Prologue

"Someone has just seen the prophecy!" A woman's soft voice stated, shivering and frightened, "And the first piece was put!"

"Who's seen it?!" A man, neither young nor old, asked.

"Probably him," She replied, "Who else could be?"

"Who else could be." With admiration, the man repeated.

"Do as planned," The woman commanded, "demolish the barrier between the two. For the reunion is another piece!"

The man rushed to a room. The walls and the ceiling are made of stones. Not a building as it seems. The man stepped slowly and thick tree roots were growing over the ground. The roots climb to the walls and meet at the ceiling. The room was filled with weapons, armor, and coins of gold and silver. The man approached a coffer that was put on top of a table made of a tree trunk. He adducted his hands to reach the coffer unconfidently. His hands were shaking. He closed his eyes and unlocked it. He opened his eyes and looked inside and found a piece of pristine purple cloak that seemed to be untouched, unworn, and unspoiled. The man lifted the clothes and wore them while his emotions rise high up and fall low down like the sea waves. Emotions of hate and missing, of power and weakness, of duty and burden. He wore them and left the room. The woman was waiting for him in the hall. The woman's hands were holding each other. One thumb tickles the other.

"Don't make us lose you, Thad," She said and drops of tears in her purple eyes, "And don't lose yourself."

Thad nodded after staring at her purple eyes longly and squeezed his hands roughly so that they became bloodless and dim. The man lowered his head and turned it to the side and walked to the cave's exit. The woman kept standing in the hall of the cave, wondering how this weak, separated, shattered, reckless, lustful, and greedy race could stand a chance against itself, and against what is coming. Yet all that she had to console herself, was faith, promises, hope, and a number of countable good spirits.

In another close land, yet far away from prophecies and magic, the bright and soft sunlight pierces through the clouds, gently falling onto the leaves in the large forests close to Edmund's fortress. The large green fruitful fields of crops and fruits are swaying with the singing of the winds. Prince Edmund son of Eric, king of Ethus was riding his horse with his squire, Clive, to witness the final touches on the construction of a secret dam close to where the two great rivers of Ethus meet. All of the workers were wearing special red suits that made them clearly recognized. Prince Edmund was riding his horse and enjoying the spectacular view of the rich territories under his ruling. He pointed to Clayron who was in charge of the workers. The man was running to hear what the prince had to say. The man reached Prince Edmund and the prince gave him a wide smile and a look of admiration for his quick, hard, and consistent work.

"When the workers finish their job," The prince said, "send them to my squire Clive. I have to go with my father to Haling Cove to attend the annual tournament there. Soon, he will be in Maya, so I'm in a hurry. Therefore, Clive will be in charge of the fortress in my absence. And I will fetch the workers the rewards that they deserve for their loyal and hard work," and then he said with impudence, "from the mysterious city, Haling Cove."

"As you wish my prince," The man said. Edmund turned his horse back and said "You will come as well Clayron. The finest reward is yours."

"Thank you, my prince!!" Clayron said with joy while bowing his head. And then he ran back to where the workers were working.

"Work your fingers to the bone and go an extra mile." Clayron screamed to the workers, "The prince is going to reward our effort!!". Everyone there got happier and started clapping and whistling.

The Prince rode his horse back and told his squire Clive "Everything will go as planned and expected. If any commands, words, letters,,,, shit, come from me or anyone even if it was my father, throw it in the river and call it a day." Clive picked an apple from a tree while he was on his horse, stared at

Prince Edmund, and said scornfully while chewing it "If you don't fulfill what you've promised me, you can call yourself, and your fucking monstrous plans a day."

"As if your plans were something else," Prince Edmund said with a hint of a smile, "But fair enough."

Clive was having suspicious thoughts about a promise between him and Prince Edmund.

"It is impossible for someone to earn your trust. Finding a needle in a haystack is way easier" Prince Edmund told Clive.

"It is impossible for someone to survive what I've survived!" Clive said, "You are just a little boy. Drinking, eating, shitting, fucking, sleeping…, are your businesses. You know nothing about this life."

Between the trees of the forests and close to the dam, a man wearing a black cape and covering his head on the back of his horse with two guards was watching the workers secretly. He asked one of the guards to make an owl sound. The sound traveled across the place and the workers heard it.

"Can I have a piss, please?!" one of the workers told Clayron.

"Go," Clayron said while laughing, "but if you are late, you will have a hard time the next time you try to piss!".

The worker ran to the forests where the sound came from and where he usually comes when he hears the sound. "My lord, Jen,!" the worker greeted the men on the horses.

"Reports!" lord Jen told the worker.

"I built it as you asked," The worker said, "a way of demolishing the dam and it is yours, my lord!".

Lord Jen looked at the guard and nodded his head. The guard threw a small bag of golden coins to the worker.

"If that bag doesn't fill your silence," Lord Jen threatened, "I will fill it with an easier way,"

"Please my lord," The worker begged, "don't tell prince Edmund. You know what he would do if he knew"

"Get back before anyone notices your absence."Lord Jen said while he was turning back his horse.

"At once, my lord!" the worker said. And then, he dug a hole between the trees and hid the golden bag of coins, and ran back to where he was working.

In the Westernmost-coastlines of Emegar, among the richness and strength, the neighbor of the most powerful city in Emegar, where the lands of Moldons lie, Drun, the king of Moldons lands was riding his horse with his red-eyed close friend, Rad. A bunch of knights and guards were riding behind them also, and a carriage to carry the queen of Moldon, Lady Enna of house Ethus, wife to king Drun. The entourage was behind them. The king and his fellows were having a trip in the mountains of magic after Rad had convinced him to do so. The king also wanted to visit every land that is under his rule. Rad told him once that there is a treasure hidden somewhere in the lands of Moldon since the age of the first light that his father - the wise man of Emegar's library in Stanister- had told him one day about it. The lands of Moldon extend from the sea to the plains to the hills and up to the high mountains. Moldon is a city that has summer and winter crops and fruits. Its mines in the mountains -that separates them from the tribes of Arklock- are the richest in Emegar. The king and the entourage entered the shadow forest to reach a town called Trath. Its trees which are 80 feet high and the leaves are as large as a hand, are limiting the sunlight on the road. The town was delighted and the flowers were designing the roads of the small town. The people were welcoming the king for his presence and were bowing their heads as the king was passing between them on his horse. The king requested a fine room for his wife, the queen who was pregnant. The king and his friend Rad rode their horses heading to a well-known tavern at the edge of the town called Riverbank-tavern. The tavern was the furthest thing built in Moldon. Behind it, there were only inhabited mountains of black rocks. The tavern was surrounded by numerous and engaged trees that a carriage could not move between them. The king and Rad opened the door of the tavern and exactly unlike how taverns are, everyone inside was quiet, conscious, dressed well and the music was playing. The music stopped and all of the citizens there stood up bent for their king.

"How good of you to make them disciplined" Drun looked back at the mayor and said.

"You are honoring me with your generosity, Sire." The mayor delightfully said.

"You can rise now," The king said to the citizens, "it will be a night to remember!"

The citizens sat back at tables and started cheering and ringing the cups at the tables. The guards closed the doors. The king took a fancy table. Rad and the mayor sat beside him.

"My king, the request I sent to you recently, did you receive it?!" The mayor asked the king with reverence.

"If you mean the same request that you've sent a thousand times," Drun said while drinking wine "Yes, I received it,"

"And have you changed yo..." The mayor said

" No, I didn't" " Drun interrupted the mayor, "The answer is the same."

"My sire. Trath is everything but a city" The mayor urged, "let it be a city and I will promise prosperity."

"And that's how it will remain; everything but a city," Drun stood up and said tiredly, "and I will hear no more about it. have a room prepared for us."

The unpleased, unhappy mayor averted his eyes downwards. He shifted his hands from the cup and put them on his legs. Expressing his dissatisfaction.

"Don't fall asleep too early my king," Ran told Drun, "the hour zero has just come, and it cannot be missed!"

Drun couldn't wait for the night to hear about the treasure that Ran had told him about before. " I will punish myself if I did," Drun said with great joy.

Midnight came. The town was so quiet that only the voice of owls could be heard.

Rad was speaking with the mayor. "We leave tomorrow. and I will ride at first light," Rad whispered to the mayor.

"Rad, The king has summoned you." the maid told Rad. "I have to go now," Rad said to the mayor.

When Rad opened the door, Drun was in his bed drinking wine, waiting and yearning for what Rad is about to say.

"So, friend," Drun said with a hint of a smile, "we've traveled from the south to the north of Moldon. We have visited every city, every town, every mine, and everything."

"What I'm about to say, my king, might make you piss on this bed of how exciting and exotic it is!" Rad said while laughing, "go and find a tree to piss on first. And go deep into the forests. It is not suitable that a citizen sees his king pissing on a tree and meanwhile, I'll bring the map! I've seen a lot of trunks and sticks in these forests. You better keep your leg unbroken, don't be hurry. We are staying here for two days at least.

Drun put the wine cup on the table. "The happiest piss of my life!" he said with a low voice.

The excited king left his room to the trees. He kept going further in the forests until he started to hear and feel the whispering of the winds, the fog was getting thicker and darkness, gathering, the rain started dropping, and the bolts of lightning were striking hardly. Drun found a tree that has space beside it and started to piss on it as he was feeling the coldness of the winds hitting his back. Suddenly, the feeling of the winds from his back was no longer there. Drun felt something different, felt clueless, terrified, and helpless. He turned his head back to look at what was behind him. He had to rise his head up to see it. Red and black clothes ghost, carrying two swords, red shining and smoking eyes staring at his black eyes, moves like a shadow, large, and his legs barely touch the ground. Drun's soul was lost, he was speechless and mouthless. Drun wasn't able to say anything because the two swords already pierced his body and came out of his back warming his body. Instead of blood, smoke covered the two swords from their point to their grip. The ghost turned to shadow and mixed itself with the smoke that comes from Drun. All the smoke entered Drun's body and the two wounds were healing. Drun's body returned its consciousness but it wasn't Drun himself. He returned to his room, covered himself with a blanket, and pretended to be asleep. His eyes were red and not black as they were before.