The silence that filled the palace after Gazil's disappearance was unlike any silence Arius had ever known. It was not the peaceful silence of sleep, nor the gentle silence of a beautiful evening, nor even the silence of fear. It was the silence of death—a heavy, cold, and final silence that filled every corner of a place once brimming with laughter, love, and life.
Arius was still sitting beside the bodies of his parents, holding Luna, who clung tightly to her small doll. He was no longer crying—he had no more tears left to shed. Instead, he stared at the calm faces of his parents, trying to memorize every detail. His father's gentle smile, even in death. His mother's soft hands, which had embraced him a thousand times.
Luna was silent, but not just because of the curse that had struck her. She was silent in a deeper way, as if her very soul had been shocked to the point that she no longer knew how to interact with the world. Her blue eyes, which once sparkled with joy and innocence, were now empty, staring into nothingness and seeing nothing.
The hours passed with painful slowness. Arius did not know how long they had been there—perhaps hours, perhaps days. Time had lost its meaning in this place filled with death and destruction. The broken windows allowed the cold air to seep in, but Arius did not feel the chill. He felt nothing but a terrible emptiness in his chest, as if something vital had been ripped out from inside him.
In the end, it was hunger that forced him to move. Not his own hunger—he no longer had any desire to eat—but Luna's. He heard her small stomach quietly rumble and saw how pale and weak she was beginning to look. This reminded him of his new responsibility. Luna was all he had left of his family, and he had to take care of her.
"Luna," he whispered, his voice rough from crying. "We need to eat something."
She looked at him with empty eyes, but did not move. Arius realized she was in deep shock and that he would have to be strong for her. He stood up slowly, his legs trembling from sitting so long, and reached out his hand to her.
"Come, little sister. We'll go to the kitchen."
He took her small, cold hand and helped her to her feet. She was so light, as if she were a rag doll. Together, they left the ruined room, leaving behind their parents' bodies. It was the hardest thing Arius had ever done—leaving his parents alone in the darkness.
The hallways that had once been full of life and activity were now dark and cold. The paintings on the walls hung at odd angles, some had fallen and shattered on the floor. The beautiful crystal chandeliers were broken, pieces of glass scattered on the ground like frozen tears.
The kitchen, once the beating heart of the palace, now looked like a tomb. Pots and pans were strewn about, and the food prepared for the family's happy dinner had rotted and spoiled. But Arius found some bread and cheese in the pantry, and a cup of milk that had not yet gone bad.
He sat with Luna at the large table where they had shared so many happy family meals. He tried to feed her, but she refused at first. Only when she saw tears gathering in his eyes again did she open her mouth and eat a few small bites.
"That's good, Luna," Arius whispered. "We have to stay strong. Father told me to protect you, and that's what I'll do."
After eating, they returned to the living room. Arius could not bear to leave his parents there, but he did not know what to do. He was just an eight-year-old child, and knew nothing about death, burial, or rituals. All he knew was that his parents deserved better than to be left in a ruined room.
He decided to do what he could. He gathered all the beautiful flowers from his mother's garden—the red roses she loved, the white jasmine that filled the palace with its fragrance, and the yellow daffodils that reminded her of her childhood. He scattered the flowers around his parents' bodies and lit every candle he could find in the palace.
"Father, Mama," he whispered, kneeling beside them. "I promise I'll take care of Luna. I promise I'll become strong. And I promise I'll make whoever did this to you pay."
Luna sat beside him and placed her small doll in her mother's hands. It was the first thing she had done in hours, and Arius understood that she was saying goodbye in her own way.
That night, they slept in Luna's small room, the only room in the palace that had not been badly damaged in the battle. Arius held his silent sister, trying to protect her from the nightmares he knew would come. But sleep did not come easily. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Malakar's terrifying face, heard his parents' screams, and felt the dark energy flowing from the scar of memory.
In the morning, he awoke to the sound of footsteps in the hallway. His heart leaped in fear—had they come back? Had more followers of the Black Dawn arrived? He took Luna in his arms and hid in the closet, trying to breathe quietly.
But the voice he heard was not that of an enemy.
"Arius? Luna? Where are you?"
It was the voice of Alexandros Val Arkanos, his father's friend and a member of the "Guardians of Balance." Arius emerged from his hiding place and ran toward the voice, Luna in his arms.
He found Alexandros in the living room, standing before the bodies of Victor and Isabella. His face was pale with shock and grief, his eyes full of tears. When he saw the children, he knelt on the floor and opened his arms.
"Arius, Luna, come here."
Arius ran to him and collapsed in his embrace, all the pain, fear, and loneliness bursting from his chest once more. Alexandros held them tightly, and for the first time since that dreadful night, Arius felt a measure of safety.
"I'm sorry," Alexandros whispered, his voice broken. "I'm so sorry. I should have been here. I should have protected them."
"Why didn't you come?" Arius asked, his voice full of pain. "Why did you let them die?"
"Because I didn't know. I didn't sense the danger until it was too late." Alexandros looked into Arius's eyes, his own filled with guilt and regret. "But I'm here now. And I promise I will never leave you or Luna again."
"What will happen to us?" Arius whispered.
"You'll come with me. You'll live in my home, and I'll take care of you as if you were my own children." Alexandros looked at Luna, who was staring at him with empty eyes. "What happened to her? Why doesn't she speak?"
"Malakar," Arius said, his voice filled with hatred. "He cursed her with the curse of eternal silence."
Alexandros's face hardened with anger. "Malakar? Here? In this house?"
"Yes. He killed Father and Mama. And he cursed Luna. But Gazil came and killed him."
"Gazil?" Alexandros looked stunned. "Are you sure?"
"Yes. He appeared twice. The first time he saved us from the initial attackers, and the second time he killed Malakar."
Alexandros was silent for a long time, trying to comprehend what had happened. Gazil was a legend even among the "Guardians of Balance"—an ancient and powerful being, but no one knew his true identity or motives.
"Arius," Alexandros finally said. "I want you to tell me everything that happened. Every detail, no matter how small." And so, Arius sat down and told the whole story. He spoke of the happy night that turned into a nightmare, of the masked attackers, of the appearance of the memory scar, of his parents' bravery, of Malakar's cruelty, of his parents' final sacrifice. With every word, the pain grew stronger, but he forced himself to continue.
Alexandros listened in silence, his face growing darker with every detail. When Arius finished, there was a long silence.
"The memory scar," Alexandros finally whispered. "I knew you were special, but I didn't expect this."
"What is the memory scar?" Arius asked.
"It is an ancient mark, appearing on those who carry the memories and wisdom of their ancestors. Your father had it too, and his grandfather before him. It's a sign that you're a true heir of the Draconis family."
Alexandros looked at the scar on Arius's chest, which still pulsed with a faint light. "But your scar is different. Stronger. More complex. I believe it now holds your parents' memories as well."
"What does that mean?"
"It means you will become very powerful, Arius. More powerful than you can imagine. But power comes with great responsibility—and greater dangers."
Alexandros stood and looked around the ruined room. "We can't stay here. This place is no longer safe. The Black Dawn will return, and next time, they'll come with a whole army."
"But this is our home," Arius said sadly.
"I know, Arius. But a home is not just a place. Home is where your family is. And your family now is Luna—and me, if you'll have me."
Arius looked at Luna, who was staring into space, then at Alexandros, whose eyes were filled with love and sorrow.
"Alright," Arius whispered. "But I want to bury Papa and Mama first. I can't leave them like this."
"Of course. We'll give them the burial they deserve."
They spent the next day preparing Victor and Isabella's bodies for burial. Alexandros brought two beautiful shrouds of white silk, and Arius gathered all the lovely flowers from the garden. They buried them in the palace garden, beneath the great oak tree where Isabella had loved to sit.
During the burial, Alexandros spoke beautiful words about Victor and Isabella—about their courage, their love, and their sacrifice. Arius could not speak—the pain was too great to be expressed in words. But in his heart, he promised his parents one last time that he would protect Luna, that he would become strong, that he would make them proud.
Luna placed a single flower on each grave—a red rose for her father, a white jasmine for her mother. It was the first thing she had done on her own since that terrible night.
In the evening, they gathered a few important things from the palace. Arius took his father's sword, some of his favorite books, and a beautiful family portrait from happier days. Luna took her doll, some of her clothes, and her mother's golden necklace, which she loved to play with.
Before they left, Arius stood in the middle of the ruined palace and looked around for the last time. This place had been his whole world for eight years. Here he had learned to walk and talk, here he had played with Luna, here his mother had embraced him and his father had taught him. Now it was only a painful memory.
"Goodbye," he whispered to the silent palace. "Goodbye to my childhood."
Then he took Luna's hand and followed Alexandros out of the palace, toward a new life full of unknowns.
The road to Alexandros's house was long and silent. They traveled in a small carriage through the dark forests, the moon hidden behind the clouds. Arius held Luna, who had finally fallen asleep from exhaustion, and gazed out the window at the darkness surrounding them.
"Alexandros," Arius whispered. "Will you teach me how to fight?"
"Why do you want to learn to fight?"
"To protect Luna. And to make those who killed my parents pay."
Alexandros was silent for a long time. "Revenge is a dangerous path, Arius. It can destroy your soul."
"I don't care. I just want to be strong enough to protect those I love."
"If that's truly what you want, I'll teach you. But not for revenge. For justice. To protect the innocent. To become the man your father wanted you to be."
"I promise."
"And I promise I'll teach you everything I know. You will become a great warrior, Arius Val Draconis. But more importantly, you will become a good man."
And so, on that dark night, a new journey began for Arius and Luna—a journey that would take them far from their happy childhood, through years of training, pain, and growth, toward a destiny they could never have imagined.
But in that moment, they were just two orphaned children, holding each other in a carriage moving through the darkness, carrying in their hearts a deep love for their dead parents and a pain that would shape every day of their lives to come.
The memory scar on Arius's chest pulsed quietly in the darkness, bearing the memories of the past and promises for the future. And in Luna's silence, there was a hidden strength growing—a strength that would one day become a source of healing and hope for all around her.
The road ahead was long and full of challenges. But together, as brother and sister, as survivors of a terrible tragedy, they would face whatever awaited them.
This was the end of their childhood, and the beginning of a journey that would turn them into legend.