Chapter 1

Prologue

IN A MYSTICAL LAND, far, far away at a time nonexistent from now, therein existed the Green Kingdom, a land of immortality and immortal beings. It was envied in all the land by creatures both mystical and mundane. It worried the lot of them that believed in black magic because the inhabitants of the Green Kingdom fought against such forces. The Green  family held and protected the good magic from being consumed by darkness that threatened to reign over the land. Their mortal enemy, the Gipus kingdom, fought by all means to keep darkness reigning but before passing, Pink-White's parents, Terese-White and Bingy-White, had fought to their last bone to keep darkness at bay. 

That did not however, hinder the witches of the Gipus kingdom from cursing the people of Green kingdom with a curse. The curse was directed to the royal family. Pink-White's parents were to exist only for a while even though they were immortal initially, part of it was taken. Gipus' magic was not dark enough to steal all their immortality even though it is what they would have wanted. Before destroying the Gipus kingdom (source of all dark magic), the witches had withdrawn part of the Green family's immortality. 

The Greens initiated the banquet of the Elixir of Life. They had discovered it form the Silver family, a family akin to theirs and superior in healing magic. They were healers by descent and greatly honored for their ability to heal the world. When the witches of Gipus kingdom had cursed the Greens, the Silver family was highly recommended as the only kingdom that could reverse the curse. It was sad However that they could not undo all of it, instead an agreement was decided upon. The Silver kingdom would provide the Elixir of life after fifteen years at an eighteen days banquet organized by the Green family. The Elixir of life was meant to give an addition of twenty years after their earthly lifespan was over. This agreement worked for the Greens and other kingdoms that had the gift of immortality and had been after by the 'Gipus Curse'. 

The Gipus Curse worked in a way that if the parent chose, they could sacrifice the years offered to them as an extension to their children so that they could live longer. Parents could not exist alongside their children for longer than they must. Terese-White and her husband, Bingy-White, had left their son, Pink-White to take care of their grandchildren. Bingy-White was the first to go, Terese-White came later on. It was a huge sacrifice that resulted into sickness of his wife Evalene Green. The Gipus curse had affected her differently because she was not immortal. Pink-White had fallen in love with a mortal without knowing that their union would lead into her death. 

As the descendant of the pure Green family, Pink-White, was left with the responsibility to organize the banquet that initiated the distribution of the Elixir of Life. People came from far and wide to partake of this drink every after fifty years as the Greens were in charge of it, everyone had to keep in their good graces. Survivors of the Gipus Curse would come too, as obligation to pledging their allegiance to Green kingdom as assurance that they had stopped practicing black magic.

The kingdoms were thrown far apart from each other, none was in close range with the other. From afar, the Green kingdom shone brightly. It seemed to be floating off a green layer of clouds. Surrounding its outskirts was a golden hedge that had sparkly spikes at the top of it. Rainbow birds chirped at the top of the castle roof, roaming around it every morning as they hummed a melodious tune.

The Green castle stood magnificently on the floating clouds swaying with the quiet wind  in the morning leading to the event. It was calm as the golden hue of rays bounced off the balcony railing at the front of the castle. Hanging loose from each pillar were tiny yellow flowers with small green leaves being kissed by bees buzzing ceremoniously as they sucked at their nectar. The flower garden in the quadrangle had larger flowers, the buzzing bees swooned with the ecstasy from lots of nectar displayed before them. 

On the second floor of the castle, Pink-White stepped out and breathed in his surroundings. 'It is a good day to be outside,' he sighed in thought. The flowers blossomed differently. He gazed down at the flower garden in the quadrangle. The daisies, roses, sunflowers opened to welcome the sun-kiss. Sound waves whispering cloyingly from the buzzing bees.

Humming soulfully, he turned his back to the railing and through his nostrils, he let in the ambrosia from the roses. Closing his eyes for a nanosecond, his tune was engulfed by birds twittering. It was an enticing consummation to be taken away by nature. His mind traveled into the in-between, for a moment, he could not do anything else but feel that is when he heard it. Something or someone was calling him. It sounded distant yet felt near.

"Pink-White, Pink-White..." a soft voice nudged at his calm mind.

Had he fallen asleep? Or was he in a trance? One second he was lost in the beauty of the atmosphere and the next he was hearing things. He heard the voice but could not see where and whom it came from.

"Pink-White, I do not have much time. I may not do this with you ever again. Look at me now," the voice nudged on insistently. 

When it insisted, Pink-White was able to recognize the voice, it was his mother's voice, Terese-White. He would know her voice anywhere but she had gone missing and he knew where she was, above all why she had gone. It was a place you left to when your immortal being could not exist on earth anymore, an aftereffect of the Gipus Curse. He was not ready to go there yet, so why was his mother here? Had his mother come for him? Surely it was not time yet for him to die! 

He had not died on a bewitching day such as this, had he? If not, then what was his mother doing here?

"Mom, how are you here? It is not possible. Am I dead?" he sounded panicked.

"No son, you are not dead. I do not have much time. Walk with me." She glided across the flowers that grew on the land, not crashing any as she floated over them.