Read Tales of the Valariun :: Dawn of the New Era

“Dad, get up! We need to run! Get up, Dad!”

“Huff… huff… run…! You have to live… no matter what!”

“Dad… no! No!”

“…Az…rael…”

“Azrael!”

The voice cut through the darkness.

I jerked awake.

The call was sharp, but not harsh.

For a moment, I didn’t know where I was.

Smoke still clung to my lungs. My father’s voice still echoed in my ears.

Then the scent of wet stone and trimmed roses replaced the taste of ash.

I was standing in the middle of the palace courtyard, a broom frozen in my hands.

Servants passed around me, carrying linens and baskets as if nothing had happened. To them, I must have looked like a fool—standing perfectly still in the center of the path, staring at nothing.

A dull ache pulsed behind my eyes.

That dream again.

I never remembered much of my life before I was ten, but that fragment always returned the same way: smoke, running, and my father’s final shout.

“Azrael, I’ve been calling you for quite some time.”

I blinked and looked up.

Standing in front of me was Mary, the personal maid assigned to Luna von Arondain.

Concern softened her otherwise stern expression.

“What happened?” she asked. “Were you daydreaming again?”

I straightened at once.

“I’m sorry, Mary. Is the princess awake?”

Mary folded her arms.

“Did you forget? Her Highness refuses to get out of bed unless you’re there.”

Despite the headache, I managed a small bow.

“My apologies. I’ll go to her immediately.”

Mary stepped closer and gently took the broom from my hands.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

“I’m fine.”

The answer came too quickly.

Mary studied my face, clearly unconvinced, but she let the matter drop.

“Go on. I’ll finish here.”

“Thank you.”

I handed over the broom and hurried into the palace.

My name is Azrael.

I have served Princess Luna since we were both ten years old.

Everything before that age is a blank wall in my mind.

No matter how hard I try, I cannot remember what came before the palace.

Soon after I arrived, I was adopted by Reginald, the chief butler of Arondain Castle and the personal attendant to King Valerius.

He raised me as his own and became the closest thing I have ever had to a father.

Arondain Palace is so large that newcomers often lose their way.

Its endless corridors, grand halls, and towering walls once formed a fortress during the Aion War.

According to legend, angels and demons fought for a thousand years in the mortal world of Giaria, nearly destroying it.

When all hope was lost, a single mortal used only his spirit and his life to seal both sides away and bring peace.

That is the short version told to children.

Most people think it is only a fairy tale.

Even so, the story never felt entirely distant to me.

Perhaps it was because the palace still carried the weight of history.

Or perhaps it was because some part of me had always felt that the past was not truly gone.

At the highest floor of the palace stood the largest room of all.

I pushed open the doors and stepped into what could only be described as a floral paradise.

Fresh flowers filled every corner of the chamber, and the sweet fragrance drifted through the air. Delicate curtains surrounded an enormous bed carved in the shape of a blooming flower.

At the center of that extravagant nest slept Luna von Arondain.

Beloved by her father and adored by the people, Luna looked almost unreal when she slept.

Silver hair spilled across her pillow like moonlight.

With her peaceful expression and delicate features, she looked less like a princess and more like someone who belonged in a story.

I crossed the room and drew open the curtains.

Morning sunlight flooded the chamber.

“Princess Luna,” I said. “It is time to wake up.”

“Ugh…”

A small groan emerged from the mountain of blankets.

One blue eye opened.

“Az… good morning…”

“Good morning, my lady.”