Chapter 1
The seven kingdoms have always been a place of peace and equity. Powered and protected by the five pillar kingdoms, they were brimming with life and magic crystallized as stones. Humans used them to evolve, to defend themselves, and to control their environment. They had the power to do anything they wanted, despite the damage they caused around them.
They had no restraint, and no restraint means wars, wars meaning tragedy. The Hundred Mage war raged for forty years, destroying, changing the face of the seven kingdoms; breaking alliances and isolating each kingdom, depriving them of trust. Many lives were lost before a truce was decided.
Troubled times and suffering always bring forth the worst in people. Rising from the ranks that had a role in the war was one man. He was set on a path that was leading him astray, that was making him slowly sink into a pit of darkness no human could ever come out of. Destroyed by grief, by anger, and hate, all he ever wanted was to get the pillar stones. Those magic crystals brimming with primordial magic, which were rumored to be able to turn oneself into a god. But he couldn’t do it himself. All of the seven kingdoms knew who he was and were wary of him. Being infamous for his research was an inconvenience for him. He knew he would be stopped and even hunted down by the stone guardians.
But it was just a slight bump on the road to his success; he was strong, smart, and unstoppable. He would find a way to put the seven kingdoms on their knees and get back what he had lost. His longing for the past, his thirst for power were stronger than anything in the world. Even if it took him all his life, he will become the most powerful being that ever walked the ground of the seven kingdoms. And he will eradicate every suffering that the war has ever brought up.
He made a promise, and no amount of sacrifice will deter him from fulfilling it.
Winter was slowly making its entrance, covering the trees in a heavy white mantle. Silence reigned supreme, with not even passing animals making the slightest sound, giving the sensation that the snow was muffling all surrounding noises. She loved the calm, the silence that surrounded her as she wandered the few untouched corridors of the cottage where she lived, dodging planks and debris from the outside world as she went. She stopped in front of a broken window that was letting the cold wind in, but she wasn’t feeling the cold. Among the trees surrounding the dwelling, she could make out a silhouette silently threading its way through the bushes and trees. He was back, once again. Was she ever going to be able to get rid of him? It was like the tenth time that he came around here, snooping around. She just wanted to be able to wait for her family in peace in this house, but with this man hanging around, she was anxious. Could he come in? Would he take her away if he found her? What did he want? She couldn’t help wondering. She just wanted to be at peace; she didn’t want anything more.
Seeing him approaching the house, she took fright, instinctively going to hide in a dark and musty closet. The intruder’s heavy footsteps made the floor already worn by years of use creak. Holding her breath, she waited impatiently for him to leave; she didn’t want to be found, she didn’t want anyone to see her.
After a few interminable minutes, the footsteps faded away, finally disappearing into the distance. She sighed with relief, emerging from her hiding place cautiously, checking that it was only her left. Once reassured, she checked each room to make sure nothing was missing or left behind. The last thing she wanted was to have someone come live here, but everything seemed in order. She resumed her routine, taking up position near the front door, looking outside, waiting. She looked around, animals approached her without even paying her any attention. They were used to her presence; she’d been waiting there for so long that, for the creatures of the forest, she’d become part of the landscape.
She sat on the old threshold, listening to the nocturnal animals awakening as night approached. Owls hooting, foxes screaming in search of a mate, wolves far in the distance, it was part of the usual noise she got used to over the years. She used to fear those noises, wondering if a beast would come to attack her and eat her, but she had learn that none of those animals could ever do her any harm. Not anymore, at least.
Once again, she was going to spend the night alone, sleepless. She was used to it, but wished it would finally come to an end. She had long since lost track of time, and it felt like an eternity had passed since she started watching those weird little carnivorous rabbits with deer antlers devour lost wanderers and flutter around the cottage in the dusk. When she’d first arrived, she’d felt sorry for the poor men whose lives had been violently snatched away by a band of hungry wolpertingers. But today, she thought, they deserved it: you’d have to be pretty reckless to venture into this forest, which was reputed to be dangerous, especially at night. To her, people stupid enough to ignore danger didn’t deserve her sympathy. She could barely give any to a human being in the first place; she was not going to pity an idiot who didn’t think twice before facing danger.
She rested her head against the door frame, closing her eyes. She could have sworn she was about to fall asleep, but she knew that wasn’t possible; she hadn’t slept for so long, she had forgotten how it felt to have a good night’s rest, what it felt like to close her eyes and sink into unconsciousness. However, she felt herself sinking into a deep sleep, against which she made no resistance.
She had the sensation of floating in deep darkness, feeling heavy, as if she were carrying the weight of several people on her shoulders. She felt cold... cold? That was something she didn’t feel for a long time. She opened her eyes suddenly, feeling the cold and the pain of her naked body on a debris-strewn floor. Kneeling beside her, a man consulted a notebook, grumbling, glancing at her in annoyance from time to time. She raised her hand, staring at it in shock; she was not translucent anymore. She passed it over her face, feeling the warmth of her cheek, then the tears that rolled down slowly. She felt the heat of her body, the cold of her surroundings, she felt her tears, the pain of her moving body, every breath, even the blood surging through her veins, but most of all, she felt her heart beating again.
“She must have been there for too long.” The man grumbled before continuing to sift through his notebook. “I couldn’t have made a mistake; it has to be the only reason.”
“What have you done to me?” She murmured in confusion. “I’m dead, I shouldn’t be here.”
He slammed his notebook shut loudly. “I guess it will have to work for now. I’ve already wasted one year searching for such a specimen; I can’t afford to waste another one.” He muttered to himself.
He stared at her thoughtfully, seeming to consider what he was going to say.
“Who are you?” She inquired. “What have you done to me?”
“I’m not going to beat around the bush, I’ve cast a spell on you, a spell that allows me to give your spirit a new body in exchange for which, from now on, you’ll obey my every order.”
She stared at him, visibly confused and frightened. Obeying an unknown man was the last thing she wanted to do. “I can’t, I have to stay here, I can’t leave, I’m bound to this place!” She tried to find excuses. Also, it was true that she was bound to this place and couldn’t leave.
He showed her a jar containing a golden liquid resembling water, or more closely honey, resting on the bottom were familiar white fragments. There weren’t a lot of them left, but she recognized them without a doubt. It had been decades since she had seen them after they got scattered around by wild animals. So that was what he was searching for when he was snooping around: her bones whitened by time and elements.
“You have no choice, I’m your master now, as long as this is in my possession, you must obey my every command. You should be grateful to me for granting you the freedom to move about freely, the collar you wear allows you to keep your body and go wherever you wish.”
She raised her hand to her neck, feeling the cold of a stone resting against her skin. She stared at him, wondering why anyone would want to give her back her body. Why did that man want to warrant to play with the dead?
“Now listen carefully.” He intimated. “This spell isn’t working properly, certainly because you’ve been here far too long. You’ll have to complete the mission I’m about to give you before the spring equinox; your body probably won’t last much longer than that. You’ll have to bring me five stones from five different kingdoms. If you succeed, I’ll be able to make the spell permanent, so that you can live again, and even give you back your complete freedom.”
She hesitated; she’d forgotten how long she’d been waiting, she knew it was for more than a decade. She was tired of being alone in this forest; she just wanted to be reunited with her family, to leave, to be free. She didn’t think twice about this man’s proposal before accepting it. She could leave this place, she could go in search of her parents, she was no longer a prisoner, she could feel her surroundings again, she was living again, even if only for a few months. Whatever he was in search of, whatever his goal was, she was going to do everything she could to please him, to make sure her life didn’t stop once again, to make sure her future wasn’t stolen from her again.
“My name is Lilyanne... Lilyanne Lloyd, but everyone called me Lily.”
“Eckhart.” He tossed her his coat nonchalantly to allow her to cover herself. It was pleasantly warm, and she slipped it over her shoulders happily. “The stone you’re wearing will also allow you to use a bit of magic, but bear in mind that if you abuse it, it will reduce your allotted time.” She nodded sagely.
The man stood up without a word. “Get going, the sooner you leave, the sooner your mission will be accomplished.”
She nodded, feeling happy to finally be free to leave behind the loneliness of the woods, to be able to have a second chance, to maybe get revenge on the people who put her there. She was set on obeying this man no matter what, if it meant being alive and free.
