First Encounter

Before the celebration of Clarity's hundredth leadership anniversary as the head of the Seraph clan, he received a prophecy from an Astral clan wizards. The sorcerer predicted that during the celebration, a significant event would unfold.

According to the prophecy, the Seraph clan would receive a blessing from the gods in recognition of their leader's patience. True to the prophecy, on the day of the celebration, a momentous event occurred. Lysandra, Clarity's wife, was reported to be pregnant with their first son after centuries of marriage life. This joyous news spread throughout the land, bringing happiness to the entire nation.

Nevertheless, the entire Seraph clan's inhabitants were worried about the future of their clan. Despite being half-angel wizards, the Seraph clan members were not blessed with immortality. Each wizard in the Seraph clan would face mortality like any other living being. The concern was that if Clarity were to pass away, there would be no one to take his place since the man had no offspring.

Therefore, when news broke that the Seraph clan's queen was pregnant, the entire nation rejoiced. Even the other twelve clans were happy for them.

*

Skyhaven, Lawitches.

The young boy dashed with his tiny legs. Arriving at the palace garden, he quickly sought a hiding spot from the guards assigned to watch over him. He paused for a moment, while scanning the surroundings, trying to find a suitable place to hide. Once he spotted the perfect spot, Cyrus hurriedly approached it.

The black-haired boy hid behind the bushes, while trying to suppress laughter. "They surely won't find me here, right?"

Cyrus chuckled. He already envisioned how his guards would react once they realized they had failed to locate him. It would be quite amusing to see them panic because they couldn't find him anywhere.

Thud!

Cyrus's attention shifted as a loud thump captured his focus. The sound originated from behind him, and upon turning, he noticed the bushes not far from him were rustling. Cyrus stared at the bushes with a puzzled expression; he was genuinely perplexed by why they were moving.

"What's there?" Cyrus moved closer to the bushes. He walked slowly and cautiously. Curiosity enveloped him until he finally arrived near the bushes and could see something behind them.

Cyrus fell silent, his eyes widening. His green irises focused on a boy around his age sprawled on the ground in disarray. The boy had fair skin, a handsome face, long eyelashes, and beautiful blonde hair.

Cyrus observed the wings belonging to the boy. He was somewhat puzzled because the boy had wings larger than his own. "Wow, who is he? He's so handsome, and his wings look so beautiful. But why are his wings bigger than mine?"

Cyrus glanced at his own back, unconsciously took out his wings, and spread them out. His wings were smaller than those of the child before him.

Looking at the child in front of him, Cyrus was unconsciously mesmerized by him. He looked so sparkling, like a very beautiful and precious gem. For a moment, Cyrus stayed where he was, his eyes fixed on the figure in front of him. 

On the other hand, the boy Cyrus had been observing began to regain consciousness. He slowly opened his eyes, revealing sparkling blue irises.

Cyrus was frozen, his mouth hanging open. The boy looked even more handsome now.

"W-who are you?" The boy exclaimed in panic as he rose from his spot. He seemed startled upon seeing Cyrus appear.

"My name is Cyrus," mumbled Cyrus.

"Cyrus?" He fell silent, looking puzzled. After sitting for a few moments, and trying to gather his awareness, the boy finally realized he was in a completely unfamiliar place. "Wait, where am I? How did I end up here?"

"You're in the city of Skyhaven. More precisely, you're in the Seraph clan's palace, my palace," Cyrus proudly smiled. Skyhaven is a city situated above the clouds, inhabited by two clans: the Seraph and the Aethral clans. But even though they live in the same city, they have different territories. Skyhaven City is divided into two parts that separate the two different clans. 

The two are separated because the Seraph clan and the Aethral clan have different leaders and their own policies and regulations.

The entire population of the Seraph clan are male half-angel wizards. There is not a single woman living or born in this clan. For this reason, Seraph clansmen often marry women from other clans. The clans they usually choose are women from the Aethral clan and the Sylph clan, because both clans have wind elemental powers that are almost identical to the characteristics of the witches from the Seraph clan. However, it is not uncommon for residents of the Seraph clan to marry women from clans other than these two clans.

"S-Skyhaven?" he repeated, sounding surprised. "Oh my, it seems like I fell too far, to the point of landing on the earth."

"Are you okay? Where do you come from? Why did you suddenly appear? Are you lost?" Cyrus asked, still curious. Numerous questions filled his mind. However, instead of answering, the boy suddenly stood up. "Sorry, but I have to go!"

Without waiting for a response, the boy immediately flapped his wings and left, leaving Cyrus silently watching his departure. Cyrus had seen the boy almost fall because of his unbalanced flight, but he seemed to be able to easily re-adjust his wing movements to balance.

Cyrus's previously bright expression suddenly turned somber as he watched the boy completely vanish from his sight. "I didn't even learn his name or where he came from..."

"YOUNG MASTER!" Cyrus's attention immediately shifted as two of his guards shouted with anxious faces. Upon realizing that the boy had been hiding behind the bushes, they rushed towards him.

"We finally found you!" they exclaimed with joyful expressions. Cyrus was surprised as they suddenly appeared in front of him.

I forgot we were playing hide and seek.

*

Fifteen years later...

Cyrus's bedroom door was gently knocked. Sol and Lux stood there, shouting to get his attention. "YOUNG MASTER! YOU DIDN'T FORGET THAT TODAY IS A SPECIAL DAY, RIGHT?"

Silence. There was no response from behind the door. It was evident that their young master was currently engrossed in enjoying his dream world. "Oh my, it seems like he's still asleep," Sol muttered.

"I hope not at a time as crucial as this. If he doesn't wake up right now, his highness will be greatly upset." Lux hoped Sol's words wouldn't come true.

"We need to wake him up before the event starts," Sol suggested, shifting his attention back to the door. Both of them began knocking on the door while continuously calling out to Cyrus. After receiving no response, they decided to enter.

Creak!

Lux pushed the door open, revealing Cyrus was still sound asleep in his dreams. It was all as Sol had suspected.

Upon realizing a deeply sleeping Cyrus, Sol and Lux rushed towards him. Lux attempted to wake him, while Sol went to the window, opening the curtains one by one, allowing the sunlight to enter their young master's room.

"Young master, wake up. It's an important day!" Lux shook Cyrus's body in panic. Instead of waking up, he just smiled with his eyes still closed, lost in a pleasant dream. It seemed like he was having a sweet dream. But, it wasn't the right time for dreaming because everyone in the palace was waiting for him. The celebration for his father's one hundred and twentieth year of leadership was about to begin, and he needed to wake up and attend the event. Especially since there would be special guests this time.

"Young master!" Lux shook him even harder until he finally woke up. Cyrus opened his eyes, revealing beautiful green irises. The first thing he saw upon waking up was the figures of his two handsome guards staring at him with panicked expressions.

"Uh, you're so loud," mumbled Cyrus in a hoarse voice. He rubbed his eyes with his hands. "Because of your noise, my sweet dream is ruined."

"THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR DREAMING!" Lux snapped. Cyrus remained silent, and furrowing his brow as he looked at him. "Can't you be less noisy and let me sleep? I want to continue my sweet dream."

Cyrus was about to close his eyes again, but Sol quickly grabbed both of his hands, forcing him to sit up on the bed. "Young master, this is a very important day. Did you forget? Today is the celebration of the one hundred and twentieth leadership anniversary of the esteemed clan leader."

Cyrus tried to process the information. Once he remembered, his eyes widened with panic. "Oh my, you're right! WHY ARE YOU REMINDING ME NOW?"

Sol and Lux exchanged flat glances upon hearing his words. "We've been trying to wake you up for a while, but you were sleeping like a baby," Lux commented.

"I have to get ready! You have to help me!" Cyrus completely ignored Lux's comment and immediately got up to prepare. Sol quickly assisted him, preparing water and clothes. Meanwhile, Lux summoned the palace servants to clean his room.

As Cyrus sat in the bathtub, soaking his body, he occasionally drifted into thought. Upon reflection, his dream was truly beautiful. In his dream, Cyrus met the boy who fell from the sky when he was five years old. He was still curious about the boy's fate now, and various questions filled his mind about what he had become after their accidental encounter.

I wonder, where is he actually from? If possible, I'd like to meet him again.

***