Little Pink Starfish

Pei Sen had no idea how cowardly and useless Peks had been—getting caught by Sadin so easily.

The journey had left him completely exhausted. Peks could nap nestled in his arms, but Pei Sen had barely had a moment to rest. So after sending Peks off to Burke Angre’s estate, he collapsed onto the bed and immediately fell asleep.

Not long after, he was jolted awake by a nightmare—in it, the young master had lost his sight. The despair felt all too real, tightening Pei Sen’s chest.

“It’s nothing… just a dream.” He clutched at his chest, brows furrowed, and walked to the window to gaze down at the quiet night streets of the Esmia capital.

When Sadin arrived with the cat, he saw a handsome young man standing motionless by the window, his hair slightly tousled, brow furrowed in worry. Even in such a disheveled state, some people were just inherently good-looking. Sadin couldn’t help but think—no wonder the young master liked him. Most feelings began with visual attraction, and Pei Sen clearly had the advantage.

But Pei Sen wasn’t just good-looking—he had remained wholeheartedly devoted to the young master. What his people had done for Eagle far surpassed what those of them closer to the young master had done.

When Pei Sen turned and saw Sadin, he wasn’t startled—just gave Peks a scornful look.

Peks shrank guiltily, letting out two ingratiating meows.

No help for it—he really was terrified of Sadin.

Pei Sen had expected to be found by Sadin the moment he entered the capital. Others might not know him, but Sadin did—and he was a sword saint. If Sadin discovered him, Pei Sen knew he wouldn’t be able to escape.

“Sadin, are you here to kill me?” Pei Sen asked. “If you are, that’s fine. Just tell me what’s happened to the young master.” He paused. “I only want to know if he’s alright. If he is, I don’t care if you kill me afterward.”

He wasn’t afraid of death. Losing half a level meant nothing.

Sadin was silent for a moment, then said, “The young master is currently safe.”

“Then why did he cut off contact with me? Did your Duke confiscate the mirror?”

Sadin shook his head. “No. The young master entered a special space-time ruin. He likely has no way to communicate with the outside.”

Pei Sen was surprised. A space-time ruin?

He knew this world wasn’t very scientific—there were all sorts of unexplainable magical items and phenomena—but he had never encountered a space-time ruin before. He vaguely remembered it being mentioned when he played his main character, but he’d never seen one.

“Is the young master in danger?”

Sadin was silent for a long time. Pei Sen’s heart tightened. He said gravely, “What do they want from him? What are they doing? It’s Leiser, isn’t it?”

“Did the young master tell you that?”

Pei Sen gave a cold laugh. “Then I must’ve guessed right.”

A heavy sorrow filled his heart. Was the young master really raised just to be a ‘tool’ to heal Leiser?

He was only twenty… could they not even wait until he turned twenty?

“He’s been inside for twenty days,” Sadin said softly. Perhaps tonight—at the latest, tomorrow morning—they would bring him out.

That should have been good news, yet Pei Sen’s heart began pounding harder. Something didn’t feel right.

“I can take you to the palace to see him.”

Pei Sen didn’t hesitate. “Okay!”

No matter what happened afterward—death or otherwise—he just wanted to see Eagle in this moment. Even if Sadin was lying, he wanted to believe him.

In a daze, Pei Sen remembered the gentle kiss Eagle had left at the corner of his lips the day he left.

This child had never been cherished by anyone. That’s why he was so strong—and yet so fragile.

He had likely tried to resist. Maybe, in the original timeline, he had succeeded.

But the cost had been unbearably high.

No one truly cared for him.

Sadin sighed and glanced at the dark sky. “Let’s go.”

Pei Sen had nothing to prepare—everything was in his game inventory. He grabbed Peks and, ignoring the cat’s protests, shoved him into the pet pouch. That dumb cat had brought Sadin here—he needed to be punished for being so spineless.

Sadin didn’t react to Peks vanishing. He had already guessed what species the cat was. Shadow Cats could disappear at will. If Peks hadn’t been such a coward, even Sadin wouldn’t have been able to catch it so easily.

But Peks had proven himself to be more cowardly than expected.

Sadin led Pei Sen onward.

The royal palace was heavily guarded. Even a sword saint couldn’t barge in.

However, as a sword saint—and especially as the Duke’s subordinate—Sadin had privileges. The palace guards did not stop him.

“See? Being a sword saint has its perks. You were grumpy when the young master freed you.” Pei Sen snorted.

Sadin gave him a calm look. Pei Sen shut up immediately. This guy was really petty—couldn’t even joke a little.

As they walked deeper into the palace, Pei Sen felt more and more oppressed. It was too quiet—unnaturally so. Even with all the guards present, they moved in absolute silence. It felt surreal.

These must be some of the strongest guards in the realm. No wonder Sadin hadn’t tried to sneak in.

“Can you tell me more about that space-time ruin? Why does the royal palace of Esmia have one? What do they want the young master to do in there?”

These ruins were supposed to be rare. He hadn’t expected one to be inside the royal palace.

Sadin replied, “The royal palace didn’t originally have a space-time ruin. There are fewer than three known in all of Yali. The most famous one is in Bonfrese.”

Pei Sen shuddered slightly. “You mean the one connected to Princess Carolina?”

Eagle’s fifteen short years had been devoid of familial warmth. Compared to Duke Burke Angre, who had abandoned him to Lanno, at least Princess Carolina had tried to secure better treatment for him before marrying into Bonfrese.

Even though she’d gone far south to marry the Bonfrese king, she had no way to look after Eagle.

Even if Eagle never said it, Pei Sen suspected he still hoped for some maternal affection. Even if he doubted her involvement in the past, a part of him still wanted to believe she had once loved him.

People are like that—the less they have of something, the more they crave it.

Eagle was too smart. Even if he suspected the truth, he hoped he was wrong.

Sadin nodded. “His Majesty Leiser and Princess Carolina were very close siblings—same mother. If not for Leiser’s protection, she might not have grown up safely. Many assumed Leiser sent her away because he disapproved of her relationship with the Duke, but in fact, she volunteered to leave.”

Pei Sen said coldly, “All for that space-time ruin?”

“They didn’t plan to use it back then. It was a precaution,” Sadin said. “If His Majesty hadn’t been wounded in an assassination attempt, they wouldn’t have used it. Now, Carolina is accused of stealing Bonfrese’s royal ruin stone. She’ll be in deep trouble.”

Sadin felt conflicted.

Leiser was a complex man. Though Sadin was a powerful warrior, he still feared Leiser—but also respected him.

Duke Burke Angre was an exceptional, intelligent man, yet he lost everything to Leiser—even giving up his own family for him.

Princess Carolina, beautiful and clever, had sacrificed everything for her brother.

After marrying into Bonfrese, she’d had a son and daughter. The crown prince had even been named heir.

Yet she risked everything—her marriage, her children—to steal the ruin stone, sending it to Esmia using a magic stone she’d carried for years.

This was a grave crime. Not even the Bonfrese king could protect her. Severe punishment was inevitable.

All of this—for Leiser Esmia.

He was a man so complex, he defied description.

To many Esmian nobles, Leiser was a ruthless and cold king, yet undeniably brilliant. Under his rule, the kingdom was stronger and more stable than ever.

Almost no one knew he had been cursed by a unique magical affliction since the age of twenty. For over ten years, he had lived—and acted—like a normal man, as if the curse that had driven Queen Sophia mad and killed her had no effect on him.

Only a few, like Burke Angre and Carolina, knew the truth.

Leiser’s father, King Orlington, never intended to pass the throne to him, knowing about the curse. The queen had died from it in agony. Orlington didn’t believe Leiser could rule under such torment.

He distanced himself from his children, hoping it would spare him future pain.

So Leiser, as he wished, played the part of a cruel, arrogant, and reckless prince. When he met Burke Angre, he even declared he’d never marry—only ever be with the Duke.

Orlington believed him and gave up the idea of making him king.

But the truth was different. Leiser won in the end—he killed nearly all his siblings. Only Carolina survived.

Sadin sighed, remembering old times. He didn’t know how the princess was now, but Bonfrese would certainly try to recover the stone.

They continued onward. The palace was massive. It took fifteen minutes to reach a gray-and-white hall.

“Sadin, can you tell me what the ruin actually does?” Pei Sen couldn’t help asking. The closer they got, the more anxious he became, afraid it would be like the nightmare.

“The ruin stone can store many ruins. The Bonfrese stone contains the legacy of the continent’s most unique space-time mage,” Sadin said. “This ruin isn’t dangerous. The mage carved out a piece of space from another world and made a time distortion relic.”

Pei Sen blinked. He didn’t fully understand, but he knew this was far beyond ordinary magic. Space-time was far more complicated. In this world, only storage rings existed—no powerful space magic.

And how was space related to time?

“That ruin stone is called the ‘Nightmare That Stole the Years.’”

Pei Sen’s voice was hoarse. “What does that mean?”

“It means, you can set how long it stays open. No matter how long someone is inside—say, one year—only four days pass outside. One season equals one day. But this isn’t slowing time—it’s placing people in a different piece of space,” Sadin explained. “When they come back, they’ve actually lived all that time.”

Pei Sen realized—the space wasn’t altering time but isolating it. The time discrepancy was a side effect of spatial distortion.

“Think of it as a separate world,” Sadin continued. “In twenty days here, the young master has already lived five years. Some have spent months in there and returned as aged, broken people—losing the most precious years of their lives.”

This aging wasn’t just physical—it affected the mind and soul.

This wasn’t fast-forwarding time, where you feel nothing but time flies by. This was real time.

Pei Sen felt cold all over. “So… the young master is twenty years old now.”

Sadin paused. “Yes.”

They couldn’t wait. Leiser’s body couldn’t wait.

So they had Princess Carolina steal the ruin stone and lock Eagle inside.

Bonfrese rarely used the stone. It gave time, but at the cost of aging. It was only for emergencies.

So it had sat in the royal vault—until Carolina stole it.

“They left a fifteen-year-old alone in there for five years!” Pei Sen’s tone was calm, but his rage was clear. Even if only twenty days passed here, the young master really lived through five years—alone in a ruin.

Sadin said helplessly, “The Duke sent dozens of servants in with him—”

“Oh, how thoughtful of him!” Pei Sen snapped coldly.

“Sadin.”

A gentle voice spoke.

Pei Sen turned to see someone standing in the soft light of a mana crystal lamp—moonlight mingling at his feet, making him appear shrouded in dreamlike mist.

Golden hair, serene green eyes—so beautiful he could daze anyone.

Even without introduction, Pei Sen instantly recognized the man by the eyebrows and eyes so like Eagle’s.

Duke Burke Angre of Lanno—Eagle’s father.

“Who is he?” the Duke asked, eyes on Pei Sen.

Though he resembled Eagle, their auras were vastly different.

Burke Angre exuded nobility from every pore—aristocratic elegance down to his bones.

Sadin said, “This is the young master’s personal steward. He came to the capital after losing contact with him.”

The Duke was a bit surprised. “So you’re that foreigner?”

He knew of Pei Sen. Sadin always reported to him first.

Pei Sen clenched his fists. “Yes, I’m a foreigner—the only one who truly cares about Eagle Lanno!”

He was a player—never meant to belong in this world. Eagle, a noble native, should’ve had everything. Yet in the end, he needed Pei Sen’s pity.

Maybe Pei Sen was the only one who truly cared for him.

Burke Angre frowned slightly, then paused. “Since you’re here, come in.”

He didn’t turn him away.

Sadin had brought Pei Sen out of pity—but what about Burke Angre?

No one knew better than he what Eagle had endured. He also knew this foreigner came to the capital after contact was lost—risking everything.

He thought, Eagle would probably be glad to see this man.

Burke Angre’s face was calm—but the trembling fingers and deep fatigue in his eyes betrayed his inner turmoil.

“Who is this?” asked a white-haired priest in black robes, holding a book.

Atwell, behind him, whispered to the priest.

The old man scowled. “How can you let a creature of the abyss in at such a time?”

Burke Angre replied calmly, “He’s someone Eagle wants to see. I said he could come—so he stays.”

The Light Church wasn’t yet as powerful as it would be. The Duke’s words gave the priest no room to object.

Pei Sen was surprised the Light Church was even involved. And Atwell was here too? What was going on? Did the Church have something to do with all this?

Since Burke Angre had spoken, the priest didn’t press the matter, though he still cast Pei Sen dark, hostile glances.

Pei Sen ignored him. His eyes landed on a magnificent bed shrouded in fine silk, golden tassels dangling with pearls and gems.

No need to ask—this was where His Majesty Leiser lay.

He couldn’t see the man’s face.

Then he looked toward the gray ruin stone, suspended in mid-air, faintly glowing and covered in cracks. It looked ready to shatter any moment.

Was Eagle inside that tiny stone?

Burke Angre closed his eyes tiredly. “This ‘Seed of Light’ you mentioned… will it work?”

The priest nodded confidently. “Of course, Duke. But activating the Seed’s power, even after the curse transfers, may cause permanent damage. For example, His Majesty is now blind…”

Burke Angre interrupted calmly, “I know.”

Pei Sen’s heart clenched. Blind… he’s blind.

And this “Seed of Light”—what exactly was it?