The darkness filled the room, but it wasn't the usual night's darkness. It was thick, almost alive, as if it were breathing and expanding, wrapping itself around young Adrian's body as he tossed and turned in his bed. In his dream, he saw himself as another man—tall, with silver hair shining under the moonlight, his hands stained with blood he did not recognize. He stood on the edge of a high cliff, looking down at a sea of fire devouring everything in its path.
"Why am I here?" he asked himself in the dream, but the answer came only in the form of fierce winds carrying the screams of thousands of souls he recognized, but could not remember.
Then, suddenly, a woman's face appeared—beautiful, with long black hair and eyes as green as emeralds. She was crying, but her tears were made of fire. "It's your fault," she whispered, her voice almost inaudible. "You're the reason for all of this."
Adrian woke up suddenly, sitting upright in his bed, breathing heavily. His heart raced as though it wanted to escape his chest. He looked around, but the room was quiet, illuminated only by the moonlight seeping through the window.
---
Adrian, the youngest son of Lord Edward Ventris, was a quiet child, but he wasn't ordinary. Since he was five years old, he began seeing things—things others could not see. Threads of light stretching between people, as though they were connecting them to their fates. At first, he thought they were just the imaginings of a child, but over time, he realized they were more than that.
He lived in Ventris Hall, an ancient castle located on the borders of the Ethria Kingdom. The castle was filled with secrets—hidden passages, concealed rooms, and statues of ancient kings that seemed to watch everyone who passed by.
That morning, after waking from his disturbing nightmare, Adrian decided to go to the library. It was his favorite place, where he could escape the outside world and dive into books about magic and history.
---
As he was reading an old book about "the First Kings," he heard footsteps approaching. He looked toward the door and saw Lord Felix, the king's advisor, standing there. Felix was a tall man, with gray hair and sharp eyes, as if they could pierce through any secret.
"Adrian," Felix said, his deep voice carrying through the room. "What are you doing here at this early hour?"
Adrian felt a pang of unease, but he replied, "I was reading, my lord. I'm looking for something."
Felix moved closer, his gaze studying Adrian carefully. "What exactly are you looking for?"
"For the truth," Adrian answered, his voice more candid than he had expected.
Felix smiled lightly, as though he had found what he was looking for. "The truth, my young friend, isn't always what we want it to be. But I believe you will find it, whether you want to or not."
---
After Felix left, Adrian returned to the book. But this time, among the pages, he found something strange—a map of a kingdom he had never heard of before: The Kingdom of the Lost Light. On the map, there was a mark that looked strangely like his own castle.
Then, suddenly, he saw the threads again—those threads of light that connected people to their fates. But this time, the threads were pointing toward the map, as though they were trying to tell him something.
Adrian felt a weight on his chest, as if the whole world was pressing down on him. He realized that his life would never be the same again.
---
Far away, in the northern depths, The Nypis was awakening. A creature made of ice and darkness, it could feel Adrian's presence. "You've returned," it whispered in a voice that resembled the howling winds. "But this time, you won't escape."
Back in Ventris Hall, Adrian stood by the window, looking out at the horizon. He could feel that something was coming. Something big.