Naelia Starbloom.
In Fall of Ares, she was dubbed the [Forgotten Heroine] by the fandom, a character so insignificant in the eyes of most players that she didn't even get a voice line or character portrait until her death.
Yet her demise set the groundwork for one of the game's most brutal calamities — the resurrection of an ancient dragon, empowered by royal blood, that would lay waste to entire cities with a single breath.
Azel knew her story all too well. The devs had originally planned for her to be a unique heroine — a game-changer — but scrapped it for the sake of shock value.
Her kidnapping, blood draining, and eventual death were left as lore tidbits that most players brushed past. Except for Azel.
Because Azel cared.
And now? He had a chance to change everything.
He sighed and shook his head as he folded up a shirt and stuffed it into his travel bag.
"Now's not the time to get sentimental," he muttered, double-checking his packing. "Time to act."
Steven had told him to get ready. That they'd be gone for a while. So Azel packed light — but packed smart.
Some clean sets of clothes. A travel cloak. A small bar of soap. A dagger sharpening kit.
And, most importantly — light armor.
A custom-made piece by Gorvan, the jolly blacksmith from town. The armor was lightweight but durable, designed specifically for his small frame.
Black and steel-gray with red highlights, it even had reinforced pads around the chest and legs for better movement and protection.
At his waist, he strapped two short daggers. Steven hadn't let him carry a full longsword yet — said it was too soon to use it in real battle with his small frame, and Azel's arm length and current combat posture would throw off his balance with anything that size in a real fight.
Daggers were better. Swift. Lethal. Practical.
Who knew?
Maybe he'd end up fighting like Thorfinn.
Once everything was packed, he jogged over to Steven's room. The Sword Saint was already dressed and waiting, holding up a small, silver ring between two fingers.
A storage ring.
Azel's eyes gleamed.
Steven smirked and placed it in the air. "Watch."
With a pulse of mana, the ring activated, and with a soft whoosh, all of Azel's baggage disappeared into it.
Azel clapped slowly. "It just made our carrying problems easier."
"Only the best for my child porter," Steven said smugly.
"Hmph."
They made their way to the forest's edge, the well-trodden dirt path parting the woods like a river through trees.
Azel followed alongside Steven, his small boots crunching the underbrush.
As they walked, Steven unfurled a map from a leather scroll case. His finger tapped the capital.
[Starbloom City].
That was where the princess had supposedly been taken.
"According to the letter," Steven said, "the royal knights believe the kidnappers are hiding somewhere in the city. They've begun sweeping it area by area."
Azel's eye twitched. Wrong. All wrong.
In the game, she wasn't found in the capital at all.
It had taken two whole months before she was discovered. And not by the knights — by sheer accident.
The cult that kidnapped her had drained much of her blood and simply left her to die in a slum alley. She was only saved because of a street orphan with a conscience.
Azel had to steer Steven away from the capital.
He stroked his imaginary beard. "Hmm… but if the princess has been missing for five days, don't you think the capital's already been swept thoroughly?"
Steven raised a brow. "They've probably got aura sensors posted all over."
"Exactly," Azel nodded. "If I were the kidnappers, I'd leave the capital entirely — but not go too far. Too far would make escape harder. Too close would make them easy to find."
He stepped forward and tapped the map.
[Kraken Town].
A small trade town on the fringe of the capital's outer region. Not too large. Not too small. But known for its slum districts — places where guards avoided unless they were desperate.
"They'll be hiding here," Azel said confidently. "It's just far enough to avoid suspicion but close enough to escape if things go south."
Steven looked at him silently. Then he smiled and ruffled Azel's hair.
"Just what I'd expect from my apprentice."
Azel puffed his chest. "Hehe… All those books I read aren't for nothing."
"But the capital's still a long way from here," Steven said as they stepped onto the open road that led back to the nearest town. "It'll take days by foot."
Azel groaned. "Yeah… How are we gonna—?"
Steven grinned.
"I've got a friend."
...
By the time they made it back to Town, the morning market was already bustling. Steven led Azel through winding alleyways and side roads until they reached a large stable on the town's edge.
Inside was a massive golden griffon — its beak sharp like a dagger and its eyes like polished amber.
It was currently being petted by a tall, tan-skinned woman with short spiky red hair and a whip slung over her hip.
She turned at the sound of their footsteps.
"Well, well. If it isn't the Sword Saint himself."
Azel blinked.
'Who the hell is this badass lady?'
He didn't remember her from the novel at all.
Steven gave a small bow. "Good to see you again, Karra."
The woman — Karra — grinned, her teeth white and sharp. "You here to borrow my baby again?"
Steven nodded. "Emergency. Royal family business."
Karra's eyes flickered to Azel. "And the shrimp?"
Azel narrowed his eyes. "I'm the shrimp who's going to save the princess."
Karra let out a barking laugh. "Got fire in him. I like that."
She whistled sharply and the griffon perked up.
"Take care of him," she said, then looked back at Steven. "I expect him returned in one piece."
"We'll be back in two days," Steven assured.
And just like that, Azel found himself flying through the sky, his arms wrapped tightly around Steven's waist as the griffon soared above the trees.
Below them, the world looked like a living painting.