'Rumble'

Her heart raced wildly as she gripped the small cushion tightly in her arms, the silk material of the pillow slipping off her grip.

Thunder roared in the sky as defeaning sounds resounded from miles away. 

She wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. The gold-embroidered purple silk counterpanes crumpled as she moved towards the steps before descending the bedsteads. The coldness of the railings numbed her palm.

As the sound of the thunder diminished, the large chamber seemed to have turned eerily quiet except for the soft crashing of droplets against the window panes.

The sounds of cackling of chains got her attention amidst the quietness.

Grabbing a fur coat from the armchair, she wrapped herself in it and walked out of the room with a lamp in her hand. Usually, there will be guards standing near the door but today, there were none.

'Whoosh'

The whistling sound of wind echoed past the massive hallway. Except for the light lamp in her hand, the whole place was drowned in darkness as the fire was all extinguished by the storm.

Luckily, her maids had closed the windows before they left. Waking up in a dark room with weather like this might have scared her.

She followed the direction of the noise.

Even though it was very minuscule, but she was gifted with good hearing ability. She could hear the sounds of the chains rattling.

She lifted her long nightgown so that it won't sweep the dirty floor. After walking past a few chambers, still following the sound of the chains, she wandered around in the dark hallways. The more she walked, the more the noises increased, she could hear some muffled groans.

Was Royal Uncle refining his powers? It was the first thought that came to her mind. But why would he make such sounds?

They all had dinner together and he said he was going to sleep as he was exhausted.

No matter how she contemplated, she could not think of anything.

So, holding the lamp in her hand, she walked closer to the source of the noise in hopes of discovering the cause of it.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

She gulped softly.

"Esme?"

Every inch of her body relaxed when she heard the voice.

Esme turned around and smiled slightly, "Aunt." 

"You should not play around with the fire," Her Aunt, Marlene said disapprovingly, grabbing the lamp from her hand, "What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

"I heard some noises and came over to check," The little girl replied, glancing at the woman's face under the fire from the lamp.

"And why don't I hear any noises you are talking about?" A frown graced Marlene's beautiful face.

"Because your hearing is not as good as mine," Esme's honest reply made Marlene frown deeper. But the girl simply grabbed her hand before walking towards the source of the noise.

"I don't hear anything," Esme could feel her Aunt's stern gaze settled on the back of her head but that did not discourage her.

Weirdly enough, there were barely any guards in the castle today.

Esme's footsteps came to a halt when they reached a chamber that had its door slightly ajar but it was not enough to see anything going inside, "Here it is," She pointed her finger towards the door.

"Ahhh!!" A loud muffled scream resounded right at that moment as if to prove her point which was followed by an authoritative voice.

"Tell me where it is."

"It's Royal Uncle," Esme softly mumbled, recognizing the voice.

"Your Majesty," A man's polite voice was heard soon after, "His Highness Prince Adrian is no more."

P-Prince Adrian? Esme took a few steps back in disbelief, "What do they mean by Elder Brother is no more? How could these servants be so audacious? They-"

Marlene pressed her palm on the girl's mouth, "Shhh," Tears rolled down her cheeks at the realization. 

Esme opened her mouth to say something, to shout that her brother couldn't be dead but the woman pressed her palm harder on the girl's mouth so much so that she found it difficult to breathe.

'Rumble'

Thunder roared in the sky as a strong gust of wind invaded the castle halls. The wooden door to the chamber was pushed open by the strong wind as it collided against the concrete walls, the flower vases fell to the ground.

The fire lamp in Marlene's hand landed on the floor and the large white silk curtains caught flame, lighting up the whole place.

Esme stood rooted to her spot, unable to move an inch.

From the moment she glanced inside the chamber, she found her gaze stuck to a small cage in the middle of the large chamber. That familiar figure inside the cage was handcuffed to the bars. Head hung low, blood-soaked tattered clothes, he stayed there stagnant with his silver hair framing his face.

"Catch them," Her Royal Uncle, the King ordered his men. No longer was his voice as gentle as she remembered it to be during the family dinner.

But she did not look at him. She wasn't looking at him. She was not able to... Not when she couldn't take her eyes off her brother who was not moving at all.

"Esme, run!!'' Marlene grabbed her hand as she dragged the girl with her.

The fire escalated and Esme's fur jacket fell behind, burning inside the fire.

The cold breeze hit her face and her body through the thin material of her clothing, snapping her out of the reverie. She clutched the nightgown in her fist and fastened her pace.

Marlene took a right turn before the King's men could catch up to her as she ran towards the chamber in the corner. Before they could reach there, she lifted her left hand and moved her wrist. A glowing red ball formed on her palm and she aimed it at the door which was shattered in the next moment.

"Catch them," Esme could hear the guards shouting behind them but that didn't stop her Aunt who ran inside the chamber without looking back.

As soon as they entered inside, she let go of her little hand that was clasped in hers as she picked up the young boy from the bed and embraced him.

She held Esme's hand once again and dragged her towards the window.

Just as the guards barged inside and approached them, a red light shone in the dark chamber as the wall in front of them was blasted to smithereens, and Esme was pushed off the height.

Every inch of her body shuddered and she struggled to move but what could she do in the air? Filled with a sense of helplessness and confusion, she just let herself fall freely.

But in the next second, her Aunt jumped off the place while tightly embracing her younger brother and soon she was almost closer to her.

Esme could hear her heart thumping loudly in her ears as the big droplets of rain crashed on her skin harder as they fell.

Marlene grabbed her hand, hugging her tighter and soon Esme saw an illuminating crystal red surface forming under their feet.