Entry #1

Some say it's a myth.

Some say it's a legend.

But at its heart, it’s simply a story of heroism.

Of two young men—

One born of privilege.

One born into duty.

Both shaped by science… and magic.

The sky stretched vast and silver-blue, speckled with clouds that drifted like dreams. A breeze carried the scent of blooming magnolias and the distant chime of bells from the village below.

Louis sat beneath an ancient tree on the hillside, its branches casting mottled shadows across his finely pressed coat. His gaze was fixed on the birds overhead—dozens of them, their wings slicing the air in sharp arcs.

He sighed softly.

"The birds are soaring again," he murmured. "But where do they go?"

"Louis! Louis! Louis!"

A familiar voice tugged him from his thoughts. He turned, blinking into the sunlight.

At the base of the hill, a blonde-haired boy was struggling to push a wheelchair up the slope. In the seat sat a girl—frail, yet defiant—her dark curls pinned neatly beneath a bonnet. The boy’s face was flushed from exertion, his shirt damp with sweat.

"You didn’t even think to help us!" the boy huffed as he reached the top, breathless.

Louis smiled faintly. "Claudio. Since when did you get a haircut?"

"Why let it grow?" Claudio muttered. "It just gets in the way."

"I was dreaming again," Louis admitted, brushing hair from his brow.

"A dream?" said a soft, feminine voice.

Celine peered up at him, eyes bright with curiosity. Despite her pallor, she always seemed to carry a spark within her.

"A dream of flying machines," Louis said. "Of metal birds, ancient legends… warriors and villains fighting side by side for a single cause."

Then his tone shifted, becoming more guarded.

"Why did you bring her here?"

Claudio threw up his hands. "She begged me. What was I supposed to do—argue with her?"

Louis knelt before his sister.

"Celine, you know you’re not supposed to leave the house."

"It’s boring there!" she protested. "Maids to the left, servants to the right—I can’t even see the world, let alone live in it."

"You still want to be like Grandfather?" he asked gently.

Celine nodded with conviction. "I want to explore the world. I want to meet people and discover things!"

"You need to listen to Mother and Father," Louis said. "It's not about rules—it’s for your own good."

"But it’s unfair!" she snapped, a sudden fire behind her words. "You get to be out here, breathe this air, see this sky—and I don’t?"

Louis exhaled, brushing a hand over her shoulder.

"Someday, when you grow up, you’ll understand."

Then he looked at Claudio. "I’m sorry to ask, but can you help me bring her back?"

Claudio gave a mock salute. "You can count on me. I’m your friend, aren’t I?"

The town was alive—bustling with merchants, laughter, the clatter of horse hooves on cobblestone. Celine's eyes shone as they moved through the streets.

"There are so many people!" she said in amazement.

"Careful," Claudio warned, pushing her gently forward. "Just because you feel fine now doesn’t mean you’ll stay that way."

"Oh, hush! Louis! Claudio! Let’s do something fun!"

What followed was a sequence of joy—moments stitched together like memories in motion.

Claudio and Louis racing horses through the hillside trails.

Clashing foils in a lively fencing match, eyes sparkling with rivalry.

Trading blows in the boxing circle, grinning through the bruises.

Celine clapped for them from her wheelchair, laughter ringing like wind chimes.

Later, as they rested beneath a fountain shaded by vines, Louis chuckled.

"I didn’t know you were that good with a blade."

Claudio stretched his arms lazily. "Hero training. My parents have been grooming me since I could walk."

Louis leaned back on his elbows. "We aristocrats just fund the heroes to protect us. We don’t become them."

Claudio's smile faded. "Sometimes… I wish I hadn’t been born into it. Just once, I’d like to do something for myself."

Celine tilted her head. "What would you do, if you could choose?"

"I’d become a doctor," Claudio said without hesitation. "And when I earn my license, I’ll find a way to cure you, Celine. I promise."

Louis clapped a hand on his friend’s shoulder, proud. "That’s the Claudio I became friends with."

Celine turned to her brother, her face suddenly pale.

"Brother... Can we go home now? I don’t feel so good."

Her body went limp. She collapsed forward in her chair.

"Celine? Celine!" Louis rushed to catch her.

Thud.

Everything went dark for her…

Back at the Delacroix estate, chaos reigned.

"How many times have we told you not to take your sister outside!" Lady Delacroix shouted, her voice shrill.

"Mother, it was Claudio who—"

"That failure of a hero?!" their father thundered.

"Claudio may not be strong, but his mind—"

"His mind doesn’t matter when it’s your sister’s life on the line!"

"I’ll take the blame," Louis said firmly.

But his father’s expression darkened.

"No. The Quartinus family will pay for this."

"But we’ve been close allies with them for years!"

"And if they don’t do something about their son, I’ll sever that tie myself."

At the Quartinus manor, Louis and Claudio stood near a high balcony, listening to their parents argue below.

"I shouldn’t have blamed you," Louis said quietly.

"It’s fine," Claudio replied. "Celine smiled today. That’s all that matters."

"You’ve lost your chance at herohood," Louis said grimly.

Claudio looked away. "Then maybe I’m finally free."

"You know they’ll never support your dream."

"I don’t need them."

Their parents entered the room soon after.

"Louis. Claudio. We’ve come to a decision."

Lord Quartinus turned on his son. "You endangered a sponsor’s child. Heroes protect the weak—they don’t endanger them."

Claudio’s jaw clenched. "Protecting? All we protect are the aristocrats who pay us. Meanwhile, the poor are dying in the streets. Even Mister Delacroix’s daughter is sick from the same plague."

Crack.

His father’s hand struck him across the face.

"You ungrateful child. You dare insult the family that gave you everything?"

Claudio straightened, red blooming across his cheek.

"Maybe I don’t want any of it."

Gasps filled the chamber.

"That’s right," Claudio said, voice strong. "I’m done pretending. I’ll become a doctor. I don’t care about your riches. I don’t care about your name. I’m leaving."

And just like that, he walked out.

Years Later

Time passed.

Claudio, now clad in a white coat, ran his own clinic in the heart of the city—his hands skilled, his eyes weary, but focused. His studies in heredity and rare diseases earned him respect… and enemies.

Louis rose among the ranks of commerce, a Delacroix heir and shrewd businessman. But wealth didn’t dull his heart.

Their paths, once divided, would soon cross again.

For the world was changing—

And in the rising tide of science and magic,

heroes would be needed once more.

Entry#1 End