"Hush now." A woman was trying to silence a crying baby in her arms.

Her name is Vera Asdareas. Even though she is already in her late twenties, she is not experienced in handling children. The main reason is because she is born of a royal blood. Her father is the king of a small kingdom-- located in the middle part of the continent-- called Asdari.

No matter how much she tried to appease her crying child, the wailing won't just stop.

Maybe it's because of the commotion outside? It's been noisy for quite some time now. She thought while humming a lullaby.

Just as she was about to walk towards the window, the door of her room was opened with a loud bang. She turned around instantly and was horrified of what was in front of her.

"Princess..." Lorraine, the head maid, muttered with a weak voice. Her uniform was drenched in blood and a bloodied sword protruded from her chest. She looked at Vera as if to plead but to no avail as her soul parted with her body. She was slowly enveloped in a bright yellow light and dispersed into small light orbs before completely disappearing. What remained was the sword which killed her and its wielder.

"So you're the princess." Said the wielder. He was wearing an armor exclusive only to the soldiers of the neighboring empire Nasque. Since he was also wearing a helmet which covered his face, his voice seemed to become muffled. "Don't resist and I'll guarantee your safety. We'll have a good time with you for sure." He added as he walked towards her.

"Stay away!" She shouted.

She hugged her child tightly and slowly backed away until she reached the wall of her room. The man was nearing her. She thought of fighting back but that thought instantly perished when four more soldiers entered the room. No matter how much she tried, there is no way to fight five people. Even if she did try, her child would be in danger.

The soldier reached out his arm towards her and she instinctively closed her eyes. She expected to be pulled so she thought that she would at least try to resist, if it is what it takes to protect her child.

Two seconds, five seconds, ten seconds have passed but nothing happened.

*Gueh*

*Ack*

"Hey-"

*agh*

*Fugueh*

The soldiers let out such sounds simultaneously. They fell down one by one and disappeared the way the maid did.

When Vera opened her eyes, what she saw was a familiar face. It was a man wielding two short swords.

"Mile!" She shouted with teary eyes."What's happening?" She added, a hint of relief revealed itself on her face.

"The Nasques broke the treaty and launched a full scale attack." Mile replied while checking the hallway where he came from. "Follow me your highness, the prince has sent for you." Seeing that the coast is clear, she signaled for her to follow him.

"Where is father?" She asked.

        Father is safe right? She prayed in her heart.

"..." Mile just kept silent as he looked down. "Let us go now." He said, avoiding the question Vera asked.

Vera held her child tightly and followed behind Mile. Every now and then, they would encounter enemy soldiers but Mile effortlessly cut them down. After some time, they managed to escape from the enemy-ridden castle.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

She looked around her surroundings. Buildings were destroyed and the city is engulfed in flames. It's mayhem. She felt hopeless but was soon pulled out of her despair when someone called out her name.

"Vera!" A man clad in white armor shouted while running towards her. It was her husband. He was accompanied by a number of allied soldiers.

"Raphael!" She ran towards him with her child.

They hugged each other when they met. Raphael held her face and looked at her eyes. Her eyes have different colors. The right eye is colored green while the other is black. In their bloodline, their right eye would always turn to color green during their fifteenth birthday.

The tears she was trying to hold back earlier was now flowing without a stop. Raphael hugged him again, this time tighter, and then kissed her forehead.

"I'm glad you're safe." He whispered. He wanted to say more but he was cut off when an allied soldier came to report.

"Sir!" The soldier shouted while running towards him. "The enemies are closing in on us!" He added.

"What? Already?" Raphael looked at Vera and then back at the soldier who came to report. "Quick, we must prevent our enemies from getting their hands on Twilight Emblem." He quickly replied and then looked at Mile. "Please take my family to safety. You are a close friend, I trust in you. I leave them in your care." He said with a bitter smile. He kissed Vera and her child on the forehead again and then went to the soldiers.

"Raphael! What are you-" She tried to run towards him but was stopped by Mile.

"Trust the prince. He's a stubborn one." Mile said. Even though he trusts his friend, he can't help but show his pained expression. Even he doesn't want to leave his best friend behind.

Mile and Raphael looked at each other and then nodded before they parted ways. Raphael quickly mobilized his troops to enter the castle as Miles led Vera towards the nearest stable.

Luckily, there was a horse at the stables. They immediately rode it and galloped until they made it out of the city.

After traveling for an hour, they were astonished when they saw a gigantic ball of light appeared and swallowed the small kingdom whole. After this incident, no traces of them has ever been found.

Imperial year xx78, the kingdom of Asdari disappeared followed by the appearance of a labyrinth on its stead.  A year after its discovery, it has been proven that invaluable resources can be procured from it. Gather however, is no easy task as never before seen creatures started attacking the explorers from the 3rd floor down. This labyrinth will surely mark the dawn of a new age. I hope someday, I can become part of an expedition to discover the hidden treasures this labyrinth hides.

- An excerpt from Lord Von Reis's Journal

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Hello everyone, Hikinon here! Thank you for taking your time in reading my story. As I am an amateur writer, I hope that you dear readers would help me improve my

writing and storytelling skills.

See you next chapter!