The Crimson Legacy (In Progress)

Prologue

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The moon hung low over the quiet village, its pale light casting long shadows across the cobblestone streets. A chill wind whispered through the trees, carrying with it the scent of damp earth and pine. Somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled—a solitary cry that echoed through the stillness. The night felt alive, charged with a kind of tension that had settled over the land in recent weeks, like the final breath before a storm.

She stood at the edge of the forest, watching the village below with eyes the color of blood. Scarlet, unnatural, they gleamed in the darkness like embers waiting to ignite. Her silver hair, a stark contrast to the surrounding gloom, fluttered lightly in the breeze, peeking out from beneath the hood of her dark red cloak. She was a shadow, a ghost on the wind, blending into the night as if she had been born from it.

Beneath the mask she wore, a carved thing of bone and black steel, her lips tightened into a thin line. She had seen it again—the same pendant, wore by the cloaked men..

"The Shadow Coven." she murmured.

They had come.

Her fingers flexed, feeling the familiar hum of power stir beneath her skin. It was always there, just below the surface, a constant reminder of what she was; a wanderer of lost origins. Magic, ancient and unpredictable, coursed through her veins—her inheritance, her blood. She had learned to harness it, to bend it to her will, but it was never truly under her control. Not entirely.

The world had known her as "The Mysterious Sorceress" defining her as a ghost, a killer, a demon. The Shadow Coven had made certain of control of Eldrid.

She was not just a mage or a sorceress; she was something else. Something older. Something far more dangerous.

Her eyes flicked toward the village again. It would not be long before they found her trail. The Shadow Coven never stopped once it had caught the presence of her magic. And yet, this was not where her story would end. She had too many things left undone, too many mysteries to discover. Too many secrets left to uncover.

With a single, fluid motion, she turned and disappeared into the forest, her cloak swirling behind her like spilled wine. The shadows welcomed her, swallowing her whole.

But she would return.

And when she did, the world would tremble.