I am the Only Son of Nyx

"I will serve you well."

It was the rambling of a child; that’s what the voices inside Kai’s head sang.

He only said what Princess Diarbara wanted in order for her to quickly leave—and leave him alone in his failure. Raiding the kingdom was his last, desperate attempt to win the favour of Ares, but he was still unworthy.

Now, it was time for him to be taken into the underworld.

But he underestimated how much adoration the kingdom has for Princess Diarbara.

Kai was dragged out of the prison the next morning by several guards to be brought before the King and the High Priest. Under their heavy gaze, he was questioned about what he said to Princess Diarbara.

"Do you mean what you said?" The King’s strong voice echoed throughout the throne room.

"No," Kai answered. "It is a lie."

"Then why do you need to lie to a child?" the High Priest, draped in a pompous, lavish robe that looked like they were knitted by Athena. "What is your purpose in feeding a lie to an innocent child?"

"Just wanted her to leave me alone."

"I see."

Both the King and the High Priest exchanged a look and then made their decree.

"Choose, barbarian. Swear an oath to the Gods that you will serve Princess Diarbara faithfully and never dare to harbour any harm toward her, or you can return to your prison—and wait for your execution day."

Kai opened his mouth to refuse.

But his tongue was tied as Princess Diarbara’s voice echoed in his mind.

’The Gods have blessed you with strength.’

’Who knows what the Gods have in store if you follow me? Perhaps you might not end up this badly.’

Initially, he wanted to spit at the proposition as the kingdom had decimated his tribe. But her hopeful voice made him experience a change of heart. Perhaps he really would turn his life around if he followed her.

What’s there to lose? He has nothing now other than himself.

Reciting the oath felt surreal.

He had lived his entire life in mud, surrounded by wild animals, and knew nothing but to kill others and create chaos. Now, he was kneeling in front of a King and a High Priest like a man from a proper background, reciting words that he did not understand.

And as Kai raised his head again, he was already in front of a scholar, learning how to read.

He blinked and found himself holding a sword on a training field, learning drills.

Another blink, and he was now charging straight at the rebels who wanted to take down the King. Time passed—in a blur. From a barbarian, he became a proper royal knight. Expensive plated armour. Groomed. Respected.

But none of that matters to him.

Kai plunged a battle axe into the chest of a rebel, watching life leave the man’s body.

He pulled out his axe and lifted his head to continue, but saw that he was already back home.

Back in the castle, walking through the corridor as the night descended.

His footsteps carried him forward with quiet purpose, and before he even realized it, he was already standing before a massive door. He raised his hand slowly—and knocked. He paused for a moment, and then pushed the door open.

Inside, he saw someone sitting in front of a mirror—Princess Diarbara.

As always, she was alone.

The King has always been absent to deal with his realm, and she was stuck in the castle.

And since she only has brothers, nobody was there to accompany her.

She was older now—more composed, more refined. Her silver hair had paled and lengthened, falling in luminous waves. From the mirror’s clear reflection, her eyes found Kai, and a radiant smile bloomed across her face, as though she had been reunited with someone she had loved and lost long ago.

"Kaelmorath!"

Princess Diarbara stood and ran into Kai’s embrace.

It was a tight embrace as if she were afraid that he would disappear if it wasn’t tight enough.

"I’ve returned, Your Highness."

"Yes, you have."

"You’ve grown more beautiful these past years while I’ve been away."

"It’s nice to hear that from you. I really missed you."

Kai raised his hand, wanting to comb the princess’s hair, but his hand stopped an inch away.

He put his hand down.

"But it didn’t matter." Princess Diarbara lifted her head and rested her chin lightly against his chest, her glowing white eyes finding his. "The campaign is over now. You are a royal knight. That means you can stay by my side—always."

"Yes, Your Highness." Kai nodded. "I’ll protect you with my life."

"Of course, you would." Princess Diarbara chuckled. "I would also protect you in return."

A sense of melancholy seeped into Kai’s chest.

He remembered a woman from his tribe—feral as she may be—she was utterly his. She had carried his child. But the child didn’t survive. And sometimes, in the quiet hours before battles, he wondered whether, if the child had lived, would he still have become like this? Become a better man like this?

Of course, that question would never be answered.

Regardless, there’s still Princess Diarbara.

And for the years they spent together, he already considered her family.

Perhaps she also considered him family, but no matter what, he’s going to protect her.

Kai dared to embrace her, and Princess Diarbara didn’t pull away from it. Her acceptance felt like proof—confirmation that he had changed for the better, that he was a proper man, that he was no longer the barbarian he had once been.

Then he opened his eyes, and her chamber was gone.

He was in the throne room, and his heart was pounding hard inside his chest.

"One year ago, the Gods granted me a vision—a woman with serpent-white eyes who would bring doom upon our kingdom. I have sought an answer from the Gods. And at last, the answer came." The High Priest’s voice filled the throne room—every person hung on his words. "The Gods revealed that this woman would appear after the death of the first son."

He turned; his gaze cut across the hall to where Princess Diarbara stood.

His hand rose and his finger levelled at her.

"The princess is cursed! Look at her!"

Everyone turned and saw the princess for who she was.

Her hair, which was silver years ago, had waned to white, and her pupils were also narrowed like a snake’s. Something odd for a normal person to have, which some had noticed for quite some time, but never spoke about it.

"She bears the very marks the Gods warned of. She’s the one who will bring ruin upon us all!"

Almost immediately, the throne room was in an uproar.

All of them voiced their desire to sacrifice the princess to the Gods to avoid doom.

To avoid Moros, the God of Doom’s presence.

"Silence!" The King lifted his hand and regained control of the throne room.

"Your Majesty, this is a matter of survival." The High Priest continued. "The Gods have spoken, and we must heed them."

A deafening silence enveloped the entire throne room as they waited for the decree.

Even Kai could feel the coldness already creeping through every part of his body.

His eyes stared at Princess Diarbara and found her looking down at the floor, unable to meet the gazes of everyone around her. Just yesterday, she was the beloved jewel of the crown. And now, she has become a pariah.

The King massaged his temples and then looked at his daughter.

"Prepare the pyre." His voice rang through the silent hall, absolute. "She will be offered to the Gods beneath the full moon, five days hence."

And without even waiting for a reaction, the King stood up and walked out of the throne room.

Princess Diarbara’s eyes widened.

She called out to her father, screamed his name, but the knights had already come from behind her and seized her arms. Her cry was deafening—Her tears were blinding. And every part of Kai screamed alongside her.

"Your Majesty!"

Kai stepped forward, and four spears instantly caged his neck.

Someone kicked the back of his knees from behind and sent him down to his knees.

The King looked at Kai with a cold gaze.

"Your Majesty." Kai’s voice held steady even as the spearpoint kissed his throat. "She’s your daughter. Your blood. You cannot simply hand her to the flames. The High Priest is lying—there is no truth in his words! The princess could never bring us ruin!"

"Preposterous! How dare you accuse the High Priest of lying?!" One of the knights roared.

"There must be another way..." Kai said whisperingly—and then his eyes burned with anger. "There must be another way!"

"There is another way." The High Priest approached. "Inside the Kirinar Dark Forest, there’s a blue apple that is said to cure all curses. You can try finding that apple and save the princess from her fate. But be warned... the forest is extremely dangerous, and the apple is guarded by a dangerous beast."

"I’ll do it!" Kai roared. "I’ll find the apple!"

Hearing this, the King nodded, gesturing for the knights to stand down.

Almost instantly, Kai stood up and scrambled past the crowd, heading straight to the princess.

He shoved the two knights holding her hard and went to one knee.

"Princess Diarbara, I swear I will find the blue apple. Give your blessing, and I will find it."

Princess Diarbara brushed the tears from her cheeks. She lowered herself to her knees—took Kai’s hand in hers as she had the first time they met, and pressed a silver ring into his palm. "My mother gave this to me. It carried me through the darkest times. Now I want you to have it."

"But princess..."

"Don’t refuse it."

Slowly, she held Kai’s broad shoulders and smiled sweetly.

Her smile was radiant as always. Beautiful and ethereal despite the tears marring her face.

"No matter what happens—even if I cannot escape my fate—you have already escaped yours, Sir Kaelmorath." A sob broke between her words, but she pressed on. "You have changed. For the better. I want you to remember that."

Kaelmorath couldn’t see through the line between her words.

He thought she was encouraging him to fight, as he’s now a far better man than he was.

But Kai could already tell what she meant by that.

And the realization only deepened the ache in his chest. Though these were lost memories—fragments that had slipped from Kaelmorath’s mind—he felt every one of them as if they were his own.

As if this life had been his to live.

Five days is not a long time to scour the dark forest to find the blue apple.

Regardless, find it he did.

It was a hazardous journey back, but Kai arrived in time.

But what awaited him broke his mind.