The streets of Velmor stretched before them, bathed in the warm hues of the setting sun.
Raezel walked at a steady pace—silent, composed, but unmistakably revered by all who saw him. The people instinctively moved aside, heads bowed, careful not to meet his eyes.

Beside him, Nihaga struggled. Not with fear or awe—he was fighting to keep a straight face.

Every few steps, a stifled laugh would escape him. His shoulders trembled, and his expression contorted with the effort of restraint. The image of his prince—the Son of Medusa—being mistaken for a giant snake monster was seared into his brain like divine comedy.

Raezel sighed. “Are you done?”

“Not even close,” Nihaga wheezed, wiping the corner of his eye.

Walking just ahead of them was Nyra—completely oblivious to the chaos she'd caused. She strolled with cheerful ease, her steps light, her presence somehow unbothered by the fact that the entire city had nearly fainted watching her casually chat with Raezel.

The collective thought burning in the minds of the townsfolk was simple:

We will never question Nyra’s luck or existence ever again.

She was either the luckiest girl alive… or completely doomed.

“Hey, Raezel!” Nyra piped up suddenly.

He glanced over. “Yes?”

“Can I ask you something?”

He nodded. “Go ahead.”

She tilted her head, amber eyes glimmering with innocent curiosity.
“Why do people fear you and your mother?”

It was a question he should’ve expected.
And yet… the way she asked it—so guileless, so casual—made him pause.

Before he could respond, she added brightly,
“You’re so pretty.”

Raezel blinked.

“Not like other monsters,” Nyra continued thoughtfully. “And you’re also really sweet and nice.”

That—he had no answer for.

It wasn’t the first time he’d received compliments. But the way she said it, with such directness and unshakable sincerity, caught him off guard.

Something warm crept up his neck.

His ears flushed pink.

Nihaga turned, stared at his prince—his prince—in disbelief.

Raezel, the same man who’d faced down gods without blinking… was blushing.

Nyra remained blissfully unaware.

“So, if you’re this nice, your mother must be even nicer, right? Then why are people so scared of her?”

That’s when Nihaga lost it.

He tried—gods, he tried—to stay composed.

But the moment his brain conjured an image of Queen Medusa standing atop her throne, smiling sweetly and speaking in a gentle, motherly tone—

"Oh, dearest ones," the nicer Queen Medusa cooed. "Please reduce that kingdom to ashes. And be quick about it, my loves! Dinner is in an hour!"

—he choked.

His whole body trembled as he bit back laughter, lips twitching violently.

Raezel side-eyed him. “Don’t.”

“I’m not,” Nihaga croaked.

“You are.”

“Just—” He wheezed. “Give me a moment.”

Raezel exhaled, lifting his gaze to the dimming sky.

For a long moment, he said nothing. Then, quietly—
“Fear is not always about monsters, Nyra.”

The tone in his voice shifted. Calm. Steady. But weighted with something deeper—an ancient truth that lingered between the lines.

Nyra blinked, caught off guard by his seriousness.

Raezel looked at her, unreadable.

“People don’t fear my mother because she’s cruel. They fear her because she’s powerful. Because she’s unknown.”

He paused, golden eyes shimmering in the twilight.

“They don’t fear the dark because it hurts them…
They fear it because they don’t know what lies inside.
They don’t fear the ocean because it wants to drown them…
They fear it because they cannot see its depths.”

Nyra’s lips parted, trying to absorb it all.

Raezel continued, softer now.

“People fear what they can’t control. What they can’t predict.
What doesn’t bow to their rules.”

His gaze drifted away, lost for a moment.

“And my mother?” he said. “She is all of those things combined.”

A heavy silence settled between them.

Nyra furrowed her brows. “…So, people are scared of her just because they don’t understand her?”

Raezel nodded. “Because she doesn’t fit into their idea of what should exist. And because no one—not even gods—can tell her what to be.”

Nyra crossed her arms. “That’s stupid.”

Raezel blinked.

Nihaga choked again.

Nyra tilted her head, her expression dead serious.
“If they’re scared just because they don’t understand her, shouldn’t they just… try to understand her?”

Raezel stared at her.

Then—slowly—he smiled.

A small, unexpected chuckle escaped him.

“That would be the wise thing to do, yes.”

Nyra beamed. “See? I knew she wasn’t a bad person!”

Still reeling from his mental image of ‘Sweet Mother Medusa,’ Nihaga muttered under his breath,
“I’d love to see someone call Queen Medusa ‘not scary’ to her face.”

Nyra, missing the sarcasm entirely, nodded with confidence.
“I’ll tell her that when I meet her!”

Raezel sighed.

This girl was either fearless… or incredibly foolish.

Maybe both.