In one of the most luxurious rooms of the Celestial Palace sat one of the youngest sons of Arthur Crownveil, the King of Celestial: Caelmir Crownveil.
His long, white hair, characteristic of the Crownveil family, lay lazily over his shoulders. His flawless pale skin contrasted sharply with the grayish color of his sheets. His face was so perfectly symmetrical that one might have thought it had been sculpted by Aphrodite herself. His long, immaculate eyelashes matched his eyebrows.
The room he was in was magnificent: a marble floor, a golden chandelier hanging above his bed.
The curtains were slightly open, letting in a few rays of sunlight. The atmosphere was divine… the only thing that could ruin it was the grimace on the prince's face, as if he had just awoken from a terrible nightmare. Suddenly, his mother burst into the room.
"Caelmir! Wake up! The palace awaits!" exclaimed Seraphine Crownveil, Queen of Celestial and mother of Caelmir.
"Mmmh~~~" murmured Caelmir, still wrapped in the arms of Morpheus.
"The ceremony begins in four hours. Your sister has already started getting ready. It's high time you woke up, you little brat. You do know the Elders are already displeased with you, don't you?" said Seraphine.
"…Alright, Mom. I still have time. And you know Célénia has always been an early riser. There's no point comparing us. I prefer sleeping in," I said, stretching.
"…Are you joking? I'm telling you, this is the Awakening Ceremony, not an event you can take lightly. Your father places great importance on it, and he expects you won't pull a stunt like last year… He wants you to behave," Seraphine exclaimed.
"Fine, fine, I get it… no need to insist. And I remind you, I wasn't the only one who threw the strawberry pie at Duke Augustin. Célénia called him a steroid-fed pig too, so why am I the only one being scolded?" I exclaimed.
"Pfff… Because at least she has a good reputation in court, unlike you, little brat. Now hurry up instead of jabbering," Seraphine explained.
"Alright… get out so I can get ready," I said.
"You must be ready in an hour, no more. We'll meet in the audience hall—the carriage awaits," she said before turning and leaving the room.
After a few minutes of staring into space , I finally decided to head to the bathroom.
Passing in front of the mirror, I took a moment to admire myself. White, milky hair flowing to my shoulders, beautiful sapphire-blue eyes, a symmetrical face, thick eyebrows, full crimson lips, a sharp nose… what more could I ask for? By definition, I was the ultimate handsome guy.
The only noticeable flaw was my lack of abs, but I would soon fix that. After the Awakening Ceremony, Father promised me access to the training hall and the family manual. Then I could start cultivating my skills and surpass Maverick, that bastard, who kept bragging about finally reaching the Paladin level.
Anyway, enough talking—time to get ready.
"Still… that nightmare was pretty strange," I said, looking into the glass and trying to recall it.
The floor was red with sticky blood, and corpses were piled by the dozens.
The smell of iron burned my throat, and with every step I took, I saw familiar faces—citizens, guards, knights, paladins—mutilated, some gutted. The palace was reduced to rubble, and distant screams rose above a sky blackened by smoke.
But through all the chaos, I glimpsed a translucent figure. It seemed to speak, but I couldn't hear anything, as if an invisible veil separated us. I could see lips moving, but no sound came out.
I tried to move closer to make out what it was saying, but before I could, my mother woke me.
"Better start getting ready before she comes back to skin me alive," I muttered, stepping into the shower.
After a few minutes, hot water poured over my shoulders, sliding down my skin like fingers of fire. Caelmir felt his muscles relax, though the chill of the nightmare still lingered in his chest.
"Ahh~~… that feels good," he said, moving toward his wardrobe, where the uniform for the Awakening Ceremony awaited.
The outfit was deep black, adorned with the Crownveil family crest in gold. Two swords hung at his side: one wavy like a serpent, the other resembling the traditional cross-hilted knightly sword, and above them, an eye was engraved.
After putting on the outfit, Caelmir admired himself one last time in the mirror.
He ran a finger along the collar to ensure the embroidery was straight.
The attire, called Tharion, was the traditional uniform worn by his brothers, his father, and the Crownveil ancestors for the Awakening Ceremonies. Now it was his turn.
It fit him well: the black fabric made the white of his hair stand out, the golden embroidery complemented the blue of his eyes, and a ceremonial sword decorated with rare Lumen crystals rested at his hip.
After one final glance at his reflection, he finally headed toward the audience hall.