The Crown Prince's Guard

Chapter 1: The Heavenly Flower

The silvery moonlight spilled from the hands of the night sky, seeping into the calm and glittering water. Accompanied by the thin glint of mist floating above the river, the dreamlike scene was almost like a painting. And in the midst of tranquility stood a beautiful young man in the water, walking slowly into the river with his body already half-drowned.

Even though he was drenched, the cold was his least concern. His mind was set on obtaining the treasure located in the middle of the Great Heavenly Lake. Accompanied by his most trusted bodyguard, the noble Crown Prince had traveled out of the palace for a week, his whereabouts being a secret to everyone. After spending months\-months of arduous searching, he finally managed to find a powerful cure for his beloved mother's terminal illness \- Heavenly Flower. The legendary lake was quietly\-silently tucked away in the mountains, surrounded by a valley of dense forest that led downwards from a nearby peak. An ordinary person would not be able to enter this sacred place, unless those who wanted Heavenly Flowers and harbored good intentions could obtain them.

According to legend, the gods forbade people from using their products as part of an evil scheme. This explains why the prince is alone at this time and exposed to threats. He had to enter the foggy barrier without his bodyguards, who could not gain access. Before he left, he had to convince them many times that he would be fine. He's not weak. Despite being born into a noble family, he was also a formidable warrior.

He has faith in his skills, and there is nothing stopping him from saving his mother. Before he could reach his goal, the freezing cold water had reached his chest. The light of the moon illuminated the lake, revealing to him the flowers that fell asleep on a small island in the middle. Breath choked in his throat as he watched them dance in a gentle breeze. There it is - healing for everything.

His hard work is almost within his reach. Now all she has to do is get it and get back to her mother before she's too late.

Considering the depth of the water, he had to swim for the rest of the way there. Without wasting any time, he immediately dived, splitting the waters with a powerful and powerful punch. He could not help but feel a ripple of excitement at the thought that he was capable of achieving a difficult feat. However, he was too carried away. The next thing he knew was that something was gripping his ankle. And it pulled him down.

The Crown Prince is almost dead. Something had gripped his ankle and pulled him hard. He let out a loud scream and swung his hand wildly before his head sank into the water. His heart was pounding and alarms were ringing in his head. This was not the death he had expected - to be drowned by an unknown creature. Whatever had gripped him refused to let go of his grip on her and firmly resisted all the kicks he had done to her. No one else around could save him either.

He watched helplessly as the unknown creature dragged him further into the lake. The air in his lungs comes out every second. No, he can't just die here. Not while his mother was waiting for his return. Think, think hard! His hand grabbed the hilt of his sword and he pulled it out. He stabbed the creature beneath him, hoping to reach a vital point.

His attack must have worked, because the creature released him suddenly and swam away. The prince took the opportunity to swim back to the surface before the last supply of oxygen came out of his already burned lungs.

He coughed and stammered as he emerged from the water and swam frantically to the Heavenly Flower island for safety. He pulled himself out and lay down on the grass, panting.

His mind was still spinning wildly from that unexpected encounter. What's that thing? It was not human, and it was definitely something he had never seen before. A soft growl sounded from within the water. Surprised, he jumped back with his hand holding his sword in a defensive position.

The creature emerged from the water slowly, its red eyes gleaming dangerously again. Enraged that its prey had moved away from it, it did not forget that it had suffered a blow by the hands of an ordinary human. The creature's body was similar to that of a human, only it was much larger in size, with a very pale face and extremely long and sharp teeth. Opening his mouth to speak with a terrible and inhuman voice, he shouted at the prince.

"Don't underestimate me, ugly. Nothing stands in my way, not even you." While throwing his head back, the creature let out a loud laugh.

"You'll be a delicious prey."

"And you will be an easy opponent to defeat" the prince scoffed.

With a furious growl, the creature instantly lunged towards him, its claws slashing through the air as the prince dodged the attack. Having been trained in martial arts since he was young by the best swordsman in the country, he quickly stood up. Taking advantage of his smaller size compared to the creature, he dodged his attacks easily and managed to slice his wide chest with his sword.

A loud scream of pain shot out from the creature's throat. With a threatening shout, he immediately charged towards the prince furiously. He took his sword between his large palm, ignoring the wounds and blood, before pulling the weapon from his hand. Using his brute strength, he grabbed his leg and lifted his entire body, before throwing it on the ground violently. The impact left him out of breath. Even before the prince could breathe, the creature's hands wrapped around his throat and lifted him back up.

"Dead, annoying little brat." It opened its mouth wide, determined to bite its head. But an arrow suddenly flew through the air, piercing through the heart of the creature from behind.

Both surprised. The light in the creature's eyes died and released its grip on the prince. He fell to the ground, panting, while he saw the huge figure before him fall to the ground, dead. Looking around, he finally saw someone standing by the river. Watch him quietly and calmly while carrying an automatic arrow. That was his savior.

From a distance, a pair of light, brown eyes stared back at him calmly. Clad in a black robe and mask, his savior exuded a mysterious aura. Before the prince could flinch from his shock, the figure turned its back on him before trying to leave.

"Hey, wait," she called out to him. The man paused for a moment, but did not move to turn around.

"Thank you for saving me." The prince's thanks echoed in the calm waters.

"May I ask for your name?" However, the mysterious savior did not answer him.