Prologue – The Legend of the Black Shadow
The world did not begin with life… but with a sudden extinguishing of light.
The ancient forest slept beneath a full moon, and the sky was veiled by layers of black clouds, as if the night itself was holding its breath.
The wind dragged the branches with a sound resembling a final call,and the forest waited for something terrifying… something it could not stop.
And on that night, a young man from the village transformed for the first time into a feral wolf.
And the first transformation always…
awakens a madness that cannot be controlled.
The wolf ran between the trees, his eyes blazing, his chest trembling with sounds that were no longer human.
And the first thing he encountered was:
a small child.
The witch's son.
The attack was not intentional.
There was no hostility, no curse, no prophecy.
Only a beast that had lost control
on the worst night possible.
The child fell to the ground in warm blood,and his soul slipped away before anyone heard his scream.
And when the witch found his body…
something else died with her.
Something that could no longer be repaired.
A mother's heart.
Ten Years of Darkness
Since that night, the witch no longer saw the world as it once was.
She no longer sought justice, nor revenge, nor even truth.
She was searching for only one thing:
that death would never take something from her again.
Ten years—
enough to drive her away from villages,to delve into forbidden books,and to travel to places untouched by humans.
Until she found what she had been seeking:
the spell of immortality.
But immortality was not a gift.
It was a demonic ritual that required:
• an ancient, powerful being
• blood from a very rare human lineage
• a beating heart before it stopped
• a full moon to carry the power
• and black magic capable of burning a human's lifespan
And among the coincidences that shape destiny,the girl who carried the required lineage lived in the same village…
the same forest…
and every day she stood near the tree, unaware that it would fall soon because of a fate that did not belong to her.
The only being that matched the condition of age and power…
was the ancient Sun Tree.
Its roots stretched beneath the earth like golden veins,
and its leaves shimmered whenever touched by the morning light.
So…
the witch began planning to bring it down.
And the witch… did not hesitate.
The Ritual
On another night of the full moon, the witch stood at the center of a circle of symbols, her husband and children beside her—all of them ready to cross a line from which there was no return.
The air ignited with heavy magic,and the ground trembled beneath their feet,as if the forest itself was trying to flee.
And as the spell began:
the light stretched like a white spark,then turned crimson,then completely black.
The sounds twisted into screams,the screams shifted into vibrations,and the vibrations molded into the birth of something new.
And when the ritual ended—
none of them remained human.
They were not dead.
They were not alive.
• immortal
• their hearts almost not existing in their stillness
• their bodies never aging
• stronger than any human
• and their thirst…
the thirst for blood…
insatiable.
That night became the beginning of a legend unknown to all.
The Disappearance
Hours after the wolf's howl, the villagers found something strange:
• no bodies
• no traces
• no graves
• no sins left to witness
The witch… vanished.
Her husband… disappeared.
And their children… did not leave even a single shadow behind.
The forest seemed as though it had swallowed them whole,and sealed its mouth forever.
Even the ancient Sun Tree that protected the forest was no longer there.
Days later, the village abandoned the place,and the story was lost between generations.
People forgot.
Legends faded.
And the world moved toward the future—believing it was ordinary.
The Shadow
But on the night after the family's disappearance… something happened that only one person witnessed.
After everything had calmed,after the blood had spilled and its traces vanished,one girl—one of the witch's daughters—stood
staring into the mist of dawn.
And between the trees—at the very place where the transformation had happened—she saw a shadow.
A shadow with no features.
Not a witch.
Not a wolf.
Not human.
It was merely a black shape… standing quietly,as if exploring the world for the very first time.
She wasn't sure:
Did she truly see it?
Or was it delirium?
Or what remained of a mind struggling to survive?
But she swore she heard a sound—neither a word nor a whisper,but something like a first breath…
Then the shadow disappeared.
It vanished as if it had never existed at all.
Thus ended the story no one believes.
And thus began the path
of the witch's children.
And so… in the unseen shadows—where no human eyes could reach—
something else was born.
Something whose story had not yet been written.
Something that would appear… only when humans forgot everything about the past.
The modern world today
knows nothing of this.
But the legend—has not ended yet.
The Modern Era – after a long, unknown time
The man's voice grew quiet,and his words stopped at the same point they stopped every night…
the point of the shadow.
In that small house, under the glow of a dim lamp,a ten-year-old girl sat with wide eyes carrying a mix of fear… and curiosity.
She lifted her head toward the man telling the story, and with a childlike desperation, she shook his shoulder:
Dad… was the shadow real? Or not?
He looked at her calmly, as if hiding behind his eyes something far deeper than a tale.
But the girl insisted:
Dad… why don't you finish the story?
Every night… you stop here!
Why?
Then she leaned closer, her short hair falling over her shoulders as she spoke with eager excitement:
I want to know who the hero of the story is!
Is it the witch's daughters?
Or the witch herself?
Or someone else?
Tell me, Dad… please.
The man exhaled slowly.
There was something in his voice that did not sound like storytelling…
but like someone who had known the truth for far too long.
He gently stroked her hair, placed a warm kiss on her forehead, and whispered:
Alright… my child.
He gave her a small smile—one that carried a thousand unspoken things—before saying:
I promise you… when you grow up, I will finish the story.
She lifted her head tiredly:
But why not now?
He answered as he turned off the lamp:
Because some stories… are not ready to be told yet.
He tucked her under the blanket, waited until her breaths softened, then stood and walked toward his room.
But before closing the door, he whispered to himself:
And because… you might become a part of it someday.
So, my dear… when that time comes, if I am not beside you,I hope you live only for yourself… and for the family.
So, sweetheart, sleep now. Your mother and I are going to take care of some work, and we will return quickly.
Take care of your brother, alright?
We won't be long.
He closed the door…
and the creak lingered inside his chest.
He looked toward his wife—a silent, tired pain living in her eyes.
Are you ready?
We have to go…
I don't want us to be late for the council.
Did the boy sleep as well?
She raised her gaze slowly—her voice soft, breaking:
My love… I feel something very bad.
I can't leave the children.
What we are about to do… it's very dangerous.
He approached her, wrapped his arms around her trembling form, and whispered:
My dear…
we're doing this for the family.
For them.
Only for them.
You know they will never allow us to live a normal life.
We have to do this… for the children.
Don't worry…
even if anything happens… the children will be fine.
They will live a better life than the one we went through.
So please… don't let fear consume you.
If you want to stay… then stay.
I will go alone.
But when he looked into her eyes again, fear trembled within his own.
I don't want you to come.
It's very dangerous.
Please… stay with the children.
But she broke before he even finished.
She rushed toward him, wrapped her arms around him tightly—desperately—her tears warm and trembling.
My love… please don't leave me.
I'll go with you.
My fate… is your fate.
Wherever you are.
Her voice cracked:
We talked about this…
you promised to take me with you.
So please…
don't leave me behind.
Then, with a trembling breath:
I don't know how I will raise the children alone if you're gone.
I'm scared… so scared.
Her words fell like wounds that could not be closed.