Aurelia, the Fading Crown

In the Boss Hall.

The shadow Knight and Kuro were facing each other. Hearing Kuro’s words, the Shadow Knight shifted her stance to an offensive one. With a sharp step, she vanished and passed through Kuro.

As she thought the fight was over, she sheathed her sword, but felt something strange. When she touched her cheek, she felt a sharp cut, and blood began to leak down.

She turned back, shocked to see that Kuro had vanished from his place. As she tried to find him, looking left and right, she felt a deathly intent from above her head.

Kuro came from above, spinning his body as he attacked with his dagger, but the Shadow Knight barely dodged the attack.

After dodging, she took a few steps back to create distance between them.

Kuro stood and said, clapping his hands,

"That was a clean dodge. You’re the only one who’s still alive after I attacked."

"Don’t bluff. I know you’re holding back," she said, her body stiff with tension.

"Holding back? Well, if I think about it…" He grinned. "If I treat this fight like a game… well, yeah, you could say that."

"Don’t look down on me!" Her anger and frustration mixed together as she started to release an immense aura.

Hmm? Her mana levels are increasing…

Thinking that, Kuro noticed something.

It’s a little weird. Being a shadow, her mana should be black… but as far as I can see… it’s gray, Kuro thought.

He let out a big sigh, then said to her,

"It seems like I hurt your feelings."

He dispelled his daggers and took a boxing stance.

"But don’t worry. I’ll take this a little more seriously."

She changed her stance to a guarded one as she felt an insane amount of mana emerging from him.

In the time it took her to blink, he vanished and appeared in front of her. She realized he was aiming for her gut and tried to guard, but failed.

A clean, massive hit to her stomach connected, sending her flying, breaking multiple pillars before she finally hit the wall.

She dropped to her knees and vomited blood from her mouth.

He walked slowly toward her, his footsteps echoing in the hall. Reaching her, he sat down on the ground and raised his hand toward her head.

As she looked at him, she felt complete emptiness, like a deep sea without end. Thinking he was going to finish her off, she closed her eyes and waited for the end as fragments of her life flashed before her.

---

Fragments of Her Past

"Don’t run too fast, onee-chan!" a little blond-haired boy called as he ran through the field after his sister.

Still running through the field, she turned with a bright, wide smile and said,

"Don’t be too lazy! If we don’t reach the castle in time, everyone will find out we escaped."

In the castle.

A maid was wiping the cheeks of the girl and the boy.

"Geez! Princess, how many times do I have to say not to leave the castle alone?" She wiped the girl’s cheek, then turned to the boy.

"And Prince, don’t just listen to the princess. You should raise your voice when she plans something like that!" She started wiping his face.

"You worry too much,Nanny," the girl said.

"Of course I worry. You both are still small, and if something happens to you, I don’t know what the king and queen will do. So don’t cause trouble, okay?" she said as she stood up.

"Okay!" they both answered before running to their parents’ room.

In the room.

A man with the same blond hair as the boy was working at his desk. He turned as he heard the noise at the door.

"Papa!" they shouted as they ran to him. He lifted the boy up while patting the little girl’s head.

"So, how are your days going, little ones?" he asked.

They explained their entire day, leaving out the fact that they had escaped the castle.

The voices and laughter of the children echoed through the entire castle. Every day was filled with excitement and memories.

---

The sun bathed the royal castle in gold, its rays shimmering off marble towers and silver banners that fluttered in the wind. The day had finally come—the Crown Ceremony of the princess.

The grand hall overflowed with nobles, knights, and citizens who had journeyed from distant towns to witness the birth of a new era. Music filled the air, soft and divine, as flower petals drifted from balconies above.

At the center of it all stood the princess—now eighteen—dressed in a radiant gown of white and gold. Her long hair shimmered under the chandeliers, and her gentle smile reminded everyone of the golden days of peace.

Her father, the king, stepped forward. Though his hands trembled with age, his eyes shone with pride as he placed the crown upon her head.

"In the light of our ancestors," he declared, "I crown you, Aurelia of Astaria, as the protector and guide of our kingdom."

The crowd erupted in applause. Cheers echoed throughout the castle. The sound of celebration reached even the farthest villages.

Her younger brother ran up to her, hugging her tightly.

"Congratulations, onee-chan! You looked so cool up there!"

Aurelia giggled softly.

"Thank you, but don’t forget—you’ll have to do this too someday."

That night, the celebration lit up the skies. Fireworks painted colors across the heavens. Laughter mingled with the scent of feasts, and for the first time in years, the kingdom felt alive with promise.

---

Months passed, and the people praised their new queen for her heart. She lowered taxes for the poor, rebuilt old roads, and often visited the villages. Her reign began with warmth and hope.

But fate plays cruel games.

A few years later, the king—her father—fell gravely ill. His condition worsened despite every healer’s attempt. Soon after, the crops began to rot in the fields, rivers turned murky, and the once-bright kingdom slowly seemed to lose its color.

Rumors took root.

"They say the land rejects her rule."

"Ever since she wore that crown, misfortune follows."

"Perhaps… she wasn’t meant to inherit the throne."

Even the castle servants whispered behind closed doors. Aurelia heard them, but she buried her pain behind a calm smile.

She stayed strong for her people and for her brother—now a young man serving as her aide, always by her side.

"You’re doing your best, onee-chan," he would remind her. "The kingdom just needs time. They’ll see your heart."

But time offered no mercy. The king passed away within the winter that followed, and the warmth that once brightened the halls of the castle vanished with him.

That night, while the kingdom slept under mourning skies, a whisper reached her.

A voice from the dark corners of the throne room—ancient and sorrowful:

"Would you give anything to save your home?"

The desperate queen closed her eyes and answered,

"Yes… even myself."

The crown upon her head glowed once, then shattered into black light.

From that night onward, the golden queen of Astaria began to fade...

---

After that night, the kingdom began to heal.

The sky cleared, crops grew green again, and the people rejoiced as Astaria slowly returned to its glory. The whispers of doom fell silent. Peace and prosperity returned, and the queen was praised as a divine savior who guided the land out of darkness.

For years, the kingdom thrived once more, and all seemed well.

But time is not kind to all—except to her.

As the seasons turned, the queen began to notice something strange. Her people aged, her friends grew older, but her reflection in the mirror remained the same. The face of an eighteen-year-old girl stared back at her, unchanged, unaged, untouched by time itself.

She kept it hidden, pretending nothing was wrong. Yet every passing year, the truth became clearer. One by one, those she loved faded away.

Her loyal knights. Her trusted maids. Her dear friends.

And then… her brother.

He lay in her arms, his eyes weak but still filled with the same warmth as before.

"Onee-chan…" he whispered faintly, trying to smile, "you’re still… the same…"

Before she could answer, his hand slipped from hers, and silence filled the hall once again.

After that day, the queen’s heart began to shatter.

She searched for answers in ancient texts, forgotten temples, and forbidden magic. She tried everything, even wishing for death itself, but no blade, no poison, no curse could take her life. She was bound to the kingdom, to its soil, to its throne.

Centuries passed.

The once-bright city of Astaria turned into ruins. The people left, calling her "the immortal witch." Rumors of curses spread once more. The castle that once glowed under the morning sun now stood dark and broken under clouds of sorrow.

And yet… she remained.

A figure of eternal loneliness wandering the empty halls, guarding the land her father had entrusted to her long ago. No longer a queen of gold, but a shadow of what she once was.

For a thousand years, she watched centuries crumble before her eyes, and still she stood at the edge of her ruined kingdom—heart cold, eyes hollow—protecting a home that no longer existed.

---

Back to the present.

One tear slid from her closed eyes, splashing to the ground as it rolled down her cheek.

It was not a tear of sadness, nor was it for the kingdom she had protected dearly for so long.

It was a tear of joy. After witnessing thousands of years alone, seeing her loved ones leave her one by one, this time it was her turn to visit them.

A smile appeared on her face as she accepted her fate.

Through the darkness of her cursed destiny, a light pierced through.

"It’s warm…" she whispered. She opened her eyes to find Kuro sitting in front of her.

He was casting a spell that felt warm. Soon, the injuries she had received from the fight began to recover.

"Wh… why?" she asked, confused, looking up at him.

He finished his spell and scratched the back of his head.

"Well, to be honest, I’d say… I misunderstood. I thought you were just like the other mimicking shadows I’ve fought before—just an upgraded version. But…" He touched the blood with his fingers, then said,

"This is the proof. You’re not the shadow I thought. You have a little mix of shadow… more like some kind of curse, from what I can see."

He raised his hand and flick her forehead. The aura she carried, which had been a strange gray, cleared and became a bright golden glow.

"Puff. There it goes," he said as he stood up, looking down at her.

"I’ve just cured your curse so you don’t have to suffer from it. Now stand up—we have to go. As the boss is defeated, this place will shatter soon." He extended his hand.

"What… Why are you not finishing me off? I am a witch who failed her people, my friends, my family…" Her head lowered in despair.

"A witch, huh? Well, what I see is a crying girl who used every method she could to run away from her fate," Kuro said as she raised her head.

"This isn’t something to brag about, and I don’t know all the details, but do you really think the ones closest to you, who stayed with you until their very end, would be happy to see you end your life like this?"

Then he added,

"Instead of running away, if you choose to face the situation head-on, maybe things will be different."

Amazed and overwhelmed by his words, she cried and screamed for all she had suffered and lost, then finally took Kuro’s hand.