Forged in Flames

Chapter one

   In a distant land of fantasy, lay a girl named Isolde, her heart as pure as gold. Her sweet yet dazzling smile never faded from her lips, as her dark blue eyes glowed with the tranquil hues of dusk, much like the ocean waves on a clear night with no moon. Her locks of long dark blue tresses shone like starlight, gently flowing down towards the tips, touched by that same enchanting glow of dusk.

Isolde was an orphan, but not for too long.

One day, as she was having fun with her friends in the orphanage, strange guys with suits came and there weren't any guys...

  They were the knights of the Ellerton dukedom. They didn't come here for inspection, but rather to adopt a single specific child. The criteria they sought weren't mere appearances or background, but something deeper, they searched only for a single individual. This child would be the one they would adopt, their reason for arriving. No other kids would suffice, for they knew who they meant to adopt.

  They were here for no other child but Isolde, it was a shock for everyone to see Duke Edmond himself kneeling for a child asking her to come back as his daughter...

She was living the dream of many girls who wished to be a part of the noble society. This was Isolde's reality, the daughter of the duke's ex-wife.

  Isolde was fooled by her thoughts, that finally, she would have a family who would make her feel at home again... But she was wrong.

  The hand that she believed got her out of hell, actually dragged her into another... The only difference is that this hand is with her. 

  "The beacon of light lit my path through the shroud of darkness, ensuring that I would never regress to the abyss. However, it incinerated everything in its path, including myself... I wonder, was the light worth acquiring, or was my existence without it more prosperous?"  

  Isolde had a hard time proving herself in front of her family as a useful individual... But did she really prove herself? Did they see her as a member who deserves her title? Or was it all in her mind?

Years passed, and Isolde became engaged to General Gustav without either one having the autonomy to object. The engagement was arranged, devoid of emotion, and ultimately doomed from the beginning.

The engagement was cut short by order of the Crown Prince, who violently coerced Isolde to call off the engagement or else face peril for her family. Loid, the Crown Prince, was mentally unstable, alternating between kindness and malice like a pendulum, harming Isolde both physically and psychologically to subjugate her.

  Isolde's circumstances worsened drastically. Rumours spread like wildfire, proclaiming that she had sold her body to royalty and was lacking in honour. As such, she was claimed to be unworthy of General Gustav, who was said to deserve a more virtuous wife.

Isolde's attachment to Loid grew with time. She couldn't decide whether to love his better side or loathe him for the ordeal he put her through. Her inner conflict between affection and contempt grew as she continued to face him, struggling to decide whether to forgive him or never forget his malice.

  In the future, when Isolde ascended the throne to become Empress, she anticipated that she would be met with outcry and protestations from her subjects. She was shocked when the opposite occurred – the people she had long expected to loathe her, cheered instead.

The crowd proclaimed their loyalty and admiration for the new Empress, and Isolde herself could not fully condemn their perspective. They were ignorant of the truth, she reasoned, and she was reluctant to blame them.

  For years, Isolde ruled the Empire beside her husband, Emperor Loid. Despite the continuous torture inflicted by him, those years were considered the brightest in the Empire.
 
It didn't matter that things were not truly perfect, Isolde was aware. She'd grown so accustomed to Loid's abuse yet he remained the Emperor, so she could not deny him. She simply had to endure his atrocities, there was no alternative.

However, the unexpected occurred -- a uprising led by the Second Prince emerged in the Empire, instigating a civil war. He was ruthlessly violent, committing heinous acts such as murdering his own nephew, Isolde's only and beloved son Theodore, who was merely ten years old.

Even so, that was not enough for him, as he had the gall to request her hand in marriage right after slaughtering her husband, proudly confessing that he had killed the one heir she cherished.

Not love, but power drove him forward.

For the first time, Isolde defied the royal family that she dreaded above all else. Theodore's demise, her only source of joy, had stripped her of every ounce of life's willingness.

Gerald, the Second Prince, was arrogant, locking her up and attempting persuasion but she refused, even knowing it may lead to her death.

She believed that she would be slain instantly, but Gerald intended to prolong her demise, unwillingly to concede to her singular request.

Gerald went so far as to ruin Isolde's reputation in the eyes of the public. He falsely accused her of being the mastermind of the uprising, claiming himself to be the hero and her the villainous adversary in the story.

Gerald lied, claiming that Isolde was the one who killed her own son Theodore, and even her husband, then placed the blame on himself. In this ruthless quest, he had stripped her of everything, ruining her life beyond redemption.

Before her inevitable sentencing by Gerald, he requested her parting words.

  Aware of her impending doom, Isolde merely uttered: "Those who wear the mask of an angel yet hide the devil within shall be punished. It may not be now, but they will reap what they sow."

   Thus, Isolde died after uttering her last words...

   Now that she is dead.. or isn't she?

  The moment she opened her eyes she felt unbearable pain in her neck. She observed her surrondings... It wasn't hell

  Neither was it heaven.... She was in her bedroom back them at the dukedom.

  "But how?"

To be continued

Hope you liked the beginning