Prolouge | A Cautionary Tale
What I am about to tell you is one of the most heartbreak tales known throughout Twisted Wonderland.
Our tale begins many moons ago, when three young men with promising futures but with the temperament of spoiled children.
The second prince of Sunset Savana, who is said to have been filled with bitterness and resentment over his older brother, which soon extended to his brother’s child, the second prince’s own nephew. Rumored to be born with magic that could bring about an endless drought with just a single touch.
The only son of the Beautiful Queen, rumored to be her copy in every sense except for the features that he inherited from his father. The young prince was as beautiful as he was envious of others’ natural beauty. He is known for disposing of anyone whom he finds more beautiful than he.
The heir to the Briar Valley throne, a rumored young dragon born with magic greater than your typical fae. His temper often affects the weather of his kingdom, resulting in lightning storms whenever his mood turns sour. Out of the three spoiled princes, people seemed to fear him the most.
These three were called monsters among royalty and nobility.
When these three young lirds fell victim to a horrific curse that could not be reversed by any normal, modern methods, almost everybody called it karma.
Desperate, the boys’ families sought help from an old friend of theirs, someone old and powerful enough to be fluent in ancient magic: the God of Darkness and Evil Himself, Chernabog.
Hearing of the boys’ plight, Chernabog visited the ill princes on their would-be deathbeds. The boys’ family members begged the god to do something to save them. They were willing to try anything.
“Anything?” Chernabog repeated.
Without a second of hesitation, the guardians repeated their plea. “Anything. Whatever it takes, please save them.”
The god lets out a small hum of acknowledgement, “Very well then. I believe I have the perfect counter for your prince’s ailment.”
He then turned to each of the princes and warned them, “Should you go through with this until the end, this will do more than just heal you. It will transform you into something else. Something ancient and otherworldly.”
Even hearing the final warning, all three princes still wished for whatever this counter Chernabog would cast on them.
As the second prince of Sunset Savana supposedly said: “I’m already seen as a monster by just about everyone outside this damn room. At least I’ll look the part this time.”
With their verbal consent, Chernabog cast his counter, a powerful spell that infused the three princes with wild magic — an ancient type of magic that draws power from the natural magic of the world. Powerful and dangerous if not handled correctly.
Luckily, the three princes were able to handle the wild magic, and the curse they all suffered from disappeared almost instantly. But at the same time, they soon entered a new type of hell.
Just as Chernabog warned, the wild magic worked almost too well on them. It’s wild, untamed mana mixing with the princes’ already existing mana supply. Slowly, the princes’ bodies began to change to adapt better to the wild magic now in their system.
As they began to change, all three let out powerful screams that shook throughout their respective kingdoms.
A lion’s roar caused every species of animal, wild or tame, within a 25-mile radius to look up in fear and respect.
An ear-piercing scream that made every plant grow rapidly and out of control, with flowers blooming earlier than planned.
A thundering dragon’s roar shook the sky, causing thunder and lightning to be summoned seemingly out of nowhere.
By the end of each gut-wrenching scream, none of the princes was no longer themselves. They were neither human, beastman, nor fae, but beasts that belonged solely to the natural world.
Whether it was out of shame for themselves or to protect whatever reputation their loved ones had left, the three princes left their kingdoms to live in an abandoned castle. All they had in that castle was themselves and the few attendants that remained loyal to them. Nevertheless, the princes learned how to make do with their new home.
And so, as the rumors would tell you, the three princes reside in an abandoned castle, lost in time and space. Served as a cautionary tale for many and a tragedy for others.
Like most stories such as this one, there has been talk about the rare possibility of the spell being reversed, but only if someone were to love the princes despite their new appearances.
But such rumors remained just that, yet sparked two questions:
Is love truly a stronger force of magic than any the Devil could control?
And…
For who could ever love a beast, much less three?
