PART I: THE OMEN OF BLOOD
In Brainpolis, the capital of the Kingdom of Gresmyoi, the silence within the elder council chamber was sepulchral. Adelaida, daughter of the moons, walked through the shadows until her eyes met those of Burocrot. The tension between them could be cut with a knife: a gaze charged with blood against one of pure hatred.
"Why did you call me, Burocrot?" Adelaida asked coldly.
"Adelaida... sister of the possible Fifth Imperial," he let slip, pouring coffee with an exasperating calm. "Sugar or honey?"
Adelaida tensed. The term "Fifth Imperial" was a curse. Burocrot reminded her of the history of Orvachor, the only moon born without magic, who created the Industrial Axis Empire and unleashed a war that claimed 270 million lives.
"Your brother was born with the symbol of Siert Vapoviert," Burocrot continued. "If he ever gains power, our graves will end up in unmarked pits. If you have the chance to be near him... kill him. Swear it by your family."
As Adelaida processed the warning, she encountered a mysterious woman in the palace hallways searching for records on Wistert, claiming to be sent by Edgar Wisjor. But Adelaida noticed something strange: a gray, dark trail dripped from her hands.
"It's strange..." Adelaida whispered, activating a circle of concordia. "If you were sent by my uncle Edgar, you would know that mentioning his surname is a death incantation for any race that isn't a Moon. You should be dead right now."
PART II: STEAM AND ROOTS
The woman smiled brazenly. Her eyes turned white like empty canvases.
"You should have left a long time ago, darling."
Combat erupted. Adelaida summoned the Eternal Roots of Xarvlo, tearing the room apart, but the woman moved like steam, utilizing magic from a forgotten industrial era. She summoned a giant plant beast, Oker Hus, which made the palace tremble with its masochistic cries.
The battle was fierce. The intruder used a whip of blinding speed and energy blasts that prevented the beast's regeneration, finally executing it with expandable iron spears. Just as Adelaida was at the woman's mercy, a soldier transformed into a dragon intervened, forcing the enemy to flee on a dark eagle named Osver.
Adelaida, exhausted, looked at the sky:
"The Void does not forgive... take care of yourself, little brother."
PART III: SHADOWS IN THE SANCTUARY
In the Void, Wistert's reality was far more monotonous, but no less dangerous. He cleaned the church thrones with a deep sadness that did not go unnoticed by Fasmort, his companion.
"I'm useless," Wistert lamented. "I'm just garbage. My illness is progressing, and my own magic is killing me."
Fasmort tried to cheer him up, but his concern lay elsewhere: the nuns. Sister Klasmi had invited Wistert to an "experiment" to cure him, but Fasmort knew the truth.
"Wistert, open your eyes," Fasmort warned him. "Those nuns look at you with lustful desires. They bathe you, they caress you, and they watch you sleep. The wolf dresses in sheep's clothing to hunt."
"They're only kind to me," Wistert replied with heartbreaking innocence, unable to understand concepts like sexual desire or malice.
The discussion was interrupted by Bishop Saana, who, after giving Fasmort a corrective blow for his "rudeness," announced a change of plans. To distance Wistert from the dangerous influence of the lower-ranking nuns, she promoted him to Messenger Adventurer.
"Tonight, you will leave the church," Saana decreed. "Your guide will be Bishop Mary Bolen."
Fasmort turned pale. Mary Bolen was a Succubus. Although Saana assured them she wore a suppression collar to curb her appetite, the danger of sending such a pure child with a being of that nature was evident.
Wistert, oblivious to the danger, only thought about the message he had to carry, unaware that his journey through the world of the Void had only just begun