Legends formed the bedrock upon which the kingdom of Eldoria had been built: whispers through the ages of ancient power, lost civilizations, and relics that held within them the very fate of the world. People in Eldoria lived out their lives amidst such tales, often dismissing them as being just something to amuse or to caution against the unknown. But deep within the earth, beneath the very foundations of the kingdom, something ancient stirred.
Under the castle lay a room, locked away from the world for centuries. Air heavy with a magic forgotten these many long, lonely years enveloped all in its midst. The room was vast, walls carved with symbols and runes in a language from before history had been written down. In the center stood a pedestal of black stone, cold, untouched by time. Upon it rested an amulet, its crimson surface aglow with a very faint, pulsing light, as if it had a heartbeat of its own.
Through ages the amulet lay, its power locked away, waiting for the moment to be called upon once more. That moment was now. The magic which held the amulet was slowly weakening; the seals that held it in place were unraveling with the passing of time, slowly, as the world above changed. The dark forces, thought to be vanquished a long time ago, began their ascendance once more. Together with them came back old prophecies, forgotten by all but the wisest of Eldoria's scholars.
The amulet, mentioned in ancient texts as the Heart of Oblivion, was so much more than merely a relic. It was a key, a trigger for coming events. Many who hunted for it did so out of avarice, not knowing the true nature of its power. But the Heart of Oblivion would not let itself be taken by any—it chose its bearer, thus dooming them to a fate from which there was no escape.
At the earliest tendrils of darkness in the kingdom, so did the amulet rouse. Its light had become by far much brighter, its pulse much more insistent. Somewhere in the labyrinthine streets of Eldoria, the preordained one destined to wield its power was forthcoming, quite unknown to him, but by then already having been launched along the way toward the ancient artifact.
The forces that protected the amulet could feel the shift. Near was the day when the seals would break and the Heart of Oblivion be free once more. They had but to hope that when that moment came, the one chosen by the amulet would have gathered enough strength to wield its power, and wisdom enough to stand against the temptation it carried.
For in the wrong hands, the Heart of Oblivion could bring an end to all things. And as the shadows lengthened and the first signs of an ancient evil began to manifest in the far corners of the kingdom, the fate of Eldoria rested on the choices of a young thief, oblivious to the role he was about to play in the coming storm.
The light of the amulet crimsoned once more as, in that instant, the ancient prophecy started to wake up. The world would be turned upside down soon, and with it, the fates of those bound by the Heart of Oblivion.