Azarelle’s Song

While returning from fetching the bracelet, Diane had sighted a figure approaching. The moonlight helped her make out the figure.

"Master Ro?", she paused in her tracks due to the solemn expression on his face.

His pace towards her was still constant.

"I got the bracele-"

Her words trailed off when he hugged her tightly. "I won't let anyone take you", he rubbed the back of her head reassuringly.

There was worry in his voice, but for some reason... It made her so happy that he wanted to protect her.

"I'm not going anywhere, your highness". She smiled lightly as her arms moved to wrap around his waist. "You've taken care of me for the short period we've been together".

He broke the hug to stare into her eyes.

Loki had made known to him that he'd be taking Diane even if it came down to beating him to a bloody pulp. That was the only other way to take a servant from someone...

Beat them into submission.

He assumed Ishtar had sent her away so she wouldn't get to hear Loki speak his mind.

"Master Ro?", Diane pulled his sleeve. It felt a bit unnatural calling him that since they seemed to be about the same age.

And that stranger from some minutes ago...

Just who was he? His voice was frightening but somewhat tender...

She shook her head at such contrasting thoughts.

"What's wrong?", Ro queried.

"Ohh, nothing.... I was just wondering about my powers as a witch. Can I fly?". It was a lie.

Ro's eyes narrowed before moving past her. "Get some rest, we'll ask Ishtar tomorrow". She wasn't aware, but lying to him wasn't the best idea.

"I will!", she bowed before following after him. Ro was so nice to her and she wanted to be there for him..... although she was far too weak to protect him.

That night, the voice from the treasury room kept her awake. They'd all told her no one was there..... but the song kept calling out every other day...

Nobody but she could hear its song... So beautiful, yet the saddest sound she'd ever heard...

Normally, if she was to attempt going toward that area again, Finmore might kill her!

But he was sick.....

"It keeps calling...", she whispered to herself as a teardrop streamed down her left cheek.

A hand moved to wipe it, "why am I crying?".

"There was a story our mother told us...", the maid beside her sat up from her mat. "There was once a young girl.... Although she was a demon, they often called her a saint..".

The second maid beside her rolled in her mat, half awake.

"They said she was always singing happy songs. Till her parents went off to fight in some internal conflict that is..."

Diane met the maids eyes with attentiveness. Both maids had refused to reveal their real names to her.

All she knew was that everyone else called them Maid one and Maid two. Twins...

And they were both werewolves.

"After then, she'd sit outside her house waiting for her parents to return while singing ballads.... They never came back....".

Diane gulped.

"It was months later she decided to go out looking for them. As expected, what she found was a glorious battlefield covered with bones...."

"Obviously, she couldn't tell which corpse were her parents. So, she ended up burying every bone on the battlefield....".

"Every single bone? Is that even possible?", Diane's eyes widened.

Maid one nodded. "It took a few months, but she buried all hundred thousands of corpses".

Maid two was fully awake now but didn't bother to get off her mat. "They call it Azarelle's graveyard. No one dared to trespass there..."

Maid one nodded. "Then she committed a taboo".

"Taboo?".

It was funny to hear about rules in a demon continent...

"She prayed that their souls Rest In Peace....", no one from the demon continent was allowed to pray to any god.

"Then what happened?", the story was getting quite interesting...

"She ascended to become the goddess of death and rebirth, Azarelle. But couldn't bring herself to leave her parents' graveyard..... so she made the Lich".

"The Lich?"

"An undead army, she brought them all back to life....".

"Wow! That's a good thing, right?"

Both maids glanced at each other before Maid two sighed. "Normally, if you pray... You'll be sent to the abyss!", she slapped her forehead. "After that, hundreds of people attempted to pray, no one else ascended to god/goddess form".

"They just perished", Maid one shook her head in displeasure. "The goddess also divided a third of the continent for her undead to live in". She waved a finger up in the air.

There was silence for a while and Diane had to speak up again. "But what does this have to do with the ballads I keep hearing".

"We're getting there...", Maid one raised her index finger. "They said a few people have also heard ballads. But only misfortune befall them".

"That makes no sense", Diane rolled her eyes. "Didn't this story have a happy ending? She doesn't need to keep singing pieces of dirge!"

Without replying to her, both maids went back to sleep. "Why don't you go see for yourself?", was the last whisper she heard.

Diane had to do a little self-convincing before her feet managed move. It was just a folktale, but the story of Azarelle saddened her a bit.

There was a dim lamp beside their door which helped her maneuver through the dark corridors.

The voice was still singing...

It didn't take long to reach the treasury room and quietly open its large doors.

She raised the lamp up to her face, the whole room was covered with gold-ware and gems. "Hello?", she asked with all the courage she could muster.

Knowing that the voice could be coming from someone so kind, her heart was quite at rest.

There was no reply, although the singing continued.

"I love your voice....". She complimented sheepishly while searching for what object the sound resonated from.

After some digging, she found a hand mirror below a pile of gold. She raised the lamp to the mirror, there seemed to be the shadow of a woman sitting on a throne... A hand supporting her chin.

The place seemed to be lighted with candles as the woman kept on singing.

It was always the same song.....

Even Diane had managed to learn the lyrics over time, so she joined in to sing along.

Startled, the woman turned to look at her mirror.

Diane panicked a little, but the woman kept on singing even while making her way toward Diane's end of the mirror. She had dark wings with contrasting white hair...

Her eyes were blue and her skin was pale white. But up close, she seemed young and beautiful...

"What is your name?", she demanded with tired eyes.

"Uhhm.... Diane...".

Her eyes narrowed. "That's not your name...", she stretched a hand to touch the mirror causing its surface to vibrate like troubled water in a cup.

"I lost my memories.....", she smiled lightly not frightened by the strange woman for some reason. Her voice was tender and comforting...

The goddess smiled back. "I've been singing for more than several millennia and no one has ever replied. I am Azarelle".

Diane was a bit short of words...

What should she say to this woman?

There was the sound of a door opening on the upper floor. "Oh no!.... They'll catch me!", she whispered to herself.

"Don't leave...", Azarelle's voice was pleading. "Take me with you...."

Her eyes moved to the door. "I'm sorry.... I'll try and come back, but it might be difficult".

Once she turned to face the mirror, the strange woman's arm reached out of the mirror. "Take this as a little gift ".

"I don't really...", her voice trailed off with pity. "Okay". She took the gem-like stone from the young lady. Although she was well aware that it would get her in trouble if someone found her leaving the treasury room with a gem.

Once Diane had safely placed the mirror back, she moved to the door deciding to hide the gem in her mouth

"Who's there?!", Ro's voice startled her and she accidentally swallowed the tiny gem.

"Ahem!", she coughed while squeezing her throat.

"Diane?", There was a frown on his lips once their eyes met.

This was the second time she'd come to the treasury room without company.

"It's not what it looks like...!", she waved both hands. "I- I..."

"It's alright...", he moved to hug her. "You don't have the eyes of a thief, Diane".

He'd been acting extra clingy since returning from that meeting. "Is everything okay? Your majesty?".

There was silence for a while before he spoke up. "Go back to sleep, beauty...".

Then he vanished.

Diane managed to drag her feet back to the maids' room. Two questions remained lingering on her mind as she snuggled herself under the sheets.

The first one was about why Prince Ro had returned with a depressed disposition.

The second was why she couldn't get the strange man in the darkness off her mind….