The victory over Eldrin and the conquest of the underworld had left Eleonora in a state of intoxicating euphoria. Sitting on the obsidian throne, with Poimandres at her feet and the Moon Elves at her command, she felt invincible. But even at the height of her power, a shadow of unease hung over her. The shadow of her past.
Aria remembered her arrival in Umbria, a young orphan in an orphanage, filled with fear and uncertainty, but also with an insatiable curiosity for magic. She remembered the warmth of Master Eleonora, the woman who had taken her in, taught her, given her a home… and then betrayed her. Eleonora heard Aria's thoughts; a strange connection of minds had emerged at an unexpected moment.
"Betrayed?" Eleonora wondered aloud, her voice echoing in the empty throne room. "Or... guided? Wasn't Eleonora, the old Eleonora, preparing me for this? For this power?"
She rose from the throne, uneasy. Chaos magic flowed through her, making her feel powerful, yes, but also... alone.
She walked toward one of the castle's libraries, a vast collection of books and scrolls accumulated by the Moon Elves over millennia. Most of the texts were written in the Elvish language, which Eleonora was now fluent in, but her eyes fell on a secluded shelf, where books were kept in a language she found familiar: Latin.
They were ancient books, bound in worn leather, with titles written in golden letters that gleamed faintly in the dim light. Books Eleonora recognized instantly.
"The forbidden books..." she whispered.
She remembered the Umbrian library, and one section in particular, hidden behind an illusion spell, to which only Master Eleonora had access. A section that contained the most dangerous books, the darkest knowledge, those that the Church of Light had expressly forbidden.
Eleonora, in her youth, had always felt a morbid fascination with that forbidden section. She had spent hours spying, trying to decipher the illusion spell, dreaming of the power those books must contain.
And now, here before her were thirteen volumes that had somehow made their way to the subterranean realm, perhaps brought by some learned elf in the past, perhaps by the same magic that had created this place.
Eleonora took one of the books, De Vermis Mysteriis, and opened it with trembling hands. The smell of ancient parchment and magical ink filled her nostrils, awakening long-forgotten memories.
"These books…" she told herself, "…were my first temptation. The first seed of darkness… or perhaps, the first seed of my true nature."
She began to read, and the words, though written in archaic and cryptic Latin, resonated with the Chaos magic that now flowed through her veins. She remembered trying to steal these books in her teens, and now, she was the mistress of an entire hidden kingdom.
Eleonora examined the thirteen books, one by one, remembering the legends she had heard about them in Umbria, the warnings of the teachers, the fear and fascination they had stirred in her.
Here they are, she thought, with a mixture of dread and excitement, the thirteen steps to darkness… or to enlightenment. It depends on how you use them.
De Vermis Mysteriis (Mysteries of the Worm): An infamous grimoire describing necromantic rituals, demon summoning, and secrets of the afterlife. Its author, Ludwig Prinn, is said to have gone mad after writing it. Eleonora remembered the tingling sensation on her skin whenever she heard this title, the mixture of repulsion and curiosity it aroused in her.
Cultes des Goules (Cults of the Ghouls): A detailed study of the sects that worship necrophagous entities and practice cannibalistic rituals. Written by the Count of Erlette, it is rumored to contain information on how to become a ghoul. Young Eleonora had felt a chill reading about ghouls, imagining their corpse-like faces and macabre feasts.
Unnameable Cults: A compendium of rituals and beliefs of obscure and forgotten cults, worshipping primordial gods and cosmic entities. Written by Friedrich von Junzt, it is considered one of the most dangerous books ever written. Eleonora had felt a forbidden fascination with these ancient gods, due to their immense power and indifference to humanity.
The Book of Eibon: A grimoire containing spells and rituals from ancient Hyperborea, including invocations of extradimensional entities and time travel. Eibon, its author, is said to have mysteriously disappeared. Eleonora remembered dreaming of the icy landscapes of Hyperborea, with its cyclopean cities and inhuman gods.
Liber Ivonis (Book of Ivo): A Latin translation of an even older text, which describes
The secrets of alchemy, magic, and astrology. It is believed to hold the key to the transmutation of metals and the creation of the Philosopher's Stone. "The Philosopher's Stone…" Eleonora thought. "The promise of immortality… Isn't that what we all seek, in the end?"
Necronomicon (Book of Dead Names): The most infamous grimoire of all, written by the "mad Arab" Abdul Alhazred. It contains information about the Great Old Ones, cosmic entities of unimaginable power, and rituals for invoking them. Eleonora had felt profound terror upon reading about the Great Old Ones, but also an irresistible attraction to their destructive power.
Pnakotica (Pnakotic Manuscripts): A collection of fragments of ancient texts, recounting the history of prehuman civilizations and the existence of beings from other planets. "Other civilizations… other worlds…" Eleonora thought. "Are there no limits to knowledge, to power?"
R'lyeh Text: A book written in an unknown language, believed to describe the sunken city of R'lyeh, where the Great Cthulhu lies dormant. Eleonora had felt nauseated reading about Cthulhu, a creature so vast and powerful that his mere existence defied sanity.
Whispers from the Darkness: It is rumored that this book was not written by human hands, but dictated by entities from the darkness. It describes methods for contacting the dead and gaining knowledge of the afterlife. Eleonora wondered if the Banshee who had warned her in Shadowland had known this book.
Celaeno Shards: Remains of a compendium of prophecies detailing the end of the world and the return of the Great Old Ones. They exist only in the form of shards of ancient pottery, almost illegible. "The end of the world..." Eleonora thought. "Perhaps it is inevitable. But perhaps, with enough power, it can be... controlled."
The Testament of Carnamagos: A detailed account by a dying sorcerer of his pacts with demons and his experiments with black magic. Eleonora felt a chill as she read this book. The idea of selling one's soul in exchange for power... was that the path she had chosen?
The Black Book of Dreams: This tome describes rituals for entering the Dreamworld, a parallel plane of existence where reality is malleable and wishes come true. "The Dreamworld..." Eleonora thought. "A place where I could remake the world in my image."
De Lapide Philosophorum (On the Philosopher's Stone) This treatise, attributed to an anonymous alchemist, describes not the creation of the stone, but its proper use, the dangers of its power, and the secrets of its true nature, its connection to the human soul.
"This one is different," Eleonora noticed. This one speaks not of ambition, but of soul.
Eleonora closed the last book, feeling overwhelmed by the amount of information and the darkness emanating from those texts.
"These books…," she told herself, "…were the downfall of many. But they were also the source of immense power. And now, that power is within my grasp."
She stood up, a new determination in her red eyes. She was no longer the naive young student of Umbria, nor the betrayed Master, nor even the Chaos sorceress. She was something more. Something… worse.
"Eleonora is dead," she declared, her voice echoing in the empty library. "Now, only Nyx remains. The Queen of the Eternal Night."
And with those words, Nyx, the former Eleonora, fully embraced her destiny. A destiny that would lead her to challenge not only Umbria, but the entire established order, to unleash Chaos upon the world and claim the power that, according to her, was rightfully hers. The thirteen forbidden books, the dark wisdom they contained, would be her weapons. And Poimandres, the Primordial Dragon, would be her banner. The final war had begun, and the world would tremble at the rise of the Queen of Eternal Night.