No matter how many worlds I have to destroy, I will adhere to our vow. Lives don't matter — only our promise and our decision. I will make you mine again, my beloved.
It's funny how much I have become like you now. We are still the vanguard of humanity, even if no one else knows it.
And sin? Sin is such a formality for us. We really are beyond good and evil now, my beloved.
---
My name is Laira. I am the First Princess of the Kingdom of Alaria, and today I will officially join the Academy of Magic. I was waiting for my father near the carriage, along with two of my new friends.
Rosten — a guy from an orphanage who had displayed insane talent for magic since birth. My father took him in years ago after noticing his potential. For the past few years, he had lived under royal care, and now he was joining the academy along with me.
Though we hadn't interacted much in the palace, so this felt almost like our first real encounter.
He was eighteen as well, handsome in a sharp, dangerous way, with messy black hair and crimson eyes.
"Why is he glaring around with such determination?" I wondered. But I guess he was always like this.
The other guy, Kael, a baron's son, had white hair and blue eyes. He was smiling at me with a hopeful and happy expression. See? This is how you look at your new friends, Rosten. You don't have to prove to everyone how scary you are.
Our father was late, as always... It's not like he hated me, I think, but... well, I will just let you see it for yourself.
"Your Majesty!"
Two lines of knights snapped to attention. They stood rigid to create a living corridor between our carriage and my father.
He had dark grey hair, just like me, and wore the red and golden robes that he always wore for state work.
Oh, boy. He glared at me even more viciously than Rosten did. Actually, much more viciously. Can you all just relax, guys? I didn't do anything!
"Laira, I see you are ready for your journey," he said with a cold, official tone. It seemed like he really wanted to get this over with.
"Yes, Father. Thank you for seeing me off," I said with an honest smile, and bowed perfectly. He might be in a bad mood, as always, but I wanted to make it a happy moment between us.
"Don't disgrace me at the academy. I expect the best results from you. Even better than from the peasant boy," he coldly declared, as if it was something absolute. An order that must be followed no matter what.
Also, "the peasant boy" was standing right next to him. Rosten was bowing much lower than me, true, but you should not just insult him like this to his face.
"Don't worry, I'll just copy off Rosten, and then we'll have the same results," I joked, looking at my father with a smile.
But I only met an even more vicious glare from my father, and a disappointed glare from Rosten on my left.
"What? I am just trying to lighten the mood, guys..." I tried keeping the smile, but the silence was heavy. "Okay, I guess it wasn't that funny." I retreated, lowering my head.
I still think it was worth at least trying to make everyone smile.
"Anyway," my father said, moving his attention to Rosten. "You need to put your utmost into your studies too. I took you from that ugly place only because of your talent. Don't disappoint me."
"Yes, Your Majesty. I will not," Rosten said with clear dedication, masking the anger I knew was boiling beneath his calm facade.
"And you, Kael. Protect my daughter, no matter what. If you want to become a knight."
"Yes, Your Majesty! Of course!" Kael confirmed enthusiastically.
With that, my father turned around and left us without a backward glance. And so, all three of us were now ready to set off to our new home for the next four years. Kael offered his hand to help me into the carriage.
"Thank you."
"My pleasure, Princess. And don't worry about what he said. You have a bright new four years ahead of you," he smiled back warmly.
Rosten smiled derisively at the display of chivalry and climbed into the carriage with us. He was looking attentively at the guards for some reason.
---
The carriage ride was smooth for the first hour or so. Rosten was clearly not interested in conversation, judging by his brooding look. Kael was more friendly, but we had met about a week ago, so we already knew each other slightly. I didn't want to start talking with Kael so that Rosten wouldn't feel left out. And starting a conversation with Rosten right now would be just too scary.
"You know, Rosten, it's amazing how you keep your aura contained. My father says Dark Magic is volatile, but you hold it back like it's nothing. That takes incredible discipline," Kael said pleasantly, breaking the silence.
"It's just necessity. If I let it slip, people faint," Rosten grumbled simply.
"I think it's kind of you. Considerate," I added softly.
Our carriage was accompanied by about a dozen soldiers, riding on horses in full armor.
"Is this him?" I heard the voice of one of them drift through the window.
"Yes! The guy who uses dark magic. Even I don't feel safe being around him. The Princess must be terrified sitting with him in the same carriage."
That's not a nice thing to say. I should shut them up. Yeah, it would be a great opportunity to start a conversation on a positive note.
But I didn't make it in time, since Rosten slammed open the window of the carriage ahead of me.
"Hey, you! Walk in silence and look out for any danger. You are not here to gossip like two market hags!"
The two soldiers glared at him.
"Of course, we apologize, Your Highness," one of the soldiers said. But not to Rosten. He looked at me while saying it, as if to exclude Rosten from the conversation entirely. "We are all just worried about your safety."
"Oh, it's not a problem. Everything is alright," I said quickly, looking out the window too.
I closed the window back and turned to Rosten.
"I am sorry for that. They didn't mean you any harm."
"Yeah, sure," he said, clearly not agreeing with me.
Kael just smiled politely, unsure whether he should join the conversation. So I continued instead.
"I never saw your magic, but I think it's amazing! Will you show it to me sometime?"
At that moment, he flinched as if struck by lightning. By his expression, I knew instantly that something was wrong. His whole face shifted from annoyed to battle-ready.
"I feel something," he whispered. "Kael, come with me. Princess, stay here," he commanded, standing up and kicking the carriage door open.
"What? What happened?" I asked, confused.
"Demons. I sense its presence."
"Got it," Kael agreed, his face hardening.
Both Kael and Rosten exited the carriage quickly. Kael had his sword with him, but Rosten didn't have any weapon. That didn't worry me much; I knew that he never used one.
What did worry me was the word "demons." They weren't supposed to be in this area. We were only an hour away from the palace — probably the safest and most guarded place in the entire kingdom.
I got out of the carriage and looked around. Only now did I feel it too — an ominous, oily presence radiating from the forest.
"Demon is coming! Everyone get over here. It is coming from the west!" Rosten shouted to the guards. Some of them were mages and felt it too.
"Everyone in formation!" the Captain of the guard bellowed. He was a middle-aged man with red armor and a thick black beard. "My lords, please get into the carriage and flee from here!"
"I am staying!" Rosten declared simply. "Get the Princess out of here!"
"Ah... Fine," the Captain said. He didn't have time to worry about two young boys who decided to play hero. His first priority was to protect me.
He turned around and saw me getting out of the carriage.
"No, Your Majesty! Please get inside," he commanded with a pleading tone.
"Yeah, get inside," Rosten agreed sharply.
"I will not. I am perfectly capable with my Light Magic, so I will support you from here."
Rosten wanted to say something, but then he flinched again and snapped his head toward the forest.
"It's coming!" he yelled.
We all looked there and saw a black humanoid shadow moving towards us. The guards with their spears stood in front, along with Kael and Rosten. I stood in the back, ready to support them. We didn't even have a few seconds before it reached us.
It was a nightmare — a weird, skeleton-like creature. But it was over eight feet tall and had six long, spindly arms protruding from all over its body, each tipped with long, razor-sharp claws. It looked similar to a mummy, but it was wreathed in black mist. Dark magic. Everyone felt the chill of it. Glaring at us with burning red eyes, it prepared to strike.
A complete silence held for a heartbeat.
"Bri-ing me to her! Br-bring me to he-er! A-a!" the creature screamed at us, its voice like grinding stones.
Rosten seized the moment, his eyes narrowing as he concentrated on his spell. A swirl of inky mist erupted from his palms, coiling and hardening rapidly until it formed a long, jagged sword in his right hand. It was a weapon forged from pure shadow — the exact same dark magic that was radiating from the beast.
What an irony, right?
The monster crashed into the guards in the front, trying to break our defense lines. The archers in the back tried shooting it, but the arrows bounced off its hide without doing much damage.
"Kael! I will try to attack from the rear. Keep the formation!" Rosten shouted, moving to the rear and then diving into the treeline.
He was trying to flank it while the creature was occupied with the guards.
"Yes, fine!" Kael agreed, stepping up.
The Captain heard Rosten too and commanded everyone to hold the line.
The creature slashed the spear of one of the guards in half. Seeing that, the second guard drove his spear into the creature while it was distracted. The creature screamed, swinged its long claws, and slashed both guards instantly. Other guards took their place, desperate to keep the creature occupied. I concentrated my mana and started healing the fallen guards, but I couldn't get too close, so it wasn't very effective.
The monster sliced sporadically, injuring a few more guards. The Captain was pushed away, crashing into the dirt.
Rosten charged at the creature from the back. His black sword cut through the air. He was fast. Incredibly fast. He moved like a storm, parrying the beast's claws and trying to find its weak point.
"Hold it!" Rosten roared. "Come on, just give me an opening. Shit!"
Rosten was fighting with all his strength, slashing and blocking the creature's attacks. But the guards were falling one after another.
Now, only Kael stood in front of the monster.
"Its claws slash through our armor like butter. We need to retreat," he thought.
"Princess, run!"
"Not now."
The creature raised a massive hand to attack him, and Kael instinctively jumped away, losing his sword in the process. He frantically looked around for a different weapon, but there was nothing within reach.
Only I was standing between the creature and the carriage. I only had a few seconds before it struck me.
I saw Rosten, who was concentrating on something. He was preparing for one final attack! But I could see he was exhausted from the fight.
The creature was facing me, so it had probably forgotten Rosten was right behind it.
Now, for the big question. Do I cast a shield on myself, or do I transfer my mana to Rosten? Transferring my mana would increase his physical abilities and spell power, but I would be left vulnerable.
I didn't have much time to think, so I raised my hand and threw a sphere of concentrated gold mana in his direction.
It wasn't technically a spell, just a raw transfer. A flood of pure, golden light poured from my palm into his body.
Rosten gasped. His crimson eyes flared as if they were on fire. The exhaustion vanished from his face, replaced by an overwhelming surge of power. His black sword suddenly glowed with a blinding golden aura.
With a roar that rivaled the monster's, Rosten swung.
Slash.
It was one clean motion. The beast was cleaved in two, dissolving into black mist before it even hit the ground.
Silence fell over the road.
Rosten stood there, panting heavily. The golden light faded from his dark sword. Now it was a mix of golden and black mist swirling in his hands. He deactivated the spell, and the sword dissolved into smoke. Slowly, he turned his head. He wasn't looking at the dead monster. He was looking at Kael.
Rosten marched over to the Kael, grabbed him by the collar, and slammed him against the tree.
"You coward!" Rosten snarled, raising a fist. "You broke the formation! The Princess could have died!"
I looked around and saw all the wounded soldiers groaning on the ground.
"Rosten. Please help me with the injured," I said firmly.
"Fine." He dropped Kael and joined me.
We spent some time healing all the wounded. No one had died, which was a miracle.
"Thank you so much, Princess. Without you, we would all be dead," the Captain said, lowering his head in shame. "I will make sure to withdraw from the Emperor's guard. I am not worthy of protecting you."
Rosten was glaring at me, Kael felt embarrassed, and the soldiers were still a bit shaky from what happened.
I really needed to raise their spirits before it was too late.
"Stop it. Everyone did well. Amazing, even," I started confidently and simply. "That monster was clearly a very powerful one, and we defeated it. No one fled the battlefield; everyone did what they could."
"Except for Kael," Rosten cut in. "He got scared and jumped away. He should have stood his ground. If the monster had been a bit quicker, you would be dead."
"Come on, you know Kael would have died anyway from that hit. His instincts saved him," I reasoned.
"I agree. He sliced my hand clean off. Now I will have to regrow a new one with a healer," the Captain said, clutching his arm.
"That's right," I chirped. "Besides, that was probably his first battle with a real monster, right?"
"Yes, my Princess," Kael confirmed quietly. "Though, it's true that I wasn't strong enough to protect you."
"Well, and I wasn't brave enough to start talking to Rosten when we were in the carriage," I said, seemingly for no reason. "I am still pretty scared of him. He-he."
The soldiers smiled at that, and the Captain laughed.
"What does that mean? I defeated it," Rosten said indignantly.
"Yes." I got more serious with that phrase. "Rosten has saved everyone here. I hope you will find it in your hearts to accept him as your hero. At least for today."
"Yeah. For sure," the soldiers agreed, still shaky from the adrenaline. Especially those two who were gossiping about him earlier.
"Now, I think it's time for us to go."
---
The three of us got into the carriage, and Rosten was the first to break the silence.
"Why did you do that?" he asked with a suspicious but quieter tone. At least he wasn't glaring at me now. "You dumped your mana into me. You left yourself completely defenseless."
"That wasn't an emotional decision, I assure you. I knew that you were preparing a strike, so I decided to put my bet on you."
"I understand, but it was very risky. If you died, I would have been killed anyway by your precious father."
"He-he. I can see the look on your face if you tried to explain it to him."
"That's not funny!" he exclaimed, but for the first time ever, he smiled at that. Only for a moment, but he smiled. "My point is... don't put your trust into others so easily. Anyway, it worked this time, so that's all that matters."
"Yeah. And Kael, don't sit so gloomily. Relax, you did perfectly too."
"Oh, right. I hope so." He definitely wasn't very happy about his first battle performance.
"So, boys. We are now officially comrades in arms. I think I should be your captain, but I can pass this role onto one of you, if you want to," I said with an exaggerated tone, raising my head high.
I was doing it on purpose, trying to exploit this opportunity to bond as best as we could.
"Oh, I am definitely taking it. I will be in command," Rosten said calmly.
"I knew you would say that. He-he."
Kael smiled, and Rosten simply shrugged his shoulders.
---
What was that feeling I had when I sliced that monster?Rosten thought, staring at his hands. I felt something. Some kind of connection. I never had this feeling before. And it... reminded me of something.
As soon as he thought that, a sharp pain spiked in his head. He rubbed his temples to ease the thumping. What is going on with me?
No, the feeling of connection was probably due to the fact that Laira shared some mana with me. There is not much point in overthinking it.
---
"Is everything okay?" I asked. Since I couldn't read his mind, I didn't know what he was struggling with.
"Yes, it's just... that monster was mumbling something. I think it was: 'Bring me to her'. Did you hear that?"
"Yes. I heard it too," I confirmed. "I wonder what it was."
"He might have been saying it about you."
"What?"
"Demons don't appear in this area, especially such powerful ones. Someone sent it after you, Laira."
---
In a dark room, a shadowed figure sat alone at a table, waiting. The heavy wooden door creaked open, and a person in light armor walked in, face obscured by a mask.
"My Lord. She survived."
"I see," answered the figure.
"What shall we do now?" the visitor asked.
"Wait for my next commands. Dismissed," said the voice.
Once the visitor left, the figure clenched his hands, trembling not with rage, but with a terrifying anticipation of what was to come.
"I cannot fail. I simply cannot fail."