Chapter 1 - The North

The North is not as cold as people think it would be. The wind blew strong but it wasn't enough to freeze this part of the continent because it isn't the True North. The True North is beyond that mountain ranges where the North City's invisible shield ended. When you reach the shield boundary, you can clearly see the contrast between summer and winter. You can further deduce that the shield was the reason for the city's constantly mild weather.

Unlike other ancient cities' layout, the Imperial Palace of the North wasn't in the most conspicuous place. In fact it was hidden by the Evergreen Forest. The evergreen trees of this forest grew twice as tall as it should be, covering that thousands of square kilometers at the feet of the North Cliff where the Imperial Palace is hidden. Yes. The Imperial Palace of the North was hidden. It wasn't because they fear invasion nor the palace residents feel that the common people are beneath their notice and wouldn't want to be disturbed.

The people was very important to these palace residents as evidenced by the shield that they put up to protect the whole city. However, for some reason they wouldn't involved themselves with the governance and commerce of the city unlike other cities of the Eight Directions. Once in a while, they would open the Imperial Palace and some of those evergreen trees would part to reveal the Imperial Road.

The parting of these trees wasn't noticed by common people because the trees moved silently, like giant shadows wary of the light. These all happened in a matter of few minutes. It was an astonishing sight for any people who would be able to see it. But not for the person who stood at the top of that distant North Cliff, observing the Imperial Palace that was slowly revealed below.

His stoic face reveals that he had seen these evergreens parting a hundred times before. His mouth seems unsmiling, his high cheekbones seems set and never moving and those golden eyes gives the impression of a devil may care attitude. Those eyes and his curling black hair was the reason for his name - Raven. The shape shifting General of the Imperial Palace of the North, second only to the Crown Prince.

He wasn't the one that urged those evergreen trees to move but instead it was the druid priestess he was currently guarding who facilitates these trees. The druid held a staff with a yellow green orb emitting a dazzling light full of nature's vigor. She did not held the staff high but was just holding it lightly to point at those distant evergreen trees. Soon the orb's light changed to a muted brilliance of refreshing green.

The druid's eyes has the same color of the orb's but of a deeper tinge, in the shade of an Emerald - her name. Such beautiful eyes could enchant anyone but the clarity of those crystal greens that seem to see through the soul would make someone feel guilty somewhat. Thus, it would be better to avoid those eyes and look somewhere else like her pale skin, her vivid lips, the black hair that was cut just below the chin or her white-green uniform of the druid healers. Her slender frame would make people think that she was still a child. Or perhaps they would think that she was a young elf but without the pointed ears.

Her slender fingers tried to kept her hair behind her ears as she turned around to look at Raven. She smiled and indicated that their duties for today were done and they should return to the Imperial Palace.

Raven did not avoid those emerald eyes, instead his eyes seems to hold a hint of tenderness and his mouth curved a little in response to her smile.

He inclined his head towards the Imperial Palace below the cliff. Emerald understood that he would shape shift into a dragon and she would ride at his back.

She shook her head and sighed. "No. The flight up this cliff was scary enough. And it was really tiring to climb up so that's why I agreed."

It was a lie. She wasn't afraid of heights. She just wasn't reconciled on riding on what she considered a human.

Shifters are one of the rarest abilities in the Eight Directions. It is hereditary but couples with this ability does not assure that their child will inherit it.

Most people think that shifters are monsters because most of the time, shifters preferred to be in their shifted forms. The more time they spent in these forms, the stronger they will be able to unleash their powers. But up until that day, Emerald has never seen Raven in his Dragon form. Even in that form, she still considered Raven as human and she is not really comfortable with the idea of giving her full weight to be carried by another person.

"Why would they name you after a wild bird when you are clearly a dragon?", she blatantly asked.

He knew that she was just teasing so he simply smiled but did not answer.

She sighed and continued, "What do you want to eat for dinner? My treat."

This time he answered, "Roasted chicken sounds good. Don't be stingy though."

Emerald rolled her eyes and snorted. "A bird eating a bird. But it's fine, you're not really a raven." She shook her head.

Seeing this scene, the two of them walking side by side, The High Priestess of Druids rolling her eyes and The General of The Imperial Palace with a curve in his mouth, one would not believe their eyes. But no one had seen them except for the Crown Prince who happened to be nearby.

They did not see him or they would have greeted respectfully. He seems very lonely standing at the edge of the North Cliff, looking at the distant Imperial Palace. The sleeves of his white robe flapping in the wind and so does his long platinum white hair swaying behind his back. He then looked towards the South and a tinge of longing flashed in his eyes. He appeared to be unwilling to look anywhere else. The longing turns to regret and he walked towards north.