The silence that settled over the palace after the eruption of Arius's power did not last long. It was a deceptive silence, like the calm before a devastating storm. In those few moments, it seemed as if time itself had stopped, as if the world was holding its breath, waiting to see what would happen next.
Victor was the first to regain his composure. He looked at his son with a mixture of pride and worry—pride because Arius had shown immense power at such a young age, and worry because this explosion of energy had revealed their location to anyone searching for them. The masked attackers were reeling, stunned by the force that had emanated from an eight-year-old child, but Victor knew this hesitation would not last long.
"Isabella, take the children and go now!" Victor shouted as he raised his sword once more. "That's an order!"
But before Isabella could move, the main door to the room exploded completely. Five more attackers burst in, their eyes glowing with the same terrifying red light, their weapons dripping with pulsing dark energy. They moved in perfect coordination, like trained wolves surrounding their prey.
"There is no escape now, Victor Draconis," one of them said, his voice cold as death. He was taller than the others, carrying a black magic staff embedded with pulsing red stones. "We have surrounded the palace from all sides. Surrender and give us what we want, and perhaps we'll let your family live."
Victor let out a bitter laugh. "You know nothing of mercy, followers of the Black Dawn. I won't believe a single word from your cursed mouths."
"Then you will die, and we'll take what we want from your cold corpse."
At that moment, the real battle began.
Victor moved with lightning speed, his sword slicing through the air in a gleaming silver arc. He was a seasoned warrior, trained for years among the "Guardians of Balance," and every movement he made was precise and calculated. The sword clashed with one attacker's staff, and sparks of blue and red light flew through the air.
Isabella did not stand idly by. She raised her hands and began chanting an ancient spell, pure white light gathering around her fingers. "Shield of White Light!" she cried, and a barrier of transparent light appeared around the children, protecting them from direct attacks.
But the attackers were professionals. They quickly spread out, attacking from different angles, forcing Victor and Isabella to divide their attention. One of them fired a beam of black fire at Isabella, while two others attacked Victor from both sides.
"Mama! Dad!" Arius cried, his eyes filling with tears as he watched his parents fight for their lives. Luna was hiding behind him, trembling with fear, her wide blue eyes filled with terror.
Victor blocked one attacker's blow, but the other managed to land a deep wound on his shoulder. Red blood began to seep from the wound, staining his blue robe a dark color. But he did not retreat. Instead, he unleashed a powerful spell from his magic staff, and a wave of blue energy swept through the room, forcing the attackers to fall back.
"Ancestors' strength, grant me power!" Victor shouted, and suddenly, his sword began to glow with a holy golden light. This was the legendary weapon of the Draconis family, a sword blessed by the magic of the old gods. When the glowing blade touched one of the attackers, the man screamed in agony and vanished in a cloud of black smoke.
But the victory was only temporary. More attackers were pouring into the room, and Victor was growing weaker from blood loss. Isabella was fighting fiercely, her white light burning anyone who came near, but even her power had its limits.
In that critical moment, something happened that no one expected.
Arius, who had been watching his parents fight and suffer, felt something boiling inside his chest. It was not just anger or fear—it was something deeper and more powerful. Memories of a happy night just hours before, Luna's laughter, his mother's warm embrace, his father's gentle smile—all of it was being destroyed before his eyes.
"No!" Arius screamed in a voice far beyond his years, filled with primal power and rage. "I won't let anyone hurt my family!"
Suddenly, an immense energy burst from Arius's small body. But this time, it was not just a wave of power—it was something more complex and dangerous. The air around Arius began to distort, and strange shadows started to dance around him. His blue eyes turned a deep black, and on his chest, a mysterious mark began to appear—a pulsing red scar in the shape of an ancient symbol.
"The Scar of Memory!" one of the attackers whispered in obvious fear. "The boy bears the Scar of Memory!"
The energy emanating from Arius was unlike anything anyone had ever seen. It was not white like his mother's magic, nor blue like his father's. It was black, with threads of silvery light, like a night sky studded with stars. This energy swept through the room like a hurricane, and every attacker it touched fell to the ground, unconscious.
But the power was more than Arius's small body could bear. He began to bleed from his nose, his body shaking violently. Luna, despite her fear, stepped toward him and touched his hand. Suddenly, a soft golden light emanated from her, calming the turbulent energy around her brother.
"Arius…" Luna whispered, and this was the last word she would ever speak in her life.
At that moment, the most dangerous attacker entered the room. He was a tall, thin man, dressed in a black robe embroidered with frightening red symbols. His face was hidden behind a mask of bone, and his eyes glowed with a demonic red light. In his hand, he held a magic staff made from the bones of an ancient creature, pulsing with terrifying dark energy.
"Malakar the Cursed," Victor whispered in genuine fear. That name was a terrifying legend among the "Guardians of Balance"—a powerful dark sorcerer, one of the leaders of the "Black Dawn," responsible for countless massacres.
"Victor Draconis," Malakar said, his voice echoing like a sound from the grave. "I have come personally to take what is ours. Where is the lost archive?"
"You'll get nothing from me, monster," Victor replied, though his voice trembled slightly.
Malakar let out a horrifying laugh. "No? Well, perhaps you'll change your mind when you see what I'll do to your beautiful little family."
He raised his staff toward Luna and began chanting a spell in an ancient, dark language. Black energy started to gather around the staff, pulsing with pure malice and evil.
"No!" Victor and Isabella shouted together, trying to reach their daughter, but the other attackers blocked them.
The spell shot toward Luna like a serpent of darkness. Arius, despite his weakness, threw himself in front of his sister, trying to protect her. But the spell was too strong for a child to stop, even one who bore the Scar of Memory.
The dark energy struck Luna, but instead of killing her, it did something worse. It entered her throat like black smoke, and when it left, it took something precious with it—her voice. Luna opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Her eyes filled with terror and pain, and she clutched her throat in despair, trying to understand what had happened to her.
"Luna!" Arius cried, trying to reach her, but his body was too weak from using his power. "This is only the beginning," Malakar said coldly. "The girl will live, but she will never speak again. And if you don't tell me where the archive is, I'll do far worse things."
Victor looked at his silent daughter, at his exhausted son, and at his wife who was weeping quietly. In that moment, he made the hardest decision of his life.
"All right," he said in a broken voice. "I'll tell you. But first, let them go."
"Father, no!" Arius shouted, understanding what his father was planning.
But Victor didn't listen. Instead, he looked at Malakar with eyes full of defiance. "The lost archive isn't somewhere you can reach. It's protected by magic stronger than anything you could ever comprehend."
"Where is it?" Malakar growled.
Victor gave a sad smile. "It's in the one place you'll never reach—in the hearts of those who truly love goodness."
For a moment, Malakar seemed confused. Then he realized Victor was stalling, trying to buy time. His rage erupted like a volcano.
"Enough of these games!" he shouted, raising his staff toward Victor. "If you don't tell me the truth, I'll kill you slowly, piece by piece, before your children's eyes!"
But before he could cast the spell, something unexpected happened. The large windows in the room suddenly exploded, glass flying in every direction. Through the opening, a figure in a gray cloak leapt in, face hidden beneath a deep hood.
It was Gazel.
He landed in the center of the room in utter silence, like a shadow moving through the night. He carried no visible weapon, yet the air around him vibrated with terrifying power. Even Malakar, the mighty dark sorcerer, took a step back.
"Who are you?" Malakar asked, and for the first time, there was fear in his voice.
Gazel didn't answer. Instead, he slowly raised his hand, and suddenly, every attacker in the room—except Malakar—collapsed to the ground, dead. There was no light, no sound, not even a visible movement. Only silent, instant death.
"Impossible," Malakar whispered. "Who are you? What is this power?"
At last, Gazel spoke. His voice was deep and ancient, like an echo from a forgotten age. "I am the one who protects this family. And you are not welcome here."
Malakar tried to cast a spell at Gazel, but the dark energy vanished before it reached him, as if it was absorbed into a void. Gazel took a single step forward, and Malakar—the terrifying dark sorcerer who frightened even the strongest warriors—began to tremble.
"This is impossible," Malakar repeated. "No one can…"
"Go," Gazel said quietly. "Go now, and never return. This is my only warning."
A moment of absolute silence. Then, without another word, Malakar vanished in a cloud of black smoke, leaving behind the scent of sulfur and death.
Gazel turned to the Draconis family. Victor was bleeding heavily, Isabella was cradling the silent Luna, and Arius was unconscious from exhaustion.
"Sir Gazel," Victor whispered weakly. "Thank you. But… but it's too late. Luna…"
"I know," Gazel said sadly. "The curse of eternal silence. I cannot remove it."
He looked at the unconscious Arius, and for a moment, something like tenderness flickered in his hidden eyes. "But the boy… the boy will be strong. The scar of memory will protect him and teach him."
"Please," Isabella whispered, her voice broken from crying. "Protect them. If anything happens to us…"
"Nothing will happen to you," Gazel said firmly. "I will not let it."
But even as he said this, he knew the night was not yet over. Malakar may have escaped, but the "Order of the Black Dawn" would not give up easily. They would return, and next time, they would come back stronger.
Gazel looked one last time at the shattered family, and his heart—if he still had one—filled with sorrow. Then, without a word of farewell, he disappeared as he had arrived, leaving behind only a vague memory and countless unanswered questions.
In the silence that followed, Isabella held her children close, and Victor tried to stand despite his wounds. The manor was in ruins, and the night was far from over, but the family was still together. Still alive.
But something had changed forever. Innocence was lost, safety was shattered, and little Luna would never speak again. And in Arius's chest, the scar of memory pulsed quietly, bearing the memories of this horrific night that would haunt him for the rest of his life.
This was the night when Arius the innocent child died, and Arius the warrior was born. The night that planted the seeds of vengeance in his young heart, seeds that would shape every decision he would make in the future.
But this was only the beginning. The worst was yet to come.