" Come on Krulcifer! It's this way!"

Trying her best to keep up with his pace never letting go of his hand for not even a single second keeping her eyes trained forward despite some of her blue long locks getting in the way of her vision blocking her sight slightly of his smiling face as she opens her mouth with this plea for him to slow down their pace suddenly any response she might have been coming up with dies on the tip of her tongue and a silent gasp is heard escaping her lips. This lake. This beautiful lake that oversees her home. The great Ymir Theocracy. The powerful nation that rules over the north. A nation that has been known for having the strongest of fighters. Having the brightest of minds that couldn't be matched by any of the other nations. But this? This sight that she sees now? Ymir Theocracy is far from her mind. No this sight was simply breathtaking even at her young age of ten.

A lake that she had never been to before. Never knew it even existed until now. This lake that just makes the brightest of smiles come across her face. This stream that looks as though it goes for miles. This waterfall dripping down from a small cliff up above. How the sun's reflection hits the water just right. A lake well hidden amongst the forest just outside of the castle walls. A place that she had been forbidden to go to by her father and yet she couldn't figure out why. Just like among other things when it came to her family. Perhaps one day she would question her mother and father why they treat her so differently. Sometimes it was like she wasn't even their daughter and was something else. Just a tool. A bargaining chip to use at just the right moment.

Just like what they have done so far in her young life. An arranged marriage. Oh how she could remember how furious she had been that day when she heard her father speaking those words to her. How he had told her that he had promised her away to another. A complete stranger that she had never met before. A stranger from The Arcadia Empire. A young prince. Lux Arcadia. A boy that was told to be slightly younger than her by a few months. A boy that she had cursed silently to herself after hearing the news and yet when he had arrived at the grounds alongside his older brother and his little sister it was then that she knew she had made a mistake. This boy wasn't anything like she pictured. He wasn't a stuck up prince like she thought he would be. No, in fact he seemed to be the opposite. This kind hearted soul. This boy that always wanted to go out and explore the world. Wanted nothing more than to experience new things. The very same things that she wanted to experience as well.

A boy that she looks towards now. Looks towards his smiling face while his eyes twinkle with nothing but happiness. This look that makes her cheeks burn slightly forcing her to look away in hopes to avoid her blush from being seen. But her attention is brought back to him when she feels him squeezing her hand and just as she turns back towards him finding him fully turned towards her instantly Krulcifer can't help her face from turning scarlet when she feels Lux lifting their joined hands up to kiss the back of her hand with a blush of his own across his face.

" One day i'm gonna marry you and i'm gonna take you far away from here. Far from The Arcadia Empire. Far from Ymir Theocracy. We'll visit everywhere we talked about before. We'll get to do everything we ever talked about before. Explore new lands. Experience everything there is to do in this world. Just you and me."

Such words that he didn't know how much they were affecting her. How much with each word spoken makes her heartbeat pick up. Make her eyes burn with unshed tears. Tears that she would not let fall. She had to be strong. She is a princess and princesses don't cry. The very words her mother had spoken to her long ago.

" Promise?"

The softest of whispers that have so much intention behind them. Have so much hope behind them with these shining blue eyes looking straight at him with the same intention. With the same intensity just hoping this isn't a trick. Just hoping that he is speaking the truth. A dam that breaks causing a lone tear to trickle down her cheek when he squeezes her hand and nods his head.

" I promise."

That had been seven years ago. Seven of the longest years of her life. She still to this day can't figure out how things that were going so good had become so bad. But she knew when it started. The day The Arcadia Empire had fallen. A rebellion on a high scale. This rebellion that forced her to stay inside with the rest of her family when Ymir Theocracy had gone on lockdown. Had forced her to worry so much about her intended that was reported to still be in The Arcadia Empire with the rest of his family. Such worry that would not allow her to sleep. Such worry that had become fear when she overheard a conversation between her father and mother one night about what was going on. How these rebel forces had somehow gotten through the first line of defenses heading straight for the gates of The Arcadia Empire.

And then that was when news had come in. News that The Arcadia Empire had fallen. News that had made her freeze with overwhelming fear when she heard of how many people had died at the hands of the rebels. Of who had been lost to the rebel forces. High ranked nobles belonging to families that had sworn loyalty to The Arcadia Family. Nobles that had been slaughtered with no chance of surrender. Such barbaric acts of savagery. And that was when rumors started to trickle out. Rumors that every member of The Arcadia Family had been slaughtered. Some that had received quick deaths. Some that these rebels took their sweet time with. But the news that had made her drop down to her knees and weep had been the news that the young prince Lux had gone missing with so many rumors coming out. Rumors that he had been taken prisoner. Rumors that he had been slaughtered with the rest of his family in such a barbaric way that nobody could identify his body.

Rumors that had made her cry. Had made her grow distant from everyone around her not truly caring anymore about anybody or anything. Why would she? Her parents didn't truly care for her. Parents that she would learn weren't her real parents. No, they were her adopted parents that had found her inside of a treasure box inside of the ruins known as Hall. Parents that saw her as a tool and nothing else. Parents that have tried to make quote good use of her over the years. One being to unlock the secrets of the very same ruins they found her in. Ruins the moment they had stepped inside with a small group of trained fighters behind her had caused the ruins to rampage and release a large amount of Abysses across the land. That had been the last time she and both of her parents had shared the same room together.

No it was as though they were disgusted with her doing everything that they could to rid themselves of her. Another arranged marriage set up to Balzeride Kreutzer. A member of the renowned House Kreutzer of the Four Nobles of the New Kingdom. The New Kingdom. Something that she has grown to hate with a passion. A new kingdom that had taken the one person she cherished the most away. This kingdom that she had been thrusted into until it was the time for her newly intended came here to claim his prize. A kingdom that she couldn't understand why people were celebrating. Couldn't understand why everyone in this so-called new empire are so happy. Didn't they know they had been responsible for thousands of lives being lost? Didn't they know because of their actions many innocent lives had been lost? This pitiful and outright disgusting empire that soon would be welcoming their chosen princess to step forward and take the throne. A classmate of her's. A girl that perhaps in another lifetime she would have gotten along great with. Maybe even be her best friend but not now. Not after what her family had done. Not after her family had taken Lux away from her. A princess that she knew where to find her like everyone else. Just off in the distance in the building she looks towards now through one of the many windows that this academy's hallway provides as she continues to slowly move forward with an advanced book in her hands. Her excuse for any classmates that try to strike up a conversation with her. The very same classmates that she walks on by with many gathered around in small groups talking amongst themselves. Her own personal excuse to keep any thoughts that maybe lingering in her mind to herself.

" I heard they scored the highest results…."

" I heard that she demolished the training yard…."

Comments that she chooses to ignore. It was no secret that this academy is an all girls academy. Wasn't a secret that every single noble lady had been sent here to attend. Some in which under their own freewill with hopes and dreams of their own. Others that had been forced to come here much like herself.

" I heard he carries two swords!"

That one catches her attention. So much so that she stops walking and leans up against a windstill with her eyes trained down towards the open book in her hands while her attention is focused on a group of her fellow classmates.

" No way! There is no way that Celistia would ever allow such a thing! A boy attending our school! Really!?"

Now things are starting to get more interesting to her but before she can learn anymore about this these two mysterious two new students that are about to attend the academy any hopes of finding out any new information are dashed when Krulcifer sees her group of classmates walking away. Classmates that she can't help but follow as they head in the same direction anyways to their next assigned class. Classmates that don't speak any further about the topic and instead about themselves making her zone them out before she enters into the classroom and takes a seat near the back avoiding every single eye that looks her way. Heck she even zones out the teacher in favor of staring down at the text in her book. It wasn't like she hadn't learned what the teacher was speaking anyways. She unlike the others has made good use of her time attending this academy.

" And now class, I would like to introduce you to our new students."

Bringing her eyes up from her text looking towards the front of the room as she spots two students standing next to the teacher's side taking a moment to glance their way finding nothing interesting about them other than the black cloaks that they are wearing lowering her eyes back down towards her text letting out a sigh Krulcifer leans her head down on her left palm.

" First i would like to introduce you to Miss Yoruka Kirihima."

An introduction that is met with some applause and friendly smiles as she pulls back the hood on her cloak revealing her face to everyone. Revealing her different color eyes to her new classmates making some of them gasp. This purple left eye along with a blue right eye that looks around the classroom as though judging if any of them proves to be a threat. Eyes that continue to look around as her hands come up to untuck her black hair that flows freely down the middle of her back.

" And next i would like to introduce you to Lux…."

Instantly as though she was struck with lightning Krulcifer snaps her head back up to look towards the front of the class. Snaps her eyes to look back towards the hooded figure with her heart beating fast in her chest. With her eyes widening as saucers glued to this hooded figure that just remains silent.

" I'm sorry. I didn't catch your last name."

" Lux. Just Lux will be fine."

And at that moment time suddenly seems to slow down. At least to her anyways when she sees him reaching back to throw back his hood. To reveal his face to everyone in the room. A face that she would never forget. A face that makes tears of joy spring forth in her eyes. A face belonging to her intended long ago. A boy that she had fallen for as a little girl. The face of Lux Arcadia.