Morning in the Kingdom of Nium unfolded with ceremonial grace.
Sunlight filtered through towering arched windows, pouring gold across mosaic floors crafted from stone and glass. The palace breathed serenity — fountains murmured softly in distant courtyards, silk banners drifted lazily in the breeze, and the air carried the fragrance of jasmine and white rose.
Yet Princess Aeloria of Zephyr stood restless within that peace.
She lingered near the balcony of her guest chamber, gaze lost beyond Nium's skyline. Below, the capital stirred gently awake, but her thoughts wandered far from the present — to cobbled streets, to stolen glances, to a face she had chased through dreams and memory alike.
Behind her, Princess Seraphina of Nium watched with unconcealed curiosity.
"You've been standing there long enough to turn into a statue," Seraphina remarked lightly.
Aeloria did not move.
Seraphina sighed, rising from her cushioned seat.
"All right… I surrender. What has captured your thoughts so completely?"
Aeloria's fingers tightened slightly on the balcony rail.
Then she spoke.
"I found him."
Seraphina stopped.
"…Found who?"
Aeloria turned slowly, her expression carrying something Seraphina had rarely seen — wonder tempered by disbelief.
"The boy."
Silence followed.
For years, Seraphina had listened to Aeloria describe him — the nameless boy whose presence haunted her dreams since childhood. A figure neither entirely imagined nor fully understood. A memory that refused to fade.
Seraphina's voice softened.
"The one you searched for in Zephyr?"
Aeloria nodded.
Seraphina stepped closer.
"…Tell me everything."
Aeloria inhaled carefully, as though the telling itself mattered.
"His name is Lylan."
Seraphina frowned faintly.
"Lylan…"
"He is a soldier."
Seraphina blinked.
"A soldier?"
"Yes."
"…Not noble-born?"
"No."
"…Not from one of Zephyr's great houses?"
"No."
Seraphina studied her cousin's face.
And saw certainty.
"What convinced you he is truly the boy you remember?"
Aeloria's eyes flickered.
"…Gregory."
Seraphina raised a brow.
"One of Zephyr's soldiers?"
"Yes."
"What of him?"
Aeloria's voice grew steadier, memory sharpening her tone.
"He mocked Lylan."
Seraphina crossed her arms.
"And Lylan tolerated it?"
"For a time."
Seraphina's interest deepened.
"And then?"
"He was challenged."
"To what?"
"A fight."
Seraphina's lips parted slightly.
"And?"
Aeloria's gaze brightened.
"Lylan defeated Gregory."
Seraphina froze.
"…Defeated Gregory?"
"Yes."
"But Gregory is known for his strength—"
"I know."
Seraphina shook her head slowly.
"How did Lylan win?"
"He did not fight like an angry man."
Aeloria's voice lowered.
"He fought like someone who already understood victory."
Seraphina's curiosity sharpened into fascination.
"And Gregory?"
"He fell."
"And Lylan?"
A small smile touched Aeloria's lips.
"He helped him up."
Seraphina stared.
"…He WHAT?"
"He lifted Gregory from the ground."
Seraphina exhaled slowly.
"No humiliation… no cruelty?"
"None."
Seraphina laughed softly in disbelief.
"This Lylan grows more interesting by the moment."
Aeloria hesitated.
"There is more."
Seraphina's brows rose.
"Oh?"
"Gregory returned."
Seraphina's expression hardened slightly.
"…Returned?"
"With twenty soldiers."
Seraphina's eyes widened.
"For revenge?"
"Yes."
"And Lylan?"
"He was not alone."
Seraphina leaned forward.
"…Go on."
Aeloria's voice softened, touched by memory.
"He stood beside his friend."
Seraphina frowned.
"Friend?"
"Yes."
"The one I remember from childhood."
Seraphina blinked.
"…You recognized him too?"
"I did."
"What is his name?"
"Lucas."
Seraphina repeated it quietly.
"Lucas…"
"He did not laugh when Gregory mocked Lylan."
Seraphina's gaze sharpened.
"What did he do?"
"He grew angry."
Seraphina smiled faintly.
"I already like him."
Aeloria continued,
"When Gregory and his men came to kill them…"
Seraphina's breath caught.
"…Kill them?"
"They fought."
"With swords?"
"No."
"With spears?"
"No."
Seraphina stared.
"With what?"
"…Pocket knives."
Seraphina's eyes widened fully now.
"You cannot be serious."
"I am."
"Two soldiers against twenty armed men?"
"Yes."
"And they survived?"
Aeloria's voice dropped into something close to reverence.
"They did more than survive."
Seraphina whispered,
"…How many?"
"Some of Gregory's men did not rise again."
Silence flooded the chamber.
Seraphina slowly sank into a nearby seat.
"…That is madness."
Aeloria nodded softly.
"Yes."
Seraphina looked up, eyes blazing with sudden excitement.
"I must see them."
Aeloria blinked.
"…See them?"
"Both of them."
Seraphina rose instantly, pacing now.
"A soldier who defeats Gregory is impressive. A soldier who survives twenty armed men with only knives?"
She turned sharply.
"That is someone worth meeting."
Aeloria smiled.
"I thought you might say that."
Seraphina's expression shifted — mischievous brilliance lighting her features.
"Then we create the opportunity."
"How?"
Seraphina grinned.
"You tell your father you desire bodyguards for your next journey."
Aeloria's pulse quickened.
"…Bodyguards?"
"Yes."
"Two."
Aeloria's eyes widened.
"Two…"
Seraphina nodded.
"Request Lylan."
Aeloria's breath caught.
"And Lucas."
A slow smile spread across Aeloria's face.
"You are dangerous."
"And effective."
For the first time in many months…
Hope no longer felt fragile.
Zephyr — Flames of War
War arrived without mercy.
The plains outside Zephyr burned beneath clashing steel and roaring battle cries. Kingdom Vardok, long hostile and ever ambitious, surged forward like a storm unleashed.
Within Zephyr's ranks, fear battled adrenaline.
Lucas grinned.
"Well," he said, tightening his grip, "so this is war."
Beside him, Lylan stood silent, eyes fixed ahead.
Focused.
Controlled.
"Our first."
Lucas laughed.
"You nervous?"
"No."
"…Liar."
"…Maybe."
Lucas smirked.
"Good. Means you're human."
The horns sounded.
And chaos erupted.
First Blood
Lucas moved like wildfire.
Explosive.
Relentless.
Fearless to the point of recklessness.
Lylan moved like inevitability.
Precise.
Efficient.
Unshaken.
Together, they tore through Vardok's advancing lines. Where others faltered, they surged. Where resistance stiffened, they broke it.
Zephyr soldiers stared in awe.
"Who ARE those two?!"
"They fight like veterans!"
Momentum shifted.
Victory whispered.
Until the earth trembled.
The Unseen Terror
They emerged from Vardok's rear ranks like walking nightmares.
Giants.
Massive silhouettes blotting the battlefield horizon.
Each step shattered soil.
Each movement radiated dread.
Zephyr's lines fractured instantly.
Men fled.
Commanders shouted.
Panic spread.
Lucas stared upward.
"…You seeing this insanity?"
Lylan's jaw tightened.
"Yes."
And then came the wizards.
Sorcery
Cloaked figures advanced calmly behind the giants.
Eyes glowing faintly.
Air bending around them.
A pulse of magic exploded outward.
Zephyr's soldiers scattered like leaves before a hurricane.
Lucas staggered.
"We can't fight THIS!"
Lylan grabbed his arm.
"We stand."
Lucas stared at him.
"…Stand??"
"For Zephyr."
Lucas exhaled sharply.
"…You're mad."
"…Probably."
Lucas grinned despite fear.
"…Good thing you're not alone."
They charged again.
Against monsters.
Against sorcery.
Against despair.
Fall
Magic crashed down.
Invisible force hurled them violently aside.
Before recovery—
Shadows coiled around their limbs.
Binding.
Crushing.
Lucas struggled.
"Lylan!"
"I'm here!"
But strength meant nothing against spellcraft.
Darkness swallowed them whole.
Aftermath
Silence fell.
Hundreds of Zephyr's soldiers lay defeated.
The giants stood unmoved.
The wizards turned away.
One voice echoed coldly:
"Take them."
Another answered,
"They will serve."
And a final decree sealed their fate:
"Slaves of Vardok."
Lylan and Lucas vanished into enemy hands.
Zephyr's losses mounted.
Hope shattered.
And far away in Nium…
Two princesses remained unaware that destiny had just turned cruel.