Claude was disturbed by the news.

He always stood at the tower, looking over the Kingdom of Paxsalam every night, waiting for his parents return. He tapped his magic staff on the ground nervously, thinking about his parents' advice before they left.

Claude is the prince of the king and queen of Paxsalam. He also had a six-year-old brother, Edward. He remembered that his mother and father had told him that they were going to an island located south to discover some new herbs that could help their kingdom against unknown plagues.

"Brother?" Claude had heard his brother's voice from his bedroom. He took his staff and headed towards the room. "I'm here." Claude said in a gentle and calm voice (which was definitely not calm now) his staff and headed towards the room.  "Is there anything you need?" He asked with a gentle smile.

 "When will mummy and daddy come home, big bro?" Edward asked.

Claude had heard that question every night after his parents went on their journey. And he wished he knew the answer. Despite being a prince, he was a brilliant magician. He had chosen the ice element for his powers. Claude was able to do many things with his ice magic. But still, he could not foresee the future with it.

"I don't think that today will be that day, Edward." Claude said. "These herbs that mummy and daddy are finding are extremely rare. "It could take a few more days to find them." "I hope they find it soon." Edward said. "I just... miss them." His voice sounded like he was about to break down in tears; he just wasn't used to not seeing Father and Mother for four days. "Hey, brother. Let me show you something." Claude raised his staff and spun it in a circle.

Shards started to form in the air. Edward gasped. "They're beautiful!" Edward reached out his hand to grab one of them; the shards sparked purple in the room, brightening it up. "That's so cool! They just formed right out of the air!" Claude smiled, as he had lightened up Edward's mood and presumably his as well. 

"Well, correction. It freezes the water particles in the air, which allows me to create ice and-" Edward stared at him and blinked in slow-motion, his child brain trying to comprehend Claude's words.

He sighed. "Don't worry. I'll explain it when you're older." 

"Hey, since you like magic so badly, would you like to learn how to use magic?" Edward gasped with joy, his face turning red. "Yes! Yes!" He jumped each time he said it. "Please! Teach me!" Edward rolled off his bed and started to bow at his brother.

Claude chuckled. "Alright then! I'll teach you." He patted his brother's head. "When you're ready, I'll teach you magic. And now that it is actually past your bedtime, I'll advise you to have good dreams now, alright?" Edward nodded, and he crawled back into his bed and pulled the covers over his body. "Goodnight, Edward." Claude pated him one last time before leaving the room.

Well, that had made him less worried every single time he did it. When Claude had used magic, he somehow felt that every despair and horror in this world had vanished for a moment. He had thought that magic was a weapon for evildoers who use it for destruction and murder, but after what his mistress had taught him, he looked at magic with a different point of view. He learned that magic is not evil, and it will only be evil if its users are power-hungry, homicidal, and humorless.

He took a stroll across the palace. He stumbled upon a water dispenser that was leaking water the wrong way. Claude sighed. "This is the third time today." He tapped his staff, and the leakage had been sealed. He continued walking, trying not to think about negative thoughts, but what if something had really happened to his mother and father?

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Claude shrugged those thoughts off. Positive thinking, he told himself. "No way! That's what happened?!" He heard some people talking in the distance. "Yeah! That's sick, right?" Three servants were walking out in front of him, giggling as they chatted. It didn't take long until they noticed Claude. 

They bowed immediately, and their giggling and chuckling had stopped. "Your Highness." They spoke in unison. "Sorry, Your Highness, we were too busy talking that..." "It's alright, it's alright." Claude replied. "Just continue your conversations." The three servants nodded as they stood up and continued walking, laughing again.

Claude strolled off into the Hall of the Monarchs, the place where he will usually be when he has nothing to do. It was filled with portraits and pictures of the former kings and queens of Paxsalam. He stared at the latest picture, which included both his father and mother, Edward and himself.

People find it odd that to why Claude even hangs out here in the first place, even he himself doesn't know why... It could be because he admired the people who held the throne long before his parents.

He spun his staff and pointed it. "Element of Ice, First Position, Snowball." He casted, and a snowball appeared from the ceiling and fell right into his arms. Claude proceeded to throw it into the air and caught it. He continued to do this for... Until he managed to stop worrying about his parents. They'll be fine. He thought. Our mother and father will not go down without putting up a good fight.

"Your Highness!" Claude heard a voice echo in the halls. A tall man who was covered in gold armor rushed towards him. "General Kano." The snowball fell, but Claude didn't catch it this time; it hit the ground and splattered. "Is there anything wrong, in general?" He asked. "It has something to do with the King and Queen. "Claude's eyes widened; the news had finally arrived, and his parents could finally return to their kingdom.

But he was dead wrong.

Claude collapsed to the ground as he heard the news. He couldn't believe what Kano had just said. "No... This can't..." He sobbed. "I'm sorry, Your Highness." Kano said, his face flooding with tears. "The King and the Queen... of our beloved kingdom. Are dead." Everyone in the room was tearing their eyes out. The king and queen of Paxsalam, who ruled for over fifteen years, are suddenly dead... "What happened?" Claude asked. "How did this happen?" "Their ships were raided," Kato answered. "By... the witch, Melantha..."

Melantha... Claude was disturbed when Kato mentioned that name. His and Edward's parents were murdered by Melantha the Dark. "Melantha had aborded the king and queen's ship and sunk it, with forty crew and our rulers as well." Kano said. "But, for some reason... She was caught in the sinking ship too. And barely escaped... But I think she will succumb to her injuries soon," Claude sniffed and wiped the tears from his eyes. "Melantha the Dark is a powerful and intelligent witch. She will definitely find a solution to heal herself." He said. "Are there... any other survivors?" Kano shook his head.

"Brother?" They turned to see where the sound was coming from. Edward stood on his spot, tears falling from his eyes. "Is it... true?" That mummy... and daddy..." Claude doesn't want his brother to know the truth, but... the situation is already high. "Y-yes," Claude managed. "It's true."

Edward started to let out a scream, and Claude now knows he has a pretty strong kick for a six-year-old.

Edward scanned a nearby chair and kicked it aside, sending it falling over; he then did the same towards the other three chairs that were the closest to him. Claude didn't blame him for that, he can't lie him that it's okay or everything is going to be alright. 

They just lost their parents, the kind people who raised them, and nothing can reassure them that everything will be okay.

After letting out his steam and frustration, Edward collapsed and slammed his fists on the floor and let out a scream as he began to tear up.

"They promised!" He shrieked. "They promised that they'd come home!" Claude rushed to his brother and embraced him in his arms. 

"I'm sorry, Edward," Claude managed. "But mummy and daddy. can't be with us anymore." Edward threw his arms around Claude and said, "I'll learn magic, big brother." Edward spoke underneath his tears. "And I'll find the person who did this to mommy and daddy. And I'll avenge them!" His voice was filled with rage; his tone sounds serious and, surprisingly, a bit confident, like he has stated that this will happen in the future. Edward was desperate to learn magic. 

"When you're ready, Edward." Claude replied. "When you're ready."