The morning sun was just coming up over the ocean when Kai started his training. He stood alone on the ship's deck, moving his spear in smooth, practiced motions.
Stab. Turn. Sweep.
He'd done these moves thousands of times. The spear felt light in his hands, like it was part of his body. This was why people called him the "Spear Ghost" ; he was fast, deadly, and could disappear before his enemies knew what hit them.
Kai loved training alone like this. No politics, no annoying nobles, no one telling him what a prince should or shouldn't do. Just him, his weapon, and the peaceful morning.
Why can't life always be this simple?
He was twenty-three, but sometimes he felt much older. Being a prince meant dealing with problems he never asked for. Out here on the water, watching the fishing boats near Midory's harbor, he could almost forget about all that responsibility stuff.
A seabird flew overhead, heading toward the city. Everything looked so calm and normal. This was what Kai wanted, not some fancy throne or crown, but quiet moments where he could just be himself.
He finished his last move and lowered his spear, breathing hard. Sweat dripped down his face even though the morning air was cool. His muscles burned in a good way. At least his body was getting stronger, even if his problems kept getting more complicated.
Maybe today will be different. Maybe I can just train and relax for once without some damn
"Your Highness!"
The shout cut through the peaceful morning like a knife. Kai's hands tightened around his spear as he turned toward the noise. Sailors were running around, trying to look busy. He could hear heavy boots marching across the deck.
Through the ship's ropes and sails, Kai saw an imperial flag, the golden lion that meant official business from the capital. His stomach dropped.
Imperial messengers never brought good news. Especially not to princes whose mothers tried to keep them away from dangerous court politics.
So much for a peaceful day. Shit.
Kai wiped the sweat from his face and started walking toward the commotion. He could already see a short, thin man with an enormous mustache standing in the middle of his ship like he owned the place. Three imperial knights flanked him, looking way too serious for a simple message delivery.
Great. More politics. Just what I needed.
"Where is the prince?" the envoy shouted, his voice carrying across the entire deck. "An order from His Majesty personally has been announced! Show yourself, Prince Kai!"
Kai stopped walking. Nobody answered the guy, which was weird. Usually his crew would point him out immediately. Instead, they all looked... nervous? Scared?
What the hell is going on?
He glanced around and noticed something strange. His soldiers were forming a line, but not toward him. They were lining up toward the captain's cabin, like they were waiting for orders from someone else.
Someone else? This is my damn ship.
That's when Kai felt it, a weird pressure in the air that made his skin crawl. The imperial knights' swords were actually shaking in their hands, and their legs looked unsteady.
Okay, now I'm really confused. What could make imperial knights nervous?
"Who dares to show hostility towards the empire's envoy!" the mustache guy yelled, sounding more panicked than angry.
Suddenly, the envoy's shadow started moving on its own. A sword came out of the shadow and cut his belt, making his armor pieces fall off with a loud crash.
What the fuck?
The envoy stumbled backward, his face white with terror. Then someone in black robes emerged from the shadow itself, whispering in a voice that made everyone freeze.
"Peasants who dare to address royal blood disrespectfully shall be castrated."
Oh. Oh no. This is about to get really messy.
The figure in black robes straightened up, and Kai felt a chill run down his spine. Something about this person felt... familiar. Too familiar.
Wait. That voice. Why do I know that voice?
The envoy was practically shaking now, his mustache twitching as he tried to back away. "I... I carry orders from His Imperial Majesty! You cannot"
"Orders?" The robed figure laughed, and the sound made everyone on deck flinch. "You storm onto a prince's ship, shout demands like a common soldier, and dare speak of orders?"
Kai watched in growing horror as the figure reached up and pulled back his hood. Dark hair, familiar features, eyes that looked exactly like the ones he saw in mirrors every morning.
No fucking way.
It was him. Or rather, it was him but... wrong. This version of Kai looked older, colder, with eyes that held no mercy. When this other Kai smiled, it wasn't the careful political smile he'd learned at court. It was the smile of someone who enjoyed causing pain.
What the hell is happening to me?
"I am Prince Kai-Zevrin Raytingbergh," the dark version said, his voice carrying across the silent deck. "Third son of Emperor Brandon. And you, little messenger, just learned why they call me the Spear Ghost."
The envoy's legs gave out, and he hit the deck hard. His knights tried to help him up, but their hands were shaking too badly to be of much use.
This is insane. How can there be two of me? Why don't I remember doing any of this?
Kai looked down at his hands. They were still holding his spear, still sweaty from training. He was definitely real. But so was the other version standing twenty feet away, terrifying imperial officials.
Am I losing my mind? Did someone slip something in my food? Because this is seriously messed up.
The dark Kai tilted his head, studying the cowering envoy like he was deciding whether to step on an annoying bug. "Now then. What message could be so important that you forgot basic courtesy?"
The envoy fumbled with a scroll, his hands shaking so bad he almost dropped it twice. "His... His Majesty commands Prince Kai to lead sixty thousand troops south. Count Otavi Haroua has rebelled, and eight cities have fallen to insurgents."
Sixty thousand troops? A rebellion? And they want me to handle it?
The dark Kai's expression shifted, becoming thoughtful instead of murderous. "Interesting. My dear brother finally found a use for me."
Brother? He means Ludvik. That bastard is probably behind this whole mess.
"Tell me," the dark Kai continued, "what exactly has dear Count Otavi done to earn my attention?"
The envoy swallowed hard. "He... he allied with a criminal organization called the Death Panel. They've taken control of Atunmbra and declared independence from the empire."
Death Panel? That sounds ominous as hell.
Kai felt a strange tugging sensation, like something was trying to pull him forward. The dark version of himself suddenly looked directly at him, those cold eyes meeting his own.
He can see me. How can he see me?
The dark Kai smiled again, and this time it looked almost... friendly. "Don't worry. We'll handle this together."
The world spun, colors blurred, and suddenly Kai was standing where the dark figure had been, holding the same confident posture, feeling the same cold certainty.
What just happened? Why does everyone look so terrified of me?
The envoy was staring up at him with pure fear. "Your... Your Highness? Will you accept His Majesty's command?"
Kai opened his mouth to ask what the hell was going on, but different words came out instead. "Tell my brother I'll clean up his mess. But I do this my way, with my people."
Did I just agree to lead an army? Against my will? This day keeps getting worse.
The envoy scrambled to his feet, clutching his scroll like it might protect him. "Yes, Your Highness! I'll inform His Majesty immediately!"
He practically ran toward the ship's edge where a smaller boat waited to take him back to shore. His knights followed, not even trying to look dignified anymore.
Good. Get off my ship before I do something else I don't understand.
As soon as they were gone, Kai felt his legs go weak. He leaned against the nearest mast, trying to make sense of what just happened.
What the hell was that? Since when can I do shadow magic? And why don't I remember learning it?
His crew was still staring at him, but now they looked more awed than scared. A few of them actually bowed, which was weird because they'd never done that before.
"Uh, everyone back to work," Kai said, his voice coming out rougher than usual. "Nothing to see here."
Yeah right. Nothing to see except their prince apparently having some kind of magical breakdown.
The sailors scattered quickly, but Kai caught Althea and Yeldvi exchanging looks. Darek was frowning at him like he was trying to solve a puzzle.
Great. Now my own people think I'm crazy.
Kai pushed himself off the mast and walked toward his cabin, hoping to figure out what was wrong with him in private. But Darek caught up to him first.
"Your Highness," Darek said carefully, "that was... impressive. I didn't know you could do shadow manipulation."
Neither did I, you idiot.
"Yeah, well," Kai muttered, "there's a lot you don't know about me."
Because I don't know about me either, apparently.
Darek nodded, but his expression was still puzzled. "So we're really going south? To fight this rebellion?"
Kai stopped walking. Right. He'd agreed to lead sixty thousand soldiers into what sounded like a nightmare situation. All because some dark version of himself had taken over for a few minutes.
Sixty thousand troops. Against rebels and criminals. This is going to suck so bad.
"Looks like it," Kai said. "Get word to the other ships. We need to head back to the capital and start organizing this mess."
Why did I agree to this? I hate politics. I hate armies. I especially hate my brother using me to clean up problems he probably caused.
Darek saluted and walked away, already shouting orders to the crew. Within minutes, the ship was turning toward the mainland, sails adjusting to catch the wind.
Kai finally made it to his cabin and slammed the door behind him. He slumped into a chair and buried his face in his hands.
Okay. Let's think about this logically. I apparently have some kind of shadow power I've never used before. I just terrified an imperial envoy. I agreed to lead the largest military force I've ever commanded. And I have no idea how any of this happened.
He looked at his hands again. They seemed normal. No shadows, no strange powers, just regular human hands that were still shaking slightly.
Maybe it was stress. Maybe I'm finally cracking under all this royal pressure bullshit.
But deep down, Kai knew it wasn't stress. Whatever had happened out there felt real. Felt like a part of him he'd never known existed.
The Spear Ghost. Is that why they call me that? Not just because I'm fast with a weapon, but because I can actually do ghost stuff?
A knock on his door interrupted his thoughts.
"Come in," he called out, trying to sound normal.
Althea stepped inside, looking concerned. "Your Highness, are you alright? You seem... different."
Different. That's one way to put it.
"I'm fine," Kai lied. "Just thinking about this southern campaign. It's going to be complicated."
Althea sat down across from him, her stormy gray eyes studying his face. "The men are talking. They're saying you showed your true power for the first time."
My true power? What true power? I don't even know what just happened!
"People talk too much," Kai said. "What matters is getting ready for this mission."
And figuring out what the hell is wrong with me before I have to lead an army.
Althea nodded slowly. "The Death Panel organization... I've heard rumors about them. They're not just criminals, Your Highness. They're something worse."
Kai looked up sharply. "What kind of worse?"
"The kind that turns good men into monsters," she said quietly. "And if Count Otavi is working with them..."
Great. Just great. Monsters, criminals, and a rebellion. And I have to deal with all of it with powers I don't understand and an army I've never led.
"We'll figure it out," Kai said, hoping he sounded more confident than he felt.
We'd better. Because if I lose control of whatever that shadow thing was in the middle of a battle, people are going to die.
Althea nodded, but something in her expression made Kai pause. She looked like she wanted to say more but was holding back.
"What is it?" Kai asked. "You look like you know something else."
Althea hesitated, biting her lower lip. "Your Highness... there's something about Count Otavi that the official reports won't tell you. Something I probably shouldn't know."
Oh great. More secrets.
"Just tell me," Kai said. "Whatever it is, I need to know before I march sixty thousand people into this mess."
Althea took a deep breath, and her face went pale as she made her decision. "My cousin serves in the southern intelligence network. Before communication was cut off, she sent word through underground channels." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Count Otavi isn't just working with the Death Panel. He's letting them experiment on people."
Experiment? That sounds really fucking bad.
"What kind of experiments?" Kai asked, though he wasn't sure he wanted to know.
Now Althea's hands trembled slightly. "They're turning people into something else. Hybrid demons with supernatural strength and speed. But the process..." She swallowed hard. "Most people don't survive it. And the ones who do... they lose their minds completely. They become mindless killing machines that only obey the Death Panel's commands."
Kai felt his blood turn to ice. "How many?"
"We don't know. But if they've had control of eight cities for months..." Althea met his eyes. "Your Highness, you might not be leading an army against rebels. You might be leading them against monsters."
Sixty thousand soldiers. Against demon hybrids. With powers I don't understand.
Kai stared out the cabin window toward the southern horizon, where somewhere in the distance, an army of transformed horrors was waiting for him.
This is going to be a nightmare.