chapter 1: Chains of the Empress
It was a dark stormy night where the clouds loom heavy and turbulent in the sky. The atmosphere is thick with anticipation, as flashes of lightning occasionally illuminate the landscape, revealing the silhouettes of trees swaying violently in the gusty winds as a girl with a captivating presence. Her blue eyes sparkle with a hint of mischief and warmth, drawing people in with their vibrant hue. They are framed by long, dark lashes that accentuate their brilliance, Her strawberry blond hair flows in soft waves down to her shoulders, catching the light and shimmering with hints of gold and copper. The hair has a natural, effortless look, often playfully falling around her face or tucked behind her ears ran through the night. She hid behind an oak tree and started going through her bag hurriedly and fearfully. As she went through her bag an empress in her early 30s walks up behind her the little girl looks at her in fear as the starts slowly trying to crawl away from her. The empress looked straight into the girls eyes her long, obsidian-black hair falls in elegant waves, crowned with a delicate circlet of silver and amethyst. Her piercing purple eyes, sharp and commanding, hold both wisdom and mystery. With flawless porcelain skin and a tall, statuesque frame draped in flowing silks, she moves with the grace of royalty and the weight of destiny towards the little girl. The empress snatches the bag the little girl was holding. Soon an army marches like a living storm—cloaked in shimmering armor that pulses with arcane light. Their eyes glow with elemental energy—some crackling with lightning, others flickering like flame or glowing icy blue. Enchanted weapons hum at their sides, runes etched deep into steel. Capes ripple with spells of protection, and magical sigils hover faintly around their boots, lifting dust without ever touching the ground. Each soldier is a force of nature, bound by magic and unshakable will came towards them and captured the little girl. "Cute of you to think you could escape from here", Said the empress. "Take her where I will never have to see her again". The army took her along with them.
"LET ME GO..WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS WRONG" said the little girl crying and begging the army to let her free. After sometime of travel they reached a Castle. The castle loomed like a shadow carved from obsidian, its towering spires piercing the stormy sky. Its walls were made of smooth, jet-black stone that absorbed light, giving it a haunting, otherworldly presence. Intricate purple banners fluttered in the wind, embroidered with glowing runes that shimmered like starlight. Along the battlements, violet flames burned in iron sconces, casting eerie reflections across the dark surface. The gates, tall and arched, were trimmed in silver and veined with glowing purple crystal, humming faintly with magic. The little girl looked up at the castle in fear, "Oh..not again.." said the little girl as 2 of the members of the army took her to the dungeon. The little girl looked around her ..the dungeon lay beneath the castle like a buried secret—cold, damp, and carved from ancient stone. Narrow corridors twisted like a maze, lit only by flickering torches that cast long, dancing shadows on the moss-covered walls. Iron-barred cells lined each side, their doors rusted and heavy, with chains clinking faintly in the silence. The air was thick with the scent of mildew, old blood, and something darker—magic long forgotten. In the distance, a low, echoing drip punctuated the oppressive quiet, as if time itself moved slower here. They pushed the little girl into one of the cells and locked her up in there. "Why are you doing this? you as well know better than I do that if it keeps going like this your loved ones will also not be safe.." the little girl said to one of the guards, the guards looked at each other. It was a complete silence for a few minutes. "We know..but there isn't anything we can do" The silence was broken by one of the guards. "Let us know if you change your mind about stopping trying to leave" said the other as the dungeon care taker came and placed the name plate outside of the little girls cell saying "Aurelia Windrose".
As the guards and care taker left a magical bird with a body that seems to shimmer with an ethereal light. Its feathers are a soft, enchanting shade of light purple, almost iridescent, catching the light in a way that makes it appear to glow faintly. The bird's wings are delicate and feathery, with hints of silver woven into the edges, giving them a mystical, otherworldly quality. Its eyes are large and bright, a glowing violet hue that gives the bird an almost knowing, wise expression. The beak is tiny and slightly curved, perfect for sipping nectar from magical flowers. The bird's tail feathers are long and graceful, trailing behind it in a fluid, flowing motion as it flits effortlessly through the air. It exudes an aura of lightness and serenity, as if it's not entirely bound by the laws of the physical world flew into the window of the cell placed high above the little girls reach. "Lunara!!! Oh I'm so glad that you are here", said Aurelia as she rushed to the cell gate and cried out "OH MR.SERAPHINA!!" the cell care taker came soon near Aurelia's cell. "Could you please give me a book? I really miss writing about my adventures..and since I can no longer go out I would like to write about my days in here or about my past adventures, please..?" Mr.Seraphina felt sad for the girl and got her a book and pen and left the place. Aurelia quickly got in a corner of the cell and tore a page from the book and started writing a letter. When she was done she placed the letter on Lunara's left claw and tied it there. "Please take this letter to my brother..its my last hope..I don't want to see the empire fall under Seraphyne Noctara..she will destroy everything that was built here" said Aurelia. Lunara flew up out the window of the cell as Aurelia looked at him fly up high in hopes.
Days had passed since Lunara had been gone with the letter. Aurelia sat in her cell wondering if Lunara was ever able to find her brother. She'd try to remember the last time she had seen her brother. It was 4 years ago, when Aurelia had left the village to go on her adventure. She'd sit there waiting on the day Lunara would return, bring some answer, if her brother had even been alive by now. She was still thinking about all of this when she heard a loud sound BOOM it went. Aurelia knew what it had meant. The empress had started her plan. She got up and started pacing around in panic. The people she loved, cared about were out there. She knew she couldn't just stay there and wait for an answer or help to come. She knew she had to get out of there before it was too late.