On a highland was a magnificent castle of black marble with lightning streaks of red that dimly pulsated as if the castle was alive. A stone staircase of around two hundred steps led the way to the main gate that stood at least a hundred feet tall. Around the castle was a moat built to keep the intruders from entering, but it only seemed to call it a cliff as there was nothing to fill the moat, but it served as a trap for anyone who fell in it to meet their unfateful death. The surrounding of the moat was encapsulated by concentric walls with cannons and mortars fixated in between the arrow slits. The castle was so huge that the members of the society council seemed like an ant in front of the castle. Everyone had their jaws dropped down at the architectural magnificence that stood ahead.
Drupal came with a rusty key that was half his size and gave it to his master. Scrouche could not hold his excitement anymore and inserted the key into the keyhole with the widest of grin one could see. A click sound resonated in their ears as the double door slabs started to crack in the middle and slowly started opening inside to lead the way to a large hall that one could easily misunderstand as the courtroom because of the elegant interior of the hall. Just looking at the inside of the castle gave goosebumps to the onlookers, who could not believe that such a beautiful place could exist in the barren black lands of Nevara.
Drupal led the way to the others on the black carpet that lay on the floor giving a dark and eerie feeling to the visitors. Pillars of black marble with silver work on them stood tall supporting the ceiling that looked like the night sky itself with moving clouds and often lightning that gave a purple glow and dimly lit the grand hall. A dual set of victorian staircases led them to the floor above where there were corridors and black wooden doors each at a great distance from the other yet there seemed to be no end to the corridor. An endless number of doors but not one was unlocked for one to see inside. A single staircase led to the top floor where there was only one grand dark red door with golden streaks but unlike the castle walls, here the door itself was pulsating as if it was alive. No one among them dared to open this door as it gave a bone-chilling feeling to all.
Drupal tried to apparate inside the room but nothing happened to leave everyone stunned. An elf was known to even be able to apparate in cursed or places where magic died but here of all something was blocking him. Finally taking a breath Drupal pushed the unlocked door but as soon as he touched the door his life energy started to seep into the door itself. Concentrating he opened the door and fell to the ground as he could no more hold himself on his feet. Scrouche saw his elf on the floor and ran towards him worried.
" Are you fine ?", he asked.
"I am fine Master, leave me here and head inside the Lord's room sir ", Drupal said with pain in his voice.
Urgency rang in their minds after seeing what happened to Drupal, no one was ready to stand any more time than needed in the place. Now everyone knew that the Forbidden Castle was not just a name but it was forbidden for good measures.
In the room there was no furniture, nothing materialistic, it wouldn't be an injustice to call the room empty and void of any feel. A little distance away was a block of stone, pure black, that stood out in the whole castle as if it was foreign to the place. Scrouche took out a box from his waistcoat pocket, opening it on a cushion was a swirling glow of red, on closer inspection was it visible that the glow was emitted from a crystal, The BLOOD Crystal. Scrouche walked to the stone block and placed the crystal with both his hands on the circular raised block and took five steps back right after placing it.
"RISE FROM THE ASHES MY LORD", everyone prayed in unison and their voices echoed in the room.
As soon as the crystal rested upon the platform, the stone block started to emit a glow that somehow looked eerie. Slowly the vibration from the stone block started to shake the Castle with everything inside it, Society members were finding it hard to even stand with the pressure they were feeling inside their bodies. Smoke started to fill the castle and the shaking became more violent. The stone started to float in the air and after a few moments burst into flames leaving no residue but only black dense smoke behind that did not disperse.
...
The storm became more and more fierce, lightning striking in every direction, it seemed as if the whole world was engulfed in lightning. But Nevara had been going through a completely different transition. As the clouds started to burst into tears of rain, the dried and dead trees started to nourish with it and bright red leaves started to sprout, the barren land beneath became more lively becoming dark black and very dark green grass started to grow all over. Long ago a river that was believed to have been a myth was now filled with red water or one could say blood, to be precise. The moat that was once dried was now filled with blood and the crystals embedded on the walls and towers of the castle started to glow brightly lighting its surrounding in full glory. The blood fell at the cliff behind the castle and fell into the depths with grace. Blackbirds and butterflies started to chime on the trees and flowers that had bloomed after ages.
.....
Finally, the black smoke started to turn into a shadowy figure of a man, and the calm started to spread the castle stopped shaking violently, and the smoke that filled the place dispersed into thin air. It was calm but oddly calm, the silence that one could even hear the sound of their heart beating and their blood running in their veins. A chill ran through their bodies as everyone could see the shadow forming a solid taking the shape of a body. And after a couple of minutes, a figure could be seen standing where the shadow once was.
A young man in his late twenties was standing in the room, exposing his bare chest from the halfway-tied black robe that flowed elegantly in the soft winds like a feather. Pure white elegant skin that shone in the dim light, fierce blue eyes, sharp features with a perfect jawline, and not a single blemish was in sight. long silver hair flowed till below his mid-back and a perfectly chiseled body like a greek god. Seven feet tall, the muscular, definition of perfection, was a man standing in the room was PERCIVEUS BLADEN, Ruler of Death.
Breathing in a deep breath he spoke in his menacing voice, that can make the strongest of people surrender in fear,
" Hmmmmm. Do I smell Death ?", were his first words after his centuries-long slumber.
Fear overtook the men and women in the castle and around making their knees buckle and the whole world felt a tingle in their bodies. Something even bigger than the storm was being brewed in the world way greater than anyone could expect.