Three moons...o...b..t Hera in regular intervals. The Azure Moon announces the beginning of the cycle. It"s the year of rain and ample harvest. The Red Moon would follow, announcing heat and a long summer. The Blond Moon announces the end of the cycle. This one doesn"t affect the climate as much as it affects people"s minds.More wars break during the Blond Moon. Monsters become more aggressive, and p.r.o.ne to attacking human settlements. People usually look forward to the end of the cycle and the coming of the Azure Moon. Yet, when the moons complete twenty seven cycles, eighty one years to be exact, people start fearing the coming of greater peril.
As the Blond Moon vanished after Stalwart"s war, fear seeped into people"s hearts. The old began speaking of forgotten legends, about the Holi Wars and the Eternal Moon. The events that shook Biarkh and its neighboring countries alarmed them to the threat of another devastating war to come.
Stalwart crushed the rebellion and the Church of Dhobor"s attempt to erase him from existence. For years, the Church wouldn"t venture into the western continent. Theolonius Stalwart had won the war, only to lose all his influence. People learned they could stand up to the mad wizard without the entire continent turning to ash. They were no longer afraid to fight.
Lady Elsa Vogel, with the help of King Nicholas, now known as the Sunken King, organized coup after coup to weaken Stalwart"s hold. They slowly took charge of the underworld in Biarkh, then expanded their influence over the neighboring countries.
The king had disappeared. His wife a.s.sumed his throne after declaring the Brave King dead. She miraculously survived the angel"s descent onto the capital, which was reduced to rubble and ash. Merinsk became the new capital, and the Brave King was named the Sunken King. Queen Tatiana ordered a statue to be built in his honor.
After Theolonius Stalwart took Hartwell, his most trusted champion, to Osgar"s ship, he retreated into a secluded house in the Kozagan Desert with his grandson Adwerald. He had managed to kidnap Raiya"s daughter, a girl no older than eight moons. Fiona would live with the mad wizard for many years. She"d prove to be a prodigal student and a terrifying witch in the future. She"d witness the mad wizard"s decline, and his true madness.
Elsa would grow stronger. She"d take over the underworld branches in the western continent, bringing Stalwart"s era of madness and tyranny to an end. It was all part of the mad wizard"s plan; a plan the baroness of Milkweed never shared with the Sunken King who trained militias and organized coup after coup to weaken the mad wizard"s allies.
Stalwart would focus on other plans while the baroness kept his business active. He"d soon vanish from the world, forever forgotten, biding his time. He"d form an alliance with the Church of Dhobor, and would begin his hostile takeover right after the end of the Holi Wars.
Far away from Stalwart"s sphere of influence, across the ocean and beyond The Endless Mist lay the southern continent of Arkadia. War and terrifying beasts had been ravaging Arkadia for decades. Ever since the Church"s failed endeavour at taking over the continent, all attempts of rebuilding a functioning society failed.
Bandits lurked in the shadows and beasts roamed the desolate lands. Only a few settlements remained. Some of them were large cities, defended by great walls. Others were a hive of caves inside the mountains, or just tribes of nomads who would move anytime beasts multiplied around them.
It was in one of the caves that a bright light shone one night, three weeks before the Holi Wars. A man with long curly hair appeared out of thin air. He had an eye patch that hid his missing eye. He wore a short sleeved black gambeson strapped together from the middle with leather belts. A dark green sword hung on his hips.
He walked outside the cave and looked at the green fields that welcomed him. He saw people walking down small winding paths that led to an expanse between two mountains. The sun shone brightly above their heads. Square fields ran down the opposite mountain.
From orchards to potato fields, men toiled tirelessly while women were busy transporting heavy bundles on their backs. They all wore ragged clothes. None of them paid the young man any heed as he walked by the village. He stopped at a small stall which sold fresh fruit.
A young beautiful woman stood behind the counter. Her fl.u.s.tered cheekbones and her big bottle green eyes caught the young man"s attention. She eyed him with great intrigue. "You"re not from around here," she said in a honeyed voice.
"Just pa.s.sing through," he replied in a gruff voice.
"Want some apples?" she took one and threw it at the young man.
"How much?" he asked.
The young girl shook her head. She smiled, revealing deep dimples in her cheeks. Despite the ragged clothes and her disheveled red hair, the girl was still stunningly beautiful. "We don"t have money around here. Everyone works hard. We do our part without expecting much in return. My job is to provide food for our small community."
The young man took a bite then moaned in happiness as the apple"s sweet and sour aroma went down his throat. "I"m looking for a man named Rimbaldi. I was told I could find him around here;" he said after finishing his apple.
The young girl"s face turned dark. "We don"t speak his name around here," she said in a whisper.
"Just point me the right direction. I can find my way to him on my own," the young man said. He eyed the apples with great interest.
The girl chuckled. Her honeyed voice penetrated his ears and made his heart sing a happy tune. "Are you hungry?" she asked.
The young man"s stomach rumbled in response.
She shot a quick glance behind her then leaned toward the young man. "My brother"s a hunter. His party sent word yesterday. They"re coming back with a big bounty. Why don"t you stay for dinner? I"m sure he"ll help you if I ask."
The young man shook his head. "I don"t mean to impose..."
"Don"t be silly!" With a wave of her hand, the young girl quickly brushed his concerns away. "We don"t get many visitors, not many live ones at least. They"d love having you around." She extended her hand toward the young man and smiled. "My name"s Heda."
He shook her hand. "Myles," he said, returning her smile. "You"re not from around here either, are you?"
Heda"s smile didn"t fade. Her eyes, however, didn"t mean it. "You can hide your presence all you want, but I knew you were coming before you appeared. You"re not a champion, but I can sense great power within you. Why are you looking for a mad scientist?"
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