Kingdom’s Bloodline

it? ” Thales lowered his head and did not say a word.
He merely sighed faintly.

The silence lasted until Silver Shadowman ’s light began to move gently.
”However… ”

Silver Shadowman looked at him, then slowly raised his right arm and gently clenched his fist.
”If you really want to do something, then go and be prepared. ”

Thales forced a smile, lifted his head, and let out a light snort.
”Prepare for? ”

Silver Shadowman nodded slightly, but shook his head immediately afterwards.
”Now, your body carries only the bloodline. ”

Thales ’ smile disappeared.
”What do you mean by ’carries only the bloodline ’? ”

The man ’s dark facial features moved.
”Young Jadestar, your will is still childish, your path ahead is still unclear, your resolve is far from enough.

”I heard what you said.
Calamities still remain in the mortal realm, and they are mercilessly reaping lives, resulting in tragedy, correct? ”

Thales was slightly shocked.
”Huh? ”

The brilliant light on Silver Shadowman ’s face alternated between degrees of brightness and darkness as he stared quietly at Thales.

The prince suddenly felt that perhaps there was a great passion far beyond his imagination hidden behind that face made of silver light.

Silver Shadowman quietly gazed at Thales and said slowly, ”Tormond could not fulfill his promise, but I can tell that he left his hopes to his descendants.

Silver Shadowman spread his palms gently.
A few strands of silver light rose above his palm, and they flowed back and forth like a sparkling galaxy.
It was an incredibly amazing sight.

It was quiet for a second.

Thales ’ pupils narrowed slightly.
”Tormond, ” he muttered.
”Are you saying…? ”

”Go, ” Silver Shadowman said faintly, but the echo of his voice was incredibly clear.
Thales could not help but be shocked by it.
”Find the mission that belongs to your ancestor and to your family, accept it, and become a reliable man. ”

Silver Shadowman ’s facial features shook slightly, as though this man with the unique identity had put on the most serene smile.
”It is only then, when you will be worthy of returning to fulfill the long-cherished wish belonging to Tormond and myself, the wish which we had failed to accomplish. ”

The darkness in his eyes seemed to contain the depths of the entire world.
”At that time, only then will you be fit to end all of this, to end even the disaster wrought by this ancient curse.
You will be able to put an end to it forever. ”

Thales, utterly upset and confused, stared at Silver Shadowman who was in such a darkened state.
He seemed to have caught hold of something, but also seemed as if he had not understood anything.

In the end, the prince still frowned and shook his head honestly.
”I… don ’t understand. ”

The man moved slightly.
Ripples appeared in the silver light on his face.
”Then I hope that you will forever not come to understand it. ”

Thales was somewhat startled.

Silver Shadowman slowly raised the flowing silver light on his right palm, then watched the light return to his body.

”Young Jadestar. ” He slowly came forward to approach Thales as he said quietly, ”Thank you for giving me these few precious, interesting, and happy hours in this darkness which has no magnitude, no end, no future, and no direction.

”Even though, I would forget it very soon and return to how I was before I met you. ”

Thales stared at the man.
The emotions stirring in his heart were complicated and difficult to put into words.

In the next moment, Silver Shadowman touched Thales ’ face with his right palm.
He leaned forward and pressed his forehead—formed by silver light—against Thales ’.
He gazed into Thales ’ eyes quietly.

Thales only felt that the spot, where the silver light flowed at the center of his forehead, grow cold.
He stared dumbfoundedly at Silver Shadowman, who gazed at him deeply.
The silver light shining from this person caused him to be unable to look directly at him and was forced to squint.

Nevertheless, Silver Shadowman ’s gaze was incredibly profound.
Thales had never stared directly at this exceptional Silver Shadowman at such close proximity.
He even had an impression that all the stars in the galaxy were contained in this man ’s dark eyes.

”May the mountains be tolerant of your feet.
May the earth bless you in your journey. ” The light from Silver Shadowman ’s body brightened, and it would shudder with every syllable he spoke.

At that moment, a gentle ringing sounded in Thales ’ ears.

*Eeeeeeeeeee…*

It was lighter and softer than all the ringing Thales had to suffer before this.
It was as though it was noiseless.

”May you… never be lost. ”

When he said his final few words, Thales felt that gentle ringing in his ears slowly fade away.
In the next second, Silver Shadowman ’s light suddenly grew dimmer.

Before Thales could react, Silver Shadowman released him.
The cool feeling on his forehead was gone.

”What was that? ” Thales looked at the man, puzzled.

But Silver Shadowman just shook his head wordlessly and remained quietly watching him.

”…Thank you for bringing me her greetings. ”

In the next moment, before Thales could register what was going on, Silver Shadowman turned around and walked towards the dark, rocky wall, which was completely devoid of any kind of cracks or crevices.
The silver footprints he left behind still shone with bright light like before.

”The deceased souls will trouble you no more.
Turn around and walk forward, you will find the way out.
Forget about today, return to you life. ” The man ’s words resounded in his ears.

Thales had a thought and a feeling: This was goodbye.

A strange impulse made the prince take two steps forward and he shouted at Silver Shadowman ’s back,

”Will we meet again? ”

The footsteps of the Silver Shadowman ’s feet paused for a moment.
The light on his body flickered slightly.

”Of course, ” he replied softly.

Right then, that amusing ray of silver light, now just a spark to avoid being seen, suddenly flowed to the top of Silver Shadowman ’s head and formed a few words.

[He ’s lying.]

Thales was stunned.

Silver Shadowman stood where he was, as though he still did not notice the strange phenomenon above his head.
”Young Jadestar, one day, we will surely meet again in the underworld, just like all souls who rest in peace.

”We won ’t meet here, in this curse where everything about us is taken away, against our will. ”

Silver Shadowman moved again and walked down the path where he came from.

His body, made of light, slowly fused into the stone walls.

The silver spark jolted and formed words again.

[He ’s still lying.]

With a dumbfounded look, Thales stared as Silver Shadowman sank into the rock formation.
He watched the silver gradually fade away.
The silver spark then became dark and it continued to form another string of words.

[The two of you will never meet again.]

Thales ’ eyebrows knitted together.

Finally, Silver Shadowman disappeared completely into the stone wall.
The silver light vanished, never to be seen again.

The silver spark was almost completely dimmed by now.
It formed its final words in the air before it vanished without a trace.

[Bye-bye.]

In the next second, the world in front of Thales turned dark.
As Silver Shadowman left, the cave became completely swathed in darkness.

Thales was left alone in that place, returning to this lonely and silent darkness; he had to face the cold air, hard rock, and endless silence again.

Thales could not see a thing in the darkness, but he continued to stare blankly in the direction where Silver Shadowman left.
Then, strange feelings filled his heart.

The things that happened not long ago still played vividly in his mind: the heavy blow delivered by Silver Shadowman, the armor he manifested, and the light jabs and teases aimed at Thales in the cave.

’ ”I have always been dead… I can only stay here until the day I am destroyed with it… It ’s been so long, so long that I can ’t even remember how long it has been…

’ ”Thank you, for giving me these few precious, interesting, and happy hours in this darkness which has no magnitude, no end, no future, and no direction…
We eventually need to go on our separate ways… ” ’

’ ”Bye-bye. ” ’

Thales clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.
An impulse surged into his heart and filled his blood.

*Bang!*

His arms crashed against the solid rock wall!

But Thales seemed to not have felt a single thing.
He opened his mouth with great effort, and said softly in that boundless darkness, ”But I will remember. ”

The area around him remained as the same still darkness, and only his low murmurs echoed in the cave.
There was not even a single response.

Thales lowered his head and resisted the urge to turn around.
He whispered in the cave, so dark that nothing could be seen, ”Even if you forget everything or cease to exist, there will always be one man in this world who will remember your life here. ”

It was as if he was talking to himself.
Still, he hoped that his words could travel to the other end of the wall in front of him, into that spot that would forever be cloaked in dark loneliness. 

…So that he could give that man, who could not rest in peace after he died but still smiled while he guarded this place alone in eternal darkness, a small spark of hope.

”Did you hear me? ”

In the endless darkness, the upset and dispirited prince sucked in a long breath to suppress the strange burning in his nose.

”Raikaru… Eckstedt. ”