The Fall of the Star’s Light

"I am somewhat excited about this. How do you feel?" A noble feminine voice whispered. 

Zivko gazed at her for a few seconds, as she cut him off from recalling his past any further. 

He leaned down a bit, then slightly smiled, "I feel the same, Your Highness."

Due to the circumstances outside, they arranged the ceremony to be inside the castle itself, which was something that the monarchy usually never did.

Most of the Noble Ceremonies were to be held in the middle of the wilderness, camping outside to hunt and for more entertainment. 

The Princess sat down on a fancy chair, next to her was her own father, King Clovis, who was also sitting down, looking down upon the other leaders and rulers of Aeloria. 

In front of the two royals was a large table, on the same table were all kinds of food and drinks. 

Behind Princess Aurora in particular was Zivko, and to his right was Tarn from House of Drexen. Both of them were focused on guarding the King and his daughter if anything were to happen.

Of course, they weren't the only ones. 

The room they were in was particularly large. There were crowds of people below seated next to rectangular royal tables made of marble and colored in a dazzling gold and white color which fit with the room.

Those people were all kinds of nobles, but only the ones from the Nine Noble Houses held any type of significance when it came to important matters.

Between all of these people, a man in a suit was standing next to the gate, welcoming the nobles inside. 

Alex was still haunted by what had happened yesterday. Every time he tries to cast his gaze upon the Princess, a sudden sense of uneasiness wells up within him. 

Whether it was from the Princess, or the man behind her, he was unsure. 

Looking around the place, he noticed Cecilia greeting the Head of the House of Belvoir. Cecilia hasn't done as much as look at Alex despite what she did to him the other day.

She also seemed quite nervous, something that was unlike her. 

He'd also learned more about Lyra, the other woman that was apparently giving live reports to Astra.

The first time he saw her, he was taken aback by her beauty. Her hair colored in a golden brown, and a soft yet somber voice. 

Her Concept, Faith, allowed her to do all types of things normal people would never dream to do. That is only expected of a Concept Wielder. 

But, what surprised Alex the most was her Core Mechanism. She said: 

"The Stars look down upon us as we look up at them. The Stars are cruel."

A very weird line that made no sense, which was how it surprised Alex. She was the eye of the North Star, nothing would be able to get away from her piercing gaze. 

'Enough of that…' He thought. 

Astra walked up out of nowhere to Alex, who was standing solemnly. 

"Hey. Keep an eye out. Lyra is watching, but we have to be cautious. Something doesn't add up." She said, her voice lowering into a whisper.

Alex slightly frowned. "What do you mean?" 

The woman simply sighed as she fixed her wavy black hair. Having done that, she looked away from Alex and in the direction in which the Princess sat. 

"He doesn't add up. The others seem to like him, but I for one don't. I can sense his hatred and murderous intent… It's just what my gut tells me." She turned back, her eyes slightly widened. 

Alex was frozen in place like a petrified statue. He felt as if she had just said something that was supposed to change everything. 

Weirded out, Astra spoke once more, "Anyway, don't forget what I said. Keep an eye out even if Lyra is watching."

Alex wordlessly nodded, his heart beating intensely. 

He looked at the place once more, seeing the seats were full and everyone was ready, anticipating a speech or something of that matter, he chose to go and find somewhere to also sit.

In the distance, the King raised a cup of gold. The room gradually became silent, noticing the King. 

"Everyone. I thank each one of you for attending this ceremony, but, more importantly, I have come to ask you all a favor."

The nobles below him all were confused. They hadn't thought the King himself would personally ask them for something.

"The chaos outside has only worsened, and it is about time we put a stop to it." 

Having said that, the atmosphere in the room took a big turn. This involved every region of the country. 

The King finally chose to address this matter after months of silence. 

"Those foolish rebels ought to meet their end, and we shall do it. Kill anyone that resists in any shape or form as we will not accept this to go on any further."

Alex heard the loud voice of the King declaring murder upon the citizens, his eyes widened. 

Looking around, hoping for any one to reply he only saw the greedy Heads of the Nine Noble Houses. 

Each one of them had a different look, but all of them were essentially the same. They were amused by this declaration. 

The Head of House Rohan raised his cup, his elderly voice echoed throughout the room. "At once, Your Majesty." 

Soon, the other elders of the Houses raised their cups. They cheered the King as they did.

Alex was furious. He had thought they were scared of the King, but they weren't.

He thought one of them would have the guts to speak up and refuse the ridiculous order of the King. 

He stepped up, he was sitting down next to a table that had the other members of the Order.

Astra looked at him, she looked like she knew this was going to happen. 

Cecilia raised her cup and took a sip of hot coffee, "Sit down. Don't say anything." 

He furrowed his brows, not caring about Cecilia's warning. He didn't care if all the might of Aeloria would fight him. 

They were going to massacre the misled citizens, and if he doesn't speak up now then no one eventually will. 

He had no choice. Ros and Lara could also be caught up in this. Knowing the brutality of the army, they wouldn't hesitate to murder a person minding his own business.

Clara laid her head on both arms which were put down on the table. Aren didn't pay much attention to Alex as he was more focused on Zivko and Aurora. Adelia and Kaene were also quiet.

Cecilia talked once more, her voice below a whisper. "I know how annoying it is. But we cannot afford to do anything now. Our only light is the Princess that we must protect at all costs."

She made more sense now. Alex thought she was complying to the King's orders as well, but now it was clear their loyalty was only to Aurora. Not the King. 

Alex expressed his annoyance by clicking his tongue, then obediently sat down once more. 

"What are we supposed to do then?" Alex asked in the midst of the loud cheering of the nobles. 

"We have to wait." Cecilia calmly replied. 

Out of nowhere, a piercing pain appeared in Alex's head, like somebody had dug their knife through his skull. 

He fell down from his seat, then slowly moved his head up only to notice the other members of the Order were experiencing the same pain.

Aren shouted, barely holding his ground through the pain, "The.. The Princess!"

Alex slowly turned his head, only to notice something greater than all of the pain. 

The nobles seemed to also experience the same painful sensation, each one of them shrieking as loud as they could.

Far in the distance atop a small stage, blood was coursing down the stairs and into the white floor.

He gasped at the figure now standing behind Aurora. 

Zivko had the Princess in a chokehold. A flash of silver and Tarn's head hit the marble. 

Tarn's decapitated body was lying down on the floor, his blood leaking everywhere.

The King was frozen in place, seeing his own daughter being choked alive. 

Zivko lowered his right arm and revealed a sharp dagger built out of pure steel, shining throughout the room. 

"No…" Cecilia spoke, her entire head shaking. 

Alex grunted as he was crawling through the floor, just to get to her before Zivko did anything.

Zivko grinned. A large grin that reached up to his ears. "How is this, Nyren?! I've proven you wrong!" 

He raised his arm, putting the dagger right next to the Princess' neck. 

Aurora shed a tear. She stuttered, "Why?"

Zivko didn't even take the time to respond to her. He brought the knife closer to her neck, already making contact. Blood dripped out of her neck. 

Alex screamed through the burning pain, "Zivko!" 

Ignoring every scream, every sound, everything… Zivko slowly dug the knife into the Princess' throat, a grin on his face.

He gripped her mouth tightly, making her drown in her own blood. He took his dagger upwards again then slid it from her left eyebrow down to her nose, leaving a bloody line.

He released his grip, the Princess' lifeless body fell down to the ground. 

Zivko had managed to bypass through all types of securities and protections made for the Princess. 

At that moment… The North Star had lost its light.