Kingdom: Chosen by the Unknown

Kingdom: Chosen by the Unknown

[By Aizen Sensie]

Chapter 1: The Box

The old wooden box sat untouched on the shelf, A glowing, intricately-carved pulsing with blue light almost as if it were calling to her.

The shelf was just outside Ruli’s room. Ruli was a bright and curious 14-year-old girl—never one to ignore something that sparked her interest. A top student in her 10th-grade class, she lived with her grandmother and older brother, who was 18. Her grandfather had passed away when she was only eight, and her parents had mysteriously vanished in 1997, when she was just three. No trace of them was ever found. Most believed they were dead.

It was now the year 2011.

The clock in her room ticked toward 10:00 PM. Her grandmother and brother were already asleep, but Ruli stayed up reading a novel under the soft glow of her lamp. That’s when she noticed it—a soft blue light coming from the hallway shelf.

It was coming from her parents’ old room.

That room had been closed off for years. Dust blanketed every surface like a thick veil of time. No one ever went inside.

Outside, a storm raged. Rain pelted the windows, thunder rolled ominously, and lightning cracked across the sky. The TV in the background buzzed with warnings—earthquakes and hurricanes were striking areas just beyond the city.

Curiosity pulled her like a thread. Book forgotten, she tiptoed down the hallway behind it fading into darkness and gently pushed open the door to her parents’ room. The air smelled of old wood and memories.

The light came from the box.

It was glowing—soft, blue, and alive.

Then, a voice echoed through the room.

“Come to me, Ruli... You are of me, you belong to me”

She froze. Her breath caught in her throat. Fear tightened her chest, but so did an undeniable curiosity.

Slowly, she reached for the box and opened it.

It was empty.

The light vanished.

Silence fell like a curtain.

Perplexed, she gently placed the box back on the shelf and turned to leave. “Maybe I’ll figure it out tomorrow,” she whispered to herself.

As she reached for the doorknob, the door slammed shut behind her with a thunderous BANG. She spun around. The box began to glow again—brighter this time. It opened on its own.

And then, it pulled her inside.

In an instant, the room returned to normal. The box sealed shut. The storm outside ceased. Calm returned.

She was unconscious.

Someone—something—carried her through the dark and placed something cool against her lips. A liquid trickled into her mouth.

When her eyes fluttered open, she saw them: figures bathed in light. Winged. Gentle. Angels.

“I must be dreaming...” she thought, as her eyelids grew heavy once more.

Five hours passed.

Ruli awoke in an unfamiliar house. Dusty, cracked walls surrounded her. The bed beneath her creaked as she sat up. The house was silent—completely empty.

She rose to her feet and moved toward the window.

And what she saw stole the breath from her lungs.

A kingdom—floating in the sky,clouds and floating castles in the background, barely visible through a magical portal or haze. A stormy sky transitioning to calm twilight above.

The house itself was hovering in the air, connected by narrow paths of stone and glowing bridges to other floating buildings and towers. Waterfalls cascaded off the edges, vanishing into endless clouds below.

She blinked. Pinched herself.

It was real.

Her stomach growled, a harsh reminder of her humanity. She searched the house for food—nothing.

There was only one option: go outside.

She opened the creaky wooden door and stepped into this strange new world.

And standing before her—spread across an open field—were thousands upon thousands of people. Nearly 100,000 heads bowed low.

They were all facing her.

Smiling. Rejoicing.

Waiting.

To be continued...