World's Best Protagonist [BL]

The night sky had turned ominous, cloaked by the thick curtain of Claude’s mist that bled out of the East Tower like spilled ink. The air was dense, almost too heavy to breathe, humming with invisible tension.

Claude stood in the center of the chaos, calm amidst the roaring storm of magic. His gloved hand extended, threads of mist trailing from his fingertips like living tendrils.

He moved with unsettling grace, as if dancing through the battlefield, while his eyes glinted with a predator’s precision. Within his mist, only one person’s silhouette remained standing.

"Lexie. More enemies are coming. Send a signal to Etienne," he commanded when, beyond the mist he created, another wave of knights approached.

"On it." Lexie summoned a bow and arrow in an instant and shot the arrow through the window. There was no time to be respectful to the dead, for their lives were at stake.

At that moment, the thick mist that covered them was blown away. Claude and Lexie were revealed, along with the countless bodies of knights lying on the ground.

"Damn. Another nuisance," Lexie mumbled. She scanned the group that surrounded them.

A knight commander stepped forward, shouting, "By order of the crown, you stand accused of high treason, obstruction of royal decree, and trespassing on a royal consort’s property. Surrender now, or be struck down as enemies of the Empire!"

Across from them stood five of the royal mages—adorned in gilded robes, their insignia gleaming faintly through the haze. And a battalion of knights led by that knight commander.

They had arrived in haste, summoned by the king’s command. Power rippled around them, but Claude and Lexie stayed calm and unaffected.

"What are we going to do, Captain?" Lexie whispered as she slowly moved closer to Claude. She asked not because she was scared, but because she couldn’t decide what to do. Fight and kill them, or run away?

"What else is there to do? Jade warned us not to be involved too much, so the best we can do is...escape."

Lexie briefly glanced at Claude. She did not expect the captain to suggest escaping, and without reluctance or hesitation at that. She nodded at his words. It was the best thing to do indeed. And with Claude with them, escaping would be easier.

"You," one mage barked, pointing his staff at Claude, "are such a waste. You wield elemental magic, and yet you’re using it to do evil deeds. If you surrender peacefully, we might be able to save your head from decapitation by working under our mages."

Claude cocked his head slightly, the mist coiling at his feet. "It’s tempting, but I like giving orders more than receiving them," he replied mockingly, his voice like frost against bare skin. "And only one person can cancel my Mist."

Before the mage could retaliate, Claude’s mist surged—alive, vengeful, and unrelenting. It crashed over them like a wave of shadows. The first spell hurled by the palace mage shattered mid-air, swallowed by the unnatural fog. Another mage screamed, stumbling back as Claude appeared right in front of him, too fast and too silent.

A flash of steel. A burst of silence. The mage fell. The knight commander gave out orders, but with Claude’s overwhelming power, they were easily deceived by the mist. Claude obscured their vision effortlessly.

The remaining mages retaliated, launching enchanted flames and crackling bolts of lightning, but the mist bent reality around Claude. Their attacks missed, redirected, lost in the sea of darkness that obeyed him alone.

One by one, they faltered—not because they lacked power, but because they couldn’t see, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think clearly in the veil of fear Claude wove around them.

Meanwhile, just beyond the shroud of mist, Lexie moved like lightning among the king’s knights. Her twin blades gleamed with the muted light of the moon, carving silver arcs as she danced between attackers. Unlike Claude, her combat was loud—blades clashing, metal ringing, bodies thudding against stone.

A knight lunged at her flank, but she spun low, slicing his leg from beneath him and elbowing him into unconsciousness. Another came from behind, and she threw her weight back, slamming her heel into his stomach. She gritted her teeth, sweat beading on her brow, but her eyes were sharp with fury.

"Why are you following a man who sent you to guard an empty tower?" she snarled as she disarmed one. "Your king isn’t just cruel. He’s a coward."

She ducked another swing, rolled to the side, and kicked a guard’s knee until it snapped. "You fight for an empire that murders its own kin." The very thought that Noir had been living miserably and enduring it for his mother, who was already dead, unbeknownst to him, enraged her more.

Suddenly, a voice rang in her ears after she struck one down.

"They’re coming out. Lead them to the back of the forest. The duke’s knights are waiting there. I’ll follow you from behind." 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Lexie obeyed without a word. She ran to the exit of the tower immediately. Some knights followed her, but they were surrounded by fog and were led away by the fake silhouette.

Claude clenched his jaw. This would have been easier if he had released a toxic fog instead, but inhaling that much harmful gas might kill them all. Jade might suffer the consequences if they meddle too much in that world.

So, he had to fight while considering that.

—

Inside the tower, Noir trembled by the bed, still clutching his mother’s hand—her bones delicate in his grasp, fragile as ash. He had no more tears, only silence. Etienne stood beside him, helpless, his fingers twitching with the useless urge to heal. There was nothing left to fix.

Eugene’s gaze darted to the window when an arrow suddenly came through and pierced the wall. He and Etienne exchanged shocked gazes.

Etienne examined the arrow, and in a matter of a few seconds, he exclaimed, "Lexie’s. She’s telling us to leave the tower now."

Noir flinched, but he didn’t move from his spot.

"We have to go, Your Highness," the duke said, urgency tightening his voice. "Now."

"No," Noir whispered, his voice hoarse. "I won’t—"

Eugene didn’t wait. He bent low, gripping Noir under the arms. "Forgive me," he muttered, and yanked him back.

"No! Let go!" Noir struggled wildly, but Etienne stepped in, supporting the duke, helping pull Noir away.

"I’m sorry, Noir," Etienne said, breath ragged, "but if you stay, you’ll die here too." Noir glared at him. He paused for a second, then realized that Noir must have wanted that instead. He lowered his head and focused on watching the stairs.

Together, they ran down the stairs, through the still-misted courtyard where Claude held the line.

Lexie caught sight of them as she was approaching the tower’s door, and shouted, "Go!"

She did not need to point out where, because the duke had taken the lead already. The mist parted just enough to show a narrow path that Claude opened for them.

Carrying Noir on his shoulder, Eugene ran to the bushes and entered the forest behind the tower. At the end of that forest were his men, waiting for them.

The four disappeared into the dense line of trees, the mist thick enough to obscure any pursuers. Claude’s magic extended with them, curling between branches and leaves, masking every trace of their movement.

At the forest’s edge, hidden beneath a blanket of shadows, the duke’s loyal knights waited. Their armor bore no crest, no indication that they were the duke’s knights. Their identities were hidden by black cloaks and masks.

Eugene set Noir down. "Your—!"

Slap.

Noir said nothing and just glared at the duke. Eugene turned his head to him like nothing had happened, his gaze lowered, and his appearance was apologetic but showed no regret.

He uttered clearly, "I promise I will retrieve your mother’s remains. But for now, we have to escape. As we speak, the king must have known about my betrayal already."

He grabbed Noir’s hands and refused to let go even after Noir kept pulling them back. "Your Highness. You must live no matter what. For your mother...for your people. This kingdom could no longer endure the reign of a merciless, bloodthirsty, tyrannical king. You are the only surviving royal. You must live and avenge your mother and yourself. I vow to remain by your side until the very end."

Eugene planted a kiss on the back of his hand, a sign of his vow, loyalty, and devotion. Noir shivered. It was a heavy burden to bear, leading this kingdom. But Eugene gave him a reason to go on. Revenge. His blood boiled with only that word. He took the cloak given out by the knight and wore it.

"Lead the way."

Just in time, Claude arrived. Eugene nodded at the mage after that. He raised his staff. The spell circle flared to life under their feet, and in a single breath, the forest dissolved into light.

And when it faded—

They were in the mountains, right in front of Jade, Allen, and Terrius.