- Prologue - The King of Thea

Long ago, on an island called Kreg in Northern Europe, the new year was not celebrated.

This was only an issue because the Pope had just declared it a sacred holiday.

In Kreg Island, the King hated to celebrate parties that were not part of his culture. But it was not the same for citizens, the church was very popular for those who search for the hope of a better life.

Most importantly, there was a Count who always defied royal authority, since every new year he insisted on having a big party and inviting all his servants for the countdown.

It may seem silly to challenge the King for a simple party. But for the count, this was a way of showing the Old Fashioned King that modern practices had their advantages. No, the count could not be described as benevolent or a good person who loves to give banquets to his hungry people. But he was smart, with the end of the year party, the count gained popularity among the folk and the liking of the church, the secret ruler of Europe at that time.

At one point, the King came to feel threatened by the figure of the count.

That specific year, the Count muster up the courage and sent an invitation to the King. Surprisingly, the King accepted! He said he should take a chance, but if the party was not good, he would kill the Count for disobeying him.

So with a lot of fear and emotion, the Count set up the biggest holiday party ever. The whole kingdom went to celebrate for the first time.

When everyone was full and drunk the Count began the countdown and the citizens happy with the abundance began to count together. It was an incredible mix of thousands of voices.

When the countdown finally ended, everyone heard something falling.

Like a star falling to earth, right in the yard where the most important guests were celebrating.

The impact was so loud that anyone drunk enough to fall asleep was woken up.

In its place was a boy who suddenly appeared inside the castle without any guards noticing. As if he had always been there in the yard, in front of the Count.

"Boys don't fall from the skies! Who are you, boy?" Asked a King not so sober anymore.

The boy didn't speak any known language and he was dressed in an extremely old-fashioned manner, even for the time.

"A New year's miracle, a boy sent from the heavens!" the audience applauded. "Of course, a gift to me, a Count who was loyal to God for a whole year!"

The Count said to the King.

And surprisingly, the King bought it, in his manner.

"The boy is a Wizard. Sent to Kreg as a messiah to stop this blasphemous party." the King said, and so it became true.

The party ended on the spot with the King returning home and drunks being trowed away from the castle into the dark night.

The Count didn't die because his task was to properly raise the boy as a wizard.

The boy was bathed, dressed, tucked into bed, and the next day he was already receiving lessons.

The grateful Count Walford raised him as his own son and named him Nabee of Kreg. It was not so bad, the new year was now celebrated as one of Kreg's biggest parties, the commemoration of the Messiah's birthday, and the count still had his own head on his neck.

After a time Nabee was no different from any other boy, if not for the countless stories he had to tell, and the fact that they became true!

Nabee had proved his value and became something like Kreg's national treasure. As a reward, the Count received more lands than any other nobles and was the new right-hand man of the King (since the last one was decapitated).

Nabee's most famous story was also the only one that was not a prophecy, but only a tale about a distant past. It is traditionally always told before the countdown.

It happened in fields of unimaginable beauty and mountains greater than any on earth. It was the magical world of Thea. And that was a fairy tale.

A fairy the size of a small child with snow-white skin, red hair like fire and green eyes like forests. Dressed in the finest white dress, woven with cobwebs. Born from the warm bowels volcanoes of Thea. She came as a messenger and prophet. Admired by all living beings and protected by the eight most powerful creatures in the world, dragons. She spent her days in a radiant natural palace made of ice mountains.

Alone, sitting.

Not that the fairy knew anything else. The time passed, until, on a hot spring day, a butterfly flew through the mountains and glaciers, and as if it were only there for this cause, it lands on the fairy's wrist. The fairy does not react, no movement stands there as it has done for a long time, staring at the blue and black wings of the butterfly. This one stays there for a few moments, spreading its wings as if it were going to stretch, then, suddenly closing it as if it had changed its mind, again flapping its wings and flying through the colossal pillars of ice, disappearing from the castle.

Now a new spark appeared in the eyes of the fairy, curiosity. She slowly rises to open and close her transparent wings as she tapes the fissure through which the butterfly had vanished from her sight. One step, wings open, another step, wings close, one more step, and the opening and closing gain a faster pace. Soon, the fairy's feet no longer touch the ground. It begins slowly floating on the smooth ice then rises a little and a little more until it is in front of the crack that illuminated the room.

She gets closer and peeks outside. There are many things she saw for the first time, the trees, the flowers, the animals, the insects, the sun and the wind. The fairy marvels over the forest that surrounds her. Going higher she flies over a hill and higher still she finds herself on a mountain. The fresh air, the noises, the humidity, all these things made her happy. Then a butterfly is caught in the lunge of a dragonfly which then flips its elongated wings in front of the fairy, the fairy follows.

A beautiful bird also approaches the fairy, ignoring her, it addresses the dragonfly and devours it in a single peck. The fairy then begins to follow the bird. The bird flies down towards a leafy tree, nestling in one of its branches, at this moment a hawk plunges from the sky and catches the bird, killing it immediately and then putting it between, its claws and flying out again. Likewise, the fairy begins to follow the hawk. The hawk flies and flies for a while in the same direction. Then a boy sneaks through the forest floor following the hawk. The hawk finally lands on a high rock on a wall of mountain rocks.

The boy takes advantage of the moment and shoves the rope of a bow and arrow with him. A few moments before the bow rope that aimed at the great bird is fully stretched, a chirp is heard. Small miniatures of the sparsely feathered hawk jump from the crack in the wall towards the great hawk, they were cubs. The boy stops, hesitating in front of his distracted prey. He watches the mother hawk feed the cubs for a moment, and finally lowers the bow and returns the arrow to the quiver he was wearing on his belt. Losing interest in the hawk he had been chasing for a long time, he turns around and walks the same path he came from.

The fairy, surprised, begins to follow the boy. It passes through shrubs and skips streams while dodging large trees to a clearing with a mud hut in the center.

The boy stopped by the door and before entering he said: — I know you've been watching me since I started following the hawk, I'm Raaja, what's your name? Would you show yourself to me? I promise I won't hurt you. The fairy who barely understood the boy's words remained in hiding. The boy replied by closing the door behind him: — All right, I don't mind if you follow me.

In the house lived six people, the boy, his sick father, three younger sisters, and the mother who looked after them all. Over the next few years, the fairy observed the human boy and his family. The boy killed like all other animals, to eat, but he left no scraps, from the leather he made clothes, from the bones, soup, from the organs, dog food, and the fat became soap and oil for torches. He would kill any animal that could stick an arrow, but never puppies, mothers, fathers, or pregnant, even if these were the easiest prey.

Gradually, the fairy approached the boy, following him closer and closer and from time to time she whispered some advice. Until one day when she showed herself to the boy and said: — I am the fairy, protected from the eight dragons, the personification of Thea. I like your ideas and motivations, so, I decided to gift you with two wishes of your choice. Tell me, young human. What are the two things you most crave?

Amazed by the fairy's beauty and shocked by her statement, the boy hesitates before kneeling on the forest floor and answering: — Ever since you've been following me, all I've wanted to know is who or what shows such interest in me. Now that I've seen you, the only thing I want is a favor. He raises his head and looks into the fairy's green eyes, and continues: — Would you do me the favor of accompanying me for the rest of my short life in my dream of building a kingdom where every one of my race can be happy?

The fairy accepted and the following days ran like the wind. Thanks to the fairy, the boy traveled from village to village convincing them to move, gathering them in one place. Delegating different tasks that helped everyone equally, based on what they were good at.

In a few years, the population increased and the village became a kingdom. The boy became a man and a King, the fairy became Queen and mother of a healthy boy. Raaja named his son Draco. All went well except for the occasional massacres that were done at the borders of the kingdom by wild creatures sometimes superior to humans in strength, agility, speed and mastery of weapons.

Since humans were now reproduced in abundance, the strongest wild creatures would rather attack a meat-filled village than hunt in the dense mountain forests. After one of the largest massacres by a band of Ghouls and Goblins, Raaja bowed before his queen for the second time using finally his second wish. He asked for her help, the humans had to get stronger, or they wouldn't survive to see the next few years. The fairy, was convinced by his arguments. She told him about a rare metal in the cave of one of the eight dragons. That metal could be cast into a sword to absorb the strength of any living thing that cut through and return it to the bearer of the object.

With this idea in mind, the King organized all his best soldiers, blacksmiths, doctors and all who might be useful including his son to set out towards the cave. Arriving there, the protector of the cave was a giant white Dragon. The Dragon gave them passage, as he recognized in the little prince the aura of his protected fairy. Raaja and his team were able to extract enough ore from the cave to forge several swords. The first sword was given to the King.

When the King touched the sword, a red glow passed through his eyes. His head spun as he fought the cursed blade.

It was hungry, hungry for power. The King turned to his people and fell the blade impulse for slaying them.

"NO! Not my people!" He thought and with all his will he turned away in the direction of the dragon who guarded the entrance.

He knew that if he didn't do something soon, the blade would consume him.

So, he runs to the dragon.

His people saw the madness in the King's eyes, but they could not let him die alone.

They grabbed their swords, and all ran beside the King.

More than a thousand swords pierced the distracted white creature, but the dragon would never forget the one who pierced his heart.

The prince, the fairy's son, Draco, took his life.

While all this happened, the fairy stayed in the castle waiting for the King to return. Her only companies were the old farmers and children.

When the King returned, he and his companions were greeted as heroes with a great festival.

After arriving, the King organized a speech in the central square where once stood the hut of the humble boy he once was.

When all who had made the journey were present, he knelt before the fairy once more and apologized to her on behalf of all humanity.

Confused, the fairy did not have time to react to the King's sword.

The boy for whom she had given her heart, had now pierced her.

After feeling the taste of power, he together with all who had participated in the journey were addicted to it.

They could not help it, the blade and holder had become one.

She, their queen was the most powerful being of all Thea. Her death would make them immortal.

In her last words, she cursed all who betrayed her to never see the light of the sun again. Unfortunately, it was too late, and she felt her strength sucked by the sword. The dragons heard the fairy's plea and descended from the ice castle to the kingdom at the foot of the mountain.

They fought against the humans for days, which turned into weeks and years. Humans were now immortal because of only a fraction of the fairy's power. Anyways, the immortals were increasingly pushed south until they were isolated in the cold lands. In the land that the sun cannot reach, they were invincible.

While the still mortal men were massacred without mercy or fled away, abandoning all their culture and honor. The King's sword that still contained most of the fairy's power was locked in the southern lands with its creators. Because of the curse, they could no longer use it. Since the power of the fairy itself, generated sunlight.

Isolated, they succumbed to madness. Becoming cold and cruel creatures. They still followed the old castle system with the King and the Prince at the top, but cutting with their swords any living creature that got lost in those parts or even their immortal fellows. One day, the King and his advisers had an idea to use the swords on the prince to heal themselves from the curse. A few days ago, he had demonstrated the gift of communicating with any kind of life, confirming that the power of the fairy ran in his blood.

The prince was not dumb. He used his gift to spare the life of a horse that had been lost on his land and convinced the animal to get him out of that place, and without anyone noticing, he flew away. The horse was found by mortal humans who had fled the mountain where the ruins of the old kingdom lay, but the prince was never seen again.

As you may be questioning yourself, no, no one could ask the horse where the boy had disappeared to. Only the ones with the fairy blood could speak to animals.

After some years, the horse died, bringing his secret to his grave. This way, the story ends.

This story was always repeated by Nabee in every corner of the kingdom every new year.

On his 99th birthday, next to the countdown, he reveals to only a few select nobles of Kreg one last prophecy about the destruction or salvation of his empire. After it, Nabee climbed into the foggy mountains in the north of the island, never to be seen again.

Today's tradition on the island is for brave men to go out at the countdown to try to climb the foggy mountains.

Happy New Year!