1 PROLOGUE

✡Part 1

The slight smell of smoke and dirt woke me up. Was I outside? No, I'm still in my room, it's just how the whole place smelled, let alone my room. Somehow even after so many years I fail to get used to it. The sun or as I call it pecks of rays was yet to match my pace of waking up. It's almost a habit now with how early I wake up. Sleep's never been a good friend of mine. That's probably why our family loves me having dark circles. They say, it suits my demeanor. I just feel sick every time I see myself in the mirror. I try to tire myself to get a better sleep, not that it helps. I never seem to be at peace here. It never felt like my home either. Am I betraying my family by thinking this way? Maybe, though not that I know anything of it.

I'm almost 17, which means it's almost time for my blood oath. After this I'll forever be bound to this place, this family and these people. I tried following other neutral work to avoid such fate, failed attempt. No place would accept me anyway with my kind of background. As to what I mean let me explain from the beginning.

Our world is different from the so called famous over populated human world. We are the blood of the last descends of the so called Olympian Gods. Only in our world, they were never the normal Godly concept rather Guardians of their each respective elements and abilities. We have skeptical and conflicting believe about the "God", just that he exists in some form created the Guardian or as known as Olympic Gods for maintaining balance and gifted us to protect that balance, is the only knowledge we never found or so learned.

After the great Titans war and the rise of Olympians, a millennia or so had passed and as the believer of them passed and reduced, so did their power over the humans. As a result, they decided they would rather portray their beliefs in a different way and so we were put in action. Our bloodline is born from their children or from every so called "Olympian Gods" or Guardians.

Each child became the founder of each great family of our world, bounded by their respective positions, powers and social standing, everyone was divided. And so the secret invisible world of Daemones named after the creature formed by godly powers.

Unfortunately we were exactly like as our names express us, beautiful to a fault as per to their creators yet vicious all the same with bone crushing pride and believing themselves as the most powerful being of all. Though I have doubt in that believe.

One thing that always been in mind here is that "Oath" or most commonly known as "Blood Oath" is one true fact strongly followed here. Once a child of the Daemones turns 17, they are to form the Ceremonial Oath to be bound to a power, origin and blood forever. Mostly their own families power and lineage. If broken they'd automatically be punished which would either be banishment or stripped off the family, in rare cases where the Tinaness Styx, the goddesses of oath and promises felt insulted, she'd show some of her wrath as well but that mostly occurs if you break an unbreakable promise or oath concerning life.

Now, only one way to get out of this annoying oath issue, if one joins neutral force such as the arms force, government force or court workers, social workers, researcher, hunters and so long those whose life dose not collide with the issues of the respective families or powers. And yes, I failed to get a job anywhere except the arms force and hunter group which I probably won't qualify with my stupid powers. As to why I failed is because of my family's background, which is hated by most and avoided at all cost. Though they seems to love that.

As much as strong we are believed to be, we are but quite small in number compared to humans and so surviving between them becomes difficult for our fear of being detected and clear differences, such as unnatural strong immune, inhumane strength and most noticeably shown slow aging compared to humans. A 17 year of ours compared to human life is equal to 25 to 30 of their age. Not much of a difference in prime adult age but as children and old age becomes a problem since our death is also way slower than human and we live up to over few hundred years minimum. As a result we'd attract unwanted attention or becomes experimental object of curious humans. Not that we ever get experimented as we can just simply destroy them or hide out. Though we do also have another drilling rule, we can't kill humans without a very hard specific reason. In the end, either their place are destroyed or everyone's memory is wiped out and problematic ones are sometime sentenced for causing trouble. Depending on each faults, we are also punished.

Just as each family follows a specific Guardian as their respective founder's bloodline, mine follows the infamous and unseen guardian of the Underworld, Hades. And so my family belongs to House Zagreus the famous house most known for their cruelties and exceptional powers secret to all.

Our founder is said to be Zagreus, son of Hades and Persephone. We hold eminence power in this realm but we are more feared than respected. Our past generation record also does us no favor and we are famous for causing trouble although I'd excluding me. That's exactly why I am called a black dove and yes, that is an insult. No one loves a dove; they are disliked and don't know their place.

Although being called any names didn't really affect me much and I never preferred to change either. As a result, despite being the odd flower in the group, I still fail to belong anywhere other than my family because of my strikingly unique dark raven like hair over unusual pale skin in absence of sunlight here and a cursed beaming red eyes everyone fears of, with a definite mark in my neck which proves my recognition of being part of the shadow world. Different from the goldener and brighter colored hairs of our world. Although, I always thought my black hair came from my dad's dark grey hair, but with how dark my hair is, I'm not sure anymore. So, I added vines of red striped color in them to seem natural in here.

Luckily my cousin and best friend Cerise Macaria - Vanessa who belong to House Macaria of founder Macaria (daughter of Hades and goddess of Blessed death) had Persephone(Goddess of Spring and Souls) side blood more. As a result, her complexion was much darker (light tanned) compared to us or human like as everyone calls it, and she herself had a dark rose-gold( pinkish orange) hair which would get lighter under sunlight. It was easier for her to get job anywhere on the benefit of having a good brain and as well as I quote "The Underworld kind of mysterious beauty". Even I wouldn't deny that fact, people from the Underworld families did contain a mysterious kind of unique beauty unlike any other which was mostly caused by staying more in shadows than sunlight as well as overuse of dark powers. We are also called enchanter for such reason and so people avoid us. For a good reason I'd say.

As to who I am, I'm Corvina Zagreus, a name no one even uses; but mostly known as Nyx obviously for my looks. And I was indeed talking to my pet raven Nox. So, yea, I'm probably stupid as well.

"Nyxi, you ready sis? We're late."

And now, I'm late, shit!

"I'll be right there, Len."

☯️Part 2

I need sleep. Why am I saying this is probably known to all? Surprisingly living two different lives has started to take a toll on me. And by two lives I mean being angel at day and devil at night as my friends say.

I've been working or more like overworking on the power evaluation tests.

Powers, it's a very different concept from what the humans hold. We don't do magic like the Olympians and we are neither as powerful as them. As we belong to a respective family and with respective founder whose blood flows through us, we also contain their abilities which helps us sharpen our skills. Each of us have a passive skill we are born with which holds the most power but we learn other use to enhance it and are also learnt along with respective family training. But as it was once expected that every member would have skill similar to their founder; such as those families of the Poseidon domain would all have water controlling abilities are not true. They all have each respective passive skill which are always different from one another but yet again all belong to the same element. It might seem like a complex term but its simple in a way.

There are about 12 elements. Every power known and unknown all belong to these 12 elements as it is the core of our existence.

Light Elemental: Order of Holy magic

(More commonly known as Light magic but holy called to fuel their arrogance.)

Dark Elemental: Shadow Magic and Necromancy . (We call them the Creeps for a definite reason.)

Sorcery Elemental: Use of enchanted magic and sorcery. (We call them the nerds.)

Gravity Elemental: Use of Earth and Wind. (The most civilized part of all folks yet very much fearsome.)

Energy Elemental: Use of Energy materials such as Electricity or Sound. (The annoying pranksters.)

Poison Elemental: Use of deadly elements and potions such as Acid and disease. (The deadliest of all folks.)

Anima Elemental: Control over nature and life. (Seems peacefully sweet and naive to a fault but can be quiet the tricky folks.)

Spirit Elemental: Healer and spirit bender. (The actual help calls for extreme measures, being mostly calm but alone.)

Fire Elemental: Use of Fire and Lava. (Notorious for anger issues and damages.)

Water Elemental: Use of Water, Ice and Vapor. (Seems calm until you step into their territory.)

Metal Elemental: Use of Crystals and Ores. (The rowdy group.)

Psionic Elemental: Use of Illusion and enchantment. (Better to stay away from these manipulative folks.)

These are the 12 elements of our world that balances everything. Once we learnt about our passive skill, we are recognized as a part of any one of these elements. Rarely two if you are gifted.

There were 12 major Olympians, out of them 3 hold the largest realms, Zeus, Poseidon and Hades. Their children are the main holder of the high ranked powers of our world too. But that doesn't mean the other 9 Guardians are any less, such as Hermes's, Aphrodite's, Demeter's children etc. All hold power in different way. Though, I personally hate Aphrodite and Ares's housed families. Similar to their Guardians, Ares's children are chaotic and troublesome while Aphrodite's children are enchantress and affect other people's lives too much than necessary.

Although, as per to my perspective the most annoying of all are the children of Hades domain. They are so mysterious and secretive that it's annoying. Most of what powers they behold is unknown to us or how they are supposingly keeping evil at bay is also a dark matter to us. As being someone who researches on power and its development, I hate it when I do not understand something. Though on the brighter fact, as I work for the Olympic Arms force, I can easily excess data on them which are hidden from public eye.

Working in the Arms Force helps learn and get much information that is even unknown to the powerful families. And so, recent problems such as increase of evil being and use of extreme dark powers are a matter not to be ignored. Not to forget the power struggle of generations between the great families. Between the various houses, all belong to exact 12 domains and so every generation, a leader is chosen for each domain to represent themselves in the council.

This year my family thought it would a great idea to put my name out as I'm loved by all or more like expected to be loved. The mighty family of House Athene of Athena would bow to no one yet should be loved by all; a logic I find hard to keep up. Sometime I wonder, as followers of Zeus and Athena's children who are supposed to be good at strategies and wisdom end up the greediest and stupidly demanding is almost a mockery for me. But, I'd better keep that opinion to myself as not all fall in that category including myself. After all, I'm the so called Great Warrior of Daemones, Acacius Athene, also known as Kyros the title of being the lord of far sight.

Haha. Therefore, by day I entertain people I would like to avoid while I work my ass off at night. Now do you understand what I mean when I say I'm tired of these and need sleep.

"Kiro, Lala. Heh!"

I'm talking about my issues with my baby niece at 1 am in the morning whom I'm supposed to babysit. Yep I need sleep and so does she. If her mom finds out she's not asleep yet. God forbid, I might actually have my head hanged on her mother Acantha's shield like the Gorgon(Medusa).