Chapter 3: Dream
The Head Maid took out a strange purple vial from her leather pouch, opened the baby's mouth with her forefinger, and poured a few drops of the peculiar liquid into it.
"No! What are you feeding him?" Athena shouted in alarm. But the Head Maid didn't react. She simply continued feeding the strange liquid.
Then, without a word, she placed the baby next to Athena's mother and quickly left the room.
On the other hand, Athena watched the young baby cry out suddenly and then start vomiting the purple liquid. But before she could react, he began to drift into sleep.
No!
Seconds later, she realized — Raven wasn't breathing.
"NO!" Her eyes turned bloodshot as she screamed. At that moment, the entire world shattered like a broken mirror. She caught a glimpse of her aunt Shirley rushing into the room in a panic, but then everything faded into pitch-black silence.
—
Athena jolted awake, her eyes wide.
"W-Was that… a dream?" she muttered, her breath shallow. But it felt far too real to be dismissed so easily.
The baby's final cry still echoed in her ears.
She sat up in bed and, without a second thought, ran out of her room. The hallway was cloaked in darkness. She nearly tripped but quickly adjusted her eyes and hurried forward.
Reaching a familiar wooden door, she pushed it open.
Her gaze immediately found her mother and the baby.
"He's still breathing..." she whispered in relief. There was no trace of purple liquid on his cheeks.
Only now did she notice that the room looked cleaner than before. All the blood had been wiped away, and the air felt lighter.
After glancing at her mother, she stepped closer to the baby, sleeping soundly. A cup and milk bottle sat on the table nearby — her aunt must have fed him.
'But what was that dream?'
She turned toward the window. The moon hung high in the sky. It had to be near midnight.
"Maybe… it wasn't a dream but a vision of the future?" she murmured in doubt. "Will she really kill Raven?"
She bit her lip and looked at the baby again.
'Should I take him far away?' The thought came unbidden but strong.
She turned to her mother and quivered.
"What should I do, Mama? Wake up…" her voice cracked, tears sliding down her cheeks. Whether that dream was true or false, she had made up her mind.
'If Raven stays in this palace, he will definitely die.'
She bent closer and whispered into Jeanne's ear.
"Mama, I don't have a choice. I'll take him away… I'll raise him. One day, I'll come back. Please… wait for us."
"But how are you going to survive on your own?" came a familiar voice from the doorway.
Athena stiffened.
"Aunt Shirley?" she turned slowly, her eyes wary.
'Why is she wary of her aunt?' Even Shirley noticed the shift. This child wasn't the same as before.
Surprised, she raised her hands in reassurance and said in a solemn tone,
"Don't be afraid of your aunt, Athena. But… are you sure about this decision? There'll be no turning back."
"I'm sure," Athena replied without hesitation.
"Then follow me." Shirley took her hand and led her out of the room.
They walked silently through the hallway and then reached the end — a balcony overlooking the courtyard.
"Let's jump," Shirley said. She carefully took the baby from Athena and leaped off.
But instead of falling, she stepped onto the air itself and floated down gently, landing on the grass.
Even in that brief moment, Athena was shocked.
Aunt is an Official Knight?!
She followed, leaping into the air — but her descent was too fast.
Just before she hit the ground, Shirley reached out and caught her by the collar.
"Athena," she whispered, "cover your right hand from now on. Never draw the attention of nobles."
With that, she picked up her pace and rushed toward the compound wall.
But something felt off.
'Why are there no guards?' she thought.
She glanced back at the white palace — and suddenly, an invisible force wrapped around her body. It vanished in an instant, but it was enough to turn her face pale.
She knew that pressure could've crushed her into dust a thousand times over.
"W-What happened, Aunt?" Athena asked, seeing her pale face.
Two seconds later, Shirley regained her composure.
"They're… letting us go," she said bitterly. "Voluntarily."
She understood. Even the weakest Royal Guard was stronger than a Radiant Walker.
"It's better if we go far away… maybe to some rural town."
Without another word, she grabbed Athena's hand. Together, they climbed over the wall and vanished into the night.
—
Palace Bedroom
Two people sat on a silk-covered luxurious bed, their eyes fixed on the direction Athena and Shirley had gone.
One was a red-haired woman with amber eyes and a figure so enchanting it could make an emperor look like a boy.
She was Elise Sillalus Jorvot, the Empress of the Zenith Empire.
Beside her sat a blonde-haired man — Emperor Ian.
"That Athena child had great potential in swordsmanship," he said with a sigh. "Her darkness affinity may only be high-rank, but her sword affinity is genius-rank. If she had entered Crows' Misery Academy and become Wizard Allen's disciple… she would've had a bright future. What a waste."
"Bright future? For whom? Wizards?" Elise frowned. "The people of this Ivory Continent have been cut off from the world for ages. The only reason those scheming wizards returned was because of the manpower. Looks like they're preparing for a large-scale war in the mainland — and need seeds to grow into soldiers."
Emperor Ian chuckled.
"Who knows? The truth is — my father and a few others made a deal with the Wizard Alliance when they arrived here a millennium ago."
Elise's frown deepened.
"A deal? Why haven't I heard about this before?"
"You never distrusted the Wizards openly — and I never had reason to explain." He paused. "The outside world has been advancing through constant war and innovation. Rune pistols, airships, railways, communication artifacts... The mainland grows more modern by the minute. Meanwhile, we can't even manufacture decent steel."
He continued, "Back then, the Ivory Island was drenched in blood. Even a small conflict sparked years of war and millions of deaths."
"I know that," Elise replied. "But nothing's changed. The Ivory Continent is still in chaos."
Ian shook his head.
"You're wrong. The Wizards' arrival triggered a social revolution. Slavery was abolished. Every man and woman gained the right to vote. That's how Gavin became the Prime Minister. Nobility still exists, yes, but commoners now have a path to power."
He looked into her eyes.
"Medicine, alchemy, science, rune studies — the Wizards brought real progress. But even with all that, we're still weak. A single magical beast invasion would cripple us."
He took a deep breath.
"That's why the four ruling Emperors, including my father, formed a pact with the Wizard Alliance. In exchange for protection for two thousand years, we gave up certain ruling rights. The Wizards promised to train our royal children — to raise them into pillars of strength for our empires."
His voice turned grave.
"We had no other choice."