Prologue

Center Kingdom, present time.

“Don’t go in there, Lucas.”

Lucas glared and kept on walking into the house. The door was ajar. Humid air welcomed him mixed with the smell of burning flesh and blood. He turned to the living room where a flame hanging on the side wall. Not much damage had done in the room, but he saw a very strange way death of a man.

He recognized who the dead man was. He stared at the dead body sadly, there was a scorch in his skin, not all of his skin but a straight line from head down his forehead to the center his nose and divided his lips into four, the line went all the way down to each of his foot. His eyes were open and almost out of its socket.

Strong arms managed in time to prevent him touching the dead body. “I knew you’d be like this.”

“Let me go, Darren.” Lucas hissed the order through clenched teeth. Tears welled the rim of his eyes. “That’s Janvi. He’s, he’s…” The word dead didn’t exist in his head for the moment. He didn’t want to believe what he saw. He didn’t want the scene before his eyes to be true. Like he wanted to undo the things to the way it was before.

Janvi was his cousin. They grew up together, even though Janvi was few years older than him, they treat each other like brothers. Everyone in the kingdom knew Janvi was a strong and calm wizard, and he was just got married to the girl he loved. Wait. He was married. Married!

Where was his wife? Was she alright?

“Calm down?” Darren’s voice broke his thought. “Look the one on his side.” He followed Darren’s suggestion. He was too focus on Janvi and failed to notice there was another dead body in the room.

“Kat?” The arms that circled Lucas body tightened. “You can let me go, Darren. I know the rule.” He felt the arms lifted reluctantly. Ever since the first death found two years ago, the rulers of three kingdoms had set one rule if one ever met an odd death by dark creature. Never touch the dead body and went straight to the nearest guard, so that the dead body could be burnt.

Not far from Janvi’s body was a woman dead body. She was impossible to be recognized except for Janvi’s heirloom ring in her finger. Her face was destroyed, her dress was torn everywhere with blood stain, and her hair was half burn. She must have been experienced death in a very painful way was Lucas conclusion.

Seeing his cousin and his wife had to experienced horrible death, his heart shattered for them and all those who had to face the same fate.

“You alright?” Darren was on his side, observing his tight expression.

“Yea…” Then effortlessly he moved his hand in the air, casting silent spell summoning the heirloom from her finger. He looked sideways at Darren after the ring was safe inside of the inside pocket of his thick coat, motioning Darren and the two guards to follow him out. “Whose house is this? What were they doing in here?”

“Lord Janvier had sensed a huge amount of dark energy and told us to evacuate the village people to a safer place. His highness and Lady Katrina tried to hold those dark creatures up in this place—”

“I don’t think ordinary dark creature can kill them, beside those creatures don’t kill, they eat their prey.” Darren cut one of the guard’s explanation.

Lucas ignited a fireball on his hand then threw it at the house. He watched the fire covering the house, burn everything down, including his cousins. There would be time for grieve, but not now, he was filled with anger now. Wanting to end this situation quickly.

He was processing what had happened when Darren pulled him harshly. The guards casted spells, yelling. His eyes turned wide as he lost count of the dark creature’s amount that coming from behind the rows of the distant trees. There were so many kinds of them.

Anger took him over. How dare they remained in here to enjoy his loss. He shouted, barking at his guards to pull back. He almost flew as he killed all the front row dark creatures. It was an easy kill. They can be killed but never in easy way.

There was something unusual about them. Like they were waiting for a command.

Lucas held his second blow, observing the enemy’s movement from a safe distance.

“Are they making a way? For who?” Darren stood next to him.

A beautiful woman in red dress showed from a way that formed between those creatures. As she stood in front of them, facing Lucas and Darren directly, the creatures behind her fell to their knees.

Lucas and Darren looked at each other.

“Why are you kill them?” The woman pointed at the dead creatures. “They’re innocent. Is this a declaration to an open war?” She smiled and her beautiful face looked cruel at the same time.

By the way those dark creatures respectfully bow before her, she must have been the one that they should defeated. Then another conclusion popped in his head, regarding the nature of the dark creature and how his cousins found dead. “You killed my cousins.” Lucas tried to suppress his anger.

Her smile didn’t falter. “You are the prince then.” Even more cruel. “Tell me, Prince. Are we having an open war now?”

“NOOOO…” Darren sent a big blow at her which she, without lifting a hand turned his spell back at him. He was afraid if they truly had an open war right now, they might die right away. Because their number was less than those creatures.

Lucas’s protection spell set firmly right on time when the turning spell hit them.

She looked at them coldly, no longer smile. “Your cousin’s fight was more interesting than this.” Then she snapped her fingers. A whirlwind of fire as tall as the tree came out of nowhere. She disappeared into it followed by the rest of the creatures.

Later when the fire whirlwind gone, Lucas and Darren were down on the snow. The rest of the guards were hiding behind trees.

Lucas got up first, staring at the spot where the woman and her followers gone. “Why she changes her mind? She definitely can kill us easily, why don’t she?

“What was that? I’ve never seen that kind of magic.” Darren dusted his coat from snow.

“Why did you do that?” Lucas growled upon hearing Darren’s innocent tone. “She killed Janvi and Kat. And undoubtedly the reason behind this two-years harsh winter. I could’ve had the chance to kill her, if you hadn’t tried to act smart.”

Darren was speechless at Lucas’s hostile look.

Lucas was so angry as his aura blackened. He wanted to sort his thought first. So, he took few steps back intended to turn around. But somehow, he didn’t understand how and why his feet slipped and he fell, his back landed on a solid surface. They were in the middle of winter with very thick snow everywhere. How come my back hit something hard? Thought Lucas inside.

Dusty and dry air filled his nostril. He blinked few times, his eyes felt itchy. Wanting to rubbed his eyes, he lifted his right hand then frowned. There was a book in his hand.

Soon, he regretted his abrupt move to stand as he felt a slight dizzy.

“Where the hell am I?” He whispered alone, looking around, thick dust covered the tall window but morning sunrays beamed through it smoothly.

Just to make sure his instinct was correct. He strode towards the window. The grasses were green, the ground was fresh, birds were flying crossed the blue sky.

Before anybody could see him, he retreated back. “I must’ve been unconsciously time traveled again. How far back?”

He paced back and forth. Half thinking, half panicking. The dizzy was back again, he wanted to massage the bridge of his nose, then he realized he still held the book. Then his eyes went to the wall that hosted the floor to ceiling shelves. There was one empty space the same size as the book in his hand.

Shaking unimportant thoughts away, he strode towards the only chair in the room, then opened the book, because there must be something in here that fate wanted him to learn.

As he drawn in his reading, the smile on his face grew wider. The book told him the exact time of he was right now. It grew wider and wider because this one book gave him a way to solve his predicament.

His mind was at ease. In order to go back to his rightful place and time, he needed to restore his energy. So, he closed his itchy eyes. The warm atmosphere lulled him, dozing him off faster.

How long he had been asleep was a mystery. He woke by the sound of people talking in hush tone. Shock as he was surrounded by snow again, the book was still in his hand. This was never happened before, never as long as he remembered, he did time travel home in sleep.

The hush tone talking was getting louder, he rose then rushed towards the town’s street and saw the town’s people were march towards the castle.

“Why they’re heading to the castle?” Lucas approached the nearest guard.

The guard’s eyes turned wider. “Your Highness, we thought you were vanished.” With Lucas demanding look, the guard continued. “His Majesty orders all the people in town evacuated to a safer place.”

“Why?”

“Two days ago, you’re gone. Lord D freaked out home then not long after, the outer village was attacked by immense dark forces—”

“Alright.” He patted the guard’s shoulder. “Keep them safe.”

He needed to reach the castle faster. Impossible went through the street right now, he couldn’t teleport, but he could jump. Yes.

Then he jumped from roof to roof until he reached the castle tallest roof.

Soon, he made the glass in his window chamber disappear, then landed into his chamber quietly.

The atmosphere in the castle was eerie. Everyone was busy, saving themselves or others.

In hurry, Lucas had to find his father and all the commanders along with the advisors. He headed to throne room that turned into strategy and meeting point chamber.

With full energy he pushed the double doors open. The conversation in the room instantly ended, all eyes turned to the door, to him.

“I know a way to defeat her.” He told to all the people in the room.

“Lucas.” His father voice trembled from across the large round table. “You’re alive.”

“Yes, Father. Thank goodness.” Lucas replied to his father.

“What do you mean you know a way to defeat her? Who is her?” General Chan puzzled, exchanging the same expression with the rest of the people in the room.

Except for Darren of course. Lucas glared at him. “Many things happen at the same time, I forgot to mention her, I suppose.” Darren’s voice sounded guilty, he avoided Lucas eye contact.

“Would one of you care to explain to us who is the her that we’re going to defeat?” Asked Lucas’s father tiredly.

“She is the one behind all this nightmare.” Lucas took steps forward. Nothing on the floor that would made him trip, but somehow his feet slipped and he tripped. The feeling was as odd as before, he recognized it. “Shit. Not again.” Then he fell.