The earth trembled as the first lightning struck. Not a regular discharge, but a white pillar of light that seemed to tear the sky apart. Chaos erupted across the continent as these columns crashed into the ground with unpredictable force. Anyone who witnessed the calamity had no time to react. They were simply drawn inâengulfed by the relentless beams and spat out at random locations.
Some landed safely, in forests or on fields. Others awoke at sea or in molten rivers, destined for death. And then there were the few who were hurled 500 meters above ground into nothingness, doomed to a fall that promised only one outcomeâthe end.
Aaron, clutching his massive axe, looked downward. "A dwarf isn't meant to flyâŠ" he muttered as the ground approached at a dizzying speed. Seraphion, clad in heavy armor, watched in silent acceptance, the wings that once carried him long gone. Lunara screamed, her golden eyes filled with panic. Zaphara remained motionless, the cold wind howling around her. And Talon? His blood-red eyes glowed from the shadows of his hood as he remained still, a statue of impending doom.
But then, just as the impact seemed inevitable, it happened. The world froze. The ground vanished, the sky dissolved, and everything was consumed by endless blackness. They stood in a dreamscape where the silence was deafening. The space was empty, save for a figure slowly materializing out of nothingness. Black as the void itself, faceless, featureless, yet undeniably human in form.
"You are not here by chance," said a voice that seemed to echo directly within their minds. "You should be dead. But I saved you. Not out of mercy, but necessity."
Aaron stepped forward, gripping his axe tightly. "What game are you playing, shadow-man?" he bellowed, his voice echoing in the endless darkness.
The figure didn't move. "No game. A deal. You have two options: die now⊠or accept my task."
"And what if we refuse?" Seraphion asked calmly, his hands hanging heavily at his sides.
"Then you return to where you were. 500 meters in the air." The words were final, unyielding.
"What task?" Lunara asked, her voice soft but insistent.
"You will soon meet someone named Ivory, a princess. She must accept you as her companions, willingly. Travel with her; until then, you are bound together." The figure extended a black hand. "A pact, sealed by touch. Stray too far from each other, you die. Fail, and you die."
Aaron's defiant expression didn't escape Zaphara, who froze his mouth shut before he could speak. An unnatural silence followed as Zaphara turned her cold eyes toward the hand. "We have no choice," she said with a smile as eerie as the figure before her.
One by one, they stepped forward and placed their hands on the figure's. Darkness pulsed around them as their fates became irrevocably intertwined. A low rumble coursed through the dreamscape, as if reality itself responded to their decision.
Suddenly, a blinding beam of light pierced through the darkness, wrenching them out of the black void and back into the world. The beam was like thunder, shaking the earth, its impact leaving a mark visible from afar. Ivory, one of the four princesses of Valoria, felt the vibrations before she saw the light. Her bodyguard Silen paused briefly, hand on the hilt of his sword, but she didn't hesitate. "That came from the clearing" she said with a mix of curiosity and determination, running before he could stop her.
What she found defied explanation: five figures, surrounded by a shadowy aura that felt like a faint echo of the darkness they had just left. It was the first time she met them, a time when she could still look them in the eyesâŠ
The morning sun illuminated the group lost at the forest's edge, each figure unique, yet all inextricably bound together. Aaron was the first to break the silence, his loud laughter echoing through the trees. The dwarf carried his massive axe with the ease others might carry a walking stick. His broad frame was like a walking fortress, but his face radiated a warmth unusual for warriors of his stature. "Come on, friends! We've got an adventure ahead of us!" he called, his voice overflowing with energy. Overbearing, perhaps, but impossible to stay angry at for long.
Seraphion stood slightly apart, his heavy armor glinting faintly in the light. He seemed like a statue, so still he was easy to overlookâuntil one saw his eyes. They were a mirror of his fallen lineage, filled with deep sorrow hidden behind a mask of stoic calm. Yet beneath that armor and stillness lay a soul always ready to stand for the weak.
Lunara, the Kitsune, moved gracefully through the grass, as if the earth itself welcomed her. Her white hair shimmered like pure moonlight, and her golden eyes glowed with a promise of hope and comfort. She wore an elegant black garment that only emphasized her grace. Her presence was like a quiet blessing, a living promise that everything would be alright.
Zaphara followed, a stark contrast. Her white hair was cold and lifeless, like her face, which revealed no emotion. Her blue eyes were as cold as the eternal snow of her homeland, and the ivy crown on her head seemed strangely out of place, almost like a relic of a long-lost summer. Her leather attire, adorned with blue feathers, and the sparkling necklace with the blue star around her neck spoke of a solitary story.
Finally, there was Talon, lingering at the edge of the group, his figure half-consumed by shadows. His cloak fluttered lightly in the wind, the hood pulled low over his face. Only his blood-red eyes glowed beneathâblazing gateways to a world better left unexplored. Not a word passed his veiled lips, yet his presence was a whispering thunder that made even the bravest pause.
And despite their vastly different personalities, they all shared the same thought as they saw the young woman running toward them. Her long, light blue hair streamed in the wind, and her determined voice broke the silence. "Are you alright? I'm Ivory Fendril, princess of the royal family. What happened here?"
The exact moment her name fell, the same realization flashed through their minds, an unspoken thought striking like lightning between them: This is our target