Chronicles of the Red Sovereign

In a vast plain, bodies laid on the ground soaked with blood. No, it would be more appropriate to call them corpses rather than bodies in general. Bodies would mean some of them were actually alive, but that wasn’t the case.

In the distance, a black cloud gathered and if one was to look carefully, monsters and demons of different species and variety were awaiting their orders.

On the other hand, a lone figure stood in the middle of the corpses. His snow white hair stood out despite the splotches of blood on it. His form was shivering and his eyes were fixed to a few of the bodies, the lifeless bodies of his friends and comrades.

This figure was Kai li Syna, the Prince Royal of Praiji Empire and Crown Prince of Syna Kingdom, no, it would be more appropriate to actually no longer call him with those titles, after all the two nations, and most of the countries in Afasia, were nothing more than wastelands. The war took its toll on both the land and its people.

Kai sunk to his knees and wept. His friends were dead and the army he cherished were wiped out by demons. Hope just vanished right in front of his eyes.

“Kai.” a voice called. Kai looked up and saw two familiar faces; one was his patron and the other was his lover. They were the very beings that supported him and his friends throughout the war.

“Lady Elthesia. Nyxtriel.” he cried once more. “I- I failed you. I… failed everyone.”

“No, I’m afraid this is how the celestials decided it to be.” said the golden haired fox goddess, Elthesia.

Kai’s eyes widened at her words.

“I understand that it’s too much for you and the rest of humanity.” the red-haired fox goddess, Nyxtriel, added and consoled him with a hug. “And it’s unfair. But I’m afraid this is the finish line for you and your comrades. You can feel it as well, right?”

Kai saw the tears on his beloved’s face and he couldn’t help but feel sad. He was for many things. He was sad his friends were dead. He was sad they lost against the demon race. And most of all, he was sad that he would not be able to fulfil his promise to the woman he loved.

“I’m… s…orry, Nyx. I-“

“Don’t talk, you’re wasting your breath. I will not let you die. I will not let you vanish.”

He was not sure if she’s serious or not, after all he could feel his life slipping from his body already. He received a deadly blow just minutes ago, not to mention the curse of the Demon King was taking a toll on his body as well.

“Because of that curse, once you die your soul will be consumed by the Demon King and you will never return to the cycle of reincarnation. I know it is selfish of me but this is the only way.”

He was confused at Nyxtriel’s words but he knew it would be useless to question her and her sister about it.

“There is still a chance to turn the tables.” Elthesia inserted and brought forth a golden pocket watch with the symbol of a nine-tailed fox. “At this moment, my sister and I will continue your fight.”

“B…ut, the ancient laws-“

“Screw the ancient laws.” Nyxtriel growled. “Those guys control it for their sake, never for the world. I will not let them succeed.”

“I know this is too much for us to ask of you Kai but as I said, there is still a chance to turn the tables, and we will need your help for it.”

“Me?”

“We can only do this once and I already calculated everything.” Elthesia said. “We will need you to travel back in time and change this outcome.”

“What?”

“I told you, this is us being selfish.”

“But I’m afraid we cannot transport your entire being, at most we can transport your soul and consciousness to a predetermined era.”

Kai glanced at the incoming demon army but then returned his gaze to the sisters. “Will it really change this present of ours?”

“It will depend on you.”

“Will I… see you again?”

The sisters smiled. “”Yes.””

“Then, I accept.”

***

When Kai arrived in the determined era, he saw himself sinking with a bleeding head. He couldn’t help but become frantic, after all if he entered his body in such a perilous situation, he and the Kai of that time might end up dying.

‘What should I do? I cannot-‘

But then an idea popped in his head. He learned Healing Magic but he wondered how he would be able to pull it off when he was nothing but a soul without a physical body.

‘No, I can pull it off, but that means I have to sacrifice my soul. In the end, I’m still going to die, but at least I will no longer be consumed by the Demon King’s curse. Instead I will just scatter into the world and return to earth.’ he smiled bitterly. ‘The most I can do is impart to the me of this era, my memories and emotions.’

He remembered briefly talking to Luna, his friend and ally, and seeing Freya, his friend and subordinate, he was happy after all they saw them one last time.

Kai dreamt a very long dream. But then he realized it was premonitions, no memories of the future, of what was about to come and happen. And so, Kai received the memories and feelings of the Kai from the future. The Kai who lost everything to the demons.

‘I will not let that happen.’ he decided after receiving his future self’s memories. ‘I will change that!’

He opened his eyes and saw himself in the infirmary. Then he remembered that he almost died by getting clubbed in the head and almost drowned in the hot spring. Thankfully his future-self saved him from actually crossing over to the afterlife, and Luna immediately performed first aid on him.

Kai saw his red-headed friend who was staying vigil on his bedside.

‘Luna Hysi of the Lyxi Clan.’ he thought. ‘But why does her gaze reminds me of ‘her’?’

“Kai! Are you okay now? You frightened us!”

“I… I’m fine.”

“That’s good. Everyone got really worried. Peter made a scene when you were brought here you know.”

Kai was a bit baffled at how Luna interacted with him. He was close to the red-head but somehow the memories he received from the future showed that Luna and her followers weren’t close to him or his circle of friends.

It felt strange for him. He knew Luna was a resident of Celestine Territory but in his new set of memories it showed that Luna was from the lands north of Praiji Empire and entered the Imperial Academy as the future leader of the Lyxi Clan.

‘Strange. Luna never told us about that. How come it’s different if these memories are from the future?’

“Kai?”

“Luna, can you… leave me for a bit?”

Luna was shocked at this.

“And also, can you ask Peter if he can ask the Court Grand Mage to come see me?”

“Court Grand Mage?” Luna questioned.

‘Wait, Court Grand Mage Chrishni is now Archduchess Celestine. Not to mention Praiji’s Prime Minister.’

“I mean, the Prime Minister.” he corrected himself. He couldn’t help but shake his head, his head was a mess because of the new set of memories.

Although a little dejected, Luna left the room and left Kai alone.

‘Why is the information from the new set of memories different?’ he wondered. ‘I need to talk to the archduchess to get my answers.’

It was three days later when he finally talked to the archduchess privately.

“Prince Kai, there’s something different about you.”

‘Even if she’s not the Court Grand Magus in this time, she’s still as sharp as ever.’ he mused mentally.

Kai immediately told her of his new set of memories and his future-self’s mission of travelling to the past. Before Future Kai’s soul was catapulted back in time, Elthesia told him to seek the Court Grand Mage; Zaira Chrishni and tell her everything. And only her.

“I see. That was indeed a risk. Not to mention the soul of your future-self sacrificed himself so you’d survive.” she commented after hearing his story.

“But how come everything’s different when these memories are supposedly from the future? For example, right now you’re not the Court Grand Mage but the Prime Minister of Praiji, and that Luna came from the Celestine Territory instead of coming from the hidden lands of the Lyxi Clan? In fact, the Celestine Territory doesn’t even exist during that timeline.”

Zaira only smiled. “I will tell you why it’s different, but first answer my question.”

Kai nodded.

“What if somehow you didn’t return to the past of the same world but instead to the past of a parallel world where everything and almost everyone are different because of certain changes in history, will you still help save this world from the awful future you saw?”

Kai was silent, confused at her question but then he realized he had no time to actually ponder about it. After all his future, or maybe parallel self, gave him such memories to avoid such an ending no matter what timeline or world it is.

“Yes. I will make sure that that future will never come.”

*********

A/N:

Too long?