Chapter 1
The night spread across the valleys of Kashmir was so terrible and cold that it felt as if time had stood still. A white blanket of snowfall covered the mountains, but even in this whiteness there was a strange darkness hidden. Aryan, whose eyes were tired and his heart was yearning, was moving towards his destination. The sound of the snow being crushed under his feet echoed in the silent air like the breaking of a bone. In front of Aryan stood the infamous “Black Palace”, about which it was known that whoever once crossed its threshold would never be seen again in the world of the living.
Aryan’s love, Zoya, had disappeared from the vicinity of this palace a year ago. People said that she had been taken away by the giants of the mountains, but Aryan’s heart knew that Zoya was in some magical prison. He took out the old diary from his coat pocket, the pages of which had turned yellow. The diary mentioned the magical spells that had been passed down through his family for generations. He placed his hand on the grand wooden door of the palace. As soon as his hand touched it, he felt a strong jolt, as if electricity had run through his veins. This was no ordinary lightning, this was the first glimpse of the magic that was embedded in the walls of this palace.
As soon as the door opened with a terrible creak, a gust of rotten smell came from inside. It was pitch black inside the hall, but as soon as Aryan lit his magic torch, he felt the pictures on the walls come to life. The faces in these pictures were looking at him with contempt. Suddenly, a feminine laugh came from the other corner of the hall. It was Zoya’s laugh, but it was not as sweet as before, but rather a strange horror. Aryan’s heart beat faster. “Zoya! Are you here?” he called out, but only silence was heard in response.
Suddenly, a black liquid began to drip from the palace roof, which as it fell to the ground began to transform into small, terrifying monsters. The eyes of these monsters were like burning embers, and their hands were equipped with nails like long knives. This was the turning point in the adventure where there was no turning back. Aryan took out the dagger from his waist that had magical verses engraved on it. He took a deep breath and advanced towards these demonic creatures. As Aryan raised his dagger, the golden letters engraved on it began to shine. The terrifying ghouls, who were now crawling on the floor, screamed in unison. The sound was not that of a human being, but rather it sounded like hundreds of pieces of glass breaking at once. Aryan felt the air around him becoming heavy, as if someone was strangling him from the unseen. It was a type of magic called “black bondage, where the enemy’s courage and breath are taken away before they can be killed.
Aryan racked his brain and remembered the moments spent with Zoya when they both sat by the springs of this valley and dreamed of the future. This memory of love filled his being with new energy. He waved the dagger in the air and threw a powerful blow at the ghouls. The magical wave emanating from the dagger reduced the two ghouls in front of him to ashes in an instant, but the remaining ghouls now looked even more angry. They began to climb the walls like lizards and then jumped on Aryan from the ceiling.
This game of adventure and fear had now become serious. Aryan quickly dodged to one side and took refuge behind an ancient marble pillar in the middle of the hall. He saw that a large chandelier was hanging in the middle of the hall, the chains of which had rusted. Aryan recited a magic spell and released a flame from his finger towards the chain. As soon as the chain broke, the heavy chandelier fell straight onto the giants. There was a loud explosion and the entire palace shook, but as soon as the giants disappeared, a new disaster arose.
The ground of the palace began to crack and a huge shadow appeared from it. This shadow gradually took the form of a tall warrior with a sword in his hand from which black smoke was coming out. The warrior had an ancient seal on his chest, the symbol of the “Guardian of Darkness” in Aryan’s diary. “You have invited your own death by killing my slaves, O son of man!” The warrior’s voice was thunderous and deep. Plaster splattered from the palace walls with every word he said.
Aryan now realized that this journey was more dangerous than he had imagined. Magic here was not just a spectacle, but a weapon. He turned to the next page of his diary, where the spell “Light of Insight” was written. He closed his eyes and began to recite the spell. As he spoke, a halo of white light began to form around him. The warrior slashed at Aryan with his black sword, but the blow collided with the halo of light and was ineffective.
This clash of the power of love and magic had now reached a new level. Aryan opened his eyes, which were now replaced by a strange glory. “I will not go from here alone,” he said loudly. “Wherever Zoya is, I will find her, even if I have to break down these gates of hell.” As he spoke these words, a curtain at the back of the palace’s great hall fell, revealing a long corridor leading down to the basement. A blue light was coming from there, the same light that had been indicating Zoya’s presence.
The corridor leading to the basement felt like the throat of an ancient dragon. The stairs were rocky and slanted, with frozen moss that made it dangerous to slip on every step. As Aryan moved downwards, the smell of dampness and blood increased in the air. The torches on the walls lit up on their own, but their light was not yellow but deep purple, making the atmosphere even more mysterious and terrifying.
Suddenly Aryan felt someone walking behind him. When he stopped, the sound of the footsteps also stopped. When he walked faster, the noise from behind also grew louder. He turned around and saw nothing there, but his own shadow on the wall was not walking with him. His shadow stood still on the wall, staring at him, while Aryan himself was moving. Seeing this, sweat broke out on Aryan’s forehead. This was the “shadow-eating” spell, which turns a person’s own shadow into his enemy.
Aryan did not give up and took out a silver sheet from his diary with some magical lines on it. He threw the sheet at his shadow. A strong spark came out and his shadow fell back to his feet. But this action had awakened the hidden guards of the palace. Large black bat-like creatures with human faces and protruding teeth began to fall from the ceiling. Their screams were tearing Aryan’s eardrums.
Aryan swung his magic sword “Noor” with full force. With each blow, a blue wave came out that threw these savage creatures away. He reached a large iron door on which Zoya’s name was written in blood. His heart began to sink. Was he too late? He pushed the door with all his strength. His soul trembled upon seeing the scene inside.
It was a huge room with human-sized mirrors all around. Zoya was visible in each mirror, but in each mirror she was in a different state. In one she was crying, in another she was unconscious, and in the third she was in some kind of enchanted sleep. “This is an optical illusion,” Aryan restrained himself. “This village of giants is playing with my senses.”
He closed his eyes and focused only on the sound of his heart. “Zoya, I’m here! Open your eyes!” he cried out with all his might. All the mirrors in the room began to shake together. Waves of magic began to hit Aryan like a storm, trying to push him back. The ground began to shake and stones began to fall from the ceiling.
At the same time, a small light flashed in the very center of the room. It was Zoya’s ring that Aryan had given him as a gift. Aryan understood that this was the real thing. He boldly rushed towards this light, while the shadows tried to bind him. As soon as he touched the ring, there was a loud explosion and all the mirrors shattered.
With terrifying screams, all those demonic creatures disappeared and Zoya was seen lying unconscious on a stone throne in front of her. There was a magical circle around her that was constantly rotating.
