( Leo's POV )
The first message that Leo received when he logged back into the game, was a global announcement informing all players that Emperor Julien D. Evanus was now dead, creating a power vacuum in the Unity Empire.
[ Global Notification :- Emperor Julien D. Evanus has been assassinated within the confines of the Royal Palace.
The Unity Empire is currently without a ruler, with all four Arch-Dukes having the option to either swear fealty to the next Emperor, or declare their territories as independent kingdoms ]
"Bloody hell! Just what's going on here?" Leo wondered, as he quickly opened the Global Forums to check what was going on, and just as he anticipated, the entire server seemed to be only talking about this one incident.
"Guys, I've received a confirmed report from an eyewitness that was present inside the Royal Gala, that Emperor Julien D. Evanus was poisoned during the Royal Gala while he was raising a toast to Assassin Ben Faulkner. The Royal Palace is currently under a lockdown, but it's confirmed that Julien D. Evanus died from poisoning" said a player named 'Xero', who seemed to have a source within the palace.
His was the current top comment in the global forums, garnering a massive 55 thousand likes in just under two minutes of making the post.
'Poison? Must not be master's work then' Leo thought, as he knew that it wasn't his master's style to kill an opponent using poison, so although he was the one to whom Julien raised his last toast to, Leo did not think that Ben was involved in his death.
"Breaking news! Emperor Julien D. Evanus is not the only one to die it seems, my source on the inside says that there are many other influential figures who have also died tonight–" said 'Xero' in another post, which gained 60 thousand likes in under 30 seconds as Leo felt intrigued reading this comment.
'A mass murder in the Royal Palace?' Leo wondered, feeling intrigued, as he hung around waiting for more updates on the story as he read the comments made by some other netizens under the post.
Mostly, all the comments were those of surprise and excitement, however, there were a few that doubted the authenticity of Xero's source, claiming that he could be just cooking up stories, as they forced Xero into making a clarification.
"I have a merchant friend, by the name of 'Jace' , who was invited to the Royal Gala today for some reason. He's too shy to post on the global forums himself but he's sending me private messages informing me of what he's finding out in real time–" Xero said, as Leo instantly recognised the name 'Jace'.
Jace was the guy who bought the logistics cart blueprints in the system auction. He was #97 bidder and someone who Leo had on his friend list, and hence Leo instantly dropped him a private message.
"Are you inside the Royal Palace?" Leo asked, as within seconds, he received a very odd message reply from 'Jace'.
"Yes I am, also my deepest condolences for your loss–" Jace replied, as Leo felt confused as to what loss he was talking about?
"What loss? The Emperor was not my kin–" replied Leo, feeling confused as to what Jace was referring to.
"Your master…. Ben Faulkner, is confirmed dead, alongside Chief Strategist Alaric and Chief Commander Thalion tonight". Jace replied, as for a moment, Leo stared at the message on his screen, uncomprehending.
The words blurred as if refusing to be read, his mind rejecting their meaning. Ben Faulkner, dead? It was impossible. His master was the greatest assassin the empire had ever known, a man who thrived in the shadows, uncatchable, unstoppable. The idea that someone could defeat him—let alone kill him—was beyond belief.
"No…" Leo muttered to himself, his fingers trembling slightly over the in-game keyboard. "That can't be true." He quickly typed a response to Jace, his denial manifesting in angry keystrokes.
"This has to be some kind of mistake. My master is not just anyone. He's Ben Fucking Faulkner—the demonslayer! He faced entire armies and walked away unscathed. There's no way he could have been killed!" Leo replied, his heart pounding in his chest as nothing but a long silence followed his outburst.
It was as if Jace felt unsure of how to respond to such raw emotion and was contemplating on what were the best words to use in a situation like this.
Nonetheless, Leo's gaze remained fixed on the screen, waiting, hoping that Jace would send another message—one that would reassure him, that would tell him that this was all a misunderstanding, a cruel rumour spread by those who envied his master's power.
But the reply that came shattered that hope.
"Boss…"Jace's message began, and Leo could almost hear the hesitation in the words. "I understand how you feel, but I've spoken to several people inside the palace. There are eyewitnesses—soldiers, healers—who saw the fight unfold between Commander Thalion and Ben Faulkner. It was a battle unlike any other, with both men wielding power that shook the very foundations of the palace.
But in the end… both of them fell. I'm so sorry, but it's true."
The words hit Leo like a physical blow, knocking the breath out of him. His vision blurred, this time not from disbelief but from the sting of tears welling in his eyes. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think. His mind, which had once raced with thoughts of denial, now felt empty, as if all life had been drained from it.
"No… no… no…" he whispered, each word more broken than the last. He wanted to scream, to rage against the world for taking his master from him. How could this be? How could the man who had taught him everything, who had been his guiding star, be gone?
The memories of their time together flooded his mind—Ben's stern but kind eyes, the way he would silently correct Leo's mistakes during training, the rare moments of warmth when he would pat Leo on the back, his approval unspoken but deeply felt.
And now, all of that was gone. The man who had been more of a father to him than anyone else was dead, and Leo hadn't even been there to witness his final moments, to fight by his side, to say goodbye.
The grief came crashing down on him like a wave, pulling him under and Leo felt his chest tighten, his breath hitch as he choked on a sob.
"It…cc..can't, be, true" he muttered, not daring to believe that his master was really dead, as he felt his entire body's strength sap out of him.