In the Northern Lands, where the wind howls like a bereaved widow and the snow falls with the weight of ancient judgment, the Valerius Estate stood as a monument to fading glory. Within its thick stone walls, Kael sat at his desk. To any outside observer, he was a tragic figure, a prince whose soul had been declared a leaky bucket by the divine Envoy.
He was the Hollow Prince, a boy who had looked upon the sun and forgotten how to blink.
[ (´･ᴗ･ ` ) Heeeeey. Is this a private party, or can anyone join the 'Life is Pain' club? ]
Inside Kael’s mind, however, the atmosphere was less of a tragic ruin and more an overcrowded elevator.
[ (°ロ°) Kael-kun, look at how still you are! ]
Gemma purred, her voice a decadent sprawl of honey and razor wire. She had wrapped most of his consciousness in a veil of Benzodiazepines, leaving Kael with a mere sliver of his own brain to handle things like breathing and not drooling.
[ You are like a beautiful, silent doll. No thoughts. No worries. Just me holding you in the dark where the sharp edges of the world can’t find you. (づ￣ ³￣)づ ]
The internal collision was deafening. To the world, he was in a profound state of hollow vacancy. In reality, he was an exhausted worker trying to manage a yandere shadow-serpent who treated his psyche like her personal walk-in closet.
The door creaked open. Duke Valerius entered, his footsteps heavy with the burden of a father whose son had failed the ultimate cosmic vibe check. He looked at Kael, who was currently staring at a singular dust mote with the intensity of a man observing the birth of a galaxy.
"Kael," the Duke whispered, his voice trembling with a mixture of grief and pity.
"Even now, you are contemplating magic. Such dedication to the emptiness... it breaks my heart."
I’m literally just watching a piece of skin-flake float, Dad, Kael screamed internally. But because Gemma was holding his jaw to protect him from the "stress" of conversation, his outward reaction was merely a slow, agonizingly deliberate blink.
"The Envoy sends word," the Duke continued, regaining his composure. "The Center is sending a Caretaker to oversee your condition."
An unprecedented mercy of the Empire.
Gemma’s presence suddenly spiked, her safety turning into a cold, possessive jealousy.
[ A spy (≖_≖) ]
She hissed.
[ They want to peek inside my precious thing. They want to see what is hidden in our little brain. Shall I turn their eyes into marbles, Kael-kun? Shall I show them the true meaning of 'Hollow? (ง’̀-‘́)ง ]
Please don’t start a diplomatic incident, Kael pleaded, his internal monologue sweating.
If you kill the inspector, they’ll send an army, and then there will be paperwork. So much paperwork.
"I'll... handle... it," Kael managed to grate out.
"We will prepare the guest chambers," the Duke said. The Duke exited, slamming the door.
Kael was left alone with his clean desk, the rusted ghost, and a yandere goddess who was currently practicing how to make the Caretaker disappear in a way that looked like she chose unemployment.
Kael sighed as he created a mental checklist using the remaining clarity he had, which had been flickering like a dying bulb in a windstorm.
SANITY SELF-CHECK:
I am Kael Valeriaa
I am 15 years old
I have been branded a failure by a man who glows in the dark.
My spiritual roommate is a possessive psycho who eats miracles
And I am about to be audited by a God.
I'm so fucked.