CHAPTER 1

Ding..

Dong..

Tick tock,

Tick tock, 

Waiting is boring and that's exactly what I was doing. I was hiding and waiting inside this small storage that was located at the end of the hallway. It was on the same floor as the royal sanctuary also known as the onyx opulence chamber. It was the real deal. It looked exactly as it was described in my father's journal. The door of the chamber stood tall and imposing, crafted from sleek black onyx that glistened in the soft light coming from the hallways. The door was adorned with intricate golden filigree, creating a striking contrast between the dark onyx and the shimmering gold. It had a heavy presence and an aura that held the weight of centuries of history and grandeur. My curiosity was at its peak the moment I laid my eyes on the magnificent entrance. It was a legend and people believed, it was the reason why our Kingdom Shadowmere was feared and considered the most powerful kingdom of all. What I needed for myself was definitely in there somewhere, so here I was trying my luck on that slight possibility. I was changing and I needed answers. Father told me that this was going to happen, he hinted at it but how to control it, I had no idea and neither he got the chance to tell me .

I have been in this room for more than 3 hours waiting for the right time. I saw the king and queen enter the chamber around two hours ago and they still haven't come out. How long are they going to take, God Knows... All this waiting was killing me, to be honest, and was making me anxious. I couldn't turn the lights on coz I didn't want to get caught. The room that I was in was filled the artifacts, some old furniture, and paintings that were stacked on one another. The only source of light was through the window where the curtains were parted. I was hiding beside the window waiting and waiting keeping a tab on the chamber so I could get my book which I was here for....

Who told you this was a good idea in the first place... you brought this upon yourself you know...

Yeah.... and who wants answers.. don't talk right now I'm busy .....

Yeah as if you can keep me quiet... Don't you know alre...

"HALT!!!!" A loud voice came from outside which cut my inner rant short and I looked through the window to see what was happening. There were more than 15 guards that were standing in the formation of a circle. The guards had black metal body suits with matching headpieces paired with their swords. It was a sight as to how synchronized they were. Someone was standing in the middle but I could barely see.... It was just the mist around him that made his presence known. The presence itself was scary and void as if there was no happiness yet it was so intriguing as if it was a trance I was being pulled into. I moved around trying to see but all I could see was a black mist inside the circle.

"Prince Aehannik is now entering the chambers" The guard announced again as he opened the door and the prince was escorted inside. The security stood outside the door guarding and waiting for their prince. 

It was too long of a wait. It had now turned into a waiting game but I had to wait... there was no other option....today was my only chance at getting this book that could lead me to answers. ..Answers that I badly need. There was a ceremony that was going to happen tonight. Rumors had it that the Royal family will be announcing the coronation of the prince tonight and the coronation will be in two days. The entire kingdom was in attendance along with powerful families and alliances.

Our Kingdom Shadowmere was located in the South the entire land surrounded by a layer of Thick dark black forest. A Forest with trees that stood tall and close together, their branches intertwining to create a canopy that blocks out most of the sunlight hiding our Kingdom and making it invisible to the other world. Nobody could cross the forest unless it was ordered by the King Himself.

 The other kingdoms were scared of our King because of the things he could do and the powers the royal family had. The fear was eminent and nobody ever dared question their authority and the ones who did probably ended up dead. This was the event of the year because everyone wanted to know who their new king was going to be. Nobody ever knew how the prince looked or who he was. The preparations for the ceremony had been in full swing for the last three months and that is how I managed to go in and out of the castle without being caught to know what I needed to know for this mission.

There was a lot of information that was missing from my Father's journal, and I needed to know, know about him....

Mother....

Myself....some answers.....

I wish I knew what was happening to me, I wished I was in control but I wasn't, I didn't know much.... I had no control over how things were playing out...

Or maybe you can let me help you...

I did... Didn't I but you burnt my room ..... Besides you don't even know yourself... But let's see.. Do you know who I am speaking with at this moment??

I always have these stupid conversations with my mind as if it's another person but I don't ge-

I am a different..... You, you Idiot...

Oh please, why would I insult myself?? You keep insulting me... 

Coz I kinda like it. I felt a smirk going in my head...

See what I meant when I said I was changing, weird things were happening to me and I was losing my mind... 

The doors of the chamber opening caught my attention.

"MARCH!!!!" A loud voice came from the guard at the front and the king and queen were escorted out and down the hallway they went. 

Finally... Now the prince... 

And soon enough a guard went inside, came out after 10 minutes, and marched away exactly as they came, in their formation. It was slightly funny, to be honest, the prince wasn't a kid, he didn't need this much protection at least not in his castle... and just like that, they were down the hallway and the stairs in a heartbeat. 

I couldn't believe I finally got this chance, I was this close...

Yes yes..... Get on with it or are you waiting for someone else...

Ohhhh ssshhhh... I am trying to focus..... You can't keep quiet can you!!!

Jeez I was just tryna help

Well you aren't helping right now...

 I spoke as I sneakily moved around the corridor towards the chamber. The chamber looked striking from my hiding spot but up close, it was giant, magnificent....mesmerizing... so enchanting...

Try to stay focused, it's the spell on the door, Elaara I can feel it...

Elaaraa....

You need to focuss..... 

You can't just stand there and gawk at it... see that's why I call you stupid.....

FOCUSSSSSS ELAARA.....

Huh... What just happened.....

Oh thank goodness... You are back... 

There's a spell on the door, it won't let you in it--"

What is going on????? I feel dizzy... 

I shook off the feeling and walked straight towards the door and opened it and just like that the door slid open and I slid through the small gap to get inside...

I tried hard to adjust to this pitch-black darkness that was inside this place. The place looked huge and scary and this darkness inside the room was making me quizzical. I took a step forward and flapped my hands towards my bag that was hanging on my waist to lo--

This has never happened before... how was this spell he--

--ok for a flashlight that I put in for such situations. I was feeling funny at this moment. Once I had the flashlight in hand I brought it out and turned it on to adjust my sight. I was feeling dizzy all of a sudden, my stomach was turning up... I feel sick, really sick right now. All of these questions that were going in my head weren't helping at all.

Can you uh.. just stay sile...

Oh no....The after-effects...

I could barely move my hand. I moved around trying to see... I could only notice a sofa... 

I took a few steps forward barely making my way towards it through my blurry vision. As soon as I touched the back of the sofa with my hand, I felt all of the energy leaving my body, I limped towards the front and as soon as I hit the mark I fell, closing my eyes, submitting to the darkness that was caging me in...