"When I married Lily, I held the leash. 90% of the country moved when I said 'move'. But there was a problem."

  "The Crystal World."

  "They didn't see a King on our throne. They saw a corpse. They saw 'that old man' and smelled blood. We caught a spy in the scullery. He confirmed it before he died: they were coming."

  The memory sharpened. Sunlight hit the table. I wiped my mouth with a napkin. The plate was empty.

  "Thanks for the breakfast, honey," I said, standing up. "Anyway. I am going on a trip."

  Lily stopped eating. Her fork hit the plate with a clink. "A trip? But... we just got married."

  "Sorry," I said, buttoning my coat. "Something urgent."

  I walked around the table. I leaned down and kissed her. It wasn't a quick peck; I lingered. "I will be back in two months."

  "Two months?" She sighed, looking down at her hands. "Fine. But don't hurt yourself."

  I smiled. I touched her cheek. "Don't worry. I will be safe."

  I turned my back on her.

  I walked out of the room and straight to the hallway mirror. I didn't stop. I didn't cast a spell. I stepped through the glass like it was water.

  The Diamond Palace vanished. The air changed. It smelled like lavender and ozone.

  I stepped out of the glass. I was in a bedroom. Silk sheets. Crystal chandeliers. I looked around. I was in the Crystal World. Specifically... inside the Princess's room.

  "Look at what we got here," I whispered.

  I walked to her bed. I didn't stand over her; I sat right beside her sleeping figure. The mattress dipped. "Wakey, wakey... sleepy princess."

  She flinched, scrambling back against the headboard. Her eyes went wide. "What the heck are you doing here?!" "I was just checking on t—"

  "GUARDS!" she screamed.

  The door exploded inward. Three men came running through the smoke, weapons raised, steel points leveled at my chest. They froze. They saw the face. "The... The Prince of the Diamond?" one of them stammered.

  "Yes," I said, not moving from the bed. I pushed a spear tip away with one finger. "And I think your sharp toys are too near my face."

  "What do you want, Prince?" the Princess hissed, pulling the sheets up.

  "All good." I stood up, raising my hands in mock surrender. “So, we caught a spy. He sang a very interesting song before he died. He sang about you."

  She chuckled, looking at the guards. "And what if"—she looked him up and down—"you are a Type 0? What would you do?"

  "Of course," I said, spreading my hands, "a Type 0 like me... wouldn't do anything."

  I moved my hand. Two shards of glass flew from the window and slammed into the doorframe, sealing it shut. Three tiny, invisible shards flew from my fingertips. Zip. Zip. Zip. Right through their brains.

  Thud. Thud. Thud. Three bodies hit the floor in perfect unison. "Brilliant," I whispered. "Isn't it?"

  The Princess looked at the bodies, then back at me. "I knew it was a lie," she said calmly. "But I already got you in my hands, Prince."

  "What?"

  "Do you know the city 'One Eye'?" she asked, a cruel smile forming. "Well... I think it's under attack right now. So... what do you think, little Prince?"

  My blood froze. The arrogance vanished. "Arthur," I whispered.

  I turned to the mirror. The room warped. The Crystal World vanished.

  I stepped out of the mirror and into Hell.

  One Eye City was burning. The smoke was thick, choking the air with the smell of burning wood and flesh. Crystal World soldiers were everywhere. They weren't conquering; they were exterminating. No child was left standing. No woman was spared.

  I couldn't see clearly. Usually, I have a "bird's eye view"—I can see through every reflection in a city. But the smoke blinded the mirrors. I was blind. I had eyes, but I couldn't see.

  So, I had to run. I ran between the alleys to her house. I heard screams—women being raped, people dying. I saved who I saw, cutting down soldiers as I ran, but I couldn't stop.

  When I got to the Mayor's house... it was on fire. No. It wasn't just on fire. It felt like the fire had the house in the middle of it. A cage of heat.

  I busted the door down, running into the black clouds. The smoke tried to choke me, but my body rejected it. To a Type 5, smoke is poison. And poison doesn't work on me.

  I ran through the burning hallways, screaming their names. "ARTHUR!" "SAMLY!"

  No one answered. The roar of the fire was too loud. Until... I heard a crack. "Father..." It was so low I could barely hear it.

  I followed the sound until I found him. Arthur. He was trapped under a collapsed wall. He was dying. I could feel it from his voice. I needed to lift the wall. I needed a reflection to use my power. But there was only smoke and ash.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  And I could hear his breathing getting quieter by the second.

  I looked around there was nothing except fire and it was getting closer.

  “Damn it.”

  “dad?”

  My eyes went wide. I took a shard of debris and cut my hand. Squashing my fist until the blood poured out, pooling in my palm until I could see my own reflection in the red liquid. From that reflection, I conjured a lever. I pushed. The wall groaned and lifted. I pulled him out.

  "Everything will be fine," I whispered, holding him. Arthur looked up at me, his eyes fading. He covered himself with me, burying his face in my chest. "Dad..." he whispered. "Why did you leave me?"

  I froze. The fire roared around us, but that question was louder. "I... I don't know," I answered.

  The fire closed the door and “I can’t injure myself again I will bleed to death.”

  I ran between trying to find an opening at least for him.

  But there wasn’t.

  And for a moment I felt him shaking in my hands.

  injured my arm again, cutting deep enough to make a pool of blood big enough for a Diamond Sphere. I pushed with what was left of my blood, breaking a wall to the outside world

  I removed my coat and wrapped Arthur in it. I cut a circle in the sphere; I put him in it and then locking him in it.

  Before I sealed it, he grabbed my hand. "Don't leave me, Dad."

  I squeezed his hand. "Don't worry. I am getting your mom back." I brushed his tears away. "No one is going to hurt you while I am here, Arthur."

  I sealed the sphere. He was safe. I walked deeper into the house. I searched every room. I searched the burning garden. Nothing. She wasn't there. No body. No bones.

  They didn't kill her. They kidnapped her.

  I flew to the top of the highest tower.

  I raised the Diamond Sword. I inhaled, letting the power fill my lungs, amplifying my voice into a weapon that shattered the windows of the city.

  "YOU ENJOY THE SCREAMS OF THE WEAK?" I roared, my voice booming like thunder. "YOU THINK YOU ARE SOLDIERS BECAUSE YOU KILL CHILDREN?!"

  My voice echoed like a judgment from the sky. Every soldier stopped. Every head turned.

  "LOOK UP! LOOK AT ME!"

  "THE PRINCESS SENT YOU HERE TO BURN A CITY! BUT SHE FORGOT TO TELL YOU ONE THING!"

  "SHE SENT YOU INTO THE DEN OF A MONSTER!"

  I pointed the sword at the army, a challenge to the entire world.

  "COME! TRY TO KILL ME! AND I WILL SHOW YOU THE DIFFERENCE... BETWEEN A BUTCHER... AND A KING!"

  I didn't wait for them to answer. I jumped. I crashed into the ground, the impact shaking the earth. I started to run towards them. At that moment, I could feel one thing.

  My footsteps were louder than them.

  The first horseman came. I didn't dodge. I jumped. I took his head with a single swing. Then, I started teleporting. To them, it looked like chaos. To me, it was geometry. Every enemy sword had a reflection. Every reflection was a door. I stepped through a sword's reflection to the left—slash. I stepped through a helmet's shine to the right—slash. Every flash of light was a head rolling on the ground.

  It wasn't too long until they were all dead. Silence fell. I walked back to the Diamond Sphere. Some blood had splattered on it. I took a piece of cloth and wiped it clean, so Arthur wouldn't have to see the red.

  "See?" I whispered to him. "Nothing happened."

  Arthur didn't look at me. He pointed behind my back.

  I turned. A new group. Smaller. Maybe 400 men. But they were different. Their armor was black matte. Their swords were painted dull gray. Their weapons didn't have a reflection.

  I chuckled. "Come, Prince!" their captain shouted. "Make us see what you can do when you can't use little toys!"

  I smiled.

  I ran at them. They ran at me, a wall of dull steel. I didn't need mirrors to be fast. I cut my own arm as I ran, coating my blade in blood to make it sharper. They crashed into me. I jumped. I didn't touch the ground. I ran on their shoulders, dancing on their backs, a blur of death moving toward the center.

  I reached their leader. Swish. His head flew off. A fountain of blood sprayed into the air.

  I didn't let the blood fall. I raised my hand and caught the spray in mid-air. "Bloom," I whispered.

  I turned the thousands of blood droplets into tiny, jagged shards of red glass. I pushed my hand down. The red rain fell. In one second, 200 men dropped dead, their bodies riddled with frozen blood-glass.

  The remaining 200 stopped. They were terrified. They dropped their dull swords and ran. I didn't let them go. I chased them down. Claiming each head. One by one. Until there were only two left.

  I cornered them against a burning wall. "What... what do you want, Prince?!" one screamed.

  "I want answers," I said. "Too much?" I cut his hand off. He screamed. It was a wet, ugly sound.

  I looked at the other one. He was shaking so hard his armor rattled. "You," I said, pointing with my sword. "You go. Tell the others that I am coming for them." I leaned in. "Or... do you want to stay and be tortured?"

  He didn't answer. He ran.

  I turned back to the bleeding man on the ground. "So," I said, wiping my blade. "Where were we? Ah, right."

  "Answers."

  It didn't take long. He spilled his secrets, and I spilled his blood...

  I went back to Arthur. he was looking... happy. His eyes were wide, taking in the carnage.

  "Dad," he whispered. "You fought all of those men."

  "For you, son," I said. "I am going to get your mom. Wait for me."

  "Okay."

  I followed the running guard that I sent to the enemy camp.

  I walked to them. "Hello, ladies," I said, dusting off my coat. "I thought I'd come and have some fun."

  "The Prince himself," a voice boomed. General Lapis walked out, sword drawn. "Oh," I smiled. "General Lapis. Himself. Did you write your will?”

  "We will see who dies, Prince," Lapis sneered. "You rely on your glass tricks, Prince. Without them, you're just a boy."

  The men roared. I drew my sword.

  The General ran at me. Slash. I countered. Thrust. I deflected. He attacked again and again, a flurry of steel. I stepped aside, jumping over his blade, I clashed my sword against his. The men roared.

  "So soft," Lapis taunted.

  "No," I whispered. "I was playing."

  I stepped in. He swung. I caught his sword with my blade, flicking it wide open. He was exposed.

  I cut his arm.

  I dropped low and took his leg.

  I spun and his head came flying off.

  Thud.

  I looked at the body. "Three seconds," I sighed. "I got old."

  The men looked terrified. "Boo," I said.

  They dropped their weapons and ran.

  I searched the camp. I found Samly tied up in a tent. She looked up, shocked to see me. I cut her ropes, but I didn't help her up.

  "Look at who saved you," I said coldly. "The man that you deceived." She started to speak, but I cut her off. "Don't flatter yourself. Only for Arthur did I come."

  She stood up, rubbing her wrists where the ropes had been. "What are you doing next?" she asked.

  "None of your business," I said, turning my back on her. "Your son is back at the Mayor's house. He is safe. I will clean up the mess."

  "Dani-"

  I spun around.

  "DON'T PUT MY NAME ON YOUR TONGUE!" I roared. "GO GET YOUR SON! NOW!"

  She flinched, terrified, and ran from the tent, disappearing into the night.

  I watched her go. "God," I whispered to myself. "I hate that woman."

  I rolled my shoulders, cracking my neck. "Anyway. What was I going to do?"

  I looked out at the fleeing army, the burning tents, and the chaos. "Ah. Yes."

  I summoned my sword. "Clean up the mess."

  I cleaned up the rest of the men. I put out the fire. "Now," I muttered, looking at the ruins. "That's another mess. It will take months to build back." I dusted off my coat. "Well. Another time. But for now... let's see that look on the Princess's face."

  I teleported. I appeared in her bedroom. She was sleeping. "Sleeping already?" I whispered. "The fun started."

  She flinched, waking up. "You... you are here? How?" "I killed all your army," I said. "Just that."

  "You son of a—" She moved her hand. I felt a pressure on my throat, invisible fingers choking me. "You think," she hissed, "that you, a Type 5, can oppose me? Me? THE PRINCESS OF THE CRYSTAL WORLD? DIE!"

  "Nah," I gasped. "I won't." I moved my hand. The pressure vanished.

  "What!?" She tried to move her hand. She couldn't. She was frozen. I walked closer to the bed. I leaned in and whispered in her ear. "You know... I'm not just a Type 5, 'Miss Minute'." Her eyes went wide. "I was actually born in the Royal Second."

  "So now," I smiled. "Let me show you the powers of a Royal Second."

  I started playing with the reflections of the room. The world twisted. "Where am I?" she screamed. "You are at my place," I said, my voice coming from everywhere. "And we are having fun."

  I made her see it. She saw herself burned. She saw herself cut into pieces. Then she saw herself put back together, whole, only to die again. She screamed. "STOP! STOP!"

  "Say the magic word," I commanded. "Where is your etiquette, Princess?" She cried. "I-I will do anything! stop! I can't take it anymore!" "Not enough," I laughed. "I want more."

  I raised the level. I made her see every way she could die. I mixed them together until her screams made music. I kept playing it. Then, I started torturing her myself. She felt the pain now. She didn't just see it.

  "I will submit!" she shrieked. "I will do everything! Just let me go!" "No. Still not enough." I made her count backwards while I worked. Until she finally said it.

  “kill me." "No," I whispered. "You will live. You will surrender the Crystal World." And she did. She didn't want to live. She didn't want to breathe; every breath was fire in her lungs.

  I teleported her back to her room. "See?" I said, sitting on her bed. "It wasn't that hard." She didn't answer. She was broken. "No," I said, frowning. "Smile. How can your son see you in this state?"

  She didn't move. "Okay, then. I will—" She panicked. She put her fingers in her mouth and stretched her lips wide. "I smiled," she sobbed. "I smiled!"

  I brushed her tears away. "No. Don't cry, dear. I want you to smile a natural smile." I looked at her vanity table. "One sec. Let me put some makeup on you. That will make you look pretty."

  I took the kit. I started painting her face. Blush. Lipstick. Eye shadow. "See?" I said, holding up a mirror. "Now you look beautiful." "Yes..." she whispered, trembling. "I am beautiful."

  She started laughing. A broken, hysterical laugh. But she still cried. The mascara ran down her cheeks. Her tears became black. I stayed with her for some minutes. She kept laughing and crying black tears.

  Maybe she is scared of me, I thought. Maybe she will get back to normal if I get out. So, I got out. And I became Ruler of the Crystal and Diamond Worlds.

  The memory shifted. The blood and screams vanished. "I am home," I called out. I found Lily cooking. She ran at me, jumping into my arms. "You are home early!" "Couldn't help it," I said, burying my face in her neck. "Can't live without seeing you, can I?"

  The world returned to normal. The plane, the hotel, the years... they all crashed back in. Daniel was shaking, his face pale, sweat dripping from his forehead.

  But the Prince... The Prince was sitting on the arm of the sofa, swinging his legs like a child. "You are a cruel one, Prince," Daniel whispered.

  The Prince stopped swinging his legs. He smiled. "I know."