A carriage followed a shallow dirt path along the lush patch of grass with the towered presence surrounded by tall oak trees the area as it shaded the land.

The carriage came from the main lands of the West-Central Region, Eve'n Dew. Home to most magical creatures and spirits resided closely bound by nature. After a long week of vacation, the family inside the carriage longed to return to their region on the Western side of the Einheart Kingdom.

The citizens of the Evran, a border city, suggested the tourist travel by the outskirts of Vyrim Forest, the easiest detour towards the Western Region which is known as Starling Crest, it was a rich land of magic, that covered all the landscape and it is where the family inside the carriage resides.

Taka, taka, taka. The horseshoes rattled along the stretch of path in a rhythmic pattern.

Inside the carriage, a woman named Ikaria held her young child in her arms. Her hazel eyes were fixated on her son's face, and she never left sight of him for a second. "Look at him, hon."

The father, Euris, sat beside his wife, and his crimson pupils glanced into his son's face.

The child was named Seyric; he was about a month old. His skin was pale and delicate, while his eyelids remained closed as he rested in bliss from the warmth of his mother.

Euris smiled as he carefully patted the child's head. "He looks so beautiful. Sooner or later, he'd look exactly like his mother."

Ikaria giggled as she faced her husband, fazed by his beauty as the sunlight shimmered on his ashen-silver hair.

Her eyes were a bit shaken as her gaze lingered on a warm and affectionate look as she focused on the warm smile on his face.

Ikaria then parted her lips and said, "No. I'm pretty sure he'll be as handsome as you. And surely, you'd teach him how to become a mage too."

As they leaned over each other's heads, they smiled in unison.

"He will. Besides, I'll make him the finest to ever become one."

They both smiled and influenced their eyes as Euris wrapped his arms around the back of his wife. But not long after, the horses' pace suddenly halted.

The horses' pace remained constant while the dirt path suddenly vanished from the surface, replaced with a thick moss and a grass over the horses' foot, even thicker from the path they had started.

"Huh?" The coachman had also taken notice as he glanced at the thick grass that already reached the height of four inches.

His eyes squinted and blinked, 'If that citizen is correct, shouldn't this place be a bit more clear? Why does it seem like the road had not been touched for a long time?'

Amidst the forest, a figure hid behind the thicket as the carriage brought a rattle amongst the vast silence of the forest. A wide smile formed on a man's lips as he fixed his cloak over his head and his eyes squinted together in his thoughts.

"Master," Said by one of the men behind him as the other two leaned against the tree they both stayed hidden in the dark parts.

"It's a good thing that were able to lure them here," The cloaked man said as a sinister smile remained on his lips.

"Tourist as always too easy to fool." He added with a prideful tone as the three men behind him nodded in unison. "Let's go, prepare yourselves, we'll have a fine feast tonight."

---

On the other hand, not long after the moment of peace shared by the couple was suddenly put in to halt.

Shriek~! The horses' pace suddenly halted as the carriage wobbled violently, and flung Ikaria and Seyric in her arms along the impact.

Euris instinctively hugged his wife in haste as he held her closed which made him the one to bumped against the wooden frame.

Thud! He grimaced as he glanced at his wife in his arms.

Ikaria gasped—"Ho...honey? Are you alright?"—she placed her palm on his cheeks as she glanced at his frown face. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine don't mind me," Euris wavered her worries and he smiled at her warmly.

Rustle... Rustle. The green leaves started to flutter against the hollow of the wind. As the coachman wiped his cold sweat from his face, his eyes swept through the thick trees around them.

No sign of life could be heard from the distance as the silence deafened his ears.

Ikaria gazed against the window as her heart clenched and exchanged a quick look with her husband. "What's wrong, honey? Why did the carriage stop?"

"Don't overthink it, honey," Euris responded with a broad smile across his face in reassurance.

"Heyah!" Whopishh!

Crackled by the whip as his hands swayed and his hands roughly held leathered hand as the tail hit against the horses' backs and he repeated. But even with the coachman's commands, the horses hardly moved in their stance except the horses' response were full of whines in distress.

The coachman sighed deeply as he turned to the wooden window behind his back.

Creak, the grind of the wood against the wooden wall made the couple switch and refocus their attention as the coachman appeared on a small framed box.

"What seems to be the problem?" The sudden burst of question raised by Euris, made the coachman lowered his head as he glanced up to Euris with his pupils.

On the other hand, Euris squinted his eyes toward him and the hand on his knees was suddenly clasped by his wife, which made him glance at her for a short moment.

"My Lord, the horse refused to move. They may have sensed something in the forest," said the coachman with a raspy tone.

But then, Ikaria's grip tightened in Euris' hands as his heart throbbed and rumbled inside his chest. He gave the coachman a death glare and said, "Do something about it!"

The coachman bowed his head and he squeezed his eyes shut, "Forgive me, m....my Lord... For my useless blander. We will have to wait until the horses have calmed down..."

"Then get moving." He gestured his hand away as the coachman raised his head.

"Yes, my Lord."

The coachman wasted no time to step down and he tripped on the ground and immediately stood up and used the horse's back to stead himself up.

"I feel like there is something I...I can't explain how I'm feeling."

Euris's pupils slightly shifted, so he looked at his wife. He was greeted by her pupils, which vibrated erratically as her complexion started to pale.

"Calm down, wife. Panicking doesn't help us. Besides you don't have to say that... Be careful with your words." Euris intertwined their fingers, and he used his other arm to pat her back gently.

"It's terrible for my wife to be stressed out after a short vacation. It'll make you look horrible."

"Hey, that's mean." Ikaria's face turned sour at his statement.

Euris giggled as he pinched the side of her cheek. "I wasn't kidding, hon. I was just hoping to cheer you up."

"It's not that I want it to happen... But it's just...me having a very good intuition,"

As the corner of Euris' lips lifted, he placed both of his hands on her cheeks and pressed them together, "Don't worry, wife. Everything will be fine."

On the other hand, the coachman caressed his horse's back in a gentle gesture.

Whooshh~ A sudden, strong current of wind passed by for a second time, and this time it sent a mysterious whisper to his ears, which shivered down his spine.

The wind also touched Euris' skin through the open window. His body hair stood tense, and his pupils stared at the coachman's back.

Without a second thought, he moved away from his wife. "I have to go."

Euris opened the door and stepped out of the carriage.

He paused when Ikaria's hands grasped tightly into his arm. "Where are you heading?"

Euris faced her and met her gaze.

Her brows curled together and her lips pursed up her husband remained firm look on his face and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I'll be back; lock the door."

He slowly removed her grip, her hands tried to reach his sleeves but the distance was already far.

Euris closed the door and took a final look at his family before he walked away.

Ikaria's eyes helplessly followed her husband's back while she followed his orders and secured the door. She heaved a deep sigh as she glanced at the child in her arms and cupped the child's cheeks.

"I'll keep you safe, sweetie... Keep resting well."

Euris paced towards the coachman and stood beside him as he gazed into the distance.

"Do you feel that?"

The coachman glanced at him, his eyebrows slightly raised, and mouthed, "Yes, My Lord..."

The sky slowly darkened as the wind aggressively battled the branches and leaves. The coachman was taken aback, soon the ground had formed a shadow and gathered together to create an entity out of it.

A dark silhouette floated mid-air, and beneath the shadow he cast, a man rose from the ground as he wore a cloak. He held a dark wooden staff and wore a black cloak. "Well, well. Look would you look at that,"

An ear-to-ear smile spread across his face as he laughed loudly.

The trees cast shadows on the ground as well when the three men appeared behind them as they marched behind the mage.

Euris couldn't help but ball his fist tight as his eyes travelled as the three marched toward them. A mask covered the bottom of their faces with black cloaks. Only their eyes were visible.

It was as if the dark silhouette above the mage, suddenly began to form a pale human form, as a thick, dark mist enveloped the silhouette's naked body as he held his hand in the air. From the black smoke appeared a hat, and he placed it over his head.

Everyone on the scene felt shivers down their spines as it surged into a rampage of aura that came to the floated form of the human above the mage.

The coachman's eyes rapidly blinked as he raised his head over the man who floated in mid-air. His pupils were shaken as his lips shook, and he mouthed, "How could it be... a dark spirit is among them?"

End of Chapter

Volume 1 - Chapter 1.

he mouthed, "How could it be... a dark spirit is among them?"

End of Chapter

Volume 1 - Chapter 1.