Running was all she could process. Fear was all she could feel. Feet moving, heart pounding, blood roaring in her ears. She had to get away, to get help. She had found a dragonkin, and it had killed her father.

She knew her father had a particular habit of leaving the palace at odd times but she never questioned why until one night when she slipped out after her father, following him quietly. The king stalked through the nearby dense forest, hand on his sword hilt. Byulyi followed, running from tree to tree, curious eyes trained on her father. She crouched behind a bush when her father turned his head and gazed around him with narrowed eyes. She held her breath before hearing footsteps again, gaining the courage to peer over her cover. She darted after him again, not wanting to lose him.

Snarls filled the night as the king clashed swords with a dragonkin. It was wounded, bleeding from multiple wounds and was beginning to become frantic in attempting to escape.

"Die you foul beast, you are but an ungodly being to even exist!" The king yelled as he aimed a strike at the dragonkin's eye. It reared back, claws slashing down. The king dodged, rolling away as claws went down on the empty space he once stood. They fought, neither backing down, neither willing to show weakness, exhaustion. Byulyi watched, filled with both fear and admiration for her father.

The dragonkin groaned, collapsing onto the ground, unable to defend or attack anymore. The king smirked, placing his blade on the dragonkin's neck. It watched, yellow eyes filled with exhaustion.

"I will not rest until every single one of you has been wiped off."

At that moment the sky seem to break as rain poured down among them. Lightning flashed, thunder roared, Byulyi yelped. She had always been afraid of thunderstorms. The king looked up sharply, recognizing the sound of his daughter's yelp anywhere.

"Byulyi?? Byul-"

The king spluttered, blood flowing down his throat, staining the ground below. His sword clattered to his feet as he slowly fell on his knees, a blank look in his eyes. He collapsed, dead, with the dragonkin standing over him. It had taken the opportunity when the king was distracted and lunged out, claws cutting through metal and flesh.

Byulyi watched in horror, eyes only on her father's lifeless form. She made to step forwards towards her father when a growl stopped her in her tracks. She gazed up at the dragonkin, lightning flashed again, lighting up the dragonkin's features as it advanced slowly. She whimpered, and that small sound seemed to have snapped the dragonkin out of its blood lust. It looked properly at the young girl, taking note of the frightened gaze and eyes filled with grief. It stepped back and paused, eyes clearing before turning away and disappearing into the woods, taking flight to the sky soon after.

Byulyi's eyes landed on her father again, running to him and landing on her knees beside him.

"Father? Father!! You're not dead right? You can't be dead!! Father, please!" Byulyi cried, shaking her father. Thunder boomed again and Byulyi trembled. She gazed around her. The looming darkness of the trees seemed to grow, seeking to capture and consume their prey. She was exposed, she was not safe. She hugged her father one more time before getting up and running back to the castle. She was thankful for the rain, for it masked the tears that she shed for her fallen father.

She yelled for her mother, the guards, the servants, for anyone to come save her father. A guard on duty heard and came running, finding the soaked princess in the throne room. She blurted out everything, the image of her father's blood-stained body embedded in her mind. The guard called for backup and when the Queen finally arrived, Byulyi had fainted from exhaustion into her mother’s arms.

The blood, death, and the horror of it all at only twelve years old would be more than what most could handle, and she could only hope that this would be the only time she encountered such tragedy. Alas, this was not to be.

-14 Years Later-

Byulyi lay awake in bed, staring at her ceiling. She had awoken from yet another nightmare, one that plagued her constantly. She glanced out the window where the sun was slowly showing its rays and birds chirping in delight. Sighing, she slipped out from under her cozy blanket and made to freshen herself up, deciding to take a walk in the palace garden. The guards stationed around the castle bowed and the servants greeted her as she walked past, smiling and greeting back.

Everyone loved the princess, even the villagers who lived in the kingdom. She was known to be kind, gentle and caring by nature, yet was strong and agile, more than able to defend herself due to her father's training. Since she was young, the King had seen how much Byulyi seemed to crave adventure and would often find her looking on in awe as his soldiers trained or staring longingly as his soldiers left the palace into the open world beyond.

He had taken it upon himself to train his daughter, teaching her how to wield a sword, how to attack and parry an opponent's strike. The Queen had disapproved at first, stating that a princess should not be fighting in the first place. She eventually gave in when she saw how enthusiastic and happy Byulyi looked when practicing with her father, her voice cheerful as she chattered about how she managed to block her father's attack. The King and Queen were never one to deny their child happiness.

Ever since her father's death the Queen had doted on her daughter a bit more, making sure she was safe and happy. On her 21st birthday the Queen had gifted her with a surprise, a beautifully crafted sword with a hilt studded with blood-red rubies and the kingdom's emblem, a crimson crescent moon with the family's initial. Byulyi was shocked when she laid eyes on it, tearing up when the Queen explained that it was a gift her father had been making ever since she started learning how to fight and defend herself. She carried it with her proudly everywhere, strapped to her waist by a belt with a leather sheath. She strolled out into the gardens, breathing in the misty morning air. She sat at the bottom of her favorite tree, taking in the view of the blooming flowers and birds flying around.

“Byulyi? What are you doing awake so early my dear?” A gentle voice questioned just as Byulyi closed her eyes. She opened them to be greeted by the sight of her mother. She smiled, standing up and greeting her.

“Just wanted to get my share of morning air.” She answered, walking together with her mother towards the Great Hall for breakfast. Byulyi never told her mother or anyone else about her nightmares and feelings, preferring to keep them to herself. Whilst her mother knew that her daughter was hiding something, she never pushed her for answers and respected her decisions. She only hoped that Byulyi knew that she didn’t have to struggle alone. They conversed about various topics, from talks about her training with the general, to the well-being of their allied kingdoms. The Nova Kingdom, their kingdom, was friendly with the Alarick Kingdom and Diata Kingdom, always staying by each other’s side and helping each during hard times. When the two allied kingdoms heard about the loss of the King from the Nova Kingdom, they had sent their condolences and attended the funeral. Byulyi was close with the daughters of the Jung family from the Alarick Kingdom and the Ahn family from the Diata Kingdom. While the Nova Kingdom was one of the kingdoms that hunted down dragonkins, the other two kingdoms held slightly more tolerance towards