Entwined: A Tale of Two Souls

Chapter 1: The Book of Origins

Eli sat in his dining room, head in his hands, wishing that somehow, someway he could go back in time and change the past.

More specifically the death of his beloved wife Diana.

She was the most pure soul he had ever met and the moment their eyes connected he knew their souls would love no other.

He could love no other.

As he sat there cursing fate for their cruel ways, he heard the thumping of tiny feet coming down the hall way.
He smiled and turned to look at the only thing keeping him from joining Diana in the afterlife.

His wife's parting gift-his daughter- Lyra Ophelia Blood.

Her tiny red head poked out from behind the wall as she watched him with big violet eyes.

"Are you still sad papa?" She asked timidly, scared that just by her talking he would become sad again.
She hated it when he was sad.

"No my little tiger, not anymore."
She smiled at his words and ran to sit on his lap.

"You know if you ever get sad again I'll go rawwrrrrr like a real tiger and make you happy again! I pinky promise!"
The five year old looked at him with such determination, he couldn't help but laugh.

"I'll be counting on you sweety" he said, and let out a sigh as he had dreaded this day for years.

Three days after Diana's death he recieved a package at his door step with a letter attatched to it.
It was her handwriting.
He had read it with blurry vision and a new found hatred for the gods.

The letter contained instructions on how to train Lyra to use her magic along with warnings of events to come.
Inside the package was The Book of Origins - Diana's grimoire.
He was instructed to read the the first ten pages to Lyra and as she got older the book would show her the rest.

Eli and Kal were perplexed as to how the book still existed on this plane since Diana was no longer alive.
A witches grimoire is summoned from the Astral Library upon their births. It is essentially a manifestation of their magic.
No one knows exactly how or why the library grants them a grimoire, but without it witches could not properly perform magic, as the book acts as a conduit.
The citizens of Tier on the other hand are all born with spirit animals called halves who are quite literally half of their souls.
The animals differ person to person, however, the royal families are unique due to the fact that their halves are all part of the Feline family, with tigers for the family with the strongest bloodline.
There has never been a monarch without a tiger as their half.
Any royal with a tiger half may challenge for the title as king, however there are no records of past attempted or successful challenges.
When the human half passes away, halves give into their animalistic instincts and lose any senses of humanity - they become wild beasts. Every animal in existence has or used to have a human half to their souls.
The same concept applies to witches - one half cannot exist fully without the other.

So why was Diana's grimoire still on this plane?

"Theres no telling with Diana," Kal said, "She could have enchanted it some time before she passed."

"You're right, I must be over thinking it. We both know the lengths she would go to in order to prepare and protect Lyra....even in the afterlife."

"What are you talking about papa?" Gwyn asked as she skillfully bounced on his legs and shoved a spoon full of food into her mouth.

"Nothing for you to worry about tiger, I was just saying that since it's your birthday I have a present for you." He said stroking her hair.

Three years and three days after Diana's death Lyra's hair had gone from raven black like her mother's to a deep red, resembling the color of blood.

Witches and their 3s he mused.

"REALLY???? What is it?? Is it a toy? A puppy?? A TIGER?????"
Eli chuckled at her antics as she made sure to enunciate her guesses with flailing arms.

"No sweety it's actually a present from your mother."

She went quiet.

"F-from mommy?" She whispered.

"How does she know it's my birthday if shes gone to live with the stars in the sky?" Lyra asked with her head down and a quivering pout on her lips.

"Because she loves you very much sweety, dont ever forget that." Eli said, holding her tight and tucking her head into the crook of his neck.

"I miss her daddy."

"I know tiger."

"What did she get me for my birthday?"

A better life he thought.

"A story." He said.