic, jittering alongside his knees.

Staring at the faint reflection of himself on the window, he muttered “Calm down. I can't lose composure just here. Ah, ah, fuck. Ah, hah...” Control was flowing out of his hands; his mind was already witnessing his break into hysteria. Under normal circumstances, maybe he would have accepted this as the natural course of order, but not this day. Not tonight.

He waved his arm across his face and felt the giddiness freeze. Eyes that contained his vigour were purposefully emptied out and the mouth that always seemed to be upturned became forced into line. All he saw in the window was a blank face. And now, it was time to colour the empty canvas.

“More vigour in my eyes. Mhm, no, that's too much. A little…mhm, perfect. A smile…yeah, a smile should be good.” Like that, he continued to change the atmosphere around his face and body and tune it to the melody he wanted. It couldn't be too bright, but being too dull may have been even worse. He had to get it just right. “Slouch my back a little bit more…I should be feeling a little lethargic…”

“Perfect.” Finally, he was satisfied with the image he had drawn on the window; it encapsulated everything he had in his head. Image, check. All that remained now was to play out the same old video. Slender fingers ran across an array of books that were neatly piled at a corner of his bedside table. Pushing the door open, he began his adventure to the fourth floor. Along the way, he nodded and smiled at the passing maids, wishing them a good morning. Old habits couldn't be left behind just because of tonight, could they?

Whistles poured out from his mouth, wrapping around his body to further accentuate his vibrant smile . Only at times like this do I really realise that I’m the perfect fit for the Emissary. Just how can a human look and be so welcoming? I never fail to amaze myself.

Having such thoughts being hand fed to him, the man continued to walk past the tens of portraits pinned up against the corridors lined in gold and started to ascend up a spiral of stairs. These too, were lined in gold that diligently radiated its financial prowess. Muffled voices would always be heard in the palace, and these stairs were not an exception. Maids, guards, children, there wasn’t a sound that you couldn’t hear in the palace.

Except the fourth floor. No, sound didn’t dare approach that place, otherwise known as the King’s abode. The fourth floor was a place restricted for direct descendants of the King’s bloodline only; not even the Heavens knew what deeds were held there. No-one apart from family, of course. Without even realising it, the man had arrived at the door that withheld a new world.

He controlled himself from speaking. He controlled himself from even slightly deviating from the original position of his hands. Who knew what would blow his cover in there? One push, and the door opened.

The subtle aroma of cooked meat wafted through the man’s nostril, sending a slight tremor down his body that had now become slightly more rigid. Both eyes were also being overstimulated by an obscene amount of flowers that dangled down from the ceiling and strung across the room. At the centre, a simple table could be found with four individuals being seated in a solemn manner.

Their heads turned to face the man who had entered.

Don’t lose yourself.

“Isaac! Come, come, Dianne is cooking up some steak today!” Seated at the end of the table, the King exclaimed towards the man named Isaac after ruffling his hand over the hair of a young boy seated on his lap. “We added some more flowers to the room, just like you asked. Gosh, you really love your flowers, don’t you? I must say, your work on the garden is fantastic! Even I find myself taking a peek at it occasionally.”

Spurred by his father, the young boy also gave his opinion to Isaac. “Yeah, yeah, big brother, the garden is totally cool! Let me plant something, Lily taught me all about the different plants, I’m a real expert!” Though he tried to continue speaking, he was interrupted by the distant shout.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Can I get some help over here?! Virane, do you hold the title of King for nothing? Why don’t you have enough energy to help your dear wife and child out in a time of need?”

What a scene… Here, in a place where even the greatest Archmages and Runemasters would not be able to break through, a common family meal was unfolding. Asjies Kingdom’s leader and King, Virane de Vespertine, remained seated with doting eyes and a large grin as he accompanied his family. The youngest of the royal family, Adam de Vespertine, had an innocent look whilst staring at the upcoming meal.

Seated adjacent to the King were the twins, Irisa and Anna de Vespertine who chatted away with each other without paying heed to their surroundings. If one looked to the right, they would see a woman walking beside a young man working over a fire. Queen of the Asjies Kingdom, Dianne de Vespertine and the second oldest child, Asier de Vespertine, who had recently turned 19.

And, Isaac de Vespertine. As the first born of the King, he was destined to eventually inherit the throne and rule the people. He gave a short wave to his father before walking over to his mother and brother at the fire to give assistance. As he did so, Isaac took a small glance at the mirror placed in the room. Perfect.

Tender words flowed out of Isaac’s mouth. “Mother, you should sit down. Asier, you too, I’ll take over from here. I might need some practice before I tie the knot with Lilith, you know how she is. Ah, Heavens, I get shivers just thinking about it!”

Laughter escaped from Dianne's mouth as she obliged with the request, bringing Asier along with her to the table.

Isaac took out a small sweet from his pocket with a cheeky smile, throwing it over to Adam ensuring that he wouldn’t hit his father with it. Well, he thought it to be an obsolete thought. Would that sugar demon ever miss the opportunity to get another dose? Even if he threw it out the window, Isaac had a strange foreboding that he would catch it.

Another glimpse at the mirror. Perfect. Over the fire, he absent-mindedly overheard everyone’s conversations. Only after his preparations did he speak up. “It’s ready!” One by one, he plated up the steaks and side dishes made by Dianne and served them to each member before taking a seat himself.

Though no light could leave this floor, the morning sun was still able to enter and shower upon the royal family. In this serene atmosphere touched by warmth, the King spoke to Isaac.

“Truly Isaac, the world’s gone mad. Multiple archmages have left the kingdom in search of the Everlasting Fountain of Life! Can you believe it? People who have honed their senses in countless battles, people who’ve transcended the human mind have all gone crazy for some story any dog could bark up. Immortality? Haaa, we should learn one thing from this, everyone. Accept what is. Life is only beautiful because of an end. We don’t need to waste that beauty chasing some myth such as immortality!”

Where is my reflection?

Somebody had splattered Isaac’s perfect canvas. He had to fix it.

What did his face look like? He felt contortions rising up even without his control. What did his face look like now? No, he had to act fas—

“Haha, you’re right father! There must be an end if we want to cherish time. But, I can’t blame them either. After all, after living such hard lives, they must want to have more time to enjoy and relax with. It’s a shame, though. The Everlasting Fountain most likely doesn’t exist. I’ve never heard anything about it from Goddess Aria. Nothing against it too, I suppose. Haha, who knows, maybe it does exist?”

A simple chuckle was what came out of his mouth. His canvas…was still operable.

Virane nodded at Isaac’s words. “Perhaps so. I just hope that they don’t lose their lives in the crossfire. I’ve heard that a few neighbouring kingdoms have also had a few powerhouses demand to be allowed to confirm the existence of it. We can’t afford to lose any more manpower. Ah, enough about that, Adam, open wide!”

Steak shoved in his mouth, Adam said a few incomprehensible words that garnered a chuckle from the others. At that, Isaac stood up and paced towards his father, cutting a slice of steak to feed to Adam. Futile resistance was received, and another piece entered Adam’s mouth. After giving one to Adam, he cut a piece to give to his father.

“Tch, you think your father can’t eat himself? Ah, if you’re offering, I won’t decline you on that.”

Isaac's eyes shifted to the right, the sight of all of them eating merrily earning an internal nod in his head. Returning to his seat, he conversed with his family. Plates had started to become cleaned—second servings were about to arrive.

It should have been time, now. Or was his paranoia acting up again?

The distinctive sound of a plate smashing was heard by everyone in the room. From the corner of Isaac’s eye, a small red stream had started to form.

“Irisa! Wha—”

Another bang was heard, this time being the body of Anna de Vespertine dropping down to the floor. Dianne had already rushed towards the two twins, but their fate was shared with her as she stumbled and untimely fell upon the body of Anna. Once more, Isaac heard a plate smash, this time belonging to Asier. All who remained now were Isaac, Virane and Adam.

“Isaac! What’s—no, Adam, what’s wrong! Adam! Wake up! Adam! Isaac, can you sense anything? There’s no sign of Mana interference, check for divine interferences! Isaac, now is not the time to be stunned by shock, check now!”

Two remained.

“There is divine interference, father.”

The paints that had brought life to the canvas had begun to drain out.

Virane’s voice quivered as he started shouting. “How?! You’ve set…up…an absolute barrier…

“Isaac…say something…say something…say something damn it! What’s wrong with your face?! No, I’m not accusing you, just…just say something…how could this have happened Isaac…”

A jovial voice answered.

“I’m not sure, father.”

Thud.

The King of Asjies collapsed within his impenetrable fortress, his head laying on the body of his fallen wife.