Michrinor: The Fates of The Heirs

Prologue

The room was bathed in a soft, golden light, warm and inviting, as if the sun itself had taken residence within the walls. The air hummed with quiet joy, the kind that filled spaces where love had taken root and flourished. A man stood near the center, tall and commanding, his presence filling the room with a sense of power. He wore the attire of someone important, someone to be respected, though the details were just out of reach, like a memory half-forgotten. Beside him, a beautiful woman, delicate and graceful, held a tiny infant close to her chest, her eyes filled with a love so deep it seemed to light the room.

The little girl playing at the man's feet was the picture of happiness. She danced around him, her laughter echoing like the chime of a bell, her pure white hair bouncing with each step. Her sea-green eyes shone with mischief and curiosity as she tugged playfully at the man's robe, drawing his attention down to her. He smiled—a warm, fatherly smile that spoke of adoration and pride. The woman's gaze followed them, a serene expression on her face as she cradled the newborn. There was a familiarity in her eyes, a connection that tugged at something deep within, though it remained just beyond understanding.

The peaceful scene felt timeless, as though it had always been and always would be. But then, without warning, the light began to fade. The warmth drained from the room, replaced by a cold, creeping darkness that stole the joy away. The man and woman blurred into shadows, and the little girl's laughter fell silent. The snowy-haired child was now alone, standing in a garden, vibrant and alive. The sky above was a beautiful clear blue but something tense was surrounding the child.

Ava watched, her heart clenching as a shadow moved through the garden—a monstrous figure, shrouded in darkness, its eyes glowing with a malevolent light. The creature was massive, its form twisted and unnatural, with jagged teeth that gleamed as it crept closer to the girl. Terror gripped the child, but before she could scream, the creature struck. Its clawed hand clamped over her mouth, stifling any cry for help. The girl's wide, terrified eyes searched the garden for her parents, but the figures that had once been there were gone along with the beauty of the garden, swallowed by the encroaching shadows. The creature gagged her and bound her tightly, its rough hands forcing her into a sack that closed her off from the world. The darkness within the sack was suffocating, the air heavy with the scent of earth and decay.

Time seemed to stretch endlessly as the creature carried the girl away, moving through desolate landscapes that grew more hostile with every step. The lush gardens faded into barren fields, then into rocky plains, and, to a place where the air itself seemed poisoned. It was a journey into despair, with no sign of rescue, no hope of escape. The creature's grip never faltered, its pace relentless, until, fate intervened. The ground gave way beneath them, and the creature fell into a deep ravine, its body crushed by the fall. But even in death, it was cruel, leaving the girl trapped in a cage of twisted metal just at the top of the ravine, hung on a lone bended tree. The girl was now alone and frightened in the desolation.

Days passed, or perhaps it was only hours; time had lost all meaning in this forsaken place. The girl has escaped her bag to find herself still imprisoned, huddled in the cage, cold and shivering, her eyes wide with fear. Then, out of the mist, two figures appeared—a man and a woman. The man was rough, his eyes hard and cruel, his demeanor that of someone who took what he wanted without care. The woman, frail and sorrowful, looked upon the girl with pity, her hand reaching out as though to comfort her.

But there was no comfort to be found. The man sneered as he unlocked the cage, untied her hands and feet, dragging the girl out and taking her to their home—a farm on the edge of nowhere. Life with them was a nightmare of its own. The man, bitter and angry, took his frustrations out on the girl, his cruelty knowing no bounds. The woman, though kind, was powerless to stop him, her attempts to shield the girl feeble and few.

The girl's hope of rescue faded with each passing day, replaced by bitterness and anger that hardened her heart. She clung to the memories of her mother's gentle smile and her father's strong embrace, but as time wore on, those memories twisted into something darker. She didn't understand why they hadn't come for her, why they had abandoned her to this life of cruelty and fear. Every night she would lie awake, her heart aching with the hope that they would appear to save her, to take her back to the warmth and safety she once knew. But they never came. The love she had once felt for them curdled into resentment, and the unanswered questions gnawed at her soul. How could they leave her to suffer? How could they forget her so easily? The absence of answers turned her sorrow into rage, and it was this rage that fueled her transformation, hardening her into someone who no longer believed in love, in hope, or in the light that once filled her world.

Years went by, the girl growing into a teenager, her spirit twisted by the cruelty she endured. Then, one night, the darkness returned in full. The man, drunk and enraged, lashed out in a fit of fury, his violence ending the woman's life in a flash of brutality. The girl, paralyzed with fear, watched as the only source of love she had known for so many years was snuffed out. But when the man collapsed, unconscious in his drunken stupor, the girl saw her chance. She fled into the night, running as fast as her legs would carry her, away from the house, away from the man, and into the cold, misty swamps that loomed on the horizon.

The mist thickened around her as she ran, the air growing colder, the shadows darker. The swamps were a place of nightmares, filled with twisted trees and black water that seemed to whisper threats. But the girl kept running, driven by fear, until she reached the edge of the swamp. There, she paused, her breath coming in ragged gasps, her heart pounding in her chest. A shadow moved in the mist, large and foreboding, creeping closer, closer, until it loomed over her. She couldn't see its form, only the darkness that seemed to reach out with clawed hands, ready to snatch her up once more.

Just as the shadow lunged, Ava's eyes flew open. She was in her bed, drenched in sweat, her breath coming in short, panicked bursts. The darkness of the dream clung to her, the fear still fresh in her mind, though she couldn't understand why. It was only a dream... wasn't it? But the feeling lingered, like a shadow at the edge of her thoughts, a whisper of something forgotten yet not entirely lost.