Greeted by the cool night air which was refreshing after escaping the loud and exhaustive ballroom. They stepped into the moonlit garden courtyard. The garden was filled with beautiful lanterns that illuminated the corridors surrounding the courtyard.
Two silhouettes began to appear, enveloped by the light. One wore an elegant crimson gown, her hair was a beautiful silver and her eyes ruby red. The other was caped in red with a black-collared uniform. His hair was jet black and his eyes were a beautiful blue color. The girl was none other than Alicia Asylia Eron, first princess and second in line to the Kingdom of Eron; the other was Klaus Ryter, royal guardsman and escort to the princess.
This garden was filled with roses, while beautiful on their own, they were also representative of the golden rose crest portrayed on the Kingdom of Eron's banner.
Alicia knelt down, admiring the beauty of the roses while Klaus stood at attention by her side remaining watchful.
[Alicia] "Klaus, do you think roses have personalities?" She looked over her shoulder with a bright smile.
[Klaus] "Personalities, Your Highness?" Caught off guard by the peculiar question.
Alicia nodded seriously, as though that question was the most logical thing in the world.
[Alicia] "Of course! Look at this one! Doesn't he seem a little shy?!" She gestured towards a rose tucked beneath its leaves.
[Klaus] "Perhaps… It's hiding from the cold." Klaus smiled lightly, indulging her playful tone.
[Alicia] "See, even flowers get chilly! Maybe they need a coat, just like you!" Alicia laughed softly, amused with her teasing of Klaus and his serious demeanor even in the cold.
[Klaus] Showing another faint smile, "I think I'd look rather silly wearing a coat of petals." He chuckled under his breath.
[Alicia] Alicia grinned widely, "Not just any coat of petals! A grand crimson coat, one with petals and gold trimming—fit for the most dashing of royal guards."
Alicia lightly twirled herself, mimicking a cloak flowing in the air as she spun.
[Klaus] "A bold choice Your Highness. Maybe you'd be willing to add some armor plates to it. I'd take that any day." Feigning seriousness.
[Alicia] Alicia sighed, "Always so practical Klaus. You know, if you dreamt a little more, you could see the world a little more like me."
[Klaus] Klaus smiled softly, his smile a little more genuine. "I see enough of the world Princess, especially with keeping you safe."
[Alicia] "You're always so serious. One day I'll get you to relax, promise." She said warmly, while sharpening her gaze at him.
[Klaus] Shrugging with a slight grin, "I wouldn't count on it."
[Alicia] "I will, you'll see!" Alicia pouted.
Klaus and Alicia both chuckle lightly, amused by themselves.
Klaus taking notice of the weather, "Shall we head back inside towards the ball room? It's becoming a little chilly, and this is His Highness the Prince's special day."
[Alicia] Alicia with a bright smile on her face, "Alrighty! Let's go."
Both of them exited the garden courtyard and made their way back into the ballroom.
Alicia and Klaus eventually made their way back towards the ball room. The room itself was a grand hall made out of marble and other mineral assortments. Royal banners were adorned on great pillars, with beautiful chandeliers attached from the ceiling.
Among the crowd were many attendees taking part in the afternoon celebrations, many of which were nobles, esteemed businessmen and some were foreign dignitaries. Eron wasn't a grand Kingdom— only the size of a city-state with a minor population of only a million. Yet with it's small size came the capability for the standard of living to drastically increase, making it a fair economic bloc among the many surrounding city states.
Approaching the two was Celus; Alicia's brother and heir to the Kingdom of Eron.
His frame was athletic and his hair and eyes portraying similar features to Alicia. His attire was that of a Prince— wearing a bold crimson jacket with golden epaulets at both sides.
His clothing choice for the night was most definitely due to the importance of the event gracing the castle tonight.
[Alicia] "Elder brother!" Alicia called out.
[Celus] "Alicia!" Celus responded.
Klaus stood at attention near Alicia.
[Alicia] "Brother, don't you think Klaus is always soo serious!" Alicia said in a teasing manner.
[Klaus] "Uhm— Your Highn—" Klaus was cut off.
[Celus] "Haha! If he wasn't serious then I couldn't count on him to protect you." Celus chuckled, giving into Alicia's teasing manner.
Klaus sighed, knowing he was in the middle of the antics of two people he both feared and respected the most.
While Klaus was only three years older than Alicia at twenty; Celus was seven years older than Klaus. Celus was widely respected not only among the people and state, but particularly within the royal guard as he once held post, being considered one of the youngest lieutenants at just eighteen. Only showing the prowess of the one day to be King.
Naturally, due to the duties of Klaus' post requiring him to be the personal escort of Alicia— he grew a relationship with Alicia, yet was very observant of the sibling relationship between her and Celus. That relationship of theirs is not only something he has grown fond of, but acknowledges that if something were to happen— it would harm Alicia; which would provoke his sworn duty.
Celus began speaking towards Klaus.
[Celus] "I hope she hasn't been too much trouble." Celus said in a somewhat feigned seriousness.
[Klaus] "Maybe just a little bit Your Highness." Klaus said in a joking manner with a slight smirk under his breath.
Alicia intervened,
[Alicia] "I'm not a kid! You can't keep treating me like that!" she pouted in a tone she thought was serious.
Celus laughed, amused by how easy it was to get his kid sister in a fit. Celus turned once again to continue conversating with Klaus.
[Celus] "Well regardless, you should take a break Klaus."
[Klaus] "A break Your Highness?" Klaus responded.
[Celus] "Yes, treat yourself to some of the banquet. Taste some deserts and converse with others. Father has requested both Alicia and I— I'm sure there's something he wishes to discuss with the two of us before he makes his entrance in front of the guests."
[Klaus] "But—"
[Celus] "No buts! You're now dismissed! Go enjoy the ball now." Celus responded, having to order Klaus in order for him to enjoy himself.
Klaus resigned himself, a little disheartened but looking forward to enjoying some of the amenities of the evening. Celus and Alicia proceeded to walk off the ball room floor and up a beautiful set of stairs toward a grand double door which their father, King Cyrus, was awaiting behind.
The events of the night had continued for a short time— until out of nowhere, the sky began to thunder and the ground began to shake. This wasn't any form of ordinary earthquake, nor was it the average thunderstorm, it was something far greater.
Not understanding of the situation, Klaus immediately bolted up the stairs off the ball room floor. His hand reached out and caught the door; as he opened the door he caught a glimpse of Alicia, in that glimpse her head turned back towards Klaus. It looked as if she was trying to announce his name, yet it fell on deaf ears.
The grand windows of the ball room began to shatter while the very foundations of the castle landscape began to erupt into explosion. A grand white light soon enveloped the entirety of the surrounding landscape which the castle sat upon. Klaus was knocked unconscious.
[Klaus] "Arghh! My head!"
Klaus' eyes began to open. He could feel a sharp pain on his head and his chest felt heavy. His vision soon went from a blur to a somewhat vivid picture. The ringing in his ears began to subside.
All that could be heard in the distance were screams— yells of pain and anguish. All that he could imagine… was terror.
Klaus began to move his head, arms and legs, wondering where this heavy feeling was coming from. As he looked down, he saw a stone marble piece of the ball room stuck on his chest, about half his size. He maneuvered himself out from under the rubble and began to collect himself together, still in a daze with what happened.
As he stood up, he felt water piercing his skin. He looked up and saw rain. The clear and refreshing night was now greeted by rain and a follow up of light mist. Yet much of this light mist was from the vast amounts of debris. There wasn't any ceiling anymore— for that matter, there wasn't even any structure anymore.
As he looked around he saw scenes of absolute disgust. Bodies dismembered and crushed under the falling debris— people trying to carry themselves if they still had any limbs, and if not, then crawling by their fingernails. The once magnificent event now drenched in blood. The aristocratic and common folk reduced to showing the same emotion and shedding the same blood.
[Klaus] "Huh… What's happening? Huh— What?! Why? Why—"
Klaus began to fall into a state of panic. His heart began to beat faster, his breaths became faster and shorter. His body heating up rapidly. His hands began to grab his chest, working their way up towards his throat. It was as though he couldn't grasp for air. While he lifted the debris off himself, his body started to weigh heavier. The weight now beginning to consume him.
Then suddenly the sky began to roar. It was different from the thunderous sounds from before, yet the once castle foundation began to shake. This brought Klaus out of his state of panic as he looked on towards the sky.
Great displays of light began to show as two silhouettes raced throughout the sky. They clashed against each other. Clash after clash, spark after spark. The sky was set ablaze by the onslaught from above.
In the midst of the great battle ensuing above, a scream could be heard from among the ruins of the castle. Klaus heard the agonizing scream— yet it sounded familiar; it was Alicia's. Klaus began to rush towards her with sword and scabbard in hand.
As he approached, the sight he saw was absolutely horrific. Alicia had nothing left of her legs below the knees— yet that seemed to matter little to her as she hovered above Celus' dismembered body. Everything below his torso was ultimately under the rubble, yet you could visibly see it was all detached from his upper body. Again this mattered little to Alicia as she pounded upon his chest with her fists, screaming and begging for him to get up. Tears continued to rush down her face as she continued to yell and cry out to Celus. The once graceful beauty was now feral and untamed.
Klaus' stomach began to contort, grabbing his stomach and then his mouth as he began to gag. Steeling his resolve he reached out towards Alicia with his hand, aiming to take her and get away.
[Klaus] "Alicia!" Klaus called out to her almost subconsciously.
The sky began to ripple as though thunder was repeatedly being heard. Then… Impact, the ground burst and Klaus was blown backwards, while Alicia was moved barely. The once castle grounds now filled with a cloud of debris; casting a dark veil.
[Klaus] "Argh!! Aagh—" Klaus stood up once more while still in a great deal of pain.
He looked onwards towards Alicia. As he looked, a figure began to approach from the debris. As the light began to cast itself upon this figure, you could clearly make him out as being a man. His expression and walk was confident, yet blazingly intense. Black hair long and silk like, almost as if it was ethereal. His immaculate physique was complemented by the white robes which showed his bare skin. As an undertone to his black hair, golden earrings were adorned at each side.
It seemed as though he was directing himself towards the path of the crater impact before him. In which lay a man of a smaller and slimmer physique with beautiful long golden hair, wearing similar white robes. Rather this man was heavily injured and looked to be on the verge of death.
Klaus was stunned, it had looked as if these individuals were gods. Snapping back to reality at the notice that Alicia was slowly crawling out from before the feet of the black haired man. She looked to be in agonizing pain, something which could be clearly understood as her body was severely injured and dismembered.
The black haired man stopped; raising his right arm forward, with his hand facing the crater in which the blond haired man lay. From the distance of both men in the middle, down on the ground was Alicia.
Klaus' couldn't move. His legs wouldn't pick up off the ground. He was utterly paralyzed as his senses began to understand that something horrific was about to happen.
[Klaus] "Move! Move! Move it— Goddamnit!" He spoke subconsciously, trying to do absolutely anything in his power to move.
[Klaus] "Why… Why can't you move?" He began to tear, powerless before and powerless again.
Klaus took his sword and thrusted it into his right leg. Trying to use the adrenaline to his advantage.
[Klaus] "Agh!"
Pulling his sword out from his leg, he began to move forward. Yet this would matter little. From the black haired man's palm began to swell a fiery vortex, enveloping everything in front of him.
In the fraction of a single moment, before Klaus' eyes, Alicia was utterly disintegrated. Her screams eventually faded into nothingness. Both Alicia and the blond haired man burned to ash.
In that same fraction of a moment, the excess flames burned Klaus' face. Peeling away at his skin and hair alike, yet he was too numb to feel the harsh burns.
[Klaus] "Huh?"
[Klaus] "Why?"
Then it hit. The pain as Klaus' let out an excruciating scream. Beneath Klaus the ground began to break and fall apart. As he began to be pulled into the darkness below, he saw a glimpse of the back of the black haired man as he began to walk away.
Klaus' beautiful world was now gone. Everyone he had known, dead. The place he was to end up could be anywhere. Yet it was most likely death.
Falling through the deep darkness, the fiery flames and minimal light that could be seen from above began to fade away until it was no more.
[Klaus] "This… is it…?"
[Klaus] "I'm sorry… I couldn't keep my promise…"
Klaus thought to himself as his eyes began to close. His body started to become colder as if he was beginning to freeze over, becoming numb to the pain.
And so, the dark depths below consumed him, whisking him away from his world above.
Forever.