“Hohohoho~, what makes you brats so sure that what you read was the truth and my stories aren’t what really happened?” The air around the old man began rumbling and the ground started vibrating, but it immediately stopped before the children could notice.

Yuri murmured “Most of your stories are illogical. Magic, souls, deities… Totally irrational.”

Then the little boy followed up, “Yeah, sorry Gramps, but I feel the same way… It’s just not realistic to me. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy listening to them. They’re really entertaining.”

His sister continued “The nonfiction books are far more useful. I like reading about the various types of bugs and plants.”

Azra finished with “I kind of prefer those novels about guns and futuristic machines. No offense…” The way that they spoke, it was almost as if they were telepathically connected to each other.

Their grandfather grinned, exposing his pure-white and extremely well maintained teeth. Then he said “Hmmm~, as long as you two still love me, I don’t mind if you believe that I was the bandit that murdered your parents.”

The boy shrugged, “It’s not like we knew them.”

Then the girl muttered “Indeed… We lack any familial bonds with those people.”

After brief silence, their grandfather whispered “Anyway, the reason that I was telling you that particular story was because I wanted to give you each a birthday present. They’re something that I ‘acquired’ long ago…”

The old man took out a small iron chest, which he proceeded to unlock with an old rusty key. When he revealed the contents, neither of the children had a reaction.

He complained “Seriously, aren’t you kids a bit too jaded? These are the two mystical artifacts from the story!”

Azra smirked, “We actually already found your key and unlocked the chest once before.”

Yuri continued “At that time, we were intrigued and amused. It is unfortunate that you were unable to witness the event.”

Their grandfather seemed extremely crestfallen as he waved his hands and told them “Ugh, no, it’s fine… I’m just a little depressed now. Anyway, Yuri, the wooden one is yours and Azra, the silver piece belongs with you. Honestly, I won’t be around for much longer… Sooner or later, I’ll be gone and the only thing that you have to remember me by are my silly stories. I thought that maybe you would like something a bit more tangible?”

“Yuri can’t really express emotions very well, but she definitely loves the gift Gramps…” After the children accepted the two kings, Azra frowned. He gazed up into those mystical blue eyes and yelled “Please don’t talk about leaving us though!”

The little girl’s blank expression remained the same, as she whispered “We are far too young to survive without you, Grandpa.”

The old man chuckled, before patting their heads gently and muttering “Don’t worry… I won’t leave until I know that you two will be fine on your own.”

Prologue: Grandpa

Prologue 1: Uriel, Azrael and Sariel
Prologue 2: The Divine Chess Set
Prologue 3: The Mysterious Old Man
Prologue 4: Presents
Prologue 5: Books