Prologue
The smell of iron sharply stings the subtle scent of the midnight mist which engulfs the somber forest. The wings of birds fluttering away reverberate to the ends of the serenely dreadful place, leaving an echo of mindless sorrow which fills the heaviness in the air. Each step I take, each patch of grass I pass, slowly turns into a path tainted in red. I clutch onto my waist as I feel the lightning of pain encompassing my whole body.
I couldn’t bear it.
But I have to.
The chilling air of a haunting autumn night fills my lungs with ice. I ran as fast as my injured body could handle. I need to make it time. I must make it on time. Memories of my life here were playing over and over again in my mind like a film as I grieve my last goodbye to all my efforts and all my dedication and all the lost hope. I have built this life through naïvety. And that naïvete of mine led to my downfall.
I recall every precious moment spent here; every tear I shed and every smile I beamed. I recall the first time I held my daughter in my arms as I lay in the hospital bed; how relieved I was to hear her deafening wails overpowering the room; how soft her skin was on mine; how much love I have upon seeing her beaming through. I watched and guided her for every step she has taken in life; I was there for every passing moment.
But eight years with her is too short.
It is too short for me.
Then, just in time. There it stood before me – the tree. I ran towards it, the last burst of energy I could muster. But the sound of a gun goes off. The same loud bang that shot through the air a few minutes ago rang once again. I could feel a monstrous jab piercing my back this time, with an intense pain that rumbles across my body.
Suddenly, all at once, I couldn’t feel anything. My body is frozen, loosely hanging in its stance. My eyes are failing me. The lids grow heavy, but I force myself to resist. My vision is starting to blur, static filling my view. And, in an unpredictable instance, I taste the impact of the soft ground. I force my eyes to remain open, to look at the tree one last time, to look at how close it is and yet how far I have come.
I was a few steps short.
As the pool of blood drowns me, encapsulating me in its losing warmth, all I could do was to beg the heavens. At least keep her safe. Keep my daughter safe. I have done my fair share of misdeeds. But do not touch her for she has done nothing wrong.
One last sharp breath. One last scent of the forest. One last tear streaming down my cheeks. One last remembrance of my little girl.
I’m sorry, my Ryllis.
In a silent house not too far away, the eyes of a little girl jolt open. Sweat drenches the fringe of her long hair. An internal flame wrings her chest, suffocating her with every gasping breath. A faint echo whispers in the back of her mind – my Ryllis.
An unsettling feeling crept under her skin, flashing its unseen fangs at her. The thunder bestowed his ferocious roar as seconds later the lightning flashes its fearful yet magnificent strikes in the dark, tearless sky. Her eyes closed as she tried to calm her clenching heart, muttering the daily nighttime fables her mom reads to her.
In a land hidden within the shadow of ours, lies the world of Aether that resides in tranquil, spirited harmony. The scent of magic encompasses the air, breathes its life into the lands and ebbs into the luxuriant waters. The Elves reside in the peaceful, ancient forests, building their homes from the ground up to the branches of their elderly trees. The Merpeople rule the delicate waters, living in houses of corals and seashells of their waters. And we wouldn’t forget about the lands filled with sand and their counterparts filled with ice where every race lodges peacefully.
However unique all these cities in Aether may be, there will always be the city above the clouds which rules them all, overlooking everything from above. Every province of Aether ruled by the three major races, but the most powerful of all holds the key.
The seven royals of the three dominant Mythic races ruling the seven magical Courts…
