Aethernea : Soulbound [Book 1]

Episode 1 - Prologue

Note: 

* Aethernea has two protagonists - Kiel and Elaru (male and female), and while the beginning chapters are in Kiel's point of view, later on, we'll get to see Elaru's point of view often as well.

* The audio is a few versions old so it doesn't exactly match the text version. However, the gist is still the same.

* From the next episode onwards, the story will start from the beginning. You'll get to understand exactly how it all started and get to know the world and the characters. Don't let the prologue intimidate you. :) Everything you see in the prologue will be explained through the story.

* * *

She didn't have much time. She could feel it clutching at her heart, slowly slithering beneath her skin, spreading deeper and deeper with every breath she took.

The stabbing pain in her chest lasted longer and longer every day. Yet the worst pain wasn't caused by the sickness, but by the knowledge. She was the only one who knew.

Nelaira [ne- lah-ee-rah] stared at the cold metal walls with a desire to break them down. As hard as titanium itself, they wouldn't budge. No matter how hard she clawed, hammered and kicked at them, Nelaira couldn't make a single scratch or dent. And to make matters worse, pushing mana [mah-nah] into the walls to power a spell was near impossible – the alloy had a high mana resistance.

She imagined placing her palms in front of her and pushing outwards like opening double doors. Nelaira could picture the metal bending and twisting; creaking as if crying. It would slide away, creating a hole for her to pass through. Yes, that's how she would have done it. At her prime, even platinum would have shifted in her wake. Nelaira was a Transmutation magic master - this wall would have been history if she could still use her magic.

If only she could still use her magic...

But it was no longer her own. The Ink growing inside her had tainted her mana, it resisted and twirled chaotically. Nelaira could no longer control it.

Nelaira wanted to cry, to sob, but she had never been the type to cry when met with difficulty. Even now, faced with bitter frustration and futility, her fighting spirit burned in her chest. She swore under her breath, her fist clenched so hard her nails drew blood.

The sharp pain made her look down at her palms. The blood was black and refused to flow.

Her eyes traced the black veins branching under her skin, traveling up her arms. The flesh around them was slowly losing every bit of color, turning snow white. Nelaira averted her gaze to the floor. She was disgusted.

However, the shiny metal floor only reflected her own face back at her. She cringed. Her eyes had lost their glow, her pupils had shrunk so much they were barely visible. Her face was plagued by dark bags and cracked blue lips. The hair on her head was just as lifeless as straw. It had stopped growing and was slowly decaying into shades of silver.

Nelaira looked back at the walls, her eyes losing their focus. Her mind was getting cloudier every day. The secret inside her head weighed on her, consuming her from inside.

She stared into the distance as if she could see beyond the walls. It was there, somewhere. Right in that direction – Ashar  [ash-ahr] University of Magic.

He was there, doing what he always did, completely unaware that she had been betrayed. She should have been more careful. If only they hadn't found out what she had stumbled upon. If only she had been more skilled in hiding her doubt. Her "accident" could have been avoided.