I'm Iael, the young prince of Avagarth, a kingdom of misted valleys, and jagged peaks, tucked between ironspire mountains and an endless forest of eldwilde It's surrounding fortified cities cling to the hillsides like a stubborn moss. And the people are tougher than the cold winds that whipp through the passes.
Life here bores me. Constant whining of the two-faced ministers and my father, the king, strict and manipulative. All of it seems mundane. And for someone like me, a curious adventure driven man , a man who everyone avoids for their own good? Hah... the boredom seems to be eating me from the inside.
Standing on a steep, steady cliff facing the southern sector of the forest of eldwilde. I love the night breeze that blows here. Sometimes, the wind is harsh, huming along its own unique sound, so calming and perfect.
I stood there staring at the velvet night sky. Thinking of the stories of shared on the bustling street of the market and whispered between children underneath the sleeping blankets. Stories of a kingdom ruled by sorcerers, of beast that walked like men, and of cities hidden beside walls that no common eyes could see.
"Why are they scared of sorcerers when they have a real demon ruling over them?" I mutter amusingly. Anyways conveniently enough, no one talks about us. And I know it it my father's doing. Having reckless brothers who won't clean up their messes should obviously have striked up rumors, but then Jaden Calvin is not a king for decoration.
I know it real, those rumors the townfolks talk of as a myth to scare children into obedience. The mountain never lie, they always whispers secrets, which I was too curious to ignore. Always being on this cliff, it feels like the wind carries a pulse of something old, something alive, and for as long as I can remember, I can feel it calling me.
But this particularly silent night, the pulse seems to be getting stronger . I walked down the cliff into the forest . The sky cracked above Avagarth, thin and sharp whipping through the clear sky like warning. It wasn't loud, the wind wind became frightenedly quiet. No thunder, just an ominous quietness before the storm. A shimmering silver tearing across the heavens with a blade of moonlight.
Everyone else runs.
But I went towards it .
Call It stupidity, call it instinct.
I just couldn't walk away.
As I reached the clearing, the air thickened like a fog, except it wasn't , it was magic humming low , alive, almost aware. The trees bent towards the center as if bowing, and there hovering a few feet above the ground was a veil of brilliant rippling light. This was a myth, a story elders use to scare children. A portal between realms sealed for thousands of years after the gods themselves condemned whatever lives on the other side.
It was not meant to exist , but it did . And it was pulsing like a heartbeat , my heartbeat. I stepped closer , the glow washing over my skin . It felt warm, then cold, then something impossible like it was reading me, testing me. "Dont," a voice says somewhere behind me.
A woman's voice , strong , firm, and angry enough to scare the shit out of you. I turned and found her , a warrior dressed in silver armor etched with ancient runes. Her hair was braided back tightly, her eyes forest green looking at me intensely. "Step away from it," she warned. "I can't."My voice came out rough and restrained. Honestly, it felt like the rift was pulling me in. "Damn, my curiosity," I cussed irritably. Her eyes widened. "You are marked.""What?" I can't comprehend what she is saying because of the sudden splitting headache I've started experiencing. I don't even remember a time when I caught a cold, but this shitty thing is giving me the worst headache I have ever felt in my entire long life . Arggh !!!
Before she could clarify herself further, the veil flared bursting with light. A force slumped onto my chest, burning through my veins like hot coals, filling me with something new, something raw, something overwhelming a huge contrast to my very nature, light.
The warrior leaped forward to haul me out of the rift, but she was too late . I was already dragged into it before she could touch me. The burst of wisping light swirling around me , whispering words I have no knowledge of and haven't heard before to understand. I dropped down on my knees from the sheer force of it, gripping the dirt and resisting it with all my strength. No, I can't accept this light. I'm a f***king demon. I growled fisting the dirt in the palm of my hand, my hands dripping with blood form cut, which I barely noticed. I'm still fighting to keep my consciousness intact.
The warrior grabbed my arm to pull me, and I tried lifting my hand to hold onto her, but she jerked away as if she were electrified. "Listen to me, stay awake . If you fall unconscious now, the veil will consume you completely,"she said to me with creased brows.
"I.... did not ask for this, " I gritted out .
"Fate does not ask," she snarled.
The light recoiled, retreating back into the veil, which sealed shut with a thunderous snap.
Silence.
I lay there shaking, my skin glowing faintly with the same silvery energy as the veil . The warrior took a step back, staring at me as if I had become something dangerous.
"Who.. who.. are you? " I panted outing in short breaths .
"Captain Nephron vales," she said, "the sworn protector of Lumeris."
Her gaze hardened. "And you, Iael... are now bound to an ancient power that should have stayed dead.
I swallowed hard . I'm not scared of awakening a dead power, but then it's the thought of it being light that scars me. I'm from a family that wields power of darkness, so how can I control these contrasting powers .
"So what now?" I asked her.
"NOW,"she exhales deeply , " you must run because everything that hunts the veil will soon be hunting you.
And just like that , my safe and mundane life shattered.
But there was a strange sensation inside me , I couldn't pinpoint whether it was fear or something else , told me that the life as I knew it was entirely over.