1 1) Twilight

Twilight was a velvet carpet that called to the souls of the nighttime.

The sky turned dazzling reds and golds and then darkened to deep blue as the day slowly began to fade into the night. It was darker than usual due to grey clouds that were slowly gathering together.

'Crack!'

Faint crackling sounds of the dry branches disturbed the sleep of the dense forest of Arcelia as a petite and flowerlike teen girl in a light pink, old yet clean robe, came out through the forest with a bundle of unknown plants and branches in her hand.

Her oval face was dainty and pointed as a small smile of enchantment touched her lips, looking at the herbal plants in her hand. Taking the narrow and obscure path through the forest, she began to walk again in the direction of Dawn village nearby. It was a small and ordinary village under the territory of the Arcelia Kingdom but it was situated exactly next to the capital and was infamous for its Blossom brothel.

Courtesans of the Blossom brothel used to be considered the most beautiful, alluring and voluptuous women of that century which grabbed the attention of all wealthy and dignified personae, not only of the Arcelia Kingdom but also the other kingdoms nearby.

She barely took a few steps when she stopped abruptly, hearing an unexpected sound from behind. Turning her head, she murmured in a confused tone, "Hoofbeats! Are there any travellers who have lost their path?"

A moment of hesitation!

And then, that tween girl began to run, weaving her way through that dense forest. The sky was becoming gloomier with every passing second but there was no sign of fear in her amber doe eyes. She was slender yet fiery with eyes that glowed and pierced.

The deeper she went, the darker it got. The leaden sky which was barely visible between the tall and crooked trees, turned black at that moment, increasing the possibility of a thunderstorm.

'Waah!'

Suddenly the pale and strong hand of a young man grabbed her wrist, dragging her behind the nearest tree and in the same instant, she heard the zing of an arrow whistling past.

Startling, she looked up with a puzzled expression only to find out, that a teen boy around the age of sixteen or seventeen was standing only a few inches away from her, staring at something or someone far away. The blackness of his robe suppressed the darkness of the forest and his skin was white like snow.

As if feeling her gaze, he glanced down and instantly her heart skipped a bit. His eyes were crimson red, shining like gems even in that darkness, containing a carefree smile. Their gaze had only briefly met and already she couldn't take it anymore. Stains of scarlet appeared on her peach-tinted cheeks as she instinctively took a step back, breaking the eye contact.

While trying to pull away from her hand from his grip, she mumbled nervously, "Who are-"

But before she could finish, he whispered, slightly leaning forward, "Shhh! Stay still." Although he had the voice of a teenager, it was slightly deeper in comparison to other boys of his age and was extremely pleasant to hear.

She gulped nervously and, tilting her head, she tried to see who was attacking them from behind. But, it was too dark to see anything. So, looking up again, she whispered in her low and silvery tone, "What's going on-"

"Ahem! Keep quiet unless you are planning to die young."

His warning in that calm and husky tone confused her as she froze in her place, leaning against him as arrows pelted down all around them. But, the rain of arrows stopped within a few minutes and the young guy instantly grabbed her hand, pushing her in the opposite direction.

"Run fast! Don't look back."

She was about to run away but when she realised that her companion wasn't with her. She paused and asked in a confused tone, "Alone? What about you?"

But, before the young stranger could answer, hoofbeats approached them, closing the distance.

The guy grumbled while rubbing the back of his neck, "Shit! We are surrounded."

She looked around again but they were surrounded by soldiers of the Arcelia Kingdom and there was no way out. Though she was an Arcelian too, it seemed that the young guy was their target and she, unfortunately, became a suspect too.

The young man calmly stepped forward, hiding her slender figure behind him. Even in the midst of the chaos, a cold smile twitched his thin lips.

Clearing his voice, he asked casually, looking at the leader of the group, "Are you trying to dig your grave, Mister?"

The leader of that small group of soldiers chuckled mockingly as the knight answered, taking a step forward, "No, I am trying to hunt a malicious young beast who has dared to sneak into our territory."

At the same moment, the clouds opened up and the rain came hammering down. The pattering sound of the rain was overpowering their voices.

Even in front of that tiny troop of Arcelia, the young stranger looked as calm and carefree as before. His shining silver hair was all wet as they swayed of his smooth and wavy hair fell casually on his forehead.

He turned his head slightly in the direction of the young girl who was standing dumbfounded in the middle of the crowd and asked politely, lowering his voice, "Miss, are you from Arcelia?"

She was so confused and badgered, she couldn't speak. But, the cold fingertips of the young guy gently touched her wrist as he asked again, taking a step closer, "Do you live nearby?"

"Y-yes…"

"Ah! Great…"

"What's your name?"

She murmured, hesitantly, "Lin… Aylin."

The young guy suddenly whispered in his magnetic voice, "I am sorry, Miss Aylin."

Before Aylin could understand or react, the guy grabbed her wrist and pulled her in front of him like a shield. The next moment, he sheathed his sword and the cold and sharp blade of the sword touched the delicate skin of her neck, making her flinch in surprise.

That knight of Arcelia who was standing a few hands away from them, asked in a puzzled tone, "What are you trying to do?"

He answered in an authoritative tone, "Miss Aylin is a civilian of the Arcelia Kingdom. If you don't want me to shed the blood of an Arcelian, let me go, Unscratched!"

'Is he going to kill me? Am I going to die just like this?'

(Cenobia was a pious island, situated in the middle of the Venelia Sea, the sea of knowledge. On that island, weak but direct descendants of angels and demons were sent to live, not to make heaven and hell overcrowded. They used to be considered as black sheep of divinity. So, they were kind of outcasted.

Though they were weaker than normal angels and demons, they were way more powerful than humans. Some of the demon descendants were malicious too. So, instead of letting them be among humans, they were separated on that huge and magical island.

To rule these descendants, the four most powerful royal families were selected as the whole island was divided into four parts as four different kingdoms. But, those kingdoms were not on friendly terms.

Arcelia was one of those four kingdoms and the Royal rulers of Arcelia were the holders of Wind and Lightning power. Their speciality was their golden eyes which was the sign of their mana in their royal blood.)