In a small corner of the world, within a small empire. Yes. Despite its grandeur, in this current era, it could only be described as a small-empire.
Cities, streets and residences stretched far and wide, yet, the only notable feature this small empire could proudly boast of, apart from its various natural terrains to the royal palace would probably be the…
A small figure could be seen under the crimson rays of the sun, their gaze fixed on the tree before them.
Dark Souls Tree.
Ahead of them, the nightmarish onyx tree rose to the sky, its dark branches reaching for the heavens as though to pierce through them. And on its body were numerous reddish objects that glittered under the crimson sun.
In all honesty, it looked like it had been crafted out of one's worst nightmare and just staring at it would give anyone the chills.
Yet,
'Ah.'
It was the Empire's sacred God.
It was to be worshipped, praised and adored. After all, it was responsible for his grandfather's ascent from grass to grace.
It left him with a title- nonetheless, a burden.
"Crown prince," a voice said from somewhere behind him.
Turning back.
A light, beaming smile crept up his face on seeing the figure.
With flowing blue hair and icy cold eyes, and a captivating body hidden beneath the shimmering golden gown of hers. A single glance from her was enough to cease one's breath, as if winter itself had taken form.
"Astrid," he muttered softly.
"Yes, your highness," Astrid bowed slightly, a barely noticeable, teasing smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
Napoleon frowned.
Turning his back against her, he said, his voice filled with a hint of coldness. "...How many times had I tell you to~"
"I know Napoleon," she said.
Smiling, she stepped forward, taking slow, steady steps towards him.
Leaning against his back, she wrapped her hands around him and said, "I'm sorry mon amour."
'Hah.' Napoleon smiled.
He couldn't bear to stay angry at her for too long, anyway.
"Better," he said softly.
He turned to face her, his arms wrapped around her waist as he drew her closer.
"Oh- spicy," Astrid teased.
Napoleon smiled, tracing the edges of her hair.
Astrid was the only daughter of the Ballerione family- a Duke family. She was also around the same age as he was- age 16.
And since the death of the only family she had ever known- before her father's passing- she had lived with them.
Over the years, they had gone from strangers to best friends, and finally, to whatever their relationship had become.
Astrid smiled, leaning against his chest, she said softly, "So…where are we headed for today, Napoléon."
He and Astrid had a kind of fetish to always go sight-seeing any other day. At least when he wasn't too occupied with royal duties.
"Hmm," Napoleon touched his chin with his right hand. "...How about we head to Aurora Falls."
Aurora Falls.
A recently explored region of the Empire. Since his grandfather founded the Empire, the royal family had tasked transcenders- mostly those of the traveller pathway and any other available awakened, with the duty of exploring the Empire's unexplored region.
And as of the moment, the Empire had covered half of the unexplored regions. As for why such measures were taken.
'Hah.'
With the end of the chaotic era, the current world was bristling with unimaginable danger at every turn and corner. And any unexplored region was very much a recipe for disaster.
"Yeah!" Astrid smiled cheerfully, pecking him softly.
"Alright," Napoleon smiled. "So…do we leave now or~"
"Now!" she said, almost immediately.
Napoleon laughed lightly.
"Alright, my lady," he said. "Your words are mine to obey."
A bright red shade adorned Astrid's face, but over the months, she could maintain her composure better, now.
With a bashful expression and face as red as tomato. She placed her hand in his.
"We should get going."
Napoleon smiled, locking hands with her as they headed back for the Empire.
He threw the dark soul's tree one last glance before they headed back to the palace.
Step~ Step~
Since the dark soul's tree was located at the far end of the explored region. It was situated further down the empire's palace.
Before long, they made it back to the palace.
They, of course, soon passed by the garden where the gardeners were busy tending to the plants; some made use of esper arts while some made use of more esoteric means- praying to gods, notably the earth goddess.
Tok~ Tok~
~ Greetings lady Astrid.
~ Greetings crown prince.
Astrid smiled at the gestures.
Napoleon simply nodded. Waving his hands, he motioned for the gardeners to go on with their work.
A few minutes later.
With guards now accompanying them, they headed for the aurora falls.
Although he'd prefer to spend some quality alone-moments with Astrid, but unfortunately, although the aurora region had been explored, it was still just a newly explored region. And,
'Ah.'
There's nothing like being too careful.
Within the royal carriage, Astrid had a beaming smile as she rested on Napoleon's leg who unconsciously caressed her hair, though his mind was anything but there.
If he had it his way, he wouldn't go on with this. But alas,
'Ah.'
The rumors of the aurora falls had spread far and wide and had somehow managed to enthrall his queen. She had persistently asked if they could visit the aurora region. But he of course couldn't allow that, at least, not until a few days ago.
With a quiet sigh, he shifted his gaze to Astrid.
With a beaming smile on her face as she softly rested on his laps, he just couldn't get enough of that cute expression of hers, even if he had seen it more times than he had fought an actual battle.
'Hah.'
Whoosh~
The wind swept past them, Astrid's soft bangs falling across her face.
Sensing his gaze, she turned to him, her grip on his hand tightening instinctively, as though she couldn't bear the thought of him leaving her just like her father and mother had.
Napoleon frowned upon noting the faint tears welling in her eyes.
Caressing her hair more softly, with the years of friendship- to what it'd evolved to over the years, he dared say no one knew Astrid better than he did. And seeing her sour expression, he was more than certain that she was thinking about her parents.
With a quiet sigh, he leaned closer and pecked her forehead, a bright red shade adorned her face as a warm feeling took root within her.
Spreading further with each passing second.
Though even with his thick skin, this was as far as he could go… in the presence of the guards- who tacitly turned away.
"We're there your highness," a subtle voice broke the moment, eliciting a clicking of Napoleon's tongue.
Astrid smiled, a cheerful expression crept up her face. "I can't wait to see it! Even Daenaris said it was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.
Daenaris, the empire's royal traveler, was responsible for the coverage of unexplored regions. Hence, she had seen and encountered countless wonders in her lifetime, so if she claimed that Aurora Falls was the most beautiful sight she had ever laid eyes on, then it had to be breathtaking.
After all, very little ever left Daenaris truly in awe.
"Thanks," Napoleon said, nodding to the royal coachman as he stepped out of the carriage.
Extending his hands, he helped Astrid down.
"There you go," he said softly as Astrid stepped on the ground, eliciting a light laugh from her.
Ahead of them, a system of towering flowers rose from all sides, beautiful in all their endless splendor. Streams branched through unconventional routes yet, they were nothing short of breathtaking.
A light smile unconsciously crept up their faces.
If the entrance to the region was already this beautiful, then what of the rumored aurora falls?
This seemed to hasten their footsteps, the guards keeping a close distance behind them.
Along the way, they saw a myriad of supernatural creatures, but weirdly enough, the creatures were anything but hostile. Of course, they were a few non-hostile supernatural creatures, but to see so many all at one spot, living together in complete tolerance with one another.
That on the other hand, was a true sight to behold.
The various sights elicited numerous comments from the cheerful young lady.
And before long, they finally arrived at the destined spot.
Ahead of them, a waterfall could be seen in sight, well, it looked no different from one, except for the fact that…
***
I froze, my breath caught in my throat.
And for a second there, all I could see in sight was the waterfall.
I-it was the most beautiful sight I'd ever been fortunate to see.
It mirrored the aurora, save for the fact that instead of swirling orbs, it had bright white ones, seemingly merging with the waterfall.
The cascade of the Aurora Fall tumbled from the cliff like liquid light, shimmering as though woven from the very essence of the aurora above.
Veins of iridescent blues, violets, and greens danced across the rushing water, each droplet a mix of myriad colours fell before vanishing into the mist below.
"So… beautiful," Astrid muttered, the myriad of colors reflecting within her serene pair of eyes.
"Excuse us," Napoleon said to the guards. "I will call for you when you're needed."
The two royal guards nodded.
"We'll be right here if you need us, your highness," One of the guards said as they made their way to leave.
And the reason why he'd ordered for that soon became apparent.
A wry smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
Astrid took off her clothes, her flawless skin coming into view.
"Have some shame, Astrid," Napoleon teased with a smirk.
Astrid shot him a playful look, her smile turning mischievous. "This isn't the first time you've seen it, and it won't be the last. So…"
True. He couldn't refute that. But still,
"...."
Shaking his head, although he had seen it so many times, infact, more times than he could count- he wished, but still, courtesy demanded he removed his gaze.
Even if it hurts to do so.
'Hah.'
A wry smile tugged at his lips, a reddish hue creeping onto his face- betraying the mischievous thoughts running through his mind.
Splash!
Astrid's splash shattered the silence as she leaped into the waterfall.
"...."
Turning back, he noted that she'd dropped into the aurora falls.
"Napoléon, come in with me!" she motioned for him to join her. But he simply smiled in response.
Now seated, as the soft breeze swept past him, he watched Astrid with unrequited attention, his eyes glued to her figure as she danced happily across the waterfall.
A light smile crept up his face.
…Just seeing her having fun was more than enough to make his day.
A few minutes, perhaps, hours later, Astrid slowly grew tired and decided to head back to Napoleon after a few minutes.
***
Napoleon suddenly rose to his feet, his brows arching upward.
Somewhere at the far end of the aurora pool, violent ripples were slowly forming.
"Weird," he muttered under his breath.
The ripples grew more violent, extending far and wide, but unfortunately, Mia wasn't an awakened, so she couldn't feel it.
"Mia!" he shouted, his heart racing against his chest.
But,
Fear slowly crept in.
She was too far away to make out what he was saying.
And then,
He froze, his breath caught on his throat.
He could now see the reflection… he could now see its reflection.
Thump… Thump…
And it was heading right for Mia.
'H-how…? Hasn't this region already been explored?!'
Disbelief, fear and anxiety, warred within him.
Questions surged through his mind, each one pressing down on him, each one threatened to break him- to consume him entirely. But,
Step~ Step~
He was already moving.
Tok! Tok!
Now was not the time for freight.
"Guards!" he called out, before leaping into the waterfall without any hesitation.
Splash!
"Huff… Huff."
He knew whatever the thing was, judging by the energy wave emitted by the ripples, was certainly not something he could handle.
That was also why he called for the guards.
But even then, he couldn't bear to stay and do nothing.
He was afraid of death, but he was certainly no coward.
Not when Astrid was the one in danger.
Swossh! Swoosh!
The ripples grew more intense and Astrid finally noted that something was off.
"Huh… huh."
Napoleon swam harder, his arms screamed in pain, every fiber of his being throbbing with exhaustion.
But the thought of Mia's demise drove him forward.
It pushed him to keep going.
Ba- dump! Ba- dump!
His heart raced against his chest, his arms ached him as he swam faster and faster, but it wasn't enough.
'Faster…! Fucking move faster!' he roared inwardly, desperation creeping in.
Yet he still kept going, his eyes at this point, were now red as scarlet veins traced jagged paths across his sclera.
"Astrid! Run…!!" his voice echoed through the air, but,
"W-hat~" Turning back, she finally noticed him.
She couldn't quite make out what he was saying, but he seemed… scared.
Tears streaked down his cheeks, a piercing pain ripping through his heart as...
Whoosh!
A monstrous creature, its razor-sharp jaws gleaming, erupted from the waterfall.
Its whale-like body was lined with jagged bones that pierced the air as it leapt into view.
Its fangs easily ripped through Astrid as it sunk into the waterfall with… her.
"Astrid…!!!!" Napoleon screamed, an indescribable pain overflooding his senses.
The guards arrived just in the nick of time, plunging into the waterfall without hesitation.
And then,
Chaos erupted.
***
Time clocked by and by the time they succeeded in killing it- inadvertently pulling Astrid out of its grasp, she had already stopped…
Breathing.
A figure knelt before a bloodied Astrid, tears streaming down their face as a piercing pain pierced right through their heart.
""Astrid," Napoleon's voice cracked, tears welling in his eyes. "Please come back... Please."
He repeated it over and over, each plea growing more desperate.
His voice became more hoarse, and the suffocating weight in his chest only intensified with every word.
"Aaaaargghhh…!!!" he screamed, his voice raw and hoarse as tears flooded his eyes, blurring his vision.
Clutching her tightly against his chest, he wept uncontrollably, a quiet sob breaking out of his chest.
Drip!
Drip!
With tears streaming down his eyes, he rose to his feet and headed back for the palace.
He headed for the Dark Souls Tree.
Step~ Step~
…It had to be able to. It had to.
Tok~ Tok~
With every step, he fought not only the physical pain, but also the storm of primal emotions raging inside him.
Anger. He felt it more acutely than ever.
Pain. Agony.
Each sensation tore through him, leaving him shattered, hollow, and… broken.
***
Tok~ Tok~
He kept walking.
•Hours. Minutes. He couldn't tell.
He felt soulless.
•He had long lost the passage of time.
Lifeless.
And before long,
Through the pain and the agony that tore through him, he finally stood before the Empire's sacred God.
Within moments, the news rippled across the Empire, spreading like wildfire.
***
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
A figure knelt before an abysmal-like tree, their pupils bright red from the tears that pricked their eyes.
And even their skin, once vibrant, had lost its luster, now as pale as a thin sheet of paper.
"...Please save her. Please…" his voice cracked, despair and desperation seeping in. "...Please. I'm willing to do anything. I… am."
Just save her…
Tears continue to fall from his eyes.
"I was told you could. Please…"
Dripping onto the cold floor beneath him.
He repeated it over and over, each time his voice cracked, growing hoarse with each plea. With every word, the despair and desperation deepened, becoming almost unbearable.
It felt more agonizing.
And then-
Ba-dump! Ba-dump!
It spoke to him.
It answered him.
He could have her back. He could have Astrid back.
Tears fell freely now, a spark of hope igniting in his chest.
...He just had to do one thing.
As long as he did, she would return.
Tears streamed down his face as the images of the past flashed before his eyes.
Clench~
His fists clenched, a burning determination rising within him.
'…He would do anything to have her back.'