First Arc (King of Euphorion) – 6. Confusion

Angel swung his sword to kill the last Blood-Eyed Rabbit before him. While Mayor Bernard stood behind him, his hands hugged Cley and Claire who stared at Angel admiringly.

He sheathed his sword and turned his gaze to them.
"It's safe now."

Cley and Claire ran to him as their eyes stuck to the monster's corpses that scattered around them.
"Sir, you should teach me how to fight like that," said Cley in excitement.

"Sir, you are really good at defeating those monsters," said Claire, clinging to his hand.

He looked at them with a puzzled expression.
"Blood-Eyed Rabbit is a common monster. They are almost everywhere. An adult should be able to defeat them easily as long they keep their distance from its mouth," he explained.

Mayor Bernard walked to him and smiled.
"This is their first time going outside the city after eight years. I hope you can forgive their manners."

"Oh... I didn't know it's their first time." He looked at Cley and Claire who still stared at the monster corpses.
'They should be around ten years old. It's the same as they never left the city before.'

"We must keep moving, the garden should be not far from here," said Mayor Bernard.

After a short walk, they arrived at a garden with a Monster Barrier formation in the middle of it. This barrier protected the garden from monsters around it. They walked into the garden, beautiful flowers, shady trees with fruits neatly arranged formed a beautiful formation. Some small water fountains were in the corner of the garden with some bench on each side.
'It's clear, the late king built this place not only for the prince's memorial... but also as a place for travellers to rest.'

He turned his gaze to Cley and Claire who looked excited running around in the garden as soon they arrived. While Mayor Bernard looked hassled taking after them. He smiled as his mind began to drift away to his past when he played around with Ilex and Ophelia at Golden Light Castle's garden.
'If that incident never happened... If father was still alive... I wonder if we will fall apart like this...'

A breath out of his mouth as he threw away his thoughts and looked around him. A man statue holding a small child's hand caught his attention. He walked closer to observe the statue in detail. His eyes were fixed on the statue in front of him. The statue wore the Prince of Euphorion's uniform, had a warm face with a smile on his lips. His hair neatly combed backwards just like Ilex and it had the same sharp eyes as him. He wiped the writing that covered in the dirt under the statue.

'To our beloved son, brother, friend, prince.
Prince Lucian Crimson Moonfall.'

He turned his gaze back to the statue.
'Sir Chay is right... Except for our eyes, we are completely different.' Then he shifted his gaze to the boy statue that was holding the prince's hand. Instantly, his eyes went wide open, his heart pounding fast. He observed the boy statue in detail, but the more he looked at it the more convinced he was. The boy statue was him when he was seven years old.
'But why...'

Angel swept his gaze around the garden, searching for Mayor Bernard and found him chasing the kids to the corner of the garden.
"Mayor Bernard, who is this boy's statue?"

Mayor Bernard stopped his steps and turned his gaze to him
"I don't know either... But the late king said he appeared in his vision at Prince Lucian's funeral ceremony," he said in panting breath.

"Vision?" he said with a puzzled expression.

"Yes, the late king of Euphorion, King Eiron Magus Moonfall is well known as an elemental spirit master but his actual power is foreseeing the future. He is a prophet. That's why when the prince died, he blamed himself," said Mayor Bernard, but then his attention returned to Cley and Claire who was trying to climb a tree.
"Cley! Claire! Get down from there!" he shouted, his feet moved towards them.

"Prophet..." he muttered. Then he returned his gaze to the statue.
'Did the late king know I will come?'

Note:

Blood-Eyed Rabbit is a common monster on Andromeda Continent that deceives people with its shape that looks like a rabbit. Its teeth and claws are really sharp. Its blood-red eyes could see in the dark and its saliva contained deadly germs that could paralyze its victims.