Public execution. It was a normal, almost festive activity, especially if you were one who had been living in the royal capital for a long time.

During an upcoming public execution, the city folks were informed by royal decree and told to gather around the town's square, the proclamation also issuing the exact reason for the grisly event.

Most times, people would show up for two reasons: to see the individuals they hated finally die for their bad deeds, and, more importantly, to catch a rare glimpse of the King, whom they barely ever saw.

And as expected, a massive crowd had gathered. The town's square was packed shoulder-to-shoulder, buzzing with morbid anticipation. Multiple Lumberg knights were scattered all around, their silver armor glinting in the sun, present to avoid any chaos breaking out mid-event.

At the center platform, where the guillotine machine was placed, knelt two individuals. One was the Baron of Forgriam, and the other was the illusion mage, Tai Hun.

Their legs and arms were chained heavily to the platform, meaning they couldn't run even if they wanted to.

If by some chance they managed to escape, archers had been placed on building tops to act as snipers, and knights stood close to the platform to protect Her Majesty the King.

Even before the execution began, people had already begun chanting angrily, tossing different kinds of rotten trash at the offenders while raining insults at them.

After all, along with the announcement of the execution, the full doings of the criminals were exposed as well.

According to what they heard, these two were the ones who acted as the masterminds behind the slave-trading business that happened in Forgriam.

To society, they needed to be killed for their evil, along with the other nobles still hiding.

The King herself, Revina, was seated on a raised, velvet chair, her legs crossed and jaw resting on her fist as she waited for the execution to begin so she could leave.

Seated right beside her, in a chair of nearly equal honor, was Dorian.

His companions stood behind him; they, too, were curious to see how the execution would go.

'Damn, she wasn't kidding when she said this was going to be a public execution. There are so many people here it's actually surprising.'

Dorian sighed.

Maria and Revina glanced at him almost instantly, making sure that sigh was from a place of stress and not something more.

In simple words, they were worried. But just as quickly as they looked at him, they caught each other staring, only to glare and then look away.

Seraphina, in the middle, was just trying to understand how the execution would take place since she had never been to one.

A man wearing a white robe suddenly walked onto the platform, carrying a golden staff in one hand.

He was the High Priest of the Lumberg kingdom, one of the most influential and powerful people this kingdom had in its hands.

But despite his power, his respect for the King had always been pure and genuine, which was why he took the role of overlooking the executions, just so she wouldn't have to.

"Good day, good citizens of Lumberg! It brings me great joy that you have chosen to join me today on this auspicious day. The King sends her regards and thanks."

The crowd fell silent just at the drop of the priest's voice.

"We gather today," he continued, his voice resonating across the square, "to witness justice being served. The crimes committed by these individuals," he gestured towards the chained figures, "are an affront to our laws and to the very essence of human dignity. They stand accused of the heinous act of slave trading, a darkness that sought to engulf our beloved Forgriam."

A murmur of agreement rippled through the crowd, quickly followed by renewed shouts of anger directed at the baron and the illusion mage.

The priest raised his golden staff, and the noise subsided once more.

"The King, in her wisdom and unwavering commitment to her people, has decreed that such evil shall not be tolerated within her lands. Let this execution be a stark reminder that those who prey on the innocent and exploit the vulnerable will face the full weight of Lumberg's justice."

He paused, letting his words sink in. Dorian shifted in his seat, observing the condemned. The baron, pale and sweating, kept his eyes downcast, while Tai Hun, though equally subdued, maintained a stoic, almost defiant expression. Seraphina watched intently, her brow furrowed with a mix of apprehension and curiosity.

The priest then turned to the two prisoners. "Do either of you have any final words?"

"P-please, I beg of you! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!" the baron pleaded desperately. "I have atoned for my sins! I will do everything I can to atone; please don't kill me! Dorian! Dorian!"

'What the fuck, man?!'

Dorian slouched in his chair, watching as people's eyes soon turned to him, since the baron had chosen to look directly at him as well while screaming his name.

In that moment, Revina couldn't help but giggle, even if it was only slightly.

Right after that, all she did was raise her hand in the air.

Immediately, a soldier walked forward, grabbed the baron, and placed his head on the execution block. Tears riddled the eyes of the baron, his face red from fear.

"I beg of you! I don't want to die! I have a fami—"

Revina dropped her hand.

And right after, the blade came falling down, chopping off the man's head in a single, heavy motion. His head went rolling onto the ground, blood splattering right after.

The crowd roared, a mix of satisfaction and horror echoing through the square. Dorian winced, a faint metallic taste in his mouth.

Seraphina gasped, her hands flying to her mouth, her eyes wide. Even Maria looked away, a grim expression on her face.

The priest then turned to Tai Hun. "And you, illusion mage? Casting aside your code as a mage to indulge in something like this? Do you have any final words?"

Tai Hun slowly lifted her head, her gaze sweeping over the crowd, finally resting on Dorian. A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched her lips.

"The wheel of fate turns," she said, her voice calm and clear, cutting through the lingering noise of the crowd. "And every action has its consequence. Today, it is my turn. Tomorrow, it might be yours, King Revina."

Revina's jaw tightened, but she remained motionless.

Dorian felt a shiver run down his spine at the mage's words.

There was a quiet intensity in Tai Hun's eyes, a knowing that unnerved him.

Not long after, a chilling smile graced Tai Hun's face, not the smile you would see on a person soon to be beheaded. Nevertheless, she still smiled, trying to reach out to Dorian with her already chained hands.

In order to get to him, she accidentally tripped, landing her jaw on the ground with a violent thud.

Still, she didn't seem phased by it; instead, she continued to crawl, trying to get to him.

Despite the fact that it was still somewhat of a far distance, the three girls around Dorian stood up, forming a protective barrier in front of him, including the King herself.

The soldiers next to Tai Hun at the time pinned her to the ground before she could get too far and drop from the platform.

Then came her chilling laugh while being dragged back to her execution.

"Hahahah! Let me touch you, Lord of Vanity! Let me feel your touch before I am offered up as a sacrifice to the Evernight Witch!"

Her laugh echoed through the crowd, causing them to stare in silence as her head was placed on the platter.

"Oh, Lord of Vanity, I wish only to kiss upon your feet! I was promised to be by your side! I did as I was told! Please grant me this wish! Ahaahh! This is driving me crazy!"

Soon her laugh turned into hard tears, though the evil glint in her eyes still remained as a soldier held her down while the other placed the blade at the back of her neck.

'Something isn't right here.' Dorian began glancing around desperately, soon biting his finger as an uncertain anxiety began to settle upon him. Even a five-year-old could tell Tai Hun was referring to him when she spoke of the "Lord of Vanity."

Who was that? Who was this Lord of Vanity? And an even bigger question: why was he hearing about this "Evernight Witch" again?

Maria looked upset and scared, but it wasn't just her; every woman around him had the same look as well, forming an even tighter wall around him. In fact, Maria was already reaching for her blade, her hand shaking quite steadily.

Then the blade fell.

Tai Hun's scream was abruptly cut short as her head was severed, her eyes still wide and fixed on Dorian, even as her body slumped.

The crowd gasped, then a new kind of silence, heavy and unnatural, descended upon the square.

But the execution was not over. Just as the executioner moved to kick the head off the block, a dark, swirling portal, no larger than a child's hand, materialized beneath Tai Hun's decapitated body.

It pulsed with an eerie, purple light, and with a sickening gurgle, the portal began to swallow the headless corpse, pulling it downwards into its depths.

The soldiers stared, aghast, unable to react as the body vanished, leaving only a widening pool of blood on the platform.

Before anyone could truly process what had just occurred, a second portal, smaller and far more sinister, began to slowly rise from the ground directly beneath the execution block, emitting a faint, chilling whisper that seemed to echo one single, terrifying name:

"Yahoshi."

...

[A/N]

I noticed i have not given anyone-on-one moments all that much with the MC and his women. Well, it will change soon, my condolences for those who love Seraphina; it might be a hard arc.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

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