Arthur & Aurora

Chapter.1

In a marketplace in the year 1950, Aurora carried a pile of goods filled with her mother’s bread for sale. With her beautiful face, fair white skin, and emerald-green eyes, she looked around her surroundings. Occasionally, some men passing by offered to help Aurora. She refused; she knew their intentions. A trick.

“Hey, Marcus! Don’t eat that bread! Oh, goodness!” Aurora chased her pet cat, who was carrying a pack of bread toward the ship. Without Aurora realizing it, a purple object fell into her basket. Above her, a Phoenix bird flew, its tears swept away by the wind.

“You! I already told you, this bread is not to be eaten. I’ll give it to you when we get home.” Aurora grumbled while carrying the white cat in her arms.

Several people were already lining up at Aurora’s stall.

“Do you want this? How many?” Aurora asked a man wearing a brown robe and hood in front of her. His face was quite handsome, with blue-colored eyes.

“Hmm, just two.”

“Do you want to buy my bread basket too?” Aurora’s hand stopped, looking at the blue-eyed man before her. Aurora squinted in confusion, then chuckled softly.

“Oh, of course not. I wouldn’t know how to carry my goods home later. Here you go.” Aurora handed the man his order. But just as the man touched Aurora’s hand, he spoke words that made her freeze in place.

“I hope you’re ready to become a part of me. Or do you have something interesting? How prepared are you to die?”

“Wait, what do you mean?”

Without answering, the man immediately left. Aurora stared in confusion at the departing hooded man. Strange. Crazy man, she grumbled inwardly. Then she returned to serving customers.

---

Aurora scoffed as she entered her room.

“Crazy man! What did he mean? Did I do something wrong that I deserve to be sentenced to death? No, right, Marcus?”

Aurora sighed. She placed her pet cat on the bed and gave it shredded boiled fish. Maybe her mother would be home soon from the farm. For now, she was alone.

Aurora lived and grew up in a village called Caltheria, in the kingdom of Evandor. The kingdom of Evandor was a southern realm with the largest territory and the greatest military power. With lush forests and minimal pollution from factories, Evandor was the most visited kingdom by tourists from other realms. Often, people from neighboring kingdoms would come and do business or trade in Evandor.

“Okay, Marcus. Let’s see what’s in this basket. If it’s a potion or poison, I won’t hesitate to throw it away. Right?” Aurora’s hand searched inside the bread basket. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she tucked her long orange hair behind her ear.

“Hey, I don’t find anything here.” Aurora stood while lifting her dress to her calves, checking the basket again and around it. There was nothing in her dress pocket either. What was supposed to be in her basket?

Aurora’s gaze shifted. When she looked into the mirror, she instantly covered her mouth and almost screamed. Her eyes widened at the sight of a necklace with a purple diamond pendant hanging around her neck. It was so beautiful! Aurora didn’t remember ever wearing this necklace. She hadn’t even bought it. The pendant shimmered and glowed. Where did it come from? Wait!

“Is magic real?” Aurora then checked under the bed and found a small burlap pouch. Inside it were a piece of paper and a shiny golden key. She didn’t know what the paper was, but upon seeing the feather-and-sword symbol on it, Aurora thought she knew whom to ask. She remembered clearly, back when she was ten years old, her father told her a fairy tale.

The tale spoke of immortal beings—vampires, wolves, witches—whose existence was even doubted. Long ago, they lived alongside humans, helping each other for many years. Until a war broke out among the immortals, destroying forests and causing massive earthquakes. For seven consecutive days, the sky turned dark. Red lightning struck every hour. As if searching for someone guilty, every house it touched was burned to ashes. Then the next day, a thick fog covered the land for twelve hours, and since then, those immortal beings known to humans disappeared as if swallowed by the earth.

Her father said they still existed but chose to distance themselves from humans. Until one day, a farmer returning late at night was found dead in his field, with long claw marks from his neck down to his chest. Some said it was a true story, others said it was a traveler’s fabrication. Every nightfall, women and children were required to return home before the orange glow of sunset vanished.

Aurora’s hair stood on end. Thankfully, that story didn’t happen in her era. Not wandering at night? Impossible. Aurora didn’t want to miss the festival welcoming the prince tonight! There would be a marketplace, beautiful trinkets for sale, and oh—the food! Too precious to miss. She thought she should meet her best friend—Chessy—now. Aurora then went out toward Chessy’s house, which was only about 130 meters away. But Aurora didn’t realize one thing.

“Did you see that?”

“Yes. And it came from Aurora’s house. Why did that light appear?”

“Something’s wrong with Aurora.”

The whispers of Aurora’s neighbors began to spread. News of the dark purple light from Aurora’s house piercing the sky spread quickly. The light that appeared for ten seconds reignited speculation about things once forbidden to be spoken of—the Immortal Dimension.

Not far from Aurora’s house, a woman and a man looked at each other as if they understood once they saw the purple light appear.

“Seems like we should hurry.”

“Yes. We don’t have much time,” said the hooded man to the woman in a white dress.

“Remember, don’t draw attention.” The man nodded in understanding.

---

“Hey, Aurora, slow down! My feet hurt following your fast steps,” grumbled Chessy, lifting her blue gown high as Aurora pulled her hand. The two—Chessy and Aurora—were like sisters. They had been best friends since childhood. Remembering how they first became friends made Chessy smile. Her long brown hair was swept by the northern night wind.

They finally arrived at the celebration welcoming the Emperor’s son of the Evandor Kingdom—Prince Edward VII—after completing his diplomatic expedition.

Inside the palace, candles hung from the ceiling within crystal jars, reflecting soft light onto silk gowns and velvet cloaks. Music flowed from a hidden orchestra, filling the spaces between the whispered secrets of nobles.

Prince Edward stood in the center of the grand hall, his eyes no longer as warm as the greetings he received that morning. He wore a golden cloak adorned with embroidery. Now his shoulders looked heavier than before.

At the far end of the room, fire began to dance. Three dancers from the southern regions stepped slowly into the marble circle. They carried torches in each hand—forming spirals of fire that didn’t just heat the air but burned away the lingering tension. Their movements gradually turned into symbols—of struggle, loyalty, and betrayal.

Each turn of the flame cast shadows onto the palace walls—and the prince stared at them, as if reliving all the bloody paths he had walked to return to this place.

Meanwhile, behind the high stone walls, in the vast courtyard outside the palace, the citizens gathered.

Paper lanterns began to fly one by one into the night sky, carrying hopes in every gaze that watched them. Children ran around wearing ankle bells, and men drank spiced liquor while looking up at the sky.

Tents lined the streets, filled with merchants selling handmade jewelry, portraits of heroes, and hot food—warm nut-filled bread, wild boar soup, and candied fruits that only appeared during celebrations like this. At the end of one tent, Aurora and Chessy enjoyed hot chocolate while watching the flying lanterns.

Aurora looked at Chessy, who was praying seriously with her eyes closed. She smiled when Chessy looked back and returned the cup.

“What’s your wish, Chessy? You look so serious,” Aurora asked curiously.

“No, it’s nothing.”

“You must want to see Prince Edward’s face, right? Come on, tell me.” Aurora laughed at Chessy’s pouting lips.

“Of course. But this time, I won’t tell you.” Chessy went back to gazing seriously at the sky. Then she said, “According to myth, if we were in the immortal world, we would be eternal. If you were in the immortal world, what would you want to be?”

“Me? Maybe I’d want to be a fairy. How about you? A little fairy sounds cool.”

“I’d rather be a rock, hahaha. They carry no burden.”

Aurora laughed too. “You’re ridiculous.”

In the midst of the crowd, a little girl played a small flute. The melody was simple yet filled with longing in the hearts of the people of Evandor, like the tune of a lost philosophy yearning to be found. Above their heads, the shadows of royal lanterns looked like artificial stars.

And in the distance... a red light was ready to be fired by the royal soldiers. Not toward the sky, but toward Aurora and Chessy.

“Aurora... watch out! Move!!” Aurora fell face down as Chessy pushed her. Her heart pounded fast as shouts and panic filled the air. Everyone ran away from the source of the explosion. Aurora got up and stared in disbelief at Chessy, now lying on the ground. Fresh blood flowed from her friend’s mouth.

“CHESSY!” Aurora screamed, running to hold her friend’s body.

Chessy’s blurry vision faintly saw five men behind Aurora. One of them drew a fiery arrow. Chessy looked at Aurora’s tearful face. She knew the arrow was aimed at Aurora’s back.

“Run... Aurora.” Chessy said weakly but firmly. Her chest burned with pain. She murmured softly as she felt an unfamiliar energy flowing around her.

Aurora was shocked by Chessy’s words and quickly shook her head. “No! I don’t want to leave you.”

“Don’t mind me, Aurora! They’re after you. Remember, ru—n no—w or you’ll d—ie!” Aurora felt her chest tighten painfully.

“Take care of yourself, Chessy.” Without even realizing it, Aurora hurriedly ran through the crowd. Her breath came in quick bursts. Adrenaline surged within her. She turned sharply into the forest. Her only goal—to reach the immortal dimension, guided by the necklace that now gleamed brightly.