"Might I know, dear brother, the reason for your visit?" Solaris said, his tone an annoying whisper, sitting calmly on his chair of golden and white cold, his sun-like eyes staring down at the man seated before him.

The room was searing hot.

The man before him bore all the characteristics of an Asterion with golden hair that seemed to redefine the very concept of gold, and golden eyes glowing like miniature suns.

The air itself seemed to sweat.

Where Solaris wore a loose golden-white robe befitting a prince who had never held a sword, the man in front of him was clad in deep black onyx armor, a long black coat flowing behind him like a sea of shadows. The contrast between that abyssal black and his radiant gold was mesmerizing.

Behind him, just within arm's reach, stood an enormous black spear whose tip brushed the ceiling, black fire licking sporadically along its edge, exuding a pressure strong enough to make the space itself quiver.

His eyes were stern, his face sculpted like one carved from gold.

He was Soleil Asterion, the First Prince.

And despite Solaris's question, he didn't deign to answer immediately. He simply fixed his dry, piercing gaze on his brother for several moments before parting his lips.

"Please, little brother," he said with quiet mockery, "are you truly such a fool as to use your mind tricks on me?" His smile thinned into something brittle. "Or have you done it for so long that warping minds has become second nature to you?"

Solaris's smile didn't waver. He merely shrugged, careless. "Or maybe," he said lightly, "I just fancy the idea of using what's mine."

Then, with a sudden change in tone, "Your reason for visiting?" he demanded, his smile still intact despite the clear irritation bleeding through his words.

Soleil knew it well. But couldn't care less.

"You see, little brother, I've been watching you," Soleil said, his gloved finger tapping softly against the golden table in a harrowing rhythm, each tap raising the room's temperature by a degree. "And for someone who aims for the throne, you're doing nothing but sitting inside your study and ordering around those whose minds you've tampered with."

Solaris didn't answer.

"Tell me," Soleil continued, his eyes beginning to rotate like spinning suns, "are you really that confident in the Starborn's power?"

Solaris finally smiled. "Are you trying to fool me, or yourself, brother?" he asked with a laugh. "You know it as well as I do. After all, if it weren't for that dreadful knowledge gnawing at your peace, you wouldn't be here wasting your time with me."

He leaned slightly forward, voice turning almost gentle. "Am I wrong? You know very well that the Starborn's path is one that never fails." His smile sharpened. "That's why you want to kill her so badly, isn't it? You're afraid, brother. Afraid of the end of the path I'm walking. Admit it."

Soleil's eyes showed nothing but blankness, then a dry, humorless chuckle escaped his lips. "So you plan to stay here, coddled like a child, while someone else bleeds to make you emperor?"

"Careful, brother, I can smell jealousy," Solaris mocked, his grin widening.

"Jealous?" Soleil echoed, shaking his head slightly. "A fool's feeling." A flick of his fingers ignited tongues of flame that danced idly around his hand. "I only pity Aurora, because I know you see her as nothing but a tool to use." His voice grew heavier. "You know well the cost of seeing one path clearly, especially the path of an emperor."

A soft, invisible sigh escaped his lips.

"You know only death awaits her at the end, Solaris, and yet you not only watch her, but you encourage her to give her life for you." Soleil's voice was cold, but there was a sliver of pain woven through it. "You do not love her, Solaris. You love her power. You love what she represents to you."

He paused, then slowly, "Your path."

Another pause, gathering himself,

"But there is something that might elude your spoiled mind, brother," Soleil whispered, "no random man is worthy of the sacrifice of a star."

His gaze hardened.

"Are you worthy?"

Solaris fell silent, his golden eyes locking into his brother's matching gold. Slowly he parted his lips, his voice no longer a soft whisper but a chilling sound, heavy with death and pride,

"If I, Solaris Golden Asterion, am not worthy," he growled, "then no one is."

"And please," he added, smiling with venom, "spare me this unsightly performance. Stop acting as if you are some sort of gorydamn hero, brother. Do not think I am unaware." His smile sharpened into something cruel. "You love Aurora."

He spat the words directly at Soleil, and the latter's expression tightened.

Solaris laughed.

"You love her, but she does not love you. She sees only me, the one who helped her when she was nothing." He leaned forward,

"Perhaps that is why you wish to kill her, finally? Not for the throne. But out of jealousy. Because of the feeling gnawing at your chest every time you see her smile and kneel before me, while you stand aside and watch, as you always have."

Solaris's face hovered an inch from his brother's,

"Because once again, brother, I have shown you that I am better than you." His voice dropped into a growl. "Do you hear me?"

Soleil watched him, eyes half-lidded, before briefly closing them, controlling his emotions, then shaking his head with quiet, pitying disdain.

"Perhaps you do not remember, since Father never tolerated your presence, but he once said something worth remembering…" Soleil murmured, before quoting,

"The beliefs of an ignorant are ever so entertaining."

He slowly rose from the chair, making it creak beneath him, then said, "In all the nonsense you just allowed yourself to say, only one thing was true: I do love Aurora." He turned, spun his body, and began to walk away. "But if you imagine yourself better than me, perhaps you should ask whether your power has already begun to twist your mind."

"Might the Celeste forsake me, if I am to believe that a man who uses his talent to force a broken girl to love him is somehow better than me."

Solaris's body trembled.

"Still, brother, I must congratulate you, your work with her has made it impossible for her to see reason. So…"

He paused at the door, the black spear already in his hand.

"I will kill Aurora," he grunted. "Not because I hate her. Not because I do not wish you the throne. But because she does not deserve to die for a man who treated her as a tool. I will give her the salvation she merits."

He exited the room, yet his words echoed like a divine decree.

"And if this decision displeases you, then come. Come fight me."

His voice faded, and with it the study erupted into a blazing golden inferno that devoured everything in its path.

The room itself seemed to weep in agony.

Solaris stood silent amidst the licking flames, his body a living torch, the fire hungrily tracing his contours yet never even touching the fabric of his clothes.

He drew forth his runic communications device and ignited it with mana, and soon a voice answered.

"Yes, my prince," Lady Sora replied respectfully.

"Bring me Aurora," Solaris ordered, his tone edged with restlessness. "How far is the destination?"

…

Kaden and Aurora were back in House Starborn, but completely different from how they were when they left it earlier that morning.

Their relationship had grown closer, each of them now more conscious, more aware of the other.

They found it strange… yet pleasing.

Kaden had relented to Aurora's decision, agreeing not to attack that strange dark space filled with doundous immediately. Not because he believed she was right, but because everything had changed.

Kaden's Evolution Quest had been altered by his Will.

He was still in disbelief, his mind struggling to catch up with what had happened. He had never heard of anyone's quest being altered in the middle of its completion.

But somehow, he had managed. Because of his Will.

Once again, he realized what kind of monster his master truly was.

His Will had reacted violently, fueled by emotion, to save Aurora from dying.

But that was the problem, Aurora's death was fated. It was something destined to happen, whether by Solaris's greed or by Soleil's false salvation.

She couldn't escape it.

But Kaden, not knowing the full truth, still wanted to make her escape.

And so The Will itself had acknowledged his Will, changing the quest to align with his defiance.

{Kaden Warborn, you are attempting to go against fate, to save the one destined to join the stars.}

{You are not worthy yet, but your Will has been heard.}

{Your Evolution Quest has been changed.}

{Your wish is to save Aurora, the Lady of Stars. For that, Heir of Death, your task is all but simple.}

It paused, then continued…

{Kill the ones responsible for her death.}

{Kill the two brothers: Solaris and Soleil Asterion.}

To say Kaden was shocked by this new quest would be a bloody understatement.

Not only because The Will had ordered him to kill the very man Aurora loved and wished to make Emperor, but because he knew, killing the two princes would turn the entire Empire against him.

Was he really supposed to go against an entire bloody Empire as a Master-ranked being?

Kaden couldn't help but shudder in dread.

But it was far too late, because not even a minute after setting foot on the grounds of House Starborn…

"The Golden Son wishes to see you, my Lady," said Lady Sora, standing at the door with her usual respectful tone.

In that instant, both Kaden and Aurora froze, their hearts pounding with trepidation.

'Bloody hell…'

—End of Chapter 315—

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