Undead Beast Master: Living Solely for My Desires

"Why do I even bother writing this? It's not like anyone would care to read it. There are so many books out there—why would anyone stop and take a look at mine? Maybe I lack talent, maybe I lack insight, or maybe my luck is just that hopeless. But this will be another failed project of mine. I've tried so many things, yet none of them seem to work. None of them stick. Am I that big of a failure? Am I destined to be mediocre at everything I touch?"

"Even my father—I can't earn enough respect from him to make him look me in the eye. Is it because I refuse to do what he wants me to? Or am I just scared that if I try to fulfill his wishes and follow the plan he has for me, I'll fail at that too?"

"The more I write in my journal, the less and less I see the point in going on. It's like my life is meaningless, so useless that if I can't even manage to do one thing right, then I might as well commit sui—"

Knock knock.

The hand of the man stopped before finishing the sentence. Was it a coincidence or a divine intervention?

Taking a deep breath, he allowed his back to rest in his chair as he moved his eyes to the ceiling of the dimly lit room.

Knock knock.

The knocking sound again. Whoever was beyond the door was either of a high position to dare to knock twice, or the situation was just that urgent.

"Even if I don't have the talent for it, I enjoy writing. Maybe once this is all over, I'll write a whole book. A masterpiece… can I do it? Would anyone care to read it?"

KNOCK KNOCK.

The expression on his face turned even more solemn than before. "No rest for the wicked," he sighed as he got up from his chair and slowly approached the door.

Putting his hand on the door knob, it slowly creaked open.

"Prince Rynor!" Beyond the door, a man in his fifties was kneeling on one knee. This was the general of the army Rynor was currently in control of.

"I, General Leo, apologize for disturbing you, but we've just received urgent news—"

"Stop." Before the old man could finish, Rynor's cold voice interrupted him.

The general's heart raced as a bead of sweat appeared on his forehead. 'Did I do something wrong? It must be. Now I'm going to face the wrath of the prince for being so foolish! It must have been because I knocked on His Highness's door more than once!'

"First," Rynor's voice was cold and menacing, coming across with absolute authority.

"When you talk to me, you look me in the eyes."

With a heavy gulp, the general lifted his gaze, his eyes stopped on Rynor's.

A perfect reflection. Once anyone looked into the prince's eyes, they saw only themselves, like staring into a mirror. Rynor's eyes were like that—many found this unsettling, so most people, like the general moments ago, would look at the ground to avoid the unnerving feeling.

"Second, if you are going to refer to me by my title, use the one that the population has given me." His voice remained unyielding, showing no sign of emotion. Rynor neither cared about the opinions of others nor did he show any weakness in handling them.

"But Your Highness!" the general protested, "They are all just spoiled, inexperienced brats! They don't know the truth! Their opinion is irrelevant in the matter! You don't have to go by their title!"

Rynor's gaze didn't falter. He just stared into the general's eyes, and in turn, the general was looking at his own reflection. After a few seconds, the general swallowed hard, feeling a lump form in his throat.

"I, General Leo, greet the False Prince. I, along with my army, have an urgent report."

A twisted smile appeared on Rynor's face. Whether the prince was thinking was a mystery to many, but one thing was obvious—he wasn't all there mentally.

Seeing that the prince was happy, Leo continued, "Our advances have been going great, but our neighbors—the Crimson Sun Empire—seem to have found themselves in a bit of a situation. There is a small town that proves too troublesome to capture, and they have asked us for aid."

With his interest piqued, Rynor began to walk around the camp, motioning for Leo to follow.

"We joined this war under the pretext that we weren't to interfere in others' affairs. Now they want our help? This feels like a trap," Rynor speculated.

"I agree, sir," Leo replied. "We're prepared to refuse the—"

"How many?" Rynor cut him off. "If they're having trouble capturing the town, there must be many soldiers defending it, right?"

"…No, from what they told us, it's a single man."

Rynor raised an eyebrow. "Oh? How is he able to stop them?"

"The thing is, they aren't sure themselves. He seems to be able to shroud large areas in pure blackness. Some say it's mist, some say it's something else. All we know is that once you enter this mist, you don't come back alive. The bodies are left on the ground when the mist disperses."

Rynor scratched his chin. 'This does sound like the said individual is able to use the Abyss. Now it makes sense.'

After a brief pause, the prince nodded. "I will go."

"But Your Highness!" Leo objected.

"Relax," Rynor tried to calm his nerves. "I'm strong, and fighting this man may help me get stronger… maybe strong enough for Father to finally acknowledge me." The last part was said quietly, only for him to hear.

Leo didn't want to let his Highness go alone into battle, but once Rynor set his mind on something, there was no stopping him.

"Then please be careful," Leo urged as he bowed.

Rynor didn't acknowledge him, stepping past and approaching his ride.

A four-meter bird. Its eyes were green, and its feathers were as black as the night. It was one of the undead creatures under Rynor's father's command.

"Time to take to the skies once again." Rynor patted the bird on the head as it shook off its restlessness and leapt onto its back.

The bird, sensing its master's intent, took to the skies with a clear direction in mind.

"Let's see what this Abyss user can do."

*****

Sitting on the ground, David couldn't help but survey the damage in front of the town. The earth was cracked, trees had fallen from the impact of the battles, and countless corpses littered the ground. The stench of death hung thick in the air, suffocating everything.

"How many attacks have there been now? Three? Four? I thought they would be smarter and send someone stronger than last time," David complained.

"You could just go and wreak havoc in their territory, you know?" The Spectral Warden tried to voice its opposition once again.

David waved his hand dismissively. "I told you already. I'm not leaving my birthplace. I'll just have to wait for them to come to me."

His work for now was done, so he decided to enjoy a walk around the city, reminiscing about his childhood.