Inside the royal palace, conversations were taking place in the corridors and halls.
Servants moved back and forth between the aisles, nobles exchanged enthusiastic whispers, while the royal family waited for long-awaited news.
One of King Leon Baldur’s four wives was going into labor.
After hours of waiting, the sound of a newborn baby crying rang out inside the room.
A boy has been born.
The child who would later be known as Arthur Baldur.
He was the nineteenth and last son in this large royal family.
His mother, Elena Kim, held him in her arms with great tenderness.
Her eyes were filled with love and warmth as she held her son to her chest.
The child cried loudly, announcing his presence in the world for the first time.
An atmosphere of joy and happiness spread throughout the palace.
Smiles appeared on their faces, and celebrations began for the birth of a new
prince from the Baldur family.
Arthur had beautiful black hair and gray eyes, and he was looking at his mother.
On that day, the palace celebrated its youngest son.
It has been a few years since Arthur was born.
One quiet night, the boy was lying on his bed inside his spacious room in the royal palace, while his mother, Elena Kim, sat next to him, telling him one of the stories he always loved to hear.
Moonlight was creeping through the window, spreading a faint silver glow into the room.
Elena smiled as she gently ran her fingers between her son’s hair.
“A long time ago, son…
Our world was burning.”
Little Arthur’s eyes widened slightly.
His mother smiled tenderly, then raised her hand and touched his cheek gently, as if to erase any fear or anxiety that her words might arouse.
“At that time there were great kingdoms and countless armies.
But they were all fighting one enemy.”
I paused for a moment.
Then her voice dropped a little.
“Absolute evil…
Something everyone was afraid of.”
Arthur stared at her more intently.
“The abyss.”
There was silence inside the room for a few seconds.
The abyss was a strange black liquid slowly creeping through the lands.
He swallows everything he touches…
Humans, monsters, trees, even rocks.”
Tongues of light coming from the lamp reflected back to her eyes as she continued.
“And everyone he came into contact with changed.
It gets more fierce…
Crazier…
As if he had completely lost himself.”
Arthur swallowed his little saliva without realizing it.
As for Elena, she was silent for a moment.
She looked into her son’s innocent eyes, pure as a clear sky that had not yet known storms.
For a reason she couldn’t explain, she felt a slight tingling sensation in her heart.
As if those eyes would one day witness things a child should never have seen.
“Kingdoms fell one after another…”
Elena continued her speech in a calm voice.
“Cities burned, roads were filled with fugitives, and people thought the end was near.”
There was silence for a moment.
Then she raised her head towards the window.
The three moons adorned the distant sky, scattering their light over the royal palace.
Her eyes stopped there for a moment before she continued.
“Then came the moons.”
Her tone of voice changed.
I became calmer…
And heavier.
“Three moons that no one has ever seen before.”
“Red…
And blue…
And yellow.”
They all appeared in the sky in one night
Little Arthur’s eyes widened as he continued listening.
“No one knew where it came from.”
“No one knew why she showed up.”
“Until today, no one has been able to reveal her true secret.”
Moonlight reflected off Elena’s face as she smiled faintly.
“But that night a miracle happened.”
“The abyss has stopped.”
“And the dark gates disappeared.”
“And goodness triumphs.”
She took a deep breath before continuing.
“For the first time in a long time, the world lived in peace no one had ever dreamed of.”
The vast lands were divided into new kingdoms
“And the peoples settled in their homelands.”
“Different tribes, nations and races were formed.”
“Everyone thought that evil had been defeated forever.”
I was silent.
This time her silence lasted longer than before.
I stared at the three moons behind the window.
Then she looked back at her son.
The smile slowly disappeared from her face.
“But…”
She whispered the word.
“They were wrong.”
Arthur felt a slight chill despite the warmth of the room.
As for Elena, she lowered her voice even more.
“Evil doesn’t go away that easily, Arthur.”
“It’s just…
He waits.”
“But the abyss is back, son.”
Elena said it in a calm voice as she ran her fingers between Arthur’s locks of hair.
She came back stronger than she had been before, and opened dark gates around the world.
Terrifying monsters emerged from it, the likes of which people had never seen before, and corruption and chaos spread everywhere.
Cities fell one after another, and armies and kings were unable to stop the disaster, until everyone thought the end was inevitable.”
Sleepiness began to creep into Arthur’s eyes, but his mother continued speaking in a warm voice.
“In the darkest moments of that era, when the world had almost lost hope, eight heroes appeared.
They were neither kings nor commanders of great armies, but eight people, each of whom carried the unbreakable will of a knight.
They faced the abyss for many years, went through countless victories and defeats, and lost a lot on their way, but they never retreated.
In the end, they achieved a victory that changed the fate of the entire world.”
A small smile appeared on Elena’s face as she continued:
“From that day on, the world knew them as Novatyr.”
Arthur’s breathing had become slower and calmer.
Sleep finally overcame him.
Elena held his little fingers in her hands, then gently placed her palm on his forehead.
“After the war ended, each one of them built his own kingdom, giving birth to the eight kingdoms that still exist to this day.”
She paused for a moment before smiling proudly.
“Your grandfather, Arthur, was one of those eight heroes.”
She leaned towards him slightly until her forehead touched his little forehead.
Who knows, son…
Maybe you’ll become like him one day.”
Arthur finally fell asleep, while Elena kept looking at him with eyes filled with pride and love, as if trying to keep the features of his little face in her heart forever.
Years passed quietly inside the royal palace.
Arthur grew up among his family members, until he was eleven years old, the year in which events would begin that would change his life forever.
On that day, he was standing alone in the spacious garden next to the palace, while two maids stood a few steps away from him, silently watching his movements in implementation of his protection orders.
Arthur always seemed like a quiet boy who was isolated from others.
His innocent features were mixed with a faint sadness that was difficult to explain, while his calm handsomeness gave an unforgettable impression to everyone who saw him.
He raised his head to the sky, staring at the three moons with curious eyes, as if trying to understand something no one else could see.
Arthur!
A girl’s voice came from behind him.
He turned quietly and saw his older sister, Violet Baldur, three years older than him, waving a gentle smile at him.
“It’s time for food.”
He nodded without saying anything, then walked beside her towards the dining hall, while the two maids followed them with regular steps, keeping an appropriate distance behind the two princes.
Arthur entered the spacious dining hall, where the long table had been filled with members of the royal family.
He sat in his usual place; his mother Elena to his right, his older sister to his left, while directly opposite him sat his father, King Leon Baldur.
As soon as Arthur raised his head, his eyes met his father’s eyes.
It was a cold look…
devoid of any paternal warmth, it even seemed directed at a stranger, not his youngest son.
It was hard for an eleven-year-old boy to bear those looks, but he had been used to them for years.
He silently lowered his gaze and talked to himself.
My father…
Why do you always look at me like that?
Since I was born, I have seen in your eyes nothing but coldness and indifference.
All because I was born outside the Three Moons event period.
In your opinion…
I was a failed project from the moment I saw the light.
Everyone started eating, and the hall was filled with the sounds of dishes and family conversations.
As for Arthur, he slowly chewed his food without feeling any taste.
His mind was occupied with one question, a question that had accompanied him for years and for which he had not found an answer.
If I had been born during the Three Moons event…
Would you have treated me differently, Dad?
King Leon broke the silence of the table as he sipped from his cup, and unusually, a clear smile appeared on his face.
“Looks like I’ll be king soon.
My older brother’s illness has worsened, and there is no longer a cure that can save him.
Death is slowly approaching him, and I don’t blame him if he decides to end his suffering himself.”
Smiles quickly appeared on the faces of most of those sitting, and words of congratulations rose, as if good news had just been announced.
Only Arthur remained silent, looking at his table with regret.
He’s his brother…
How could they be happy with such news?
Moments later, Leon began asking his children one by one what they wanted, listening attentively to their answers.
When the turn approached Arthur, he passed him without paying attention to him, as if he did not exist, and then directed his question directly to his sister sitting next to him.
Elena exchanged a quick glance with her son before saying respectfully, “Dear…
I skipped Arthur.”
Leon slowly raised his head, then gave the boy a look of contempt, as if looking at something that disgusted him.
“Arthur?” He said coldly.
“It’s just something forgotten.”
Arthur froze.
Those words were heavier than all the looks of contempt he had been accustomed to all his life.
He did not raise his head, nor defend himself, but merely looked at his plate silently, while the taste of food completely disappeared from his mouth.
As for Elena, she turned to her son with eyes filled with sadness and a feeling of helplessness.
She knew that her husband’s words had not only hurt an eleven-year-old child, but had instilled in his heart a wound that would accompany him for the rest of his life.
After the meal was over, King Leon left the hall first, followed by his sons exchanging laughter and each bragging about the gift or promise he had received from his father.
The corridors were filled with their voices, while Arthur headed the opposite way alone, followed silently by the gaze of one of the maids who could not hide her sympathy for him.
Arthur!
His mother called him, but he didn’t turn around.
He gritted his teeth, then ran through the corridors of the palace until he reached his room.
He closed the door behind him tightly, then slowly slid to the ground and sat in a corner, holding his knees to his chest, unable to hold back his tears any longer.
And in an instant…
A strange light crept through the window.
He raised his head instinctively, and his eyes widened.
The three moons were hanging in the sky as usual…
But beside it appeared a fourth moon, radiating a faint light that lasted only a moment.
Arthur blinked.
So he disappeared.
The sky is back to how it always was, with only three moons.
He stared at her for a few seconds, then lowered his head again, as if the sadness squeezing his heart was too great to allow him to think about what he saw.
Light knock on the door.
Arthur..
Elena’s voice was trembling with anxiety.
I waited for an answer, but silence was the only answer.
As she was about to knock on the door again, her daughter Violet’s voice came to her quietly.
“Leave it to me, mom…
Go and rest a little.”
Elena hesitated for a moment, then slowly walked away.
Violet carefully opened the door and entered the room.
“Arthur?”
He didn’t answer her.
He was still sitting in the corner, hiding his face in his arms.
She sighed sadly, then approached him and sat next to him without saying anything.
Moments later, she extended her arms and hugged him gently.
He didn’t resist.
He kept trembling in her arms, while he continued to cry silently, as if everything had happened
He kept trembling in her arms, while his crying continued silently, as if everything she had held in his heart for years had come out at once.
Between his intermittent gasps, he whispered in a barely audible voice:
“Why…
Me?”