The Third Prince Of Darkness

"I understand. I'll go to the palace after the war. But is there anything else I need to know? Like, where will Alpshar strike first? Or how large is their army?" I asked.

"Ethan… I feel like you're not taking me seriously. Please listen to me: you must go to the palace after the war… just go there" Roxanne's eyes carried a desperate insistence that gave weight to her words.

"I understand, and I promise I'll go to the palace. Now, can you answer my other questions?"

The tension on Roxanne's face made it clear she didn't want to answer. Yet, the more she avoided my questions, the more curious I became. I softened my tone, hoping to draw her out.

"Anna, if you trust me, I need to know these things. If what you're saying is so important, why won't you answer? I promised to go to the palace after the war. But before that, I need to know what we're up against. Shouldn't we try to anticipate Alpshar's plans?"

She stayed silent for a moment, as if weighing my words. When her gaze finally met mine, her vulnerability was still there, but something else had shifted, perhaps a realization that my persistence held meaning.

"Alright, Ethan," she finally said, her voice trembling yet resolute. "Alpshar is gathering a large army. Their numbers are smaller than the coalition's, and their greatest advantage will be their surprise attacks… As for where they'll strike first, I realy don't know."

Her vague response only increased my unease. "Surprise attacks? So even gathering intelligence on their plans will be difficult," I muttered. I studied her face, suspecting she wasn't telling me everything. "If you know more, Anna, now's the time to say it. If we go in unprepared, people will die."

Roxanne took a deep breath, clutching the edge of the table as if for support. "Even if I wanted to tell you, I don't know," she admitted.

Her helpless confession hung heavily in the air. At that moment, I realized it wasn't just a lack of information weighing on her. Something deeper—fear or guilt—was gnawing at her. But whatever it was, I knew I had to gather as much information as possible to win this war.

"If you truly don't know," I said, keeping my tone calm, "then we need to find a way to learn. Every piece of information is an advantage. Who else could we turn to for intel?"

Roxanne hesitated, still avoiding my gaze, but eventually let go of the table and looked at me. "Maybe… spies in the palace could uncover something. But it would be risky. Alpshar is ruthless and vigilant when it comes to spies."

"Spies in the palace? Seriously? Ethan, do you really think she's had some kind of vision?" Kayle interjected sharply.

"If there's intel among our spies, I'll try to retrieve it when I return to Asina. And yes, Kayle, I trust her."

Roxanne lowered her head again but then glanced around the room, meeting everyone's gaze before finally looking back at me. "You must go to the battlefield alone… After the defeat, you're the only one who can survive."

Her words deepened the silence in the room. Everyone stared at her, their expressions reflecting a mix of emotions. Evangeline's brows were furrowed, her sharp gaze openly distrustful of Roxanne. Catherine, on the other hand, looked quietly shocked, as if trying to process Roxanne's claim. Ellera's stance was more composed, but the attentive glint in her eyes showed she was carefully evaluating the situation. Kayle had already taken a step forward, standing squarely in front of Roxanne.

"What do you mean by that?" Kayle demanded. "Only Ethan? Are you asking us to abandon him to die while we stay safe?"

Roxanne took a deep breath but answered without lifting her head. "It's not my wish… But I see it. If you all go to the battlefield, none of you will return."

Evangeline crossed her arms, her voice laced with sarcasm. "See it, huh? Are we talking about prophecies now? You! you're no seer. All you're doing is scaring people. You're just an annoying, stupid rat."

Roxanne's gaze flicked to Evangeline, but she didn't respond. Instead, she turned back to me. "Ethan… Please. Trust my words. If you don't go alone, it will be too late. Please, trust me."

Ellera broke the tense silence by stepping forward. "Alright, Anna. Let's assume you're right. Let's assume you're actually seeing something. But why are you so vague? Why can't you just tell us everything? If we want to win this war, we need every scrap of information."

Roxanne winced, as if Ellera's words had struck a nerve. "I want to," she said in a quiet voice. "But every vision I have is incomplete. Fragmented. The only thing that's clear is this: if anyone other than Ethan goes to the battlefield, they won't return."

Catherine spoke softly, but firmly. "We've all decided to fight in this war. None of us will abandon Ethan. Anna, your intentions may be good, but if we fight, we fight together."

Kayle, hands on her hips, turned to Catherine. "We're not taking risks based on vague prophecies. Ethan, what do you think? Are you seriously going to take her words seriously?"

All eyes were on me, waiting for my decision. It was clear that everyone would follow whatever choice I made. It was a reassuring realization, but Roxanne's words weighed on me. There might be some truth behind them, and honestly, I chose to believe her. After all, the last thing I wanted in this life was to lose the people I cared about. Even if Roxanne suddenly revealed she had been joking, I would still take her warning into account.

"No one is coming with me… I'm going alone. Kayle, Catherine, and Evangeline—if your countries have summoned you to the battlefield, tell them you're injured. Say you've broken bones or have another condition. But you're not going."

Kayle's eyes narrowed, her face a mix of anger and disbelief. "Ethan, are you insane? This is ridiculous! I won't leave you to fight alone. Whatever happens, I'll be by your side—that's my duty!" she said firmly.

Catherine stepped closer, her expression a mix of shock and concern. "Ethan, don't do this. We can't leave you alone. Anna's words might be a possibility, but we can't take that risk. If you're going, we're going with you."

Evangeline turned to Roxanne with a smirk. "Pulling everyone from the battlefield to send one person? Sorry, but that's not a decision for you to make—it's a leader's call, not like you... "

Ellera was silently watching me, her eyes full of deep analysis, but she chose not to comment. Finally, breaking the silence, she spoke in a calm but resolute tone. "Ethan, this is your decision. But don't forget the weight of taking on this much responsibility. It's not just yourself you're affecting—it's all of us."

I letting my eyes wander across the room, meeting each of theirs in turn. My chest felt tight, but this was a decision I had to make. I couldn't risk their lives. I was ready to bear this burden alone.

"This is my decision," I said, my voice steady but firm. "I trust her. And if I have to face this war alone, I'll do it. I want to protect all of you. If what Roxanne says is true, I can't let you die. So please, for once, honor my request. Three people alone can't change the course of this war, anyway. Please do as I ask"

Kayle clenched her fist and slammed it on the table. "Nonsense! I won't accept this. If you're truly determined to go alone, we might have to stop you, Ethan."

Catherine gently held my arm, her eyes welling with tears. "Ethan… Please. Don't make a decision without thinking it through. Going alone will put you in even greater danger."

Ellera stepped forward, her voice cutting through the tension. "Ethan, I understand you're taking Anna's prophecy seriously, but you shouldn't take such a massive risk. Maybe there's another solution. We can adjust our plans, but we can't let you go like this."

Roxanne's eyes filled with tears. "Ethan, I understand they didn't want to leave you alone... But if they don't listen to me, they'll all gone. I don't know how else to explain this. Please trust me."

I closed my eyes, drawing in a deep breath, trying to suppress the chaos brewing inside me. "This is an order," I said at last. "No one will come with me. If you respect my decision as your leader, you'll do this. Kayle, Catherine, Evangeline, Ellera… You'll stay here. I need this to protect all of you."

Kayle opened her mouth to protest, but Catherine placed a hand on her arm, stopping her. Evangeline gritted her teeth, shooting a glare filled with contempt at Roxanne. Ellera continued to study me closely, as if trying to understand the finality in my eyes.

The room fell silent, but it wasn't an agreement. I could feel the internal struggle within them—it wasn't hard to sense. Yet my decision was made. In this world, I wouldn't lose someone I cherished again. More specifically, I wouldn't lose the woman I loved. I swore to myself.

The silence only grew heavier as the air in the room thickened. Catherine, her voice trembling, turned to me once more. "Ethan… If you've truly made up your mind, I know we can't stop you. But please… take care of yourself. Come back to us, alright? I can't bear to lose someone again." Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, her lips curling into a faint, strained smile.

"I don't want to lose anyone either…"

_____

In the previous chapter, I made a small change. To summarize, Pipkin (the magical cat) used a spell to show Roxanne what would happen if she talked too much about the future, with the spell being visible only to her and of course Roxanne was terrified after the spell wore off.