Chapter 1: the land of Aethel
The land of Aethel was a labyrinth of desolation that extended far beyond the tormented borders of the Dreadpeaks.
Once, birdsong described those valleys as cradles of flowers and opalescent rivers; now, it was reduced to a ghostly landscape.
The void hadn't just conquered Aethel, it had actively removed her life, leaving an oppressive privation.
The ground trampled by the travelers was not ordinary dirt, but a stretch of compressed ash that muffled the sound of footsteps.
Bare and twisted trees that emerged from the ground like black and splintering claws, stretched in the eternal void of wanting to tear a grey sky, devoid of stars or sun, full of clouds that did not bring rain , but only endless corrosive fog.
In that dusty hell, the only law left in this corrupted land was submit or die.
Even the creatures that inhabited they had long abandoned their lairs, facing extinction.
The only life forms passing through were bandits, demons, and adventurers, and sometimes even the occasional corrupt politician.
But no one knew that things would change very soon.
Writer note: HIIII this is my first book! I'm sorry if there are some errors, English is not my native language (I'm italian), tell me what you think about my story!
