Without hesitation, I rose to my feet. Fresh cracks rippled through my joints, then faded as my new strength made me feel better. I felt clean. Whole. Sharper than I had any right to be. I pushed the door open and stepped into the corridor to get something to eat, thanks to my stomach grumbling.
Two Legionnaires snapped to attention on either side of the doorway. Their black-and-crimson armour caught the slanting morning light, throwing sharp red glints across the stone floor like spilt blood. When they spotted me, the duo knelt as the higher-ranked one spoke in a tone full of respect. ''My Prince! It's good to see you awake. Breakfast should be served soon.''
''Thank you Legionnaire,'' I replied, nodding. ''How long was I asleep?''
''Three days, my lord.''
Three days. No wonder everything inside me felt hollow. Time to fill it.
Following that, I walked the corridors, passing tasteful landscape paintings that didn't scream wealth the way royal halls back on Earth always had. Maids who once scowled now flashed flirty smiles. Opportunists.
They hadn't cared before the change; no reason to start now. No need to bother with such people, only interested in me now that I've changed. It took me five minutes to reach the dining room where my two mentors were. The duo stopped speaking once I stepped in, causing the older man to comment. ''Not gonna eat us, my prince?''
I noticed he was hiding a smirk while the brunette giggled. ''Maybe you'd taste good, old man?''
My gaze found Selene, and a grin crossed my face. ''I'd have to eat the lady in other ways.''
The older woman's head snapped to me, her cheeks red, but she controlled herself and teased. ''We shall discuss these other ways later, my prince.''
When hearing her cheekiness, I flashed them a smile, showing off my sharp teeth that now lined my mouth. Garrick shivered at this sight, which made me smirk as I sat down, as the older man recovered. ''Prince, the king has sent word, he wants you to return to Varanthal. I believe he wishes to meet.''
''Not yet,'' I replied, not bothering to look at him as I piled my plate high with food.
The two looked confused as she spoke up. ''Why's that?''
''Because we're going to Bleakmarch, to clear it out.''
Garrick dropped his fork, jaw hanging in shock, while she looked curious. ''I'm assuming it's to do with your new powers?''
''Yes,'' I nodded. ''I need to eat more Mana Cores to stabilise it. I used too much power during the second assassination attempt.''
''We don't have a full legion, it will be risky,'' she muttered.
''We'll talk about it once I've eaten, I'm starving.''
There were all kinds of food all across the table, meats, pastries, and other meals, making my mouth water. I shook my head and began eating some bacon, which exploded in my mouth thanks to the taste. Without caring about my manners, I shovelled down everything, filling my stomach and Mana Well.
Garrick just stared at me. There was disgust but also fascination in his dark eyes, while Selene was giggling as she teased. ''Looks like the prince is famished, maybe we should get the cooks to whip up more?''
''Do it, I can see this is going to last some time,'' the older man sighed.
I chuckled with a mouthful of scrambled egg; it was delicious and filled my stomach. An hour later, I was done and couldn't eat anymore. My Mana Well wasn't in the slightest bit full, but I decided to deal with it later. While sitting there, Garrick glanced at me. ''So why do you want to go to that horrid place?'' he asked.
''To clear the area and feast until my Mana Well is full, or at least more than it is now,'' I revealed. ''Plus, if I manage to do it, I'll become famous, gaining my own lands thanks to the law my grandfather enacted.''
My two mentors exchanged a glance, sceptical, wary of my idea and how it would work. Garrick's scarred brow furrowing deeper, but they stayed silent, waiting. I leaned forward, elbows on the table, letting my voice drop low enough that only they could hear over the distant clatter of servants.
''Look,'' I said, ''my core isn't like anything in the old texts or the academy scrolls. No gentle cycling, no meditation drawing mana from the air. That's inefficient for me. Wasteful even. I need to consume Mana Cores ripped fresh from monsters or humanoids. The richer the source, the faster the well fills, the stronger I get.''
I let that sit for a beat. Selene's eyes flicked to my mouth, where the new sharpness of my teeth was impossible to miss even when I wasn't smiling.
''Also, it's not just about power for power's sake,'' I continued. ''We've got forty-one hundred men under arms, loyal, but green in places. Scattered loyalties, thin supply lines, and enemies who already tried to put a blade in my back once.''
After speaking, I drank some of the hot tea before talking once again. ''If I'm stronger, faster, and harder to kill, we can train them properly. I can lead from the front. Turn them into something the court or my father can't ignore. And on the road home? We'll need every edge to recruit more, to keep deserters in line, to crush anyone who thinks the Third Prince is still easy prey.''
I straightened, meeting their eyes one after the other. ''So yeah, I eat hearts now. Deal with it. Or don't. But if you want to get home alive, and bring an army worth a damn with us, you'll stop looking at me like I grew a second head and start thinking about where the next Mana Core is coming from.''
Garrick exhaled through his nose, a rough sound that wasn't quite a laugh. Selene swallowed hard, but his shoulders squared a fraction. ''Understood,'' the older man said at last.
His tone was still guarded, but the scepticism had cooled into something closer to grim acceptance. ''We'll… make preparations.''
''Once we're on the road, I will draw up some plans I designed to make the Ninth more efficient,'' I revealed, drinking some tea-like drink, which was nice.
Garrick looked surprised but smiled. ''Good. I look forward to seeing them.''
Following that, I watched my mentor leave the dining hall as I turned to the brunette, who stiffened under my gaze. I chuckled at her reaction, then asked. ''So how do I know you won't betray me like your Lion Guards?''
She shook her head once as though cutting off whatever doubt still lingered in her mind. Then she rose from her chair, my eyes trailed over her otherworldly figure, her hourglass shape would make any other woman jealous. The scrape of wood on stone was loud in the sudden quiet.
She crossed the short distance between us in three measured strides, boots clicking against the floor. When she reached me, she didn't hesitate. She dropped to one knee, armour creaking softly, head bowed. One gauntleted fist pressed over her heart; the other rose, palm open, fingers splayed as though offering something invisible.
A faint silver-blue glow kindled in the centre of her palm, mana coiling like smoke around her hand. The light pulsed in time with her heartbeat, steady, unhurried, but unmistakably powerful. ''My prince,'' she said, voice low and clear. ''I, Selene of House Rothvayne, swear by my mana, my blood, and the core that sustains me: I will never betray you. I will serve you loyally, in battle and in shadow, in victory and in ruin, until my last breath or yours claims me first. Not for coin. Not for the king's command. But because I chose it. Because I see what you are becoming, and want to stand at your side until the end.''
It settled over the room like frost. The mana in her palm flared brighter for a heartbeat, then sank into her skin, leaving a faint brand, a thin crescent scar just above her heart, visible even through the gap in her collar. It pulsed once, syncing briefly with the dark churn in my own well, then stilled.
The glow faded from Selene's skin. She rose slowly, the scrape of her greaves against stone the only sound in the room. That's when I noticed she was in the black and red leather armour of the Verona Royal Guard; they were moulded to her like a second skin. She looked good in it.
My eyes travelled down her body, the cuirass hugged her torso in glossy obsidian plates edged with crimson stitching, the royal crest stamped over her left breast. Scaled pauldrons rose sharply at the shoulders, tapering to vambraces that gleamed with fresh oil. Looks like Garrick got her some new gear.
A narrow crimson sash cinched her waist, highlighting the flare of her hips before the leather skirt fell in layered panels that would part for movement in combat. Her dark hair spilt loose over one shoulder, still slightly tousled from whatever quick change she'd made, framing those warm brown eyes that now watched me. Gods, she was gorgeous.
Not in the soft way, not some porcelain doll meant to be admired from across a ballroom. Selene looked like a weapon that had chosen to wear beauty as camouflage. Those brown eyes held mine, steady, unflinching, carrying the same quiet intensity she'd poured into the oath. There was no coyness there, no calculated seduction.
Just certainty. She'd sworn herself to me, monster that I was becoming, and she stood taller for it. I realised I'd stopped breathing for a second. My new teeth pressed against my lower lip as I exhaled slowly. ''You wear the colours well,'' I said, voice rougher than I intended. I pushed back from the table and stood, letting my gaze travel over her deliberately, unhurried. ''Better than anyone in Varanthal ever did.''
A faint flush touched her cheeks, not embarrassment, more like the heat of a blade fresh from the forge. She tilted her head, the smallest smile curling one corner of her mouth. ''They're your colours, my prince,'' she answered softly. ''I thought it only proper.''
I stepped closer. Close enough to catch the faint scent of leather, steel, and something warmer, her own skin, sun-kissed. My Mana Well stirred, the churn inside me recognising the steady pulse of her own core. I reached out, slow enough she could have stopped me, and brushed my thumb along her jaw.
''You swore on your blood and your core,'' I murmured. ''And now you wear my house like it's already yours.''
Her breath hitched, just once, then steadied. Those eyes never left mine. ''Because it will be,'' she said simply. ''One way or another. When we march on Bleakmarch, when we carve our way back to the capital, when your father finally looks at you and sees what you've become… I'll be there. In these colours. At your right side.''
I let my hand fall, but I didn't step back. The space between us felt charged, heavy with everything unsaid. ''Then let's make sure the road to Bleakmarch is exciting,'' I told her. ''And when we return to Varanthal, you won't just wear the colours. You'll help me burn anyone who tries to take them from us.''
Selene's smile sharpened, sharp enough to match my teeth. ''Lead on, my prince," she said. ''I'm already armed.''
''Well, you will lead my bodyguards for now,'' I revealed, getting ready to eat even more. ''I'm going to need at least ten people. I'll let you deal with all that, if you like.''
When the brunette heard this, her eyes lit up as she nodded her head. ''Yes, I know a few friends who would love the job. The others I'll recruit from the legion.''