The regression of the damned

Chapter: 2

The next night, Arthur sneaked out of the royal palace wearing a simple black cloak. He didn't take any guards. The people inside the castle still thought he was a useless, depressed prince, which was exactly what he wanted them to believe.

Using his future memories, Arthur navigated the dark, twisting alleys of the capital's lower district.

"If my memory serves me right," Arthur muttered to himself, blending into the shadows, "tonight is the night the Whispering Blade cult ambushes the carriage of the Elven diplomatic mission."

The Elven kingdom was a powerful potential ally, but in his past life, their ambassador's daughter was assassinated in the capital. That single event caused the Elves to cut all ties with Solaria, leaving Arthur's kingdom isolated when the Obsidian Empire invaded.

Arthur reached a secluded, narrow stone street surrounded by tall, abandoned warehouses. He climbed up a wooden ladder to a rooftop and waited.

Ten minutes later, the quiet night was broken by the sound of heavy wooden wheels and galloping horses. A silver carriage emblazoned with the crest of the moon rolled into the alley.

Suddenly, five figures dressed in dark purple robes dropped from the rooftops, swords drawn. They threw small iron balls onto the ground, releasing a thick, purple magical fog that instantly put the carriage horses to sleep. The horses collapsed, crashing the carriage into a stone wall.

"Kill everyone inside!" the cult leader shouted, his blade glowing with a foul green poison. "Leave no survivors! Make the Elves hate this kingdom forever!"

The carriage door burst open. A young woman stepped out, holding a long, elegant silver rapier. She had long, white hair, piercing blue eyes, and pointed elven ears. It was Lady Natalia, the legendary Elven Sword Saint.

Even though she was incredibly skilled, she was currently coughing heavily. The purple fog wasn't just sleep gas; it was a specialized mana-blocking poison designed specifically to weaken elves.

"Foul humans," Natalia hissed, her legs trembling as she tried to raise her sword. "You think you can trap me so easily?"

"You cannot use your mana, Sword Saint!" the cult leader laughed, stepping forward. "Without your magic, you are just a fragile girl!"

Arthur watched from the roof, his eyes scanning the scene. He brought up his system.

[Fate Thread Detected: The Death of the Elven Sword Saint.]

[Cost to Sever Thread: 10% Life Force.]

[Do you wish to cut the thread?]

"Cut it," Arthur commanded in his mind.

A sharp, painful jolt shot through Arthur's heart. He gasped, feeling a brief wave of exhaustion wash over his body as 10% of his life force vanished. But at the same time, the dark power inside his veins exploded with energy.

Arthur didn't hesitate. He activated his new skill.

*Shadow-Step!*

Arthur instantly vanished from the rooftop, turning into a literal blur of darkness. He reappeared right behind the two cultists who were rushing toward Natalia.

*s***h! s***h!*

Arthur used a hidden dagger to slit their throats before they could even turn around. They collapsed into the mud without making a sound.

The cult leader spun around, his eyes widening in absolute horror as he saw a cloaked figure standing over his dead men. "Who are you? A royal guard?"

"Just a passing noble," Arthur said, his voice perfectly calm and steady.

"Kill him!" the leader screamed.

The remaining two cult members charged at Arthur. Arthur didn't panic. He stepped to the left, dodging a clumsy sword thrust, grabbed the cultist's wrist, and twisted it until the bone snapped. He grabbed the falling sword and threw it straight through the chest of the second attacker.

The cult leader realized he was completely outmatched. He stepped back, his eyes darting around the alley. "This wasn't part of the plan! The Obsidian Empire will destroy you for this!"

"I know," Arthur replied coldly.

Before the leader could run, Arthur closed the distance in a flash and pressed his blade against the man's throat.

"Who gave you the poison gas?" Arthur asked quietly.

"I won't talk!" the leader snarled.

Arthur pushed the blade slightly deeper, drawing a thin line of blood. "Let me guess. General Henry?"

The leader's eyes filled with pure terror. His silence was all the confirmation Arthur needed. Arthur cleanly sliced the leader's throat, letting the body thump against the cobblestones.

Arthur wiped his bloody blade on a piece of cloth and turned around to look at the Elven Sword Saint. Natalia was leaning against the ruined carriage, her sharp blue eyes staring at him with deep suspicion and caution.

"Why did a human prince save me?" she demanded, recognizing the royal sigil engraved on his inner cloak belt.

Arthur took off his hood, letting the moonlight illuminate his face. He offered her a polite, graceful bow.

"Because, Lady Natalia," Arthur said with a faint smile, "I am going to need your sword to kill a general.”

Natalia stared at Arthur, her hand still gripping the silver rapier tightly. The purple fog was starting to clear, but her breathing was still shallow.

"You want to kill General Henry?" Natalia asked, her voice sharp. "He is the hero of your kingdom. Why would a powerless prince want him dead?"

Arthur walked over to the dead cult leader and picked up a dropped sword. He inspected the steel calmly. "Because Henry is a traitor. He serves the Obsidian Empire. If he stays alive, this entire kingdom falls in three years."

Natalia took a deep breath, trying to force the remaining poison out of her system. "And you expect me to believe you? You are just a prince who cannot even use a single drop of magic."

"I just killed five high-level cultists in ten seconds," Arthur said, turning his head to look at her. His eyes were completely dark and steady. "Do I look like a regular powerless prince to you?"

Natalia went silent. She looked at the bodies on the ground. The cuts on their throats were perfectly clean, done with absolute precision. No normal human could move that fast without magic. Yet, she felt zero Aether energy coming from him. It was terrifying.

"What kind of power is that?" she whispered.

"The kind that gets things done," Arthur replied, sheathing his dagger. "The Whispering Blade cult will realize their men are dead by tomorrow morning. If you stay here, they will send more. My palace is not safe either, but I can hide you in the old northern ruins."

Natalia looked at her ruined carriage and the dead horses. She had no choice. Her guards were dead, and she was too weak to travel back to the Elven embassy alone.

"Fine," Natalia said, lowering her sword. "But if you trick me, I will pierce your heart before the poison takes me."

Arthur smiled gently. "Fair enough."

As they walked into the deeper shadows of the alley, a blue screen flashed in Arthur’s mind.

[Fate Deviation Successful!]

[Lady Natalia has survived the ambush.]

[Relationship Status: Strategic Allies (Level 1).]

[Reward Granted: 200 Shop Points.]

[Current Shop Points: 300.]

Arthur kept his expression calm, but inside, he was calculating his next moves. He needed to open the system shop soon to see what kind of weapons or skills he could buy. To defeat Henry, he needed to be much stronger.

They reached the hidden northern ruins behind the palace gardens. It was an abandoned stone tower covered in vines. Nobody ever came here because it was rumored to be cursed.

Arthur pushed open a heavy wooden door, leading Natalia into a small, dusty room with a stone bed.

"Rest here," Arthur said. "The poison will fade from your body by tomorrow afternoon. I will bring you food and medicine."

Natalia sat on the edge of the bed, her white hair falling over her shoulders. She looked up at him. "Why are you doing all this, Arthur? What is your true goal?"

Arthur walked toward the door, pausing just before stepping out into the moonlight.

"I am going to destroy every single person who tries t

o burn my home," Arthur said softly. "Sleep well, Lady Natalia."