Bloody Odyssey

The prince walked through the gates of the House of Fall, his eyes scanning everything with calculated precision.

He had seen the large encampment of goblins guarding the gates — the bases that had been created as homes for them. At first, his guards had been scared. They had wanted to attack, to wipe out the "vermin" that dared to nest so close to a noble house. But they had been stopped by the roaming Godfall guards who patrolled the perimeter with silent efficiency.

What is going through their minds?

The prince wondered.

Have they been driven to the edge? Forced to hire the worst of low species?

He almost smiled. Almost.

Then his attention was drawn by a quiet voice.

"There is something off about these creatures."

Lady Emily — the blade oracle — spoke softly, her calm eyes fixed on the goblins that watched them from the shadows. Her hand rested lightly on her hilt, her posture relaxed, but her gaze was sharp.

"They don't look like regular goblins." Her lips parted slightly. "They look more like hobgoblins. And their ears are abnormally long — they drop to their torso length."

She tilted her head.

"It's strange. Are these truly goblins?"

The burly guard in golden armor — the one who had challenged Dax earlier — focused his gaze on them. His eyes widened slightly. His mouth tightened.

A glimpse of fear.

He had a certain disdain for the Godfalls. He had always looked down on them. But now, seeing the creatures that guarded their gates, seeing the way they moved freely, he felt something he had not expected.

The disdain had grown.

The Godfalls have become something more.

The prince's entourage continued forward, their steps heavy, their eyes wary.

The clansmen of the House of Fall watched them with bitter eyes. They showed their discontent openly — their gazes cold, their postures rigid. But since he was royalty, they could only show discontent. They could not act.

Dax walked among them, his steps light, unhurried.

At first, it wasn't a bother.

Then the man in golden armor — the one who had been instructing everything since their arrival — struck Dax on his back.

"Move faster, filth."

His voice was a snarl, and that was when it escalated.

From every corner of the House of Fall, different forms of pressure weighed down on all the royal guards.

All of them fell to their knees.

All of them.

With the exception of two rank nines — Lady Emily the sword oracle, and the man in the golden armor.

But for the first time, Lady Emily's eyes showed tension.

From the distance, Madeka and Nadia walked out.

Madeka's voice was calm, unhurried. It carried across the courtyard like silk over stone.

"Where are you taking my darling to?"

She showed no emotion — her beautiful face was as cold as ice.

A wave of oppression escaped her being.

Lady Emily's hand tightened on her grip. She was ready to move at any moment, her blade half-drawn, her body coiled like a spring.

The man in golden armor — his name was Titus, the prince's personal enforcer — opened his mouth to speak. To rage. To demand respect.

He never got the chance.

Zain.

The thunder-wielder appeared like a streak of lightning. His trident crackled with energy, the air around him humming with barely contained power.

The goblin leader moved like poison — swift, fluid, unstoppable. His snake eyes gleamed with cold intelligence, his long ears trailing behind him like banners of war.

They did not hesitate.

They did not speak.

They simply moved.

01 circled behind Titus, his movements silent and predatory. He was fueled with rage — the rage of a creature that had been looked down upon, spat upon.

Zain's trident pointed at the man in gold.

"I don't think so."

Titus moved to counter. But before he could, Lady Emily's blade flashed upward, pushing Zain's trident aside with a sharp clang.

Then 01 moved, swinging his blade downward toward her sword — a devastating blow fueled with Dankaku, the goblin martial art. She stepped back, her eyes widening slightly.

Surprise.

I was correct.

But before she could press her advantage, before Titus could even react —

All of them stopped.

All of them froze.

Dax raised his hand.

Telekinesis.

The air thickened. The world stilled. Lady Emily's blade hovered mid-swing. Titus's fist, raised to strike, remained frozen in place. Even the prince — who had been watching with calm, calculating eyes — felt the pressure settle around him like chains.

Dax took gentle steps forward.

His eyes met the prince's.

And for the first time, the prince felt something he had not expected.

Terror.

Not the terror of a weak man facing a stronger one. Something deeper. Something that whispered to him that the rank two presence before him was a mask worn.

How is he able to do this?

The prince's mind raced.

He had seen many things in his life. He had witnessed rank nines clash, had seen the aftermath of battles that had leveled cities. He had grown up surrounded by power, by the weight of those who could crush mountains with a thought.

But this — this was different.

What is going on?

His gaze swept across the courtyard, across the frozen guards, across the two rank nines who had been stopped in their tracks. They had been ready to kill. Ready to destroy. And Dax had stopped them with a gesture.

Why is everything so different about the House of Fall?

The prince's jaw tightened.

Isn't this the child that was rumored to have had his talents stolen?

How is he able to do this?

How can he harness such power to stop the whole conflict at once — with all these powerhouses?

His eyes found Dax's face. Calm. Unhurried. As if he had done nothing more than swat a fly.

How did he come to kill the angel?

What is going on?

The prince could not understand it. He could not bring his mind to comprehend it. And that, more than anything else, terrified him.

The most dangerous person present is this man.

This rank two battle mage.

This… anomaly.

He came to the conclusion slowly, reluctantly.

Dax Godfall is not what he appears to be.

And I have made a grave mistake in coming here.

"Young Prince."

Dax's voice cut through the silence. Calm and unhurried.

"Do you mind calling your guards to order?"

The prince's teeth clicked together. He did not want to take orders from a Godfall. From a man who had dared to speak to him as if they were equals. From a man who had no right to command.

But his tongue felt heavy in his mouth. His throat was dry.

He raised his hand.

"Stand down."

The guards retreated. Their auras receded. But their eyes remained fixed on Dax — wary and watchful.

Titus, the man in golden armor, glared at Dax with barely contained fury. His hands were clenched at his sides, his knuckles white. He had been humiliated and he would not forget.

Lady Emily, the oracle blade, could not tear her eyes from Dax. She continued to stare, her expression unreadable. Her hand rested on her hilt, but her grip was loose. Observing.

He's a rank two battle mage.

Right?

She had felt his presence. It was unmistakable — the weak, flickering aura of a rank two and yet he had held her in place with a strange force. A rank nine.

How?

For the first time, the young prince spoke.

"Dax."

The name rolled off his tongue like a curse.

"What is that creature right there?"

He pointed at 01. The goblin leader stood motionless, his snake eyes gleaming, his long ears trailing behind him like banners of war.

Dax laughed.

"He's a goblin."

The prince's brow furrowed.

"A goblin? Aren't you familiar with how goblins are in the world? They are vermin. Filth. They are not meant to be assimilated into society —"

Dax cut him short.

"Instead of asking about goblins, why don't you take me to wherever you're taking me?" His voice was calm, but there was steel beneath it. "Maybe leave my clan out of whatever mess you're trying to drag me into."

He paused.

"At the end of the day, I am not the one who destroyed the City of Stone. I have been in the clan for the past two months. I believe you have a way of checking if I'm telling the truth." His red eyes met the prince's. "So maybe, once you get to the empire, you can test whether I am lying."

A pause.

"Or else."

"Or else what?"

"How dare you!"

The prince's voice cracked through the courtyard. His composure shattered. His face twisted with rage.

"How dare you speak to me in such a manner?!"

Dax met his gaze. Unflinching.

"I am well aware you are royalty." His voice was calm, measured. "Does royalty stand above the gods?"

The prince's mouth opened repeatedly, his chest heaving.

No words came out.

Above the gods?

What kind of question is that?

Dax smiled.

Titus's face burned with fury.

His hands trembled. His aura flickered, threatening to burst forth. He wanted nothing more than to cut this arrogant Godfall down. To show him what true power looked like.

How dare he speak to the prince that way?

How dare he…

But the memory of Dax's telekinesis held him back. The weight of that power. The ease with which he had been stopped.

I could have broken free. It just wasn't a fight to the death.

I had held back.

But the sense of disrespect he felt from Dax was unbearable. It gnawed at his pride, at his sense of self.

How dare he speak as if we are beneath him?

His voice was low. Dangerous.

"What can you do against the fucking gods?"

He walked forward menacingly, his golden armor gleaming with radiance.

Dax ignored him.

He walked toward the carriage, his steps unhurried, his expression calm. He did not respond to their insults. He did not rise to their provocation.

It is royalty.

Royalty were free to behave high and mighty.

That was the order of the world.

And he was not ready to disrupt it.

I am climbing a ladder a crimson ladder made of blood and I will not stop till I touch the heavens.

Soon.

He stepped into the carriage.

The prince watched Dax disappear into the carriage.

His eyes narrowed. His mind raced.

I believe this man should be the driving force behind the changes of this noble house.

One way or another, I will find out.

He climbed into his own carriage, his guards following behind him.