Events happen when Grey dreamed of the Girl(3 years ago from current time)

"Welcome Rey! I'm glad you accepted my proposal!" exclaimed a man named Vincent while welcoming the Leywins into the manor. Only then did he notice that the couple had expressions that screamed despair.

"Yes, I needed to distract myself, so it works well. And Alice needs someone to rely on right now. Can we talk inside Vincent?" asked Reynolds.

Vincent cursed himself for not noticing it earlier and led the couple inside. Tabitha joined while Rey explained what they went through a few years ago and that their trip to Xyrus was uneventful. Vincent had a horrified expression whereas Tabitha had tears in her eyes. She went to comfort Alice who just sat there with eyes which had no light in them.

It has been a few days since our princess went missing. Me and Alea were immediately dispatched when she didn't return after a few hours. When Elder Virion went to pick her up from the spot where she usually spent her time alone, he didn't find her but there were signs of activity not too long ago.

I asked Alea to search the area around Zestier while I went to search the perimeter of the Forest of Elshire. I wondered how she could possibly get lost when she has been to her spot so many times. Was she kidnapped by someone? Humans' sense of direction gets severely imparied by the fog that blankets this whole forest. Unless they have an elf guiding them, they can't navigate in and out of the forest at all.

My illusion magic was based on this principle. Certain sound waves influence certain emotions or trigger the fears that rest in a person's mind. Being a mid silver core on the cusp of breaking into high silver, I was easily able to perform reconnaissance duties for extended periods of time.

Both me and Alea are royal guards, being considered for a position called 'Lance'. Although we weren't told anything about it, we were informed that it is a very prestigious position that only the two most powerful elves had the honor to be elected in a certain time frame.

Remembering the time we were summoned by the Elder brought me worry. He hadn't slept for days, dark bags under his eyes and eyes that resembled what my father had when he lost mother in the war.

I could hear the constant sniffles of our Queen in the background when the Elder gave us the mission. I sensed Alea trembling on hearing the news through the minute fluctuations in air while I instantly put up an illusion on my face to hide the emotions that invaded it.

Alea lost her brother in the forest too. She was playing with him when she went to the stream to get water, leaving her brother behind near a tree they usually played at. She returned only to find him lifeless and that's the extent of the story she has ever told anyone. He was probably attacked by mana beasts as they tend to prey on younger elves since they aren't a threat.

I could feel the fog's density decreasing as I approached the border of the forest. Jumping from branch to branch enhancing my hearing with sound magic and ignoring the mana beasts that lingered in the area, I made my way wishing for the Princess to be alright.

Soon I approached an area where the scent of metal lingered. My heart started beating fast as I approached the source. I could feel the wind mana tremble erratically when I let loose my aura on seeing the sight before me.

There lay multiple humans, mutilated probably by mana beasts. There was a patch of burnt area where I suppose they had lit a fire. 'Fools' I thought as it is known not to light fire at night especially near the beast glades as it attracts mana beasts.

I couldn't brush off the dread that crept up my body as I approached a lone caravan which was damaged maybe due to a beast. Wheels broken, the mana beasts that were pulling the caravan a bloodied mess and collapsed roof. Removing the broken pieces of wood covering the opening, I collapsed on my knees.

Tears clouded my vision as I let out a gut-wrenching scream, with raw, unfiltered emotions.

Before me lay our Princess, lifeless as her skin had turned pale. A large bite mark spread across her torso indicating a beast attack. I could see that her fingers were lacerated trying to push against the beast's mouth biting down on her frail constitution. Trails of dried tears were present on her smooth face as a few drops of her own blood had spurted on it. There were traces of nails scraping against the ground showing she hadn't died instantly but was left by the mana beast where she desperately tried to bear with the pain by clutching whatever she could hold on to with those wounded fingers, until she succumbed to those brutal injuries of hers. The pool of blood below her had already dried, staining her once bright silver hair a dark shade of crimson.

I could still hear her screams as she tried calling out to her father, mother and grandfather. Her eyes seemed to scream how she hoped that me or Alea would save her, just to spiral down into despair.

My hands trembled as I approached her, picked her up and cradled her like a baby. Her calm expression with the cold contrast of her skin against my own brought forth emotions I didn't know I had.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry my princess. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you my little sister." I choked out apologies sobbing like a kid.

She was someone who I considered my own sister. Although I couldn't show it due to my position as a guard, every time she called me 'Big sis Aya' only brought warm feelings. She always seemed to be alone, away from her peers. Not being seen as anything other than a princess,she just wanted someone to treat her as a friend. To leave this world alone, surrounded by nothing but enemies and no one being there to comfort you while saying 'Everything will be okay' even if it is a lie. I held her impossibly close hoping my warmth would reach her, even if a little.

"I love you, my little sister. I wish you have someone to rely on in your next life" I prayed for her while watching the once cheerful face she only used to have around me and Alea having an expression which was not supposed to be seen on any child.

Now to see the same girl in my arms like this... Was this how Alea felt? Would she have been safe if the humans didn't abduct her in the first place? Questions invaded my mind.

I felt something, like a part of me died alongside this young life.

Covering her body with an illusion to hide the wounds. I slowly made my way towards the city as an eerie atmosphere flooded the entirety of the forest as if mourning the young life.

That day, a whole race mourned the loss of their princess whereas the family of Eraliths were left distraught. Their only source of happiness, since the death of their former queen, was snatched away from their hands at such a young age.

Again.

By the beasts known as humans.

Alduin and Merial didn't leave their daughter's side for a long time. Virion seeked solace from the only remnant of his wife who had left her essence in an orb. Aya and Alea had the same empty expression. But they all had one emotion that burned vividly within them.

.

****

A Beacon Of Hope

Lost To A Place Far From Sight

Cast A Shadow

Darker Than The Night

Far From Its Light.

-A/N

"Cecilia"

As those words left my mouth, I could feel my face get wet from the tears which were flowing unknowingly. My breath got caught in my throat as I dropped to my knees gasping for air. Looking at the sword I had dropped beside me sent shivers down my spine.

'Why is this happening to me? How do I know that girl's name? I feel like I've known her for a long time.'

As I looked back at her, I noticed Nico was by her bed kneeling as he was hovering his hands near her, hesitating to touch. Soon, he wavered and collapsed.

Seris, who was apparently shocked at our actions, was broken out of her thoughts as she rushed towards Nico and deployed a strong mana barrier around him.

"GREY! Control the flow of mana in your body and prevent it from being sucked out." she screamed.

I then realised we had forgotten about everything Seris had told us before and augmented myself. A few more minutes, had I been careless, would have put me in a similar situation to Nico since I was a few meters away.

It was now I noticed that there were few tattoos, no, runes similar but more intricate than the ones I've seen people get at bestowals present on her hands, going up to her neck. They were shining bright gold in color but were shimmering in and out of existence, like a flickering bulb.

Seris, who had picked up Nico, proceeded to leave the room and I decided to follow her after hesitantly picking up my sword. Giving one last look towards the girl who had stirred a lot of emotions in us, I noticed a lone tear escaping her closed eyes. We left as I gently closed the door so as to not disturb her slumber.

I was now seated on my bed, while Nico was laying on his bed from mana exhaustion. Seris was sitting on the chair near the table, legs crossed as she supported her chin with one of her hands.

Her expression was unreadable as if deep in thought.

"Grey, how did you know what that girl's name was?" she asked. But something told me she already knew why.

As I was about to reply, I felt movement where Nico was sleeping. I looked over to only meet his red bloodshot eyes which were staring into my soul. They showcased confusion and so much hatred, that I felt like the person who I knew until now was someone different.

"Why?" he growled in an inaudible whisper.

"WHY IS SHE LIKE THAT!!? It's YOUR fault. I don't know what you did but I know that she's in that condition because of you!" he shouted. I could see his eyes turn moist.

They also displayed another emotion. Guilt.

It was as if he knew, somewhere deep down, he was wrong.

I wanted to ask what he meant by that but I couldn't. I just sat there taking in his accusations.

"Nico." Seris's voice tinged with annoyance instantly made Nico stiffen up and brought me out of my stupor.

"Do you realise what you're saying? You're shouting and accusing a person who hasn't done anything. Don't you realise that you spent your whole childhood together?" she questioned.

Nico's eyes went wide as he just realised what he had done. Fear and regret replaced the hatred that had inhabited his face. He clenched his fists drawing creases on his pants while unshed tears finally escaped his eyes.

"I-I-I'm sorry Grey! I don't know what came over me. I-I just reacted without thinking" he managed to blurt out an apology amidst his sobs.

"Grey, please don't hat-"

He stopped talking as I pulled him into a strong hug. I could feel him shivering scared of what would have happened. Unsure of why I'm doing this. I didn't know why I was doing this either.

"I'm sorry too Nico. And I should be the one telling you not to hate me. I could never hate you." I hugged him tighter as I felt his shoulders get wet from my tears.

"Ahem!" Seris's voice brought our senses back as we seperated almost instantly realising the position we were in.

"Sorry to separate you love birds, but I need answers. How did you know who that girl was?" she asked us.

"I don't know how, It just came out on its own." Nico replied. I nodded at his answer indicating my answer was something similar.

"Alright. I'm gonna take my leave. I have to inform the person who handed her over to us about the situation." She said before getting up to leave.

"You're not gonna take her away right?!" Nico asked in a panicked voice.

"Of course not Nico. She's gonna stay here. Waiting for her prince to wake her up. One of you occupies the room next to hers at night so that you can respond quickly if something were to occur." she said with a coy smile on her face before winking and taking her leave.

I turned towards Nico to see him blush with embarrassment. He tried shrugging it off but the red face and the huge grin he didn't realise he had betrayed his nonchalant attitude. I swear one could mistake him for a maiden in love.

"Man how I wish I had a camera right now." I managed to spurt out trying not to laugh.

"Huh?" We both looked at each other in confusion.

'A camera? What is that? Even Nico seemed to respond to that.'

"What do you mean a camera Grey?" he questioned.

"I-I thought it's a good name for an artifact that captures images you know." I managed to make up a reason that came to my mind.

"Funnily enough, even I thought the same" replied Nico going into deep thought as to how to create one. We seem to know things that haven't been invented yet. I pushed these thoughts aside before it could confuse me more.

I opened my eyes to find myself in a stadium. There were loud cheers everywhere but the source wasn't visible due to the dust that was suspended in the surrounding air.

I seemed to be holding a sword which was angled in an unnatural way. I tried pulling it back but it felt like it was lodged into something.

My confusion soon cleared as the dust settled and the crowd went abnormally silent. I stood horrified at the sight before me.

There stood a woman, adorned in armor. She had dusty blonde hair and almond shaped eyes that seemed to lose their shine by the second. But the thing that horrified me was the sword, made of some form of energy running straight through her shoulders and then her torso. Blood travelled down the sword and then pooled in between my fingers holding the sword.

"I'm sorry...Grey. They...Wouldn't let me...kill myself. This was the only...way." she collapsed as she uttered those words after I let go of the sword.

I could feel my emotions burst as my vision became blurry and the last thing I saw was a pair of eyes looking at me with disbelief and pure hatred.

I opened my eyes again to find the familiar ceiling I've been waking up to for the past 7 years. Tears left my eyes as I felt them trail along the side of my eyes, enter my ears and trickle down onto my pillow with a low thud with each drop that fell.

Low cackled sobs escaped my mouth as I tried to understand the sheer force of these emotions weighing down on my entire being. I composed myself after a few minutes of sobbing.

I got up from the bed to find my clothes drenched in sweat. looking over to the bed where Nico is supposed to be, I only found a neatly done bed instead.

'Ah, right. He said he would look after that girl' I thought as I put on clean clothes.I decided to pay him a visit.

As I approached the area, I could again feel the pull of mana. Although little, I could feel that the force of it had reduced. I wondered as to what her condition might be. I want to help her.

As I approached the room that Nico was supposed to be in, I saw a dark outline of a kid leaning against the wall next to the door of the room Cecilia was in.

Activating the light artifact at the lowest brightness possible, I saw that there were multiple parts of artifacts sprawled all over the ground in front of him.

'Looks like he fell asleep while working.' I thought, a small smile tugging at my lips.

Bringing a blanket from his room, I covered him with it and left the area.

It has been a few months since we started taking care of the girl named Cecilia. Nico would spend most of his time around studying artifacts whereas I was continuously trained by Seris.

Anyone could clearly tell Nico was attracted to Cecilia. Any topic regarding her would perk up his attention and get him fidgeting. I mean her features were beautiful, and she exuded a unique charm compared to other girls. I couldn't exactly point it out how.

She had stopped absorbing mana from outside sources a few days ago and seemed stable. The runes which used to appear and disappear now were always present.

Wanting to give him space, I didn't interrupt them much and only visited when it was necessary.

Today Nico and I have come outside the orphanage to purchase a few items for a small party. It seems mine and Cecilia's birthday are on the same day. That is, today. We celebrated Nico's birthday yesterday. He is more excited about today than he was ever before because maybe it's her birthday too.

As we returned to the orphanage, we sensed the eerie atmosphere that lingered in the area. I couldn't sense Headmaster Seris, Sisters Viessa or Melzri and any of the kids. They were here when we left for the shop. I could only sense Cecilia and she was still in her room.

Worry made its way into my mind and looking at Nico, he wasn't faring any better.

It was then, the sky turned red as a red tinted barrier enveloped the whole of the orphanage, effectively trapping us inside. As I was about to ask Nico what to do, I felt a strong presence appear behind us. No, strong would be an understatement. It felt like a calamity.

I felt something touch my head and next moment, I could feel my brain being shaped like clay. Memories started flooding in, memories that were always there. Locked away. Everything made sense now.

The familiarity and emotions I felt while meeting both of them. Nico and Cecilia. Now that I have them, I won't abandon them.

My thoughts were broken when I instinctively dodged an earthen spike which came hurling towards me. It managed to leave a deep gash on my left arm drawing blood.

Looking at the source of the attack, I could see Nico boiling with rage as his mana sent cracks on the ground.

"IT WAS YOU ALL ALONG! YOU JUST HAD TO! I TOLD YOU GREY! You killed her Grey." mana started to concentrate around his body preparing to attack.

But soon we felt it, the surge of power around and within us.

First my skin turned milky white while my hair turned a shade paler. I could then see multiple colored particles floating in the air as they shook violently. A certain glow below my eyes just above my cheek caught my attention. A golden rune had appeared which seemed to be the source of my powers.

Nico on the other hand had his skin turn pale while black fire manifested and flowed like waves on his body. He seemed to not have completed control over it as I could see the mana particles around him act with a will of their own.

But this wasn't what I felt building up earlier. It was a surge of power around us that shook me.

Ignoring that feeling, I prepared myself for the attacks that were about to come. I could feel mana coalesce below me. I instinctively jumped and I could see sickly black spikes pierce the place I was at earlier. The whole area was cracked and pierced due to the sheer amount of mana we were emitting.

I observed that green mana particles were enhancing my legs. 'Wind' I thought.

The pain from the wound in my arm felt like it was slowly disappearing. Looking at it, I found five colored particles knitting together my flesh as the wound started to heal itself.

'Is the purple colored particle aether?' I wondered.