Eucentria: One Moonless Night

Prologue

Eucentria: One Moonless Night

Prologue

Days of sunlight had gone to pass as night breaks but no moon rises. In the middle of a lake stands a man above water. No tremors, no vibrations, the water is still. And then, the man started walking. In his line of sight, a woman with red hair, is rooted to the ground. Feet unmoving, legs tremble in fear.

"Come" The man reached out his hand for her to take.

Hesitant and afraid, trepidation lurk in the corner of her eyes, but as she gazed upon her beloved's warm smile, fright's grip upon her loosened and she placed her hand on top of his.

Slowly, she reached for his hand and took step after another. Above water she strides with the love of her life, fragments of doubt and worry forgotten in the night. The lovers dance under the starless sky, no moon to guide them as they glide. Music echoing from a distance, they stare at each other with tender eyes.

As the night advances, small lights begin to fall. The stars answer the young man's call. The once starless sky with no moon in sight, now they see a veil of raining light. The woman was in awe as glittering stars pass her fingertips. She turned to the man and smiled in utter bliss. She could not be happier for this moment was theirs. The man's eternal love was her's, and her's to bare.

"I love you." The woman spoke the words of her heart.

They stopped dancing and in the middle of the lake, they stood. The man caressed her cheek and leaned to kiss her.

I love you.

With the voice of the man, words whispered to the woman from inside her thoughts.

The two souls embrace and envelope each other with so much love. They prayed together for more time from above.

However, the man's curse cannot allow their love to bloom no further.

"Love is forbidden for someone so vile.
Do not forget the people who died.
For your sins, you must atone 'till your last breathe
Should you disobey thy rule, it is her certain death"

Each spell he casted was broken and shattered. The music was gone and the lights scattered. The curse pulled the lovers apart but they would not let go for they knew from the start.

The force grew strong and they could hold on no longer. Their fingers slip from each other's grip.

The woman's eyes filled with tears and sorrow. She cried as she spoke words of tomorrow.

"This is not your fault. I love you and will continue to, forever and always. My only wish is for you to live on and not let darkness get the best of you."

The man held on to his beloved, exhausting all his remaining strength. "I'm sorry. I can't do as you wish. Because without you, I am nothing."

A loud roar came thundering down and another wave caused them to slip further apart.

In a desperate cry, the man vowed, "This isn't the end. I promise to bring you back. Until my final breath, I will reunite us once again."

With that, the two were finally split apart, but moments before she disappeared, the man caught the woman's ring which, in the end, was the last memento he would have of her.

Left alone in a dark space void of any sound, the man cried and mourned for his beloved. Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months, months turned to years and still, he could not stop mourning.

"There has to be a way to bring her back." The man muttered, clutching his beloved's ring.

His powers alone cannot bring her back for he caused her demise. He needed something more powerful than the curse.

Having a new light of hope lit inside his broken heart, he stood and travelled to different realms of the unknown in search of a way to return his lost love.

Time passed and to his utter dismay, he was not able to bring his love back. Time stole his youth and his curse was nearing its end. He was dying.

It was then when his days were numbered that he found a way to be reunited with his beloved.

He needed two young souls in love. Equally in love as he and his lover were a long time ago. Their bond may become a bridge if not, a link for their reunion.

And so for his last moments, he spent his time searching for the young souls he would cast his last spell on.

He found a newborn girl with the same eye color and shared the same blood as his lover. She was a strong and healthy girl with a charming smile.

One night, while the child was asleep, he casted a spell on his beloved's ring and placed it deep inside the baby's heart. He sealed it and hid it so as to always keep it safe.

"I'm sorry, little one. I cannot ensure you a healthy body as my spell will unlikely use up your immunity and energy, but in return for letting me borrow your body, I shall make sure that you live a long and prosperous life." His tone, apologetic and thankful, he patted the baby's head and left.

In another world, he found a boy born under the same day as his lover. He was two years older than the girl he found.

He approached the sleeping toddler just like the first one and casted a spell on his eyes. Knowing that the boy's eyes were black, he exchanged his with the baby's.

"I'm sorry, little one. Your eyes may cause your family to turn on you, but in return for helping me, I shall make sure that you are gifted with a bright and intelligent mind." He smiled at the boy and left without another word.

Having achieved his goal, he decided to go back to the place where he last saw his beloved.

Powers fading and life force draining, he stood at the center of the still lake once again. As fate would have it, it was again the time of the moonless and starless skies.

Looking up to the dark heavens, the fallen angel spoke his last words.

"My love, wait a little while longer. Those two will meet, I am sure. With one last spell, to them I entrust our future."

Using every bit of his remaining strength and time, he forged a book and with his last breath, sealed himself in it.

For a second or two, the book remained afloat in the air. A title was printed onto its dark blue cover, then it fell into the water never to be seen again.

Not until the right time comes.

The book was entitled, One Moonless Night.