Once Upon a Time...
My breath is ragged. My lungs burn as if I had swallowed embers. Exhaustion weighs on every one of my muscles, and my blurred vision can barely make out the ruins of the dark palace of Arnoxx the Devourer. Yet I continue to fight relentlessly, channeling spell after spell in this endless battle.
Around me, my companions hold firm.
Valdir and Borur, the barbarian twins, cleave the air with their heavy weapons with fierce fury despite their wounds. The elf Elyséa dances between the enemy ranks, her enchanted arrows and magical doubles cutting down Arnoxx’s devotees without mercy. And you, my sweet Liyana, never cease your divine incantations in your purring voice, healing our wounds and protecting us from the deadliest blows.
Your presence at my side is my anchor. It gives me the strength to draw far beyond my limits, even when my body tingles painfully under the constant flow of Aether, even when it leads me inexorably toward total depletion.
Resentment, anger, and grief carry me. All those dead. All those sacrifices. I will not let Arnoxx win. Not after everything we have lost.
I let out one last war cry, offering a new surge of strength and will to each of them. The pounding of my heart echoes in the cry that my companions return to me.
— It is time!
I point my staff toward the heavens, throw open the channel to the Aether, and shatter the last barriers of my mind. A blinding power invades me, burning, devouring. My skin crackles, my veins become rivers of light.
Arnoxx senses his end approaching. In a howl of desperate fury, he hurls his cursed sword, Vernix, straight at my heart.
Time slows.
I see the dark blade cutting through the thick air, slow, inexorable.
I close my eyes.
I am ready.
But the bite of the metal never comes.
Only a muffled cry, a cut-off breath, and your scent so close break the lethargy of this eternal moment. My vision opens again onto your body collapsing slowly against me, pierced by the hated blade that was meant for me.
The world tilts.
Magic crackles around us, furious and uncontrollable. It mingles with my rage and my despair. My body pulses, lights up with a blinding wave. In a howl of agony and vengeance, I redirect with my staff all the accumulated power toward Arnoxx. Red and gold lightning streaks across the battlefield, burning the abomination down to the very essence of his soul.
He shatters in one last convulsion.
And I collapse in turn at your side, my skin smoking, unable to hold onto consciousness except through the pain of your sacrifice.
Your body trembles under the bite of the frozen blade. Your feverish eyes seek mine, try to smile despite the suffering. My desperate hands press against your wound, trying in vain to stop the blood that is leaving you, just as your life is.
Nothing answers. My channel is burned, cauterized from within. I am powerless.
— Liyana... No... Why... You should not have... Not you...
Tears blind me. My voice breaks. You smile weakly, with a calm that tears me apart more than the blade. Your warm, trembling hand rises to my cheek, so light I believe I am dreaming it.
— ... D... Duncan... Everything is fine... Live... to the very end... I will wait for you... Promise me...
I press your hand against my cheek, destroyed. The thought of my long existence without your presence is unbearable, tearing a heart-rending groan from me. But I lean over you, rest my burning forehead against your soft fur.
— I promise you, Liyana... On our love... We will find each other again... In the Celestial Realm...
Your smile fades. Your eyes close. Your voice is no more than a breath.
— ... I lov...
Your hand falls.
Silence.
Emptiness.
A raw cry escapes me, tearing.
Absolute despair.
A distant breath...
And once upon a time...
Once upon a time...
Four words that open a new adventure, a captivating journey into a world of magic and enchantment, awakening in us the joy and curiosity of the child.
A secret invitation, an intimate invitation, into the very heart of the soul of those who make us dream, tremble, and weep.
And so a new cover opens, new pages turn. Those of the enchanting story that draws you into a world of hope and destiny, where everyone finally believes the worst is behind them, and that a radiant future awaits only those ready to claim it.
Everything takes place in a land of rebuilt ruins, magnified by the joy and gladness of an entire surviving people. Each one has carried in their songs and in their hearts the Heroes who, with such bravery, struck down the unthinkable and the unnameable.
And when the wounds closed and the dead received glory and honor, each one rose again and continued along the path of their dreams.
But with time, the epic odes turn into bawdy songs, and the resplendent statues of bygone days no longer catch the eye or the heart of children who have grown indifferent.
Yet there is still an ancient soul who walks this world in the shadows, a silent witness to oblivion. And despite the inexorable time that stretches endlessly beneath its resigned steps, it continues on its path, carrying in its heart the mark of a sacred promise that cannot be broken.
So... Are you ready?
Once upon a time, in a flourishing kingdom at peace, an ancient forgotten Hero drove his swaying wagon along the dusty roads...
