Prolog

Year of 1787

Center Isle

"Father, please let me go." The sound of his shoes echoed on the marble floor as he impatiently walking forward to his father. Anger showed all over his face and his eyes showed nothing but sadness.

A loud sigh heard from his father. "Lucas, this is the third time you ask me to let you go. It still hard for me to say yes to you." His father rose from his seat and walked to the tall window, examining the large view of the castle. "You know that I need you here with me as my successor you have to think for your people."

"That is exactly why I ask you to let me go, because I care for them." He stood beside his father knowing what was on his mind. "You saw yourself that I am capable. I can walk through time perfectly. If the book is right then I should go, I will find that person."

"Please Lucas …"

"Lord of Mittle inform me they have been attacked and the scholars have been kidnaped along with their daughters. I don't understand, but this is worse. As a witch you should know better father. This is war."

A beautiful white butterfly flew outside of the glass window, its eyes unbelievably clear stared at the raising hand of the King. His palm faced the glass window and without an effort, the butterfly flew circling his hand.

"Magic can be beautiful and danger, and I know what has happened in our kingdom. I don't need you to tell me that."

Lucas knew that his father know. He just wanted to repeat the obvious fact to make his father considering his gift as their advantage. No one knew what or who cause the ruckus.

The snow has covered the land, it was a bloodshed winter. Almost two years the people of three kingdom lived in fear.

"Maybe you are right, my son." King Armand looked at his son, the butterfly flew across the study room. "It is time to find out who our enemy is, to do that we need to discuss with the other two Kings and we need a plan."

"Yes father."

*****

The West Kingdom

White was all over the land, thick snow covered the houses. There was no one outside. No activity, completely silent. Sebastian as a second in command lead the inspection, he opened the door of the nearest house, he saw a very strange way death of a man. There was burnt in his skin, not all of his skin but straight line from head down his forehead to the center his nose and divided his lip into four, the line went all the way down to each of his foot. His eyes were red and open.

Beside him was a woman, probably his wife thought Sebastian to himself. He felt sorry for the woman, she must have been experienced death in a very painful way, her hair was burnt and her face was destroyed, made it impossible to recognize who she was.

Sebastian observed the surrounding situation, everything was still in order except the furniture where the dead bodies were. And there was no blood.

"Lord Sebastian." Captain H called. He was with the deputy in charge. The captain was a witch but the deputy was an ordinary human.

Sebastian stepped out of the house. "What do you think happen in here?" he asked.

"Most of the resident here are non-witches, not many witches resided here and they all dead." The captain reported. "Also, King Julian is here" he ended his report.

"Hmmm… Another kind of mass murder. I want you to burn all the dead bodies." Sebastian ordered his captain. He started to walk with the deputy leaving the captain and his subordinates to execute his order.

"Aren't they deserve a proper burial?" the deputy voiced his thought. He was a man in his forties. He never witnessed this kind of death in his life though he knew many mass murders happened in different places across the land of the three kingdoms, he still felt sorry for them. He didn't understand why Lord Sebastian ordering them to be burnt.

"They are." Said Sebastian. He looked at the deputy, understood the lack of knowledge about how witch's way of thinking. "We don't want the murderer to come back and dig their grave so they could make use of their remaining body, do we?" Sebastian saw the man was about to say something but he was not giving him the chance to speak further as he said "I want you to fulfill your duty, tell the remaining people not to panic. Captain H and his subordinates will perform the spell to protect their house."

"I will, milord." The deputy bowed.

Sebastian nodded and left him.

Sebastian walked through the snow. He saw the King standing in front of the dead house, casting some spell and the snow was building itself to a wall, making enough clear path to walk. He turned to walk inside the house and out carrying a lady in his arms. The lady wore his long coat, her face was bleeding.

Julian saw Sebastian throws questioning look at him. Walking pass him, Julian ignored Sebastian's series of question of "Who is she? And why are you bringing her with us?"

In the carriage on their way back to the castle, Sebastian seated next to Julian. He eyed the lady in front of them curiously. The lady had been very quiet, she looked down while holding the cloth like kerchief that Julian gave her on her right cheek.

Two hours had passed, the carriage was drawing near to the castle. Sebastian glared at Julian while asking the lady a question. He was so curious why his best friend the great King Julian paying her more attention by bringing her home instead of leaving her with the people in town or the deputy.

"Pardon my curiosity milady, may I know your name? You have a name, right?"

Hearing that kind of question, Julian narrowed his eyes at Sebastian. "You are so rude." He said.

"That's not yours to decide." Sebastian retorted, while eying the lady.

"I don't know." Came the soft voice of the lady. She lifted her eyes to look back at Sebastian. "I can't remember." She said again. Her voice was so soft almost like a whisper but clear enough for them to hear.

She was not smiling, her golden eyes gazed at Sebastian. Making the man hold his stare longer than it should be and got him dropped his jaw unconsciously.

Julian rolled his eyes. He then slapped Sebastian's back. Without caring what Sebastian would have said to him, he said to the lady "You can stay in the castle. I will have the butler and the maids help you with your needs."

The lady murmuring thanks to him then looked down again.

The carriage had stopped in front of the castle's large door. Sebastian stepped out first then watched Julian helped the lady out of the carriage.

The butler welcomed them. He was surprised that King Julian and Master Sebastian bring back a lady home. Though he was curious about who the lady was, he was trained to not asking unnecessary question.

Julian gave the butler order to dressing the lady's wound and help the lady to adjust in the castle. He told him to give her potion to crack her memory back. He then left to the study where Sebastian already headed there.

The door was automatically open when he walked in to the study. He saw Sebastian seated on one the chair in front of the round table making a note about the current attack.

"Is she put a spell on you?" Sebastian can't hold his curiosity any longer. He wanted to know why out of the sudden Julian would help and even bring an unknown lady home.

Julian gave him the look "Says the one whose jaw dropped by seeing her beauty."

"I understand if you think she is a living witness. But really? Is that necessary to bring her here? We can have her under the watch of the deputy in that town." Ignoring the sarcastic words from Julian, Sebastian continued to speak out his thought.

"I know you worry." Came Julian's calm answer. "But when I found her, I felt something strong lingered around her and I thought our scholar could check on her or may be run a test." He explained. He stared at the marked map on the table.

Sebastian wanted to continue arguing but hold his tongue when he saw the door open and the butler walked in.

"Your highness", the butler bowed, he then greeted "Master Sebastian"

Sebastian eyed him lazily and gave him an "Emmm …", meanwhile Julian still had his head down analyzing the grand map on the table.

The butler then said "The messenger from Center Isle is here to deliver a message."

Julian furrowed his brows. Why would King Armand send a messenger instead an owl thought Julian. "Give it to me." He ordered.

A smile added on Julian's handsome face. "Seems like King Armand has already knew which kind of monster that bothering us."

"I don't think it was a monster." said Sebastian. He took the parchment from Julian, read it and asked "So are we heading to Center Isle?"

"Yes, we leave tomorrow morning." He answered. "Prepare the horses for us tomorrow, Dun. And give the messenger food and place to rest" He ordered the butler.

"Yes, Your Highness." He answered shortly.