The Sole Prince of the Fallen Kingdom-Chapter 31. Communication [3]

"...You wanted me to teach you magic, right? Then I'll make damn sure you're a walking disaster by the time you leave."

As those words left Zephy's mouth, Aiden felt his shoulders ease.

"Thank you," Aiden muttered under his breath, barely audible, releasing a quiet sigh.

Despite still feeling awkward about making requests—thanks to his mother's strict upbringing—his past life memories hadn't only brought him pain.

They had also brought him his grandmother's teachings.

His mother had taught him to be proud of his heritage, to never bow down to anyone. His grandmother, on the other hand, had taught him humility—to treat everyone with respect.

The two teachings couldn't be more opposite, yet neither was wrong.

"So, tell me—how many elements can your soul convert from the surrounding mana?" Zephy asked, reverting to his smaller, cuter form—the one Aiden called 'Ephy.'

"Why'd you change back into 'Ephy'?" Aiden asked calmly, as Zephy perched on his shoulder and silently healed the wounds Aiden had inflicted on himself from digging his nails into his skin.

"This form's just more relaxing. I can perch wherever I like and don't gotta deal with as much crap," Zephy said, tilting his head. The motion might've looked cute, but his gravelly voice killed any such illusion.

"Anyway, back to the topic. How many elements?" Zephy gruffed.

It still feels surreal, hearing that kind of voice come from that small body...

"I've got the blessings of two Sovereigns—Wind and Water. I can control Lightning, too, but every time I try, I hurt myself," Aiden replied, retracing his steps toward Elsie's grave, leaving the serpent's corpse behind.

The disturbed snow, patches of exposed soil, and occasional bloodstains made tracking the path back fairly easy.

"...It was terrifying, wasn't it?" Zephy murmured, peculiarly flapping his left wing.

"What was?" Aiden mumbled, pushing aside the frost-covered leaves and spotting the crystallized pine tree in the distance.

The tranquility of the place had been completely shattered.

Trees were uprooted. Rocks reduced to dust. Bushes trampled dry.

It looked like a disaster had swept through.

Because one had.

"Everything you've gone through. Fighting that knight. Facing a demon. Watching your mother stab your father. Seeing your home reduced to rubble. It was all terrifying, wasn't it?" Zephy said, climbing up onto Aiden's head as he cleaned his other wing.

"!"

Aiden froze. [Perfect Memory] replayed it all in an instant, every detail flashing before his eyes and sending a jolt down his spine.

"...Yeah. It was." He curled his fingers into a fist and kept walking. His eyes still reflected the fear he hadn't yet let go of.

"That's why I want to grow stronger. Strong enough to take revenge for everything."

He raised his left hand toward the sky, more to himself than to anyone else.

And to bring back Father and Elsie.

The winds suddenly howled, a thin ring of water forming around his hand and glowing faintly in the patchy sunlight breaking through the fog.

"Heh. I like that you're trying to look ahead, no matter how hard it gets." Zephy, having finished preening, lightly pecked Aiden on the head—roughly, but with a certain care.

"But don't let revenge be the only thing that drives you. If that's all you've got, you'll lose yourself. Nothing good ever comes from revenge when it's all you're living for."His voice softened, gentler than usual, like someone guiding a lost child.

A hint of guilt lingered in his tone—he didn't even know what had just happened earlier, but somehow, he felt responsible for Aiden's mindset.

"...I won't let it destroy me. I'm not that weak," Aiden said, grumpily grabbing Zephy from his head and holding him in his palms to show his resolve directly.

Besides... my real goal isn't revenge. I just want to return things to the way they were...

He kept that thought to himself, cautious not to say anything that might trigger the same strange reaction as last time.

He didn't know what had stopped him before, but whatever it was, it was terrifying.

"Alright, alright, I get it. Now stop making that face." Zephy vanished from his palms, reappearing on Aiden's shoulder just as he spotted the wooden dragon doll he'd left as a gravestone.

"Hoooh..." Aiden exhaled in relief.

The doll and the area around it were untouched.

"Back to the point—you said you can control three elements, but lightning hurts you every time you use it?"

"Yeah. It's because I don't have a Mana Catalyst. I use my body to convert the mana—"

"What do you mean you don't have a Mana Catalyst? Your scythe. Isn't that one?" Zephy interrupted, tone dry and direct, like stating something obvious.

"Huh?" Aiden blinked, startled.

"Huh?" Zephy echoed, deadpan.

..Awkward silence..

"You—! You don't even know the basics of magic, spells, or skills, do you?" Zephy asked, voice dropping to a low, serious rumble.

"I'm sorry!" Aiden quickly clasped his hands together in apology—a habit from his past life whenever his grandma scolded him.

"Sigh~ Do the Everharts not teach kids the damn basics anymore?" Zephy muttered, then continued, "I'm only going to explain this once, so listen up."

Nod nod.Aiden frantically bobbed his head, tuning in completely.

"So. Let's start with—"

Growl~

A loud rumble echoed in the eerie air. The source? Aiden's stomach.

"I think you should eat something first—"

"No! Let's continue. I can eat later. There's nothing to eat here anyway."Aiden tried flashing his best charming smile, eager to get straight to the magic lessons.

But such cheap tricks didn't work on a mythical creature.

"Listen, Aiden. First rule of learning from me—don't ignore your health. If you're not in any condition to keep going, fix it first. Whether it's patching yourself up or dealing with whatever crap you're facing, handle it. There'll be times where you'll need to push past your limits, but that's something I'll teach you later."

Zephy flapped his wings and released a shimmer of aurora light, words forming in the glow to emphasize his point.

"But—"

"No buts. If you're in a bad spot and have the chance to retreat and live, you do it. Doesn't matter if you think you can win. If you bleed out afterward, what's the point? Always prioritize your well-being and survival. Nothing else comes first. Got it?"

His words hit like thunderclaps. Aiden wanted to argue, but something about that gaze—those eyes filled with bitter experience—silenced him.

That speech... it didn't come from theory. It came from scars.

"...Understood." That was all Aiden could say in the end.

But his mind overflowed with questions.

What if someone else needed protection? What if he had to stall for time? What if he had to kill at the cost of his own life? What if... he simply didn't care if he lived through the battle?

Still, the weight in Zephy's voice locked him in place.

"Good. Now go fetch some of that worm's meat. It should be enough to fill you for now." Zephy perched atop the dragon doll as he gave the order.

"But how am I supposed to eat it? You don't expect me to eat it raw, right?"

"...I suppose not," Zephy muttered, giving Aiden a once-over. "I'll go grab the worm. You start a fire... if you can, that is."

And just like that, Zephy flew off before Aiden caught those last few words.

Looking around, Aiden immediately understood.

All the wood he'd collected earlier was soaked—buried in snow, no longer dry enough to spark a flame.

Sigh~ ...I wonder what a monster even tastes like.

He glanced at the grave, summoned the Death Scythe, and made his way toward the fallen tree to cut some fresh wood.

**********