The stone door opened quietly on its own.

None of them said anything. It was a giant boulder with letters carved on it.

Alver remained silent while staring intently. His heart almost stopped beating as he read the words in it. He was aware that he was distinct from the rest of the Crossman family. Did he realize that he might or might not be a contender for the throne, but that his efforts would be wasted as a result?

"This is prophecy," Alver said dejectedly. He wanted to deny its existence, but now he can't take his gaze away from it.

As soon as they heard Alver's voice, Cale and Rok turned to face the open door.

"The head of the Crossman household ruled over the Roan Kingdom, and as he did so, he remembered this one thing."

"Ah."

Cale let out a breathless gasp. Rok examined the entirety of the room until...

Screech- boom!

Within the open door...

There appeared a small stone chamber. It was as desolate and cold as a prison cell. And instead of a wall, there was a large boulder on one wall of that stone chamber. The boulder had words written on it.

< Descendants of the cursed blood. >

'What? Cursed blood? Not the household blessed by the Sun God?'

The twin's gaze quickly shifted to Alver.

Alver pointed to the boulder.

< The Sun God's touch will always be by your side. >

< Never set your eyes on taking over the sky. >

< The Sun will always rise. >

< The moment darkness is planted in your bodies... >

< The moment a person with that darkness becomes the head of the household, the sky will be destroyed and the ground will tremble. >

Click.

After hearing a noise, the twins turned their heads. Alver Crossman, the Quarter Dark Elf, was standing there without his dye magic.

"The Crossman household was always concerned about the appearance of the head because they were concerned about a different attribute that might be mixed in."

He pointed to himself. He assumed it was just a matter of strict adherence to the successors and all. Or maybe it's just a prejudice against the Crossman Family's landmarks.

"They couldn't be mixed with the darkness attribute like me, which is why I hid."

He had a twisted smile on his face.

"And now, this is the incredible secret of the Crossman royal family."

That twisted smile betrayed both his sorrow and shame. It had his unwavering self-confidence at the same time.

"...Ah."

Alver exclaimed when he noticed the twins staring blankly at the ceiling. Were they also of the opinion that he shouldn't be king? Alver was skeptical of such records. That was why he had whipped himself into striving to do his best. He was grateful that the twins assisted them, but now that he knew..."

"Pardon me, your highness?"

"What's the matter? Are you shocked?"

Seeing Cale Henituse look shocked... Rok Henituse, on the other hand, was composed.

Alver couldn't hide his resentment.

"Haha..." Alver laughed, his bitterness hidden. "You two are thinking the same right?"

This could easily be interpreted as someone with the darkness attribute. People like Dark Elves and black mages, for example. Something else, however, could be considered if he thought about it differently.

The twins were deafeningly quiet.

'You son of a... What are you going to say to me? '

Cale unconsciously began to speak.

"Your highness."

"Yes, what is it? Do you think I should not be king?"

When Alver heard Cale's voice, he cracked a self-mocking smile.

"This has nothing to do with you, Your Highness."

"Hmm?"

"Huh?"

They just stared at each other with stupid expressions on their faces. It irritated Rok the most.

"Dongsaeng," Rok said loudly. "while I beat the shit out of this idiot prince, find some clues about that stone."

"Alright... do beat him up a couple of times for me as well," Cale replied, searching around the boulder.

Rok clenched his fists, determined to smack Alver hard this time. He'll give up the throne for no reason other than a prophecy or a few words.

"W-wait Rok!" Alver cried out, attempting to shield his head from the eight-year-old, but Rok was still able to reach his head and smack him several times more.

"Idiot!"

Rok keeps smacking Alver. Where the hell did this rascal learned how to fight?!

When Alver fell back with Rok holding his collar, he was preoccupied with keeping himself safe.

"YOU IDIOT!" Rok yelled at him, smacking his head once more.

"Chickening out because of a few words? You won't even consider any possibilities?" Rok snarls, "You don't understand! It's the entire Crossman Family that's cursed by the sun god!"

Alver looked anything but majestic as he inserted his finger into his ear.

He looked at Ron who had a different interpretation of the words there.

"Have you done anything to change your path?"

His head shook.

"Are you simply sitting back and doing nothing to change it?"

"I want to change it!" said Alver, shaking his head.

"When are you going to stop chickening out?" Rok screams, completely fed up with this wuss. "A man who kills his enemy will be known as a warrior but a man who saves a life would make you king. What do you want to do? What do you want to achieve? What kind of future do you want to have? What kind of place do you want to achieve? Isn't a place where people like you, like us—outcasts, and cursed existences—have the right to live free from prejudices?"

Rok stood straight and kabedons Alver with his leg just beside Alver's head while the latter leans on the boulder.

"Your Highness... These are just words, and they will never define you..."

The Crossman Family's secret and Alver's reservation were eventually revealed.

"What exactly do you want?"

"I want to... not be the Sun God's Sun..."

'...his flaw.'

His actions today essentially exposed his weakness to the twins.

The first flaw was the royal family.

The Crossman Royal family was said to have received the Sun God's blessing and protection. However, looking deeper into it, it was a curse rather than a blessing.

If this was revealed, the Crossman Royal family's power and fame would crumble.

The second was his flaw.

The fact that he possessed Dark Elf blood and the darkness attribute. According to the curse, someone who should never have been the head of the Crossman family had duped the family into making him the head.

Alver was able to expose these two secrets and flaws.

'Because he figured out who I was.'

These rascals were aware of his Dark Elf heritage but had no qualms about it.

But-

'He's speaking nonsense?'

He'd often thought the twins had a loose screw, but Alver couldn't stop frowning. He began to speak almost as if he were sighing. While Rok was beating up senses in his head, Cale was looking around.

Alver held back his anger and continued to speak.

"That boulder is the only record of the Crossman household other than the orally passed down information."

Alver focused on one sentence on the boulder.

< The moment a person with that darkness becomes the head of the household, the sky will be destroyed, and the ground will tremble. >

"It says the world will turn to chaos if someone with darkness becomes the king of the Roan Kingdom or the head of the Crossman household."

"What's the big deal?"

'What?'

After hearing Rok's outrage, Alver was at a loss for words.

He then came to a realization.

'...they're different.''

Alver began to laugh when he realized he had hoped to hear from them.

He wished to hear them say, 'Forget the record, and focus on ruling the kingdom.'

Alver raised his hand unconsciously to brush his face. He was feeling strange right now. It was difficult to put into words how he felt right now.

Dejection?

Disappointment?

Maybe embarrassment?

How should he explain his feelings? He had no idea. He simply smiled majestically, as he did when he faced his vassals. He then turned toward Cale.

The twins grumbled quietly as if they were talking to themselves, before Rok retracted his leg and began walking toward the boulder, ignoring Alver. After seeing Rok's unexpected reaction, Alver quickly followed behind him and began speaking urgently. Something seemed strange.

"If a Dark Elf like me becomes king, there will be a curse!"

"You stupidly believe that?! What an idiot!"

"If what is written on the boulder is true, something terrible will happen because of me; I am someone who should not exist in the Crossman house-"

"I don't think so," Cale said.

"...Huh?"

Alver noticed a blank expression on Cale's face.

"Alver Crossman, Your Highness, your existence is natural," Rok finished Cale's sentence.

Alver flinched and repeated the twin's words aloud, as if to himself.

"...I am supposed to be here?"

'Me?'

"Yes, sir. You are fated to be here."

'Unbelievable!'

Alver subconsciously opened his mouth and retorted their comment.

Cale suddenly started to talk about something else to his brother but Alver chose to listen quietly.

'Your highness, your existence is natural.'

Those words were stuck in his mind.

"Your Highness, you can never be the darkness that will destroy this kingdom," Cale said.

Rok continued his brother's words solemnly, "You can only be the sun that lights the path for the new Rowoon you desired."

Alver's gaze was drawn to a large boulder on one side of the stone room.

His frozen heart began to beat slowly again. He clenched his teeth and tried to relax.

The text on the boulder was visible to him.

He wishes to change. He wishes to guide and protect it. He wishes to take a different path in which everyone can live in peace. He desired a world in which he would not have to conceal his true self.

He longs for a place he can call his own.

< Descendants of the cursed blood. >

< The touch of the Sun God will always be by your side. >

< The moment a person with that darkness becomes the head of the household, the sky will be destroyed and the ground will tremble. >

Alver moved his hand slowly toward the boulder. When he reached out, he didn't realize his palm had been pierced by all the treasure in the room. He could feel the warmth of the boulder. He just had the urge to touch it. He just wanted to feel it and engrave his desire on it.

I will never take the same path... I will pave my own and create my own.

"...It's warm?"

Was the boulder warm? Alver's vision became cloudy. He began to ponder. What would cause this boulder to respond? He gave it some more thought. He then decided to test out the few ideas that came to him.

Drip. Drip.

Blood started to drip from the wound.

Boom!

"Ugh!"

There was a loud noise, and Alver stumbled.

"Gasp!"

His head was starting to hurt.

His legs grew weak as if a large amount of blood had been sucked out.

"Alvery!!"

A shocked Rok tried to support the stumbling prince's back. Cale also assisted him but then let him go.

"Ahhh!"

But the twins both removed their hands from him.

"...It's hot!"

The crown prince's body was as hot as fire. Alver caught his breath and started to speak to them.

"I am okay."

He then looked forward.

Their eyes widen. The boulder was changing. It was melting. It was slowly melting away as if it were reacting to Alver's fiery body and blood. Alver quietly watched as the text on the boulder slowly disappeared. And once the boulder stopped melting...

"...Ha!"

He took a step back and started to laugh. About half of the boulder had melted. There was new text inside the boulder.

He then looked at the new statements that were revealed to them.

< When a person with darkness is aiming to take over the world. >

< When the sky is being destroyed and the ground is trembling. >

Alver's gaze headed toward the ground where the boulder used to be. His blood-dripping hand felt warm and numb as a powerful aura permeated.

< A member of the Crossman bloodline who has chosen a different path than the first Crossman. >

< Only you will be able to wield this spear. >

At that spot... He couldn't take his gaze off it.

< when darkness had descended on the world. >

< Is when the sun will rise. >

There was a white spear.

< You, someone with your convictions. >

< Take out this spear. >

< Go forth. >

< Fight to protect your convictions. >

And...

< Become the sun. >

Rok and Cale both said to him.

"Now that's what we call looting," Cale smirked.

"Now you learn how to loot things, your highness... that spear is yours!" Rok agreed.

"I'm royalty, so there shouldn't be any looting..."

"Yes, Your Highness... just plunder."

When is he going to hear something nice from his twins?

Zed Crossman entered soon after the stone doors opened at the same time Alver reached out to the Divine Item revealed by the melted boulder.

"Shit!"

TBC