EP 1- "Veil of Shadows"
Morning mist lay over the green hills like a soft white sheet. The air was cool and damp, carrying the smell of wet soil and pine. Birds sang unseen from the forest canopy, and the distant river glimmered like silver as sunlight touched its surface. The world felt quiet, almost sacred.
In this calm dawn, two kingdoms rested apart yet near, with valleys and rivers flowing gently between them. Their towers rose against the horizon, proud but not boastful. Though not bound by walls or borders, their lands leaned toward one another like old friends.
These kingdoms were known as the kingdom of Corvallis and kingdom of Elarion. They were not just neighbors; they were guardians of each other.
For generations, the two kingdoms had shared more than a border.
Their bond was born on the battlefield long ago. When a great war rose to destroy them both, it was not one kingdom that won, but the two together. The kings of Corvallis and Elarion, they fought side by side and led their armies as one. With their strength joined, they turned certain defeat into victory.
That war is still remembered in every song and tale, and it tied the two lands forever. Since then, neither kingdom has faced danger alone. In famine, in unrest, or even in peace, they have always rushed to each other's aid without pause.
They had shared trust. Their bond was not written only in treaties or laws. It was written in blood and sacrifice. When Corvallis faced hardship, Elarion answered the call. When Elarion was in need, Corvallis stood ready.
They lived as if one kingdom's strength was the other's shield.
The year was 1890. Across the world, kingdoms rose and fell through greed, armies, and endless wars. Yet the kingdom of Corvallis and kingdom of Elarion were celebrated for something rarer.
They were celebrated for loyalty. Their people grew up believing that unity was more powerful than ambition, that peace could last if men chose honor over pride.
It was into this world that two young heirs were born. Prince Averon Corveth of Corvallis, and Prince Alistair Veynor of Elarion. Their fathers had already decided that their destinies would be tied, not only by crown and bloodline, but by the friendship that could keep kingdoms from falling into chaos.
King Malverin of Corvallis was a man of strength and calculation. His presence on the battlefield was fierce, yet his mind was sharper than any blade.
He noticed everything, from the rhythm of soldiers' training to the murmur of merchants bargaining in the market. He was a father of four. Three daughters filled his halls with music and laughter, but his only son, Averon, carried the weight of expectation.
Averon's days began before sunrise. Swordplay filled his mornings. Strategy and politics filled his afternoons. Maps and history filled his nights. Every lesson was designed to mold him not just into a warrior but into a ruler who could think as quickly as he could strike.
In the kingdom of Elarion, King Tharion ruled with both courage and mercy. His people admired him not only as a leader but as a protector. He had two children. Prince Alistair, the younger, was small but sharp, a boy whose eyes missed nothing.
His elder sister was wise and composed, guiding him gently while also learning from their father's careful hand. King Tharion's lessons were not barked as commands but shown in action. He taught them that justice was as heavy as steel and that mercy carried its own strength.
The two kings arranged for their sons to meet often. At first, the boys were little more than strangers sharing lessons. But as time passed, recognition turned to respect. Averon admired Alistair's calm nature. Alistair admired Averon's fire and courage. Their fathers had been bound by loyalty, and now their sons were learning to carry that same bond.
Life between Corvallis and Elarion was alive with movement. Merchants passed freely across rivers, selling cloth, spices, and fine wine. Scholars carried books of astronomy and medicine, trading knowledge instead of secrets.
Farmers shared techniques across borders, and children played without fear, laughing together in fields where no soldier needed to stand guard. People often said the two kingdoms were like brothers born of different mothers.
And yet, beyond their borders, shadows stirred. Far away, alliances shifted. Armies gathered in silence. Ambitions whispered through the dark corners of the world. These were changes the young princes could not yet see. To them, life was a steady rhythm of training, study, and the strong hand of their fathers' guidance.
As the years passed, Averon grew into a strong and decisive young man, skilled with the sword and fearless in battle. Alistair grew into a patient strategist, quick to think before he acted. Each saw in the other what he lacked himself. Averon's fire balanced Alistair's calm. Alistair's wisdom steadied Averon's boldness. Together, they believed their kingdoms would stand united forever.
The bond was not only between kings but between heirs. A quiet promise had formed, spoken not in words but in every shared trial and every hard-won victory. The future, to them, looked secure.
But peace, no matter how strong, is fragile.
For every bond of trust, there is always a force waiting to break it. Somewhere beyond the borders, unseen hands began to move. Whispers of betrayal crept like smoke in the wind. What was once thought unshakable would be tested.
But upon their laughing, playful kingdom, an ill-fated gaze had already fallen. At first it was only a shadow at the edge of their joy, too faint to notice. Yet shadows have a way of growing. A kingdom built on laughter was about to learn how silence can echo louder than any celebration.
No one knew. Not Averon. Not Alistair. Not even the kings who had sworn to protect what their ancestors had built.
The story began with friendship as deep as family. But history rarely preserves beginnings. What mattered was what came after.
There would be a day when Corvallis and Elarion would no longer share laughter across borders. A day when their merchants would no longer trade, their children no longer play.
That day, they would no longer see each other as Brothers. They would see each other as enemies.
And the reason for it remained hidden, waiting for the world to discover. The mist over the hills had not yet lifted, but already the shadow of that future was moving closer.
The first chapter of their lives closed not with peace, but with a question.
Who, or what, would rise between them and tear their bond apart?
"Together they had risen from the ashes of war, their victories shaping every stone of the kingdom. But unity that shines too bright always draws shadows. Was their downfall waiting in envy's shadow, in betrayal's embrace, or in fate's cruel design?".
None of them knew it yet, but the first crack had already begun.