Prologue

Long ago, in a far off land whose name has been lost in the sands of time, lived a powerful Alchemist and his Darling. Both their names are unimportant, but their tale is one of darkness and terror, of redemption, and of the ultimate sacrifice. For you see, the young alchemist was doomed from the moment he created his very first charm. And his darling - his lovely, little darling - was doomed as well, to a life of pain, misery, and suffering.

The Alchemist was a young man, talented and beautiful in every way but for the darkness that was fated to envelop his soul. He was taking his first hesitant steps into the world of crafting and charms when he stumbled upon the ancient words of a stolen book that had been delivered to him quite by accident - the Grimoire of Consecration. Realizing that he had been born with the natural talent to read the lost language of the ancient mages that once held the power over all of creation, he did so... only to realize too late that the charms contained within the books were cursed, and all those who crafted them were doomed to be cursed as well. It would take him years to realize that in selling his own being to the Grimoire, he himself had achieved eternal life... but at a terrible price.

He began to change. Hours became days, which became weeks and months. He had all but forsaken his family and his village, had changed from a benevolent countryman to a recluse concerned only with the mad babblings of the evil text. He holed himself away in his dark tower, where not even the bravest of the townspeople dared wander. It seemed he was doomed to become all that which he strove to eradicate -- darkness, ignorance, and fear.

But, before he completely succumb to the Grimoire, a ray of light was sent down upon him by the heavens in a last attempt to edify him and bring him back to the ways of the light. A young woman who had been granted an incredible gift - his Darling, as she would later be known - was a creature of beauty and kindness, and she was given the task to show the young man what it was like to be loved. And oh, how he did love her! Not once did he scorn or harm her, and never did he speak a single word against her. He was enamored with her, and for a while it seemed the Grimoire would be forgotten. But the evil of the world had not yet completed its task, and soon the Alchemist was once again driven down the path of the dark.

Thinking his darling to be a sign that he was destined for greater things, the young alchemist perused the book even further, and created even darker charms. Helpless to fight his powerful magic, the girl fell under his spell, and revoked her rights to heaven. She exchanged the promise of salvation for a much more earthly desire - the love of the Alchemist. And with it came everything she had ever dreamed her life to be.

Many, many years after this happened, the girl had almost completely forgotten who she had once been. However, one dark night as she looked out across the clear night sky, wrapped in black lace and satin and fine things, she had a strange dream. In it, her Creator spoke with her, scolding her for forgetting her purpose, and who she was. She realized that she had fallen to temptation, and begged for forgiveness. So adamantly did she plead for the chance to save her lover, that her Creator took pity on her, and gave her one last chance. She would kill the young alchemist, and free him from the grip of the Grimoire - and then she would be allowed to return back home to her family, and to the favor of the Creator.

The time came, and the young darling hung her shoulders heavy with guilt as she aimed the knife at her husband's heart. However, the dark forces had warned the young man of his serpentine lover, and he awoke, flying into a fit of rage. In his anger, he stripped her of her soul, hiding it somewhere where she would never be able to reach it, and locked her away in the confines of his castle, where she would never see the light of day again. His heart turned to stone after her betrayal, and his mind and vision became even more twisted than before. While she waited helplessly for the day that would never come, he continued to loathe her, until all that had once been love turned to hatred beyond all reason.

Now, only she and the Alchemist remain, seething in their contempt for each other, while he carries out the Grimoire's plans, foolishly believing that he is doing God's work...