Slowly, she turned around and facing the man in the long black robes, bowed down speaking the next few words in a low voice,

"My Lord, how may I serve you?"

-

With the fires glowing by his side and a smirk unravelling on his face, Damien first lightly chuckled but soon this turned into a maniacal laugh as Evie's expression stayed blank while her eyes seemed to be lost in some deep abyss.

Soon, the laugh died down as Damien looked at Albrutus and then at Evie.

"For now, you, my subject are not of much use but worry not because it will be through you that I would trap the Prince. Stay hidden and don't come out till I order you to do so." 

He then turned to Albrutus as the ghoul finally got up.

"Albrutus, my dear associate, you have done a good job and now, I bestow you with a responsibility that I hope you can fulfil."

The ghoul's eyes widened as he looked at Damien, "M-My Lord, I will be honored!" 

Damien  looked at Albrutus with a grave expression as he walked towards him, "Are you sure you will be able to do it because if you fail then you do know the consequences."

Albrutus slowly nodded as Damien started circling him, "I want you to go and inform all the ghouls to get ready."

"But why My Lord?"

Damien stayed silent for a few minutes as he continued circling around the ghoul. Finally, he came to a stop, facing Albrutus. "Inform them to get ready for war while I go and meet my dear old friend, his majesty himself. Tell Seth to lead the ghouls for the attack on the village while you, Albrutus, will come with me to the castle."

"W-With you?"

"Yes..." Replied Damien with a nod. "The responsibility that I hand over to you is that you need to find the guardian. Find her and bring her here...capture her and bring her to me."

Albrutus looked at Damien, feeling quite breathless as he nodded, "As you say My Lord."

///

Four hours were left for night to leave and morning to come.

The village was shrouded in darkness as the people slept in their beds, some lost in their blissful dreams while others grumbling due to the pressure of work and life problems.

In a small hut, lay a little boy on a cot beside his mother as a smile lingered on his face.

He was dreaming of him being in a world of sweets and eating as many chocolates he could, not having any worry in his mind to disturb.

This dream would have continued, its wisps and fragments knitting and forming a different world altogether had it not been for a sudden thump on the door that woke him up with a start.

The boy squinted his eyes, letting them adjust to the darkness as he looked at his mom and then at the door.

A second knock followed as the young boy got down from the cot and wore his slippers.

The wooden floor creaked as he walked towards the door and called out, "Hello?"

No verbal reply came, just some weird noises followed with a third knock.

Resting his little hand on the door nob, he turned it and slowly the lock opened.

What happened next was a rush of events as two figures quickly lept on the boy. A strangled cry calling for help escaped his lips causing his mother to wake up.

"Ben!" She screamed in shock and before any other word could escape her lips, a sword was drawn through her body and as she fell back on the cot and lay lifeless while the young boy lay dead in his pool of blood.

The news of the attack had now reached the ears of each and every villager as each man, woman and child ran hither and thither, eyes wide with terror and fear.

Hundreds of ghouls flew to each and every corner of the village as they threw spells and did not spare mercy to even one.

The news had also reached to the King who till now had been in his work room, sorting out the expenses of the kingdom.

His command on hearing the situation was clear as guards ran through the corridors of the huge caste; "Make sure that the Queen and Prince are safe and get ready, our people need us."

The chaos that ensued alerted the Prince who a few hours back, after talking to Aera, had returned to his room.

A loud knock echoed as he got up from his bed and rushed to the door.

Outside, stood a panting guard as his eyes were wide while sweat rolled down his forehead, "Prince Taehyung!" He exclaimed as a loud sound of something crashing reached their ears, causing the guard to almost jump. "We are under attack! Please, go to the royal room where the King and Queen are."

And with that, the guard ran and headed towards the castle's gates, ready to fight and even die in the name of protecting the kingdom Azmaar.

It was not the news itself that had startled Taehyung but rather the thought of Aera who was all alone and probably not aware of what was happening.

So, off he ran with his sword right next to him as he took a turn and then another, his heart beating in his chest so hard that it may have even burst out.

"Aera..." He kept mumbling with worry as he ignored the calls and shouts from the soldiers and other people.

Finally, the brown wooden door came to his sight as he dashed towards it and knocked a bit more louder than intended.

Silence was what he received  as he knocked again and waited...but no response came.

Worry started eating him as in panic he called out loudly, "AERA!"

Finally the sound of some movement came from inside, as after a few seconds the door opened to reveal a sleepy Aera who seemed to have taken no notice of the chaos surrounding her.

"Taehyung?" She sleepily said as she rubbed her eyes and looked at his worried state. "What are you doing here?"

A sigh of relief escaped his lips, as he flung his arms around her, the joy of seeing her safe and sound making him forget about the attack and the danger they were in.

At receiving the sudden hug, Aera's shoulders tensed as she could feel Taehyung's breath hit her neck. She realized how heavy his breaths were as her previous sleepy state vanished and instead the awareness of the loud shouting noises and cracking sounds which filled the air reached to her.

"Prince, what is going on?" She whispered as Taehyung finally let go, his breaths now a bit more relaxed and calm as he took Aera's hand in his. "The Kingdom...it's under attack."

The words hit Aera like an arrow as her eyes widened with shock.

"Aera, you need to go the throne room, it is where my parents are and is currently the only safe place protected by a powerful magical charm."

"But what about you?" Aera asked as the Prince's grip on his sword tightened and his eyes now carefully scanned the surrounding area.

"I need to go and protect the castle, the Kingdom."

"But-"

He finally looked back at her as his eyed softened and a smile crept up his lips, "Don't worry about me. Just go!" And with that his hand left hers, the warmth it provided now deserting her as Aera looked at him run away and disappear out of sight.

Going inside her room, Aera took out a jacket and wore it over her sleeveless night dress. Then, turning to a box kept in the corner of the room, she walked towards it and opening its lid, took out a sharp sword. 

"This will do." She muttered under her breath as she held it carefully, making up her mind that if people were out there and were in danger then instead of hiding she would rather fight bravely and protect them.

So off she went, running down the hallway and out of the castle doors as the sight infront of her caused her eyes to widen in horror.

The once beautiful gardens were now filled with blood while dark clouds hung in the sky, threatening to zap anyone with their electrostatic discharge.

From the corner of her eye she saw two soldiers fighting with a ghoul as its weird shadow like figure dodged each of their attacks and finally threw a sleep at the men's direction. The spell hit them square on the chest as they fell to the ground, twitching in pain and agony.

A small part of Aera wanted to save those two soldiers but she knew that if she did so then she may loose the Prince from her sight.

With a heavy heart, she looked away, feeling guilty but also knowing that there was nothing she could do to save those two from the curse that was thrown on them.

The ground shook as thunder hit it while light raindrops started falling. Soon this drizzle turned into rain and rain into storm as Aera kept running, occasionally stopping to take a breath or sometimes help people in need.

She could see the outline of the Prince's figure accompanied with some other person. "Prince Taehyung!" She shouted and called out as loudly as she could but before she could move any further, her leg twisted and she fell into a deep puddle of mud.

A shout of agony escaped Aera's lips as pain shot through and tears formed in her eyes. 

The rain drops hit her unprotected face harshly as each drop felt like a stone. The wind blew, while a thin layer of fog also lay suspended in the air as Aera struggled to get up.

"Help, anyone!" She shouted in despair and to add to all her struggle, she realized that she could not free herself from the wet mud she had fallen into.

Her head felt heavy while her legs sore as the arm which she was using to support the weight of her body slipped and she fell flat to the ground.

She struggled to get up but failed as the wind now started blowing faster than before.

Her eyes started to close and she was about to give up when a hand reached out to her. 

"Aera, wake up!" 

On hearing the voice, Aera's pain and struggle all vanished as she looked up to see someone's hand stretched out to her. Taking it, she got up, the pain returning once again as she groaned but was finally able to stand.

"What are you doing here!?" A worried yet angry voice asked as Aera finally looked at her saviour to see the Prince standing infront of her, his hair and clothes soaking wet while the water droplets rolling down his face.

Next to him, stood Jungkook with a bow in his hand, who just waved at her and gave a small smile.

"I, want to fight along with you." Was her response as the Prince scoffed and looked at her with his blue eyes.

"Aera, you could have seriously been injured or worse, gotten surrounded by ghouls and who knows what else. The kingdom is under attack and danger is lurking everywhere. Why don't you understand?" With each word, his voice rose and this caused Aera's expression to fall as she realized that this was the first time she had seen the Prince being angry.

She took a step or two away from him and looked down, clenching her jaw while her hands formed into fists. Never before had she been scolded or talked to in a loud voice so being in such a situation, caused a swirl of emotions to form in her and among these emotions, anger stood out the most.

Seeing this change in expression from Area, Taehyung's voice softened as he took a deep breath and sighed, "I...just want you to be safe. Please, Aera."

Aera's eyebrows furrowed as she finally looked at the Prince with a glare. 

"What? You think I don't know what's going on? You think I am some five year old kid who needs to be lectured and told what to do and what not? True, I may be new to all this and may not know everything about this place but still, if I am going to stay here then I need to be strong and learn how to fight! If you can go and fight the dark forces then why can't I? I have made my decision and that is to protect those in danger and I am not going to back away...no matter you say."

And with that, Aera gave a huff and ran away, fuming in anger.

Taehyung, after hearing those words was overcome by shock and surprise. He would have stayed like that for longer had it not been for Jungkook who nudged him on the elbow.

"Damn!" He exclaimed in admiration. "That woman is stubborn but brave! Aye Prince, who would have though that you would get a good scolding from a lady."

Taehyung looked at Jungkook as he raised an eyebrow, causing the latter to give an innocent smile which held pure cheekiness behind it.

"By the way, don't you think we should go behind Aera. What if she gets into danger?"

These words caused a switch to turn on in the Prince as he suddenly felt guilty for speaking loudly and in a rude manner. "I have seriously messed up this time." He mumbled as he looked at his friend and then ahead, pushing the ground behind and running forward towards the direction where Aera ran.

///

After having a long fight with the ghouls and dark forces to protect the castle and the kingdom, King Edward was currently pacing up and down the huge throne room as his mind was deep in thought while he kept his hands behind his back.

"It's obvious that this time we may not win..." He said in a disturbed voice as the Queen who stood near the window, seeing the happenings below with worry clearly visible in her eyes, nodded and gave a sigh.

"Edward," She said as she turned to look at her husband. "The only reason why Damien is doing all this is to bring you down and get revenge. Though the chances of him coming back to who he was are thin, time still hasn't run out to make amends and end this blind hatred."

King Edward stopped walking as he looked at his wife. Coming closer to her, he held her hand and spoke, "I know, Bella, I know. But right now, we need to set the past aside and protect the present so that the future of us may exist." He looked at the Queen with a certain softness in his eyes which represented the love and respect he held for her in his heart.

"Bella, where is our son? Where is Taehyung? I have not seen him since the attack has started."

Bella heaved a sigh as she looked at the King with a troubled expression. "I don't know Edward. Neither have I, nor the guards seen Taehyung. Also, the other person who has also been reported missing is Aera and my motherly instincts are telling me that they are somewhere far, in grave danger."

"Aera?" The King mumbled as the Queen nodded. "That girl...there truly is something different about her." With a sigh, he left the Queen's hand and looked away as he was one again about to go in deep thoughts when a sudden blast caused the whole room to shake.

Both, the King and Queen fell to the ground as the invisible magical dome which was a spell cast around the throne room to protect the people inside from any outside danger started to glitch.

"Someone's trying to force their way in!" The King shouted as he got to his feet, ordering his guards to get in place and be ready while he would strengthen the magical dome.

But before anyone could carry out the order, a second bang followed causing the room to shake once again as finally the protection charm vanished into thin air and the two huge doors of the throne room were thrown wide open.

Edward's breath hitched and for a moment he froze in shock. 

The surrounding air suddenly felt heavy and suffocated while the chandeliers that were hung on the ceiling of the room swung with a creaking sound.

A man entered inside, red wisps of air surrounding him as he looked at the King and smiled.

His red yes glistered like fire while his jet black hair shone under the light provided by the room.

"Long time no see, Edward. Did you miss me?"

The King's breaths became heavy as he looked at his former friends, now enemy. "Damien?"

The man chuckled as he walked closer to Edward, "Glad to know that you did not forget me because I have some past issues to settle with you."