The decision had been made in the imperial court days before. Several high-ranking nobles proposed strengthening ties with Aethelgard, the forested realm adjacent to the empire's eastern province. They argued that friendship with its reclusive inhabitants would ensure peace, secure trade routes, and prevent conflict along the border.
Emperor Caelus IV, after some deliberation, agreed. To show goodwill, he approved sending a diplomatic envoy led by none other than his heir—Alden Alger de Leonhelm, the 25-year-old crown prince.
It was a calculated choice. A personal visit from the crown prince would signal sincerity. But it also meant risk.
Now, Alden rode at the head of the delegation, nearing the edge of the Aethelgard woods.
But, something felt off.
Alden got alert. Since entering the forest, the surrounding has been silent. Too silent.
"Everyone... stay on guard," Alden said.
A guard broke the silence. "Your Highness, we've almost reached the outpost. At this point, there's nothing to wor—"
An arrow struck him through the mouth mid-sentence. He collapsed from his horse, dead before he hit the ground.
Alden's eyes narrowed.
[It was an ambush.]
More arrows followed. Shouts erupted around him as soldiers scrambled. "Protect His Highness!"
The air filled with the hiss of arrows and the screams of men. Alden looked around—there was no sign of the attackers. He couldn't sense anyone nearby. Still, the arrows kept coming. They were too precise, too far. No human archer could shoot like this.
Only two groups were capable of this kind of assault.
The High Elves of Aethelgard.
And the dark-cloaked special forces of Ravencliff—essentially Dark Elves.
Alden sharpened his senses. For a brief second, he caught a glimpse—cloaked figures flickering among the trees. Barely visible. Their arrows shimmered faintly with magic. Their strike pattern mimicked the High Elves, but their movement was too erratic. Unlike the graceful movements of High Elves.
He blocked one mid-air with his blade, another grazed his shoulder. Arrows were flying from every direction.
As he observed the flow of battle, he felt it.. They were being surrounded. Herded.
Forced into a slaughter. If they keep the formation as it is, they will be annihilated, and Ravencliff would make up stories, blaming Aethelgard for the bloodshed.
"Retreat and report to the Empire!" Alden commanded. "Everyone, scatter immediately!"
Attacking a royal envoy or trying to kill the Empire's crown prince.
It could only mean one thing.
[War.]
Limon rode beside him. The second son of House Haylos and Alden's closest aide, he looked alarmed. "That will put you in danger, Your Highness. If they're targeting you—"
"Shut up, Limon. That's an order."
Alden spurred his horse forward, galloping through the trees.
After rushing for about an hour, he thought he had created enough distance. But then it happened__
One moment, his horse's hooves pounded against the earth. The next—an arrow struck his horse in the back, the horse screamed and fell, throwing Alden forward into the air.
Alden tumbled from the saddle, expecting to hit the ground hard.
But before his body could hit the ground, something beyond his wildest imagination started to play before his eyes.
Black hands.
They came from nowhere. Dozens at first, then hundreds, rising like dark vines from a pool of pure shadow. The ghostly hands wrapped around his legs, his arms, his waist, and finally his throat.
They felt like solid smoke—like nightmares made real.
As if he was being dragged through a pitch-black swamp, Alden couldn't understand what was happening. He kept thrashing his arms and legs, trying to break free. Every part of his body was being pulled down. He couldn't even cut through them with his sword—there was no solid form to fight against. The shadows slipped through every swing. While struggling, even his last defense, the sword, fell from his hands.
After what felt like forever, Alden fainted.
Darkness. Silence. Nothing.
---
Alden woke up, his vision blurry. He had no idea how long he'd been unconscious. Or where he was.
He blinked once, then twice, trying to see clearly. Someone was leaning over him.
The moment his eyes focused—
His breath caught in his throat.
A girl was hovering above him, watching him closely with open curiosity. She didn't seem to understand personal space. Her face was unnaturally delicate, almost glowing faintly. Her lips were the color of blood-wine.
And her eyes—
Flames.
They burned with yellow and red fire, glowing like molten gold. Her long hair cascaded around her shoulders in mesmerizing way, each strand flickering and dancing with every breath she took, as if made of living flame itself.
Alden blinked again, his pulse racing. The vision before him was more beautiful than anything he'd ever seen—more ethereal than his mind could properly process. His breath stayed trapped in his throat while his pupils widened, desperately trying to capture every detail of the impossible sight above him. Without realizing it, his thoughts became clouded and his senses grew hazy under her overwhelming presence.
[_Oh lord_ ]
he thought.
[_Is this something I am allowed to watch?_ Even seeing her felt like a sin...]
The girl flinched slightly when he stirred, startling backward as if surprised that this unknown creature is suddenly moving. He looked too similar to herself, yet fundamentally different—unlike anything she had ever seen. She moved back slowly, uncertainty and caution clear in every movement.
That was when Alden noticed them.
[Wings. Wait... what? Wings???]
Not regular feathered wings, and definitely not the pure white wings that angels were portrayed to have. Instead, these were made of raw, flowing, living fire that rose from her back, coiling and moving in slow motion like smoke through water.
Alden's heart skipped several beats.
[_Am I dead?_ ]
The thought drifted through his mind like a whispered sigh.
[ _Is this what heaven looks like?_] Had he known, he would have done more good deeds. Huh, still, he got into heaven with such an angel, no less.
He found his voice, though it came out soft and uncertain, barely above a whisper.
"Hello... is this, by any chance... heaven?"
The girl tilted her head, her flame-bright eyes narrowing slightly as confusion flickered across her delicate features. The strange words didn't ring a bell to her.
She opened her mouth to respond, and Alden held his breath. Surely something graceful and divine would come from lips so perfectly formed—
Instead, what came out was a sudden, piercing scream.
[_What in the world—_]
Alden jumped back, startled.
Aurenya stared down at him, her own heart now racing with recognition and confusion.
[_That voice..._]
'The creature,' she thought with growing realization, her eyes narrowing as she leaned closer to examine this strange being.
[_The one that used to speak to me from somewhere I couldn't understand..._]
She studied him carefully, her mind struggling to process what she was seeing. He wasn't made of fire like herself. He didn't appear to be made of frost or gold either. And yet... he looked almost like her in some ways. Almost the same, but not quite.
A long pause settled between them as they watched each other with mutual fascination and wariness.
Then, with obvious hesitation and using her melodious speech, she added:
"Um... you. What... are you?"
[_Good lord, even her voice is beautiful_] Alden thought.
---
The panic had passed. Words had been exchanged.
Now, they sat—Alden on a smooth patch of stone, and Aurenya perched on the ledge of a tree nearby, legs slightly submerged in water. The lake behind her shimmered gold, glowing with something other than sunlight.
Alden broke the silence, voice still hushed, as though afraid to break whatever fragile peace had formed.
"So... you're saying... you could hear my voice?"
Aurenya nodded slowly. "Yes. When you cried and shouted, saying, 'Angel, help me...'"
Alden winced. His ears flushed red.
[_That had to be when I was a child._]
He looked away, biting back a groan.
[_How the hell did she recognize that it was me?_]
He didn't know, of course, that Aurenya hadn't heard or understood the words—rather she'd heard the voice of his soul behind them. That's how Saelaris communicated.
They were not even speaking the same language now. And yet... every word made perfect sense to both of them.
Alden shifted uncomfortably, trying to hide his embarrassment behind another question. "Did you bring me here?"
Aurenya blinked, as if the idea itself surprised her. "No... you crawled here yourself."
She pointed delicately behind her
"See the golden lake? You came from there crawling out... Don't you remember?"
Alden turned. The surface of the lake rippled softly. He stared, his brow furrowing.
"No... I can't remember."
Even now, Aurenya's presence was overwhelming. Her eyes alone made his chest tighten. He pinched his forearm, hard. Again. The pain helped him focus.
Then something flashed across his mind—shouts, steel, hooves, the sudden cold of shadow. He inhaled sharply.
"What happened to my comrades?"
Aurenya tilted her head thoughtfully. "Comrades...? You mean... those?"
She gestured toward the edge of the lake.
Alden followed her gaze—and there they were. On the far bank, dark elves in black cloak rushing all over the space he had left behind. Scouring the place his dead horse was. Searching.
[_For me._]
Alden counted them quickly. Too many. Far more than he could handle alone, especially without his horse or proper weapons. They were hunters. The same elves who had shot his horse, who had been chasing him through the forest.
[_I can't go back there. Not yet_]
He looked back up at Aurenya, biting his inner molars to keep from getting overwhelmed again. His voice came out quieter than before, more calculating:
"Is it... alright if I stay here a bit longer?"
[_Until they move on or I can figure out a better plan._]
Aurenya didn't answer at first.
She just watched him, flame-wings pulsing softly behind her like a heartbeat. Then, almost to herself, "I don't know why you came here... but I think you should rest."
Alden felt a strange warmth spread through his chest at her words.
"Thank you," he said softly. "I don't understand what happened to me. Or how I got here. But..." He paused, looking at her flame-bright eyes. "I'm grateful it was you who found me."
Aurenya's wings flickered brighter for just a moment, like a candle flame dancing in a breeze.
The silence stretched between them again, but it felt different now. Less tense. More... peaceful.
Alden kept drifting in his thoughts,
[_What is this place?_]
Alden wondered, looking around at the strange, beautiful landscape.
[_And what is she?_]
But for now, those questions could wait. His body ached, his mind was still foggy, and the warmth of this mysterious sanctuary was too comforting to leave just yet.
Besides, he thought as he stole another glance at Aurenya, [_I'm not sure I would want to walk away from her even if I tried._]