Her broken cry rang within the cold walls of the palace. At a young age, she lost someone dear to her, her second mother. Haisley.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

It was as if the church had become darker and more ominous. An unpleasant feeling had crept over me as though an invisible hand lightly touched my spine, leaving a trail of unease in its wake. The hairs of my skin stood from the unsettling feeling I had.

A violent sound came from the man's mouth overpowering the scream of the girl who proclaimed to be a priestess. Her tear-stained face contorted with agony and fear as her life slowly slipped from her eyes, and soon her cries and tears came to a stop.

"I... I need more blood," the man said in a grueling sound as he pulled the dagger out of the dead girl's heart.

The air suddenly grew heavy the moment a sinister aura enveloped the blade. Its edges appeared to be sharper, casting an eerie gleam as if it felt alive with dark energy.

A cursed item.

Immediately, my hand grasped at the pendant. I felt that my neck almost broke as I yanked the chain around my neck forcefully. Perhaps a lesson learned, never act cool if I was going to get hurt in the end.

The only child left aside from me flinched and unconsciously moved closer to my side knowing that he was next to be killed as a sacrifice. Taking the muted boy's trembling hand, I gave him my necklace.

"Don't ever let go of it," I whispered in urgency before he was taken away.

He looked at me with a frightened face as he was being pulled towards the table. With his other arm extended forward he tries to escape the vice grip just to get back on my side.

Gripping the hems of my dress I prayed for the first time in a long time that the protection stone would protect the boy. Lucas wouldn't give me a fake one, right?

Just before the boy could get near the altar the man with the cursed item jumped towards the child piercing the weapon to his heart. With a dull sound echoing around the church and mixed up with confusion and disbelief, the dagger remained pointed at the boy's chest but never touched the skin or his dirty clothes. A transparent light of color blue covered the boy.

"What the hell?! Why are you..."

"RUN!" I screamed startling the child. He quickly obeyed, taking advantage of the confusion he easily slipped away from the grip and ran. I yelled once more when he looked back with hesitation visible on his face. "Just run! Don't look back, keep running!"

The boy was quite agile that no one caught him. As the door closed to a shut the boy safely escaped leaving me alone with five men and dead bodies.

"Let him escape. He's just a mute boy from the slum, no one will listen to him, and if someone actually does it will be too late. I would already obtained the true power of this cursed item by then," their leader spoke. A nasty smile crept on his face as he looked in my direction with his already black eyes. "Also, we still have another sacrifice left to be killed."

He was becoming more like a demon but only in appearance. When it comes to power he's definitely weaker than a demon. Or I could say that the evil spirit that was imprisoned inside the dagger slowly took over his body

"Search her if she has another protection stone with her before bringing her to me," he ordered and I was quickly brought to the center aisle after searching thoroughly that I felt molested. "You're quite a beauty, girl. A lot of money will fall to my hand if I sell you."

"Too bad, I have to die," I said staring at his black void eyes, unafraid.

The man laughed so loudly that it reverberated throughout the old church. "That's right! You are no fool like that soon-to-be priestess. Tell me, pretty girl, why did you give your protection stone to some useless child and didn't save yourself?"

"It doesn't matter, does it?"

"Kuhahaha! I guess it doesn't. I'm starting to like you but you need to die for me, pretty girl!"

The moment the dagger was closing to my chest I moved missing my heart by an inch or two.

But it still hurts.

I remember when I was still a Holy Maiden, I was busy tending the wounded knights when a spy acting as a nurse stabbed me from behind with a cursed weapon. But the spy's hardship went in vain because curse weapons had no effect on me. It was just like any ordinary weapon.

Cursed items would only be more effective when it get something it want and in this case, stabbing directly to the heart was its desire.

Pain erupted from my chest as I coughed a mouthful of blood. "You missed, fucker," I said, my hand clutched the nearby wooden bench trying to keep myself from falling. I would laugh at that face but I was in so much pain.

I guess it doesn't matter if the curse would spread or not. I'll die knowing I saved a child but I wish I could save those who die unjustly.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

A I D E N

But why...

How can I protect my people in the future when I can't even protect my sister?

Don't let go of each other's hands, especially today.

I cursed under my breath. Elaine, my younger sister was gone. My mind raced with questions and fear as that old woman's words continued to echo inside my head, taunting me. I should have done a proper job as an older brother especially Elaine's first time outside the palace...

With frantic eyes I search around, looking for my sister against the ongoing snowfall.

"Elaine, where are you?" I shouted. I couldn't help but remember what the old woman had said about Elaine's destiny. The fear had me slowly believing in those baseless words. Please. Please. Please. "Don't take away my sister."

My body quivered not because of the coldness of winter but the overwhelming emotion of both anger and fear I couldn't contain. I wouldn't forgive myself if something happened to Elaine... I can't lose someone again. My vision blurred as tears welled up, making it harder to see against the heavy snowfall. Each step felt like an eternity as I stumbled through the thick snow and collapsed with a heavy thud.

There, I lay motionless.

With a muffled cry, I called my sister's name. "Elaine."

As I stayed there slowly being buried in the snow, I felt the weight of being alone and hopeless pressing down on me.

I was weak. I was just a child, powerless to prevent my mother from dying and now powerless to find my only sister.

How laughable the situation I was in. How laughable I was. The golden prince who carries high expectations of others, the object of admiration and wonder, was nothing more than a frail boy who could do nothing but weep.

Then, in the midst of despair, I hear the quick crunching of snow drawing nearer, the sound of someone approaching. They seemed to be in such a hurry that they didn't notice the lump of snow and tripped on it hitting my head. With my body enhancement being active at the moment that the kick didn't hurt one bit.

"Are you alright, kid?" It was from a man, voice approaching to where I was. "Hey, no need to be afraid."

The kid then made a guttural sound as if he were trying to speak.

"What are you doing? Hurry up and pick up the boy," commanded the companion from a distance.

...I know these two.

"He was trying to say some-," Lucas paused. "That necklace, where did you get that? Ah.. It's alright. I won't take it away from you. You see, it's the same necklace I gave someone I know."

Immediately the boy made a sound in panic, the same guttural noise.

"Are you saying that you know this person and you want me to come with you?" Lucas said understanding the child's incomprehensible words.

That's one kind of talent he has, I thought depressingly.

"Is this person this tall with silver hair, eyes of color cyan, and a mole beneath the corner of her lips?" Lucas asked, and the boy made another sound in response as if he agreed.

I found myself wondering if the kid knows what the color cyan. Then I had a sudden realization that Lucas had just provided a description of Elaine.

Rising from the grave made of snow, I shouted, "Kid!"

"Pi-prince?!" Lucas said in surprise. "What are you- Why are you-?!"

"Aiden, what are you doing here?" Father asked as he approached them. A frown was visible on his face. "Your eyes... Have you been crying under the snow?"

"Yes..but that doesn't matter, father! It's Elaine! Elaine was with me a while ago, but we got separated," I exclaimed. I turned towards the thin, startled boy and demanded urgently, "Where's my sister?!"

The boy took a step back, clearly frightened. He was clutching something in his hand over his chest. It was Elaine's necklace.

Before I could press for answers, the boy pointed back in the direction he had come from and then ran. The boy looked back telling us to follow him with urgency in his eyes.

Without wasting another second, I ran following the boy. Lucas and father were just a step behind.

We reached the entrance of an eerie old church. I tried not to imagine dreadful things that might happen to Elaine behind the walls. But my fear might come true as we heard a furious shout coming from inside the church.

"You little bitch!"

Lucas hastily opened the door, my heart seemed to stop. Upon seeing the scene, it was more dreadful than I had ever imagined.

My body felt weak. My eyes couldn't avert away towards Elaine.

We all saw Elaine the only princess, my only sister, standing at the center of the aisle with a knife plunged into her chest. Blood coming out from her mouth.

Her cyan eyes met my golden ones.

And she was falling.

Years ago, I made a promise not to myself but a promise to my mother. I looked over my window just as the sun set and the stars slowly appeared in the twilight sky, I promise you, my dear mother, I will protect Elaine and father.

But why am seeing my mother and her dull eyes on Elaine's?