“Good morning, your highness.”

Ryan’s eyes snapped open at the teasing voice. He reached out and pushed away a small hand coming to caress his face.

“Morning, maid.” He said nonchalantly.

“Having taken care of you since birth, Can't you at least call me by name?” The maid pouted and folded her arms.

“Mira, you're overstepping your status of a maid. Correct your behavior this instant.” Came a growling voice in the corner of the room.

The warm light of dawn streaked through the windows, painting the man’s muscular features. Despite being in his late forties, Ryan wouldn't be surprised if he can wrestle a bear and win.

“Are you going to execute me, mister guard? Then tell me, who will take care of his highness’s every need, you and your brute hands?” Her cold arctic eyes glared back.

Ignoring the two’s bicker, Ryan stood up, entered the closet and and locked the door.

“Wait.” Mira knocked, “As your loyal maid, I need to help you change. Let me in!”

The door opened and Ryan stepped out, wearing the United Empire’s prided red on black uniform. Even without help, he had put it on and combed his hair neatly within minutes.

“Eli, when will the new shipment from Adamaz arrive?”

“In just a few moments, your highness. It seemed bad weather had delayed the delivery carriage.”

Then someone knocked, Eli opened the door to let two servants carrying a large create inside. They set it on the floor and prepared to leave.

“Wait, please bring these to the grand library. They'll know what to do with them.” Ryan gestured to the large pile of books sitting on his desk. He had managed to finish them all last night.

The two servants quickly carried the used books and left while Eli opened the create and set the new ones on the desk.

“Your highness must be famished, I shall go prepare breakfast at once.” Mira gave a bright smile and walked out.

Ryan stared at the new pile of books and smiled. He began sorting them into their respective categories. Then he took the ones about politics, economics or military and promptly set them aside as they held none of his interest. In addition to being the sixth in line for the throne, he had no ambition for power play. So unmotivated an individual was he that the label “Dull Prince” got stuck to his childhood.

Ever since his birth, he paid little attention to anything around him. He didn't play with his siblings, didn't like sweets and had no interest in members of the opposite sex. Ryan himself was aware of his oddity but could do nothing to change it.

The only noticeable emotion within him was a burning desire to find something, something that belonged to him and yet was not with him. As if a part of him got ripped apart and sent across the world before his birth. All he could do to quench this desire was to read and to seek out knowledge across the land. From deep within his mind, he believed only through the knowledge he gained will he finally find what it was that he so desperately wanted to know.

In his quest for knowledge, he had read through the entire grand library of the capital, at least the parts he had access to. Using all of his allowances, he hired mercenaries from other parts of the empire to bring him books about the culture and the ecology of the land. Something about technology and the journals on the wildlife had always excited him. He'd read and reread parts about creative innovations or of a newly discovered specie.

With the situation in the empire growing worse by the day, he was certain to be wrapped up in that mess and die a meaningless death. Having no resolve to live whatsoever, Ryan figured it wouldn't hurt to read a little more.

There was a loud knock on the door. Eli opened to find another servant holding a small box.

“I humbly apologize for my carelessness. I found another small package left in the messenger carriage and have brought it here as soon as I could.”

Eli received the box and opened it.

“There's nothing in here.” He looked back, only to be greeted with a sharp blade coming towards his neck.

The swing exceeded what Ryan's eyes can see, yet Eli had already bent his body back out of the blade’s path. Ryan knew his guard was much more agile than his large build would suggest.

The intruder had quick movements and his slash precise. An assassin. Ryan realized. He opened his palm to activate a signal flare using magic, only to have the activation sequence collapse into a puff of smoke.

How did they deploy a magic jammer without us knowing? As the jammer only affected externally activated spells, Ryan still had his own inner magic spell active. The mental clarity spells that helped him stay focused during his readings also got him to stay calm.

Ryan had always been prepared for such an occasion. He played with his crystal necklace while looking over the battle, planning his death.

His siblings had all recruited strong individuals, leaving behind no one capable of guarding him. Only his original caretakers volunteered for the job. While skilled, Eli and Mira could never go against an Elite unit.

He watched on as the assassin's quick slashes slowly drive Eli back, giving him numerous shallow wounds.

Ryan clenched his teeth. Never had he understood why the two would go so far for such a hopeless existence as him. Nonetheless he had already made up his mind long ago, if they were willing to die for him who had no will to live, he would do the same.

Eli bravely withstood the unrelenting strikes, but his arms were battered and bleeding. Finally, the sword got knocked from his hand.

Ryan already started running towards the two moments before. His objective was not to reach them, but to gain forward momentum. When Eli lost his blade, Ryan jumped.

Knowing well that Ryan won't reach them in time, the assassin’s blade went for Eli’s neck.

Ryan smiled and gripped his necklace. In an instant, his airborne body teleported in front of the assassin.

Ignoring the blade lodged in his shoulder, Ryan tackled the assassin to the ground. With both of his hands holding the man's head, he activated the only combat worthy spell he knew.

Having used it every night on himself to combat insomnia, he channeled all of his mana into the spell.

The assassin slept like a baby, but the blade lodged in Ryan's shoulder was poisoned. He closed his eyes to let the darkness seep in. With his death, Mira and Eli should be safe. Farewell, my missing half.

##

The dark crystal sky greeted Scarlett as she opened her eyes. Dawn had yet to arrive. The tree she slept in stood towering over the rest of the forest. At such height, all the foliage below her were no more than grasses on a plain. She gazed at the cloud piercing mountains in the distance, regaining her bearings.

Then she retrieved all the sensory wards set up the night before and strapped them on her belt. Finished with the morning preparations, she stood on the edge of the large branch, spread her wings and jumped.

Bone chilling winds assaulted Scarlett from all directions, but the barrier set up around her diverted the coldness away. She flew through the vast forest leisurely, occasionally scanning the ground for any signs of abnormalities.

Not many scouts would take commissions like these since they required days of flying alone with noone to talk to, but she welcomed them. They provided her a nice break from having to guide other rowdy adventurer parties around.

She closed her eyes, enjoying the fresh morning scent. Despite being a half-birdkin, she had no interest in socializing with others, yet a desire to find something surged deep within her like an immortal flame. The folks back at the orphanage kept telling her that all orphans wanted to meet their real parents, but she couldn't care less for the assholes that abandoned her.

Scarlett opened her eyes only to be greeted with a forest of blood.

Somewhere near the horizon, the trees turned crimson, with dark sticky strings woven around them like spider webs. Foul winds blew past her face and an army of stormy clouds invaded the sky, blocking out the light of dawn.

How could a labyrinth have manifested this fast? The last reconnaissance took place only a week ago! She had never witnessed such a large labyrinth. Something of this scale should have taken at least months or years to manifest, yet it was right before her eyes.

Coming closer to inspect, she dared not. Such a large manifestation surely would have countless dangerous species, perhaps undiscovered ones. She was certain the thing even had underground layers.

Before Scarlett could make up her mind, the ground beneath her grumbled awake.

A dust cloud rose up in the distance and a gigantic obsidian dragon emerged. Dark purple veins coiled around its body like serpents. Its body shook to shake off the dirt and stared right at her direction.

Fear, pure fear ran down her spine. The thing was miles away from Scarlett, but it might as well be right on top of her.

She turned around and flew away with all her might, deploying every wind spell at her disposal to boost her speed. But against a dragon, all was for naught.

She turned around just in time to dodge a cone shaped blast of mana fire. The heat from the blast alone threatened to melt her skin.

The chase continued with the dragon closing in whenever she had to waste time on evasive maneuvers.

Then as if it had ran out of patience, the dragon sent its own wind spell to push her straight into its fiery breath.

With the last of her mana, Scarlett managed to break free and dive down.

She made a rough landing and stared at her wing in horror. The breath had caught the tip of her left wing and set it on fire.

There were no known ways to put out a mana flame, other than to wait until it ran out of mana. No amount of wind and water would quench the purple blight.

She watched as the flame ate away her prided wing, feather by feather, eventually her entire body would be consumed. Considering all her options, there was only one way.

The only reason why Scarlett even considered it was thanks to the adrenaline still in her system. This is gonna hurt. She took a dagger from her belt that was stored with enough mana for one strong cut.

Blue light emitted from the blade, signaling its activation. Scarlett suppressed a scream as the dagger tore through her wing joint. Demihumans had much stronger pain resistance, but still her teeth grinded and her face paled.

Blood poured out from the wound as she frantically cauterized it with the still scorching blade. Then she used up all her bandages to cover the stump.

A thundering roar sounded above her. Scarlett looked up, expecting her last moments, only to see the dragon fly past her and heading towards the city.

Stuck in the middle of the wild, three days from the nearest settlement, with an expanding labyrinth and only one wing.

I'm gonna die. Scarlett concluded before losing consciousness.