Chapter 1
The Kingdom of Aurenia was once known as the Land of Dawn, a place where rivers ran like molten silver, where fields glowed with golden harvests, and the night skies carried stars so bright they were said to guide the hearts of mortals. But such beauty was long forgotten.
Now, the kingdom rotted under the shadows. Greed ruled the throne, demons prowled the borders, and war tore through the villages like wildfire. The people whispered in fear, but above all, one truth echoed louder than any prayer -women held no worth here.
In Aurenia, daughters were sold for gold, wives silenced behind the locked doors, and mothers buried without names. A woman's tears were trampled upon, her voice considered nothing but nose. Respect foe them was a myth from old songs sung by bards who was long silenced.
Yet when the demons stirred beyond the northern cliffs, when black fire began to eat away at the skies, the priests of the ancient temple unfurled the prophecy said to be written in starlight itself.
"When the red moon weeps and shadows rise, a maiden not of this world shall bear the tear of skies. Betrayed by kin, yet bound by flame, she alone shall end the demon's claim."
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At the rooftop of XYZ, Freya stood on the edge, her small frame trembling against the cold night air. The weight of a year's worth of silence pressed against her chest-every bruise, every whispered insult, every time she had begged for someone to believe her. Instead they spat names at her, calling her a wh***, a sl**, as if she was the one who had sinned. No one saw her pain. No one cared to listen.
Her heart ached with exhaustion, as she sings
“I am the shadow fading slow, a wilted rose no one will know, The night is calling, the stars won’t cry, so let me go, let me say goodbye. “Don’t hold me back, don’t call my name, I’ve carried sorrow, I’ve carried shame. This broken heart has no more fight, So I’ll surrender to the endless night.”
I can't do this anymore .................................
But fate had not abondoned her completely.
Elara's voice cut the heavy silence. She was Freya's neighbour, a woman in her twenties who had watched too much from the sidelines, who knew the truth buried beneath Freya's forced smiles. And now, seeing the girl's fragile figure against the dark sky, her heart pounded with fear.
"Don't do this Freya!" Elara cried, her voice cracking. "Please, it won't take away your pain. It won't do any good. Come down......please".
Freya's tears streamed faster. "No one believes me, Elara. No one cares. I'm already dead inside."
"You're wrong!!" Elara shouted, taking a cautious step closer. I care. I believe you. "Your life matters, Freya. Don't let their cruelty decide your ending".
Freya wavered, her body swaying, For a moment, hope flickered in her eyes-but her foot slipped.
In that heartbeat, Elara didn't think. She lunged forward, grabbing Freya with all her strength she had. The younger girl screamed as elara pulled her back with desperate force. For a second, Freya felt safe, clinging to the warmth pf someone who truly cared.
But fate was cruel.
The momentum dragged Elara off balance. Her grip slipped on the edge. Freya landed on the rooftop floor saved, but Elara's body fell into the darkness below.
"NO......ELARA!!" Freya's voice shattered the night. She crawled to the edge, her hands trembling, her heart breaking. Tears blurred her vision as she looked down at the lifeless figure that had traded everything-her life-for hers.
Freya's sobs echoed into the silence. The weight of her survival pressed against her chest, heavier than ever, but with it comes Elara's final words, ringing in her soul.
" your life matters"
For the first time, Freya wanted to live-not for herself, but for the woman who had believed in her when no one else did.
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