A specter stood alone in the tower flipping through yellowing pages of crumbling books, trying desperately to recall anything from bygone eras.

The specter is cold, empty, and starving. His chest is hollow and gapping with a wound called emptiness and loneliness. It's been uncountable times now since he last saw the last semblance of light. Since he last saw the last semblance of anyone.

The specter's deathly cold hand found the spine of a picture book and he pulled it. He opened it and felt something, finally something, spark inside him in the small organ that he call heart. A shriveled dried up flesh barely functioning to sustain him.

The specter relives the memories of the past both happy and sad. He saw life and colors long forgotten by time and his mind. Moments are frozen forever in colorful depictions that all had gone saturated and cold to his memory but each one a window to see the lost history.

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I'm the middle of the Forest Igraine, two souls fought side by side with each other against a terrifying beast that aimed to crush them. Both wounded and exhausted, sweat dripped from their brows but they kept going knowing that there is no time to rest until the beast is put to rest.

Ruby kept shooting at the monster but her bullets only bounced off of its hind while Aurelius did his best to decapitate the snake tail aiming to snap at his head. Numerous times had he nearly melted to a puddle of gore when the snake tried spitting poison at him but luckily he is swift with his feet as well as his wit which saved him time and time again from dying.

The maiden had instructed him to cut the other heads before they could finish the beast so that it would lose two-thirds of its Divinity and be vulnerable to their attacks but so far he could only land minor bruises and injuries to the thing since it's too wild and too strong to vanquish so easily. The lion claw tried swiping at him but he quickly stepped back and went to his companion's side.

"I-I can't get close enough without the snake biting my head off or the lion tearing me to shreds. Do you have a backup plan for that?" he admitted panting beside her. He gave her a side glance and noticed the hard contemplating gaze she directed towards the beast. It seemed fairly a whole five minutes before Ruby managed to say anything and Aurelius can't exactly help but agree and comply anyways.

"Run!" she grabbed his hand and held it firmly in her smaller ones before pulling--or dragging him rather along with her as she ran through the woods with the monster following suit.

Ruby led him through twists and turns seemingly to aim to get the monster off their trail however with a size and feet as powerful as that, outrunning it doesn't seem to be a real plan. Aurelius only followed after Ruby's path making sure to never let her hand slip away from his hold even though they nearly tripped here and there and got scraped and bruised. He is a bit unsure where their exact destination is or if they even have one but he decided to put all his trust in her confidence and knowledge of the forest.

"Jump!" his partner yelled and he instantly complied without question or doubt. He noticed a rope low lying in front of them but he didn't have enough time to think what it was all about as they heard the monster roar from behind them.

Ruby suddenly pulled him against a marked tree to hide them both as the monster tripped on the rope. Darts instantly flew all around them impaling the Chimera making it release a loud guttural roar. The two collapsed against each other in a tight hug to avoid getting hit by any of the darts. Ruby pressed herself against his head and wrapped her hands around his head to ensure that no dart would ever hit him. Aurelius wrapped his arms around Ruby's waist in fear, squeezing his eyes shut and feeling her rapidly beating heart against his cheek. They heard the Chimera moaning and roaring in pain just near them and prayed that it doesn't inch closer to their location.

The barrage of darts soon stopped after a long thirty seconds and the two suddenly became more conscious about their position. Aurelius sat on the ground while Ruby sat on his lap while he had his arms wrapped around her waist protectively. The Prince didn't have the time to blush when Ruby soon stood up and quickly pulled him up before leading him again to run away from the beast.

"Come on, Rel! The sedative and the shock won't keep him down for long. I bet he's angrier now." she said while giggling. For some reason even though their lives are in great danger the little lady found something amusing in their current predicament as she dragged him along with her into their next escapade with a phantasmal beast. The prince couldn't contain his own laughter that bubbled from his chest as he ran side by side with a complete and total stranger that he can't help but admire.

"Rel?" he asked with a questioning look as they both ran for their lives while laughing.

"Since Aurelius is quite long I decided to shorten it a bit. I hope it's okay for you." Ruby explained with a cute goofy smile. The prince couldn't help but blush due to her adorableness.

"Sure. I don't mind." he answered timidly.

As the two ran together, the Chimera followed suit however there was a certain tipsiness to his every step unlike earlier but it doesn't seem to be enough to deter him in chasing down his two frolicking preys. The goat head tried blasting them both with lightning bolts and although they weren't exactly hit by the blasts the goat managed to hit a few things that can fall on them like trunks of trees or even the trees themselves. Luckily the two are very swift at evading the flying and falling debris.

Ruby led them deeper and deeper into the forest almost out of breath but she kept going. Aurelius did his best to follow after the huntress maiden however he can feel his own strength nearly failing him. The only thing keeping him moving is Ruby's hand that was wrapped firmly on his sweaty hand.

"We're near another one! Get ready to jump!! Right... NOW!!" Ruby exclaimed as they both leaped over a hidden rope before running a few more meters.

The Chimera seemed to be smarter this time as it jumped over the rope as well failing to activate the trap. It snarled at them with a hateful look while it's other heads glared at them fiercely. Even though they are in a critical position and fear was very prominent in their hearts, Ruby didn't let herself be stared down by a mere lower-class phantasmal. She glared back at it and pulled back her weapon holstered on her back before standing protectively in front of an exhausted Aurelius.

"Ruby what are you doing?" he asked as if she was out of her mind. And in this situation she probably is.

"I'm saving us both." Ruby answered before propelling herself towards the great beast and slashing its face numerous times with her scythe. It didn't do much damage but it seemed to be enough to disorient the creature and intimidate it into taking a step back. Aurelius realized that she's trying to make him back away towards the trap and activate whatever the hell it was but he couldn't help but worry for her safety. With her close range the goat head couldn't really strike making the snakehead and the lion body it's main offense teams.

Ruby yelped and stumbled backward when the snake tried biting her only to be punched away by Aurelius who grabbed her waist and dragged her to safety when the lion tried swiping at her.

"Don't be too reckless. Even though we barely know each other I need you to rely on my strength as well. I can fight too so stop trying to show off, little girl. And if we're going to both live and defeat this thing we need to work together, okay?" Aurelius voiced with a stern reprimanding tone.

Ruby pursed her lips before detaching herself from the male and standing her ground. "I'm not trying to show off I just want you to know I can do this." was her reply before readying herself and facing the monster once more.

"You're fine. Now let's go." Aurelius said before striking the monster overhead followed by a shockwave from Ruby. This certainly made the monster take a step back until his feet stepped on the rope and two logs emerged from the side and slammed against the monster together. It wasn't enough to cause major injuries but it was enough to disorient him long enough for Ruby and Aurelius to execute their plans.

Ruby jumped overhead and swung her scythe to decapitate the goat head while Aurelius went behind the Chimera to destroy the snakehead. The reptilian tail was very feisty giving the prince a very hard time to even get close to it. He grabbed it by the neck but the snake managed to bite him making him release a moan of pain but he quickly sliced it off with his weapon.

"Rel are you okay?!" Ruby asked in alarm.

"I'll be fine but we must continue."

"Right."

The two attacked the Chimera simultaneously trying to bring it down and push it to its belly but even with its two other heads gone it still proved to be a very formidable opponent.

Ruby was sent flying to a nearby tree when the monster clawed at her stomach knocking the air out of her lungs and leaving three large claw marks on her belly. Aurelius kept on fighting the monster while waiting for Ruby to collect her bearings. He kicked its head from the underside before delivering a heavy knuckle punch to its nose.

"Rel! Get ready to strike it!" Ruby yelled gripping her bleeding stomach before lifting her scythe and propelling her body forward with the strong recoil of her sniper scythe. Ruby hooked the lion's head and flipped it over to its back while Aurelius activated his Moniyan Blast. Golden artifacts aligned in front of the prince surrounded by gold and blue light and it rushed to the Chimera blasting it to pieces and shaking the forest to its very roots, decimating half of the woodland as well. A loud bang resounded throughout the forest making a murder of crows fly away in terror squawking for their lives. Silence followed after that as the two panted and stared at the path of destruction Aurelius' power caused.

"Agggghhhh!" The prince suddenly fell on his knees gripping his arms in pain. Ruby quickly went to his side in alarm, lifting his head to her lap.

"You're poisoned!" she exclaimed after seeing the greying flesh of his arm where a green vile liquid exuded from.

"Come on I'll get you to Pharsa's house. She'll know what to do. Hopefully, she's still alive." Ruby said before hoisting him on her back and giving him a piggyback ride to the witch's cottage.

"Don't worry I'm not going to let you die." she reassured while he only replied with a grunt.

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"So you were basically saved by a red hooded girl from being eaten by a Chimera? She even held you like a bride in her arms? Wow. To hell with Snow White, Aurora, and Cinderella, the new princess in town is Aurelius saved by the Little Red Riding Hood. Have you considered singing and talking to animals?" Silvanna teased as she dined with Aurelius in their tea room. The prince only rolled his eyes due to her interpretation and paraphrasing of his words.

Aurelius had just recalled to her the events that followed after his return from the woods. He arrived back home late at night after being cured of the poison in his system which only took a mere few hours. The experience was terrible and the after-effects left him lethargic and a bit delirious but after an hour of rest as well as a bit of energy potion from the witch where his companion brought him to, he eventually regained his energy and strength.

Ruby was kind enough to walk with him through the forest and lead him back to the path to a nearby village and even lent him money to take a carriage back to his home since he didn't plan on bringing any pocket change.

Even though the walk was very exhausting, the company he had made it interesting and enjoyable. He discovered more about her and she discovered more about him except for the fact that he's the prince of her nation. As far as he can guess she only knows him as another rich kid who got curious of the forest and got himself roped into danger. Her ignorance of his status relieves him because it made things less awkward and it allowed him to be himself with no title chaining him to act all proper and laid back and she also got to be herself. Or what he deemed as her natural attitude since she wasn't as uptight and reserved like when they first met. He smiled at the memory of her cute face telling him about the sunsets she watched from the cliff in the forest.

"It wasn't like that. Yes, she did save me but we fought that Chimera side by side, and I landed the killing blow. Though I must admit I only followed after her plan but at least I blew that thing to smithereens. That girl has good leadership skills and she's doing all those cool backflips and somersaults. The way she hooks and slices was so damn impressive. Lord of Light, what I wouldn't do to fight side by side with her again or just talk to her casually... like friends perhaps." Aurelius droned with a distant smile, his mind lingering back to the moments he spent fighting with the red hooded girl. A knowing smile stretched across the knightess' lips.

"It seems to me that my little brother has a crush." she chirped putting her cup against her lips with a teasing smile. Her brother colored bright red choking on his macaroon.

"It's not a crush! It's just--it's just a simple admiration. She was just so amazing and pretty... and nice."

"Yup. Definitely sounds like a crush." Silvanna concluded before popping a bonbon into her mouth.

"Fine. I guess I like her but it's not yet love, perhaps attraction and infatuation. But it's not like our boat is going to sail anyway she's a lesbian and she's getting married to that Carmel? Caramel? Camel girl?"

"It's Carmilla." Silvanna corrected.

"Whatever. But the point is, it's pointless. I want to have her blonde babies and I've already planned our baby names. Lucy if it's a girl and Lucius if it's a boy. But none of that matters because she's never gonna have a baby because she's going to marry a woman." Aurelius frowned pouting.

"You really thought way ahead of yourself. But you're wrong on that one because Lady Altria's mage has a spell capable of producing a child between the union of Ruby and Carmilla. I don't know the details but it's possible."

"Thanks, sis. That's a really light heartening information." he said in sarcasm.

"Okay fine. But they're not married yet so you still have a shot and she's a high ranking noble lady so society won't have much problem with your pair. And I heard that Ruby will be staying in the Ansaac Manor which is in the Empire. Just a short carriage ride from the palace and I think the two of them will be watching the opera very soon since Carmilla seemed quite taken by the play. I heard from the other ladies that they often see her watching the opera on Cecilion's performances. Maybe you'll meet Ruby there and plan... I don't know a meetup? A date?" Silvanna suggested.

"Are you implying that I ruin a loving lesbian relationship for my own selfish lust for a girl I just met a few days ago?" Aurelius summarized with narrowed eyes at his brethren who blushed in shame of his interpretation of her words.

"It sounds evil when you say it like that. Like we're the bad guys here but I am merely suggesting that you give it a shot. This is the first time that I see you this happy and I don't want to pass the chance to see you enjoying yourself."

"I appreciate the gesture but I think I'll just linger on the friend zone. She's an amazing girl but generally speaking, she's not really my type. She's too Mary Stew and sunshines. We're not going to work out either way." Aurelius concluded as he set his teacup down and gazed at the macaroons with a blank expression.

"Well, I'll just support you in any decision you make, brother. Don't worry I believe that one day you'll finally meet the one girl for you." Silvanna smiled with a gentle look on her eyes as she stared at her brother.

Moments like this really brings warmth to her heart since he's opening up to her more and more contrary to when he first arrived nine years ago when he was ten years old after rescuing him from the Abyss. He was really feral and unfriendly but finally, after years of tender love and care, he finally came back to being the Prince of Light he was supposed to be. Nothing can make her happier than seeing her brother return back to them and be true to himself. Now he's entering manhood and telling her about a girl that he likes, it just felt so surreal and yet so utterly pleasing. No evil in this world can spoil her moment with her family. The brief silence that lingered was broken when Aurelius voiced a question.

"So sister... When is the play?"