Lourbel Forest, Elysium Empire

A young man on a massive black horse looks into the darkness ahead, his well-sculpted features concealed by his dark cloak. Despite that, he still exudes an intimidating aura. This made it nearly impossible for his companion to keep his composure and breathe normally. The man who exudes an undeniable air of authority and power befitting his position made a last sweep of his surroundings as if he could see through the wallowing darkness before addressing the knight behind him.

"How is Sebastian doing? Have they arrived in the Count's manor?" The clear and cutting baritone voice soaked the stillness of the night, and the knight trembled instinctively.

"Yes, Your Majesty. We have received the communication scroll sealed with Lord Sebastian's mana signature. I'm afraid the hunt has proceeded as planned."

His lips bore a threatening smile, exposing an almost razor-sharp tooth. The emperor looks like a handsome yet terrifying beast, with eyes that gleam red-orange like the setting sun, capable of ripping someone apart without hesitation. The imperial knight could almost imagine the legendary monster general who finished the battle of Qrimegh in a mere three days. The emperor's reputation was further cemented by the bloody descriptions provided by the few soldiers who survived. Thousands of lives were sacrificed during what was said to be the most brutal war in history.

"I see, those scums are eager to be butchered in the square for all the denizens of Elysium to witness while they can hardly do the bare minimum of serving their Lord. What about her? Have they found the bride candidate?"

The knight's hand tightens on the rein as he is about to deliver terrible news to the emperor. He cleared his throat as he forced out the words he'd been practicing saying in his head since earlier. However, despite running numerous simulations, he didn't improve. Likely, no one could ever converse with the emperor without feeling frightened.

"Umm, I apologize, Your Majesty, but the girl..." The knight stopped short when a deathly glare was thrown in his direction. Despite the dark, he could see the emperor's gleaming beastly eyes. A humongous lump formed in his throat. "I mean, they haven't found the bride candidate yet."

The tension in the air changes in a frighteningly suffocating fashion, and he can barely hold and keep himself from running in the opposite direction. He is scared to be in the emperor's presence more than those mindless rotters infesting the forest.

"Those incompetent fools!" the emperor exclaims, his voice piercing through the darkness with a thunderous roar. "All of them are incompetent fools!"

The emperor kicks his steed, causing the favored black beast to lurch forward like a speeding arrow, leaving the knight behind in a state of exhaustion. If only the emperor could temper his passionate fixation on collecting women, it could improve his reputation even a little. With the shortage of eligible young women to marry because of the Black Wave that has almost disseminated the female population, the nobles don't favor the idea that the emperor fills up his harem with various women regardless of status but couldn't even bore a single heir. Everyone knew that as long as he couldn't find his fated partner, as declared in the prophecy, the imperial family was doomed to end their reign. Despite the dissent, no one could ever voice their opinions for fear of being hanged or decapitated. The nobles have witnessed firsthand what happens when they try to covet what the emperor owns. This is also the reason they have been doing the hunt in this secluded forest infested with rotters despite the imperial decree to halt the practice of this tradition.

"Everything will end as long as we find the girl of prophecy. We just have to find her," the knight murmurs, almost praying.

They hold great expectations for the mysterious girl who surfaced in the mountains a few weeks ago. The girl in question is said to match the temple's description. She is said to possess rare black hair and mauve-colored eyes. However, before the palace can even dispatch knights to verify the claims, the girl has disappeared from the temple while recuperating from a fall. The girl's whereabouts were a mystery until a witness reported her being forced into a carriage and taken to Count Bellaviti's manor. And the emperor traveled to the other side of the empire for this reason. He just hopes that this impromptu journey will bear fruit. 

The imperial knight grudgingly speeds up his mount and follows the emperor to the unknown dangers before them.

It hadn't been long since the emperor dropped all the formalities and made an unannounced visit by storming through the Lourbel Forest like a madman when a few moments later he found his lord sitting like a statue atop his horse with his back ramrod straight as if petrified but having that almost awestruck look on his face as he looks towards a specific direction. The knight immediately followed his lord's gaze, and what he witnessed was enough to make his adrenaline surge and rush to his side at lightning speed. It was a group of rotters scrambling inside the forest.

"Your Majesty, we need to get out of here! The Rotters are gathering at an alarming rate. A horde will eventually take control of this place.

It was as if he had heard nothing. The emperor remains unresponsive and still glued to the direction of the growing rotters heading toward the east. The knight exhaled in frustration and cautiously surveyed his surroundings. Thankfully, they haven't been noticed yet, and the horde is coming only in one direction and heading toward one of the largest trees in the area.

Heading in one direction?

The knight halted and squinted his eyes to see more clearly. The sight of a lady standing in front of the tree astounded him. Beneath the tree, a man sat on the ground, probably unconscious, while a swarm of rotters slowly descended upon them. He nearly uttered a string of curses, but he restrained himself. His horse instinctively moved towards the emperor, obstructing his view. He had no time to think about whether he would get angry, but the most pressing matter was to escort him out of this forest. His punishment can wait until a later time.

"Your Majesty, I apologize in advance, but even if I have to drag you out by force—" The knight's words died down, and all the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he witnessed the crazed look in the emperor's eyes as his gaze remained fixated on the struggling lady like a predator to its prey.

"Finally, after years of agony. I found you," the Emperor murmurs in a desperate voice.

The knight's head snapped back towards the woman as he grasped the gravity of the situation.

Have we finally found the woman from the prophecy we've been searching for?