Lord of Deception

The wind howled across the barren cliffs.

Lucian staggered along the jagged rocks, his once-pristine armor tarnished, his cloak tattered and torn. The sacred sword that once shone with divine radiance hung lifelessly on his back, its glow long since faded.

His footsteps were heavy, dragging against the cold earth. Each step felt meaningless, but still—he walked.

Because what else was left?

A Fallen Hero

He didn't know how many days had passed since the banquet.

The palace had shut its doors to him. The knights who once fought beside him refused to meet his gaze. The church, the very institution that had once hailed him as a divine warrior, had declared him "unfit for his holy duty."

And her…

She hadn't even looked back.

Lucian clenched his fists.

Damn Kael.

His name burned in Lucian's mind like a cursed brand. Kael hadn't just defeated him—he had erased him. No battle, no war. Just… cold, calculated destruction.

And the worst part? Lucian had let it happen.

The Wandering Knight

His body ached. He hadn't eaten in days. He barely even knew where he was.

The capital was far behind him, its towering walls nothing more than a painful memory.

Now, he wandered through unfamiliar lands, an exile.

He had expected bounty hunters, assassins, even execution orders from the king. But there was nothing.

Kael hadn't sent anyone after him.

Because he didn't need to.

Lucian had been deemed unworthy of killing.

The realization made his stomach churn.

He had spent his entire life striving to be the perfect hero—and now he was nothing.

Just a nameless traveler.

A broken man.

An Unlikely Meeting

The sun had dipped below the horizon when he finally collapsed.

His legs gave out, and he fell to the ground, his breath ragged. He was exhausted, starving, and cold.

His vision blurred—

Then boots stopped in front of him.

Lucian blinked, forcing himself to look up.

A woman stood above him, her silhouette backlit by the dying sun. Her presence felt unnatural, her crimson eyes gleaming like embers.

A demon? No, not quite.

Her voice was smooth, curious.

"Well, well… What do we have here?"

Lucian tried to push himself up, but his body refused. He could barely lift his head.

The woman knelt, reaching out.

"Tell me, human," she mused, her fingers brushing against his tattered armor. "What brings a fallen hero to the lands of the forgotten?"

Lucian couldn't answer.

His mind was fading into darkness.

And then—nothing.

A New Purpose?

When Lucian awakens, he will no longer be in the kingdom's lands.

Instead, he will find himself in a realm beyond human control, a place where exiles, outcasts, and the forsaken gather.

Will he try to reclaim his past? Or will someone else shape his future?

The hero is gone.

Now, only Lucian remains.

To be continued....