104 - Abyss
Days passed in a strange rhythm. Every morning, Mariana would wake up to the scent of food. Not because palace chefs prepared it. Because Zafiel did.
At first, she thought it was a one-time thing. Then it happened again. And again. And again. The Crown Prince of the Empire somehow found time to prepare breakfast every single morning.
Sometimes it was simple. Fresh bread, eggs, fruit, and tea. Sometimes it was ridiculous-handmade dumplings. Spicy noodle soup. Pancakes shaped suspiciously like rabbits because he once overheard her saying fluffy animals were cute.
Mariana eventually stopped questioning it, mostly because questioning it only encouraged him.
"Good morning, Iana."
"Morning."
"Eat."
"That's not a greeting."
"It is now."
She had discovered very quickly that arguing before breakfast was useless.
Then, before noon arrived, Zafiel would always leave. Sometimes after receiving reports. Sometimes after letters arrived. Sometimes after meetings with nobles, knights, priests, or people Mariana never saw.
But every time, he would kiss her forehead, tell her not to wander too far, and disappear. And every time, Mariana would complain afterward.
"He says that like I can wander anywhere..."
Because she couldn't. The discovery happened on the third day. Mariana had finally decided enough was enough. If she was being kept in the Crown Prince's Palace, she at least deserved to know exactly how trapped she was. The answer was very trapped.
The moment she reached the palace gates, several knights immediately straightened. "Good afternoon, Grand Princess."
Mariana smiled pleasantly. "Move."
The knights smiled pleasantly in response. "No."
"... excuse me?"
"We cannot do that."
"I am literally a Grand Princess!"
"Yes."
"Move."
"No."
Mariana stared. The knight stared back. Neither moved.
Finally, she attempted to walk around him. The knight gently stepped sideways, blocking her path. Mariana tried the other direction. Another knight appeared, blocking that one too.
She narrowed her eyes. The knights immediately looked away like guilty children. "Are you imprisoning me??"
"No."
"This looks like imprisonment."
"We prefer the term protection."
"That's imprisonment with prettier wording." Silence. Mariana pointed dramatically toward the gates. "I order you to move."
The knights collectively looked anywhere except her. One suddenly became fascinated by a flower. Another stared at a wall. A third studied the sky.
Mariana was speechless. "Are you ignoring me??"
"No."
"You literally are."
"No."
"Then move."
"No."
The conversation repeated three times.
Eventually, she tried running. That had gone even worse. The knights caught her within seconds. Not roughly. Not forcefully. Almost embarrassingly gently.
One knight had actually apologized while stopping her. "Forgive me, Grand Princess."
Then he carefully lifted her like she weighed nothing and carried her back. Mariana nearly died from humiliation. Afterward, she learned something important.
The knights weren't afraid of her. They were terrified of Zafiel. Not one of them dared touch her unnecessarily. Not one of them grabbed her carelessly. Not one of them even stood too close. Because apparently the entire palace believed Zafiel might genuinely kill them.
Which was... concerning. Very concerning. Though admittedly believable.
As the days continued, Mariana settled into an odd routine. Breakfast with Zafiel. Reading. Lunch. More reading. Walking through the palace gardens. Snacks. More books. Dinner. Then eventually sleep.
The palace staff spoiled her relentlessly. The butlers appeared whenever she looked remotely thirsty. The maids somehow knew when she was hungry. Tea arrived with terrifying punctuality.
Mariana eventually stopped asking questions. Resistance was futile. And every night, without fail, Zafiel returned. Usually around midnight. Sometimes later.
Always exhausted. Always carrying the scent of distant battlefields, paperwork, blood, or all three.
Mariana never woke fully when he arrived. She would feel warmth beside her, strong arms carefully pulling her closer. Then sleep would reclaim her.
Most nights, she unconsciously curled against him. And most nights, she never noticed. Tonight was no different. Moonlight spilled softly across the room. Mariana slept peacefully, one arm wrapped loosely around Zafiel's waist while her face rested against his chest.
The moment he returned, exhaustion finally crashed into him. Not physical exhaustion, something deeper. His hand slowly brushed through Mariana's hair. His gaze lingered on her sleeping face. Peaceful. Safe. Alive... for now.
A bitter laugh escaped him. "Idiot." The insult wasn't directed at her. It was directed at himself. His fingers tightened slightly.
If only I acted sooner. If only I haven't allowed myself to become distracted. If only I haven't spent years obsessing over finding her.
The rebels would've been crushed already. The traitors would've been exposed. The enemy lurking in the shadows would've been found. Killed. Erased.
Instead, Grand Prince Aguerico remained missing. Villages continued disappearing. The Magic Tower still hasn't recovered. And Mariana-she was becoming involved. Dangerously involved.
His jaw tightened. "I was careless." The words barely rose above a whisper.
Too emotional. Too selfish. Too focused on her. Every mistake led back to him. And now she would pay the price. His hand drifted toward her cheek carefully.
"I won't allow it."
A faint golden light suddenly appeared near the balcony. Zafiel's gaze sharpened instantly.
Astrid emerged in translucent form. The goddess looked tired. Concerned and strangely sad. "You blame yourself too much."
Zafiel looked away. "Do I?"
"Yes." Astrid crossed her arms. "This isn't solely your fault." Silence. "The one responsible is him."
The atmosphere shifted. Even Mariana's sleeping body seemed smaller beneath the sudden weight of the conversation.
Astrid's voice lowered. "The man who wishes to destroy everything.
" Zafiel's expression darkened. "The Harbinger of the Final Dawn.
" The moment those words left her mouth, Zafiel froze.
Astrid immediately noticed. "... why did you react? "
Silence. Then, slowly, carefully, Zafiel's gaze shifted toward the massive greatsword resting against the wall. Violaperditus.
Astrid followed his eyes. Then blinked. Then blinked again. "... no." Zafiel remained silent. "... no." She stepped forward. "How do you know that title?"
Silence stretched. Finally, "The Abyss."
The goddess froze completely. Utterly frozen. For several moments, she simply stared. "The... what?"
"The Abyss."
Astrid looked genuinely horrified. "That's impossible."
"It happened."
"No." Her voice sharpened. "The Abyss isn't accessible to humans."
"It was to me."
"It shouldn't be."
The room fell silent. Even the moonlight seemed colder now.
Astrid's expression slowly shifted from shock into disbelief. Then confusion. Then something bordering on fear. "Records of the Harbinger were destroyed." She whispered. "Every record. Every text. Every divine archive. Nothing remains."
Only the gods remembered. Only word of mouth. Only whispered warnings passed between divine beings. No mortal should know that title. No mortal. Yet Zafiel did.
Astrid stared at him. And for perhaps the first time, the goddess truly looked at him.
Not as a Crown Prince. Not as Mariana's obsessive admirer. Not as a powerful swordsman. But as something else. Something strange. Something impossible.
"... who are you?"
Astrid was still curious, and a bit afraid. This man threatened her a lot of times just for Mariana. She felt like he was still hiding many things from her.
A faint smile appeared on Zafiel's face. Tired. Humorless. "I've been asking myself that recently."
Astrid didn't laugh. The question wasn't a joke anymore. Her gaze drifted toward Violaperditus again. The purplish black greatsword seemed almost alive beneath the moonlight. Watching. Waiting. Listening.
"... what did you see there?" She asked quietly.
Zafiel's eyes darkened.
Memories surfaced-darkness. Endless darkness. Broken stars. Dead gods. Screams buried beneath eternity and something watching him from deeper below. Something that should not exist. Something older than worlds.
His grip tightened unconsciously. "I discovered things."
Astrid frowned. "What things?"
A long pause followed. Then Zafiel finally spoke. "The hidden depths."
The goddess immediately paled. "No..."
His gaze remained fixed on the sleeping Mariana. Calm. Peaceful. Unaware. "If the Harbinger is truly moving..." Zafiel's voice lowered. "... then everything I saw down there may happen again."
Astrid felt genuine dread crawl through her divine form.
Because she knew exactly what he meant.
Beside them, Mariana slept peacefully. Completely unaware that while she dreamed quietly in the Crown Prince's arms...
The fate of the world was already moving toward something terrifying.