Chapter four The prince left behind

Universe eight had long forgotten peace.

Dark clouds covered the skies endlessly as war consumed kingdom after kingdom.

Bodies covered the battlefield.

Broken swords stained red beneath the rain.

And standing alone in the middle of the destruction—

was Time.

The young prince slowly pulled his sword free from the fallen soldier before silently turning away from the battlefield.

The surviving soldiers watched him carefully.

Some with fear.

Others with disbelief.

Whispers quietly spread behind him.

“He survived again…”

“The cursed prince…”

“He fights like a monster.”

Time ignored them all.

He always did.

The palace felt emptier every year.

Star was gone.

The servants feared him.

And his father only spoke to him when discussing war.

Nothing more.

Nothing less.

Time could no longer remember what peace felt like.

Ever since he was young, war had become part of his life.

Battlefields replaced childhood memories.

Swords replaced conversations.

And silence replaced family.

At first, Time believed if he fought hard enough, his father would finally acknowledge him.

That one day, King Tears would look at him with pride instead of disappointment.

But years passed.

Nothing changed.

No matter how many wars he survived…

his father always demanded more.

More victories.

More strength.

More blood.

Sometimes Time wondered if King Tears even saw him as a son anymore.

Or simply another weapon for the kingdom.

The thought no longer hurt as much as it used to.

Perhaps because he had grown used to loneliness.

Servants avoided looking directly at him now.

Soldiers whispered stories about him behind his back.

Some called him cursed.

Others claimed death itself followed wherever the prince walked.

Time never argued against the rumors.

After a while, even he started questioning himself.

Because strange things happened around him constantly.

Too constantly.

During battles, moments sometimes felt distorted.

Enemies appeared slower.

Voices echoed strangely.

And there were times—

brief moments—

where the world itself felt… delayed.

As if reality hesitated around him.

Time never spoke about it to anyone.

Not that he had anyone left to tell.

The only person who truly treated him like family had disappeared long ago.

Star.

Even after all these years, he still remembered the day she left universe eight.

At first, he waited for her return every single day.

Then every month.

Then every year.

Eventually…

he stopped waiting.

But the emptiness she left behind never disappeared.

Time quietly lowered his gaze as he walked through the palace halls.

For the first time in years—

he felt tired.

Not physically.

Emotionally.

Time quietly walked through the massive palace halls alone after returning from battle.

The silence felt unbearable sometimes.

As he passed one of the old rooms, his footsteps suddenly slowed.

Star’s room.

Dust covered the closed doors now.

No one entered anymore.

Time stared at it silently for several seconds before continuing forward again.

Years ago, she promised she would return quickly.

But years became decades.

And eventually—

silence.

Time never blamed her completely.

But somewhere deep inside him…

the feeling of abandonment still remained.

Suddenly, loud alarms echoed across the palace.

Another attack.

Time sighed quietly before turning toward the palace gates once more.

The battlefield outside burned violently beneath the dark skies.

Enemy soldiers flooded toward the kingdom endlessly.

Time stepped forward calmly, raising his sword once again.

Then—

everything stopped.

The flames froze.

Rain hung motionless in the air.

The screams vanished instantly.

Silence consumed the battlefield completely.

Time’s eyes widened slightly.

The entire world around him had frozen.

Except him.

Slowly, Time lowered his sword.

Confusion filled his expression as he stared at the unmoving battlefield surrounding him.

“…What is this?”

Far above the battlefield, within the palace tower, King Tears watched silently from the darkness.

For the first time in years—

he smiled.

“So it finally awakened…”

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