Damian's voice alone was enough to send a wave of unease through the room.
Winston stepped forward cautiously. "What did you just say?"
Damian clenched his fists, his eyes still fixed on the sky. "Like I said… we're already too late. It's going to happen any moment now. There's nothing we can do to stop it."
Lyra furrowed her brows. "You mean… we can't stop the summoning?"
"I... I... don't know..." He replied weakly.
'Dammit... This wasn't supposed to happen here.. I mean, It didn't happen here last time, so why? Why didn't I see this coming? What changed?'
He shut his eyes and cursed his inability to deduce the situation on time. He was someone who should have already known the future, to Damian, this was already a grave mistake on his part, or so he thought.
'This just isn't right. In my past life, this summon didn't take place in the kingdom of Aureon.'
Whispering, "Last time it happened in the neighbouring kingfom. Ashfalt..."
'It couldn't the have just changed locations completely right?... I mean there has to be a reason for this, but what is it?'
He racked his brain for a reasonable answer, oblivious to his surroundings, or at least until Lyra snapped him out of his trance with a gentle yet terrified whisper.
"Damian…" she said softly, gesturing to the window. "The sky… it's getting dark."
"..."
"She's right." Winston confirmed. "It seems the eclipse is today afterall..." He paused and shifted his glance to face Damian. "Although I do believe your theory about a demon being summoned... this still doesn't prove that the demon is going to be summoned here."
"..."
Damian kept his mouth shut as he just couldn't find the words to reply to Winston this time around.
Outside, the city had fallen quiet. The energetic chatter and footsteps had faded, replaced by murmurs and whispers as everyone was quickly interested in the incoming eclipse.
'If I can't prove it, I have to at least know why they're attacking Aureon.' thought Damian.
Up in the skies above them, the bright sunlight seemed to fade away, slowly but surely, the intense light rays dulled into dark golden rays, but it didn't stop there, it kept getting darker and darker as the excited whispers all around them increased exponentially.
'Come on… think! Could it be that we have something they want? Something we didn't have the last time? But I didn't really change anything... I only... Wait...' Damian stopped mid thought as it finally occurred to him.
"...No way"
The air grew heavier. Birds scattered from the rooftops. And above, a creeping blackness devoured the sun, dimming the world below even further.
All three of them looked up in awe.
Damian's heart pounded with anxiety as he finally realized what really caused the attackers to shift their focus to them.
"It's... because of my class... Damn it."
Damian's class, Prince of Light was something the gained from using the vast knowledge he obtained from his past life.
At the time, his class—Prince of Light was possessed only by the crown prince of Ashfalt, a neighboring kingdom to the West of Aureon.
For some reason, that was why the demon was summoned, by the cult, to exterminate the bloodline of light. Or at least that was only answer the research yielded back then.
Whether or not it was true, didn't matter now as one thing was sure. Unlike last time, the target here wasn't the crown prince of Ashfalt, it was him, Damian Blackthorne, the 7th son of king Elric, the Prince of light.
He remembered the destruction vividly—Ashfalt barely survived. The capital was left in ruins. Thousands died, Their elite mage corps almost completely wiped out.
And even then, they had barely managed to kill the demon.
'So that monstrosity really is coming here... To Aureon?' he thinned his lips, clenching his fists hard. 'And its all because of me.'
He staggered back, cold sweat trickling down his spine. His breath turned shallow and uneven.
'This is all my fault.'
"Young master..."
'It's all because of me...'
Young master... snap out of it!" Winston's voice called out, even more sharper now.
'Damn It..."
"Damian."
Lyra's voice cut through the haze suddenly, firm but gentle, breaking Damian's chain of depression. Her two warm hands cupped his face gently, her palms pressed against his cheeks, steadying him. "Look at me Damian."
His eyes, narrowed weakly and locked onto her crimson irises that seemed to flicker with something distant.
"You've got this," she said, holding his gaze. "You always do" she smiled. "And remember, you're not alone in this too."
He blinked as the fog in his mind began to clear up.
"I'm right beside you... Always."
'Lyra... She's right... I can't afford to lose focus now. Not when people are counting on me.'
He took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, then nodded.
"Thanks, Lyra," he smiled. "I really needed that.
"Glad to hear it, young master," she said, smiling back.
He held her gaze for a moment longer before speaking again.
"Do you tr—"
"Of course I do," she cut in gently, already knowing what he was going to ask.
He grinned faintly. "Alright then…"
Without another word, he grabbed her hand and sprinted toward the doors, startling her slightly.
But just before they crossed the door, he stopped.
"Winston."
Damian turned back sharply, staring at the loyal butler for a couple of seconds before speaking up. "Tell my father everything. If they're summoning a demon, then we'll need all the help we can get."
Winston gave a deep bow. "Understood, young master."
"Thanks. I owe you one."
He turned to Lyra.
"Can you keep up?"
"Of course, young master."
"Then let's go."
And with that, they vanished into the dim halls of the castle, racing toward the oncoming storm.