The ominous dark room, in which long and incredible curtains of gold and red, made of the finest cloth. In the big bed, there's is a small figure, that seems to belong to a small person. A kid. Moves from side to side, coughing painfully, the poor kid started to lose breath fast and quickly woke up from the dreams. The sound of bells furiously echoes the room, as the poor little person loses more air. The doors quickly opened and an old guardian made his presence.

"Your majesty!" He said.

"Quick, healers bring her medicine and use numb spells," The guardian order to the contingent of people entering the room an incredible pace.

"Breathe, your majesty, slowly just as lady Leblanc said," The veteran guardian told to the poor girl, who looks in immense pain. With teary eyes, she nodded. One of the healers, had his hand on the back of the girl, murmuring something and a blue light appear from his hand. Slowly the pain started to go away, making the poor girl feel a lot better. As she started to relax her breathing, one of the maids brought some medicines which they have different colors, the girl seems disgusted when she looks at them.

"Your majesty is for your good. They will ease the pain and stop the coughing," The guardian told her, in a very gentle way. The little girl seems irritated about it but drank all the medicine the same, she seems to taste the horrible flavor of it and make a small moan of disgust.

"I... hated it," She said.

"I know your majesty," Respond the old guard.

"All sweaty, prepare my bath," The girl said. "At once," One of the maids respond.

"Gastto, where are Amelah and Alia?" She asks.

"Traning with the recruits, they would be here shortly," Gastto said. His short gray hair and gentle blue eyes didn't take away, his sturdy built.

He was tall, with muscles and a strange scar on his forehead. His golden armor with silver made him bigger and more threatening. And he is, to anyone who wishes to harm the empress.

He was called "Edge of the north" The best and stronger warrior in the empire of Antherion. Commander of the royal guard and guardians. Protectors of the last linage of the gods, a job, he and his brethren take very seriously. "Very well, I need to get ready, this is going to be a very long day for me," the empress said.

"Indeed," Gastto chuckle.

He stood guard behind a long curtain, in a big white bathroom, meanwhile, the young empress took her bath with the help of maids. Who seems to care a porcelain doll, since they clean her nails, polish them and making sure they are presentable.

Another one, keep brushing the empress hair and another one, massage the girl feed. Then a door open and a beautiful woman, with brown skin, dark hair and dark eyes.

Enter with a smile on her face. Next to her, two other ladies, wearing the same armor than Gastto. One of the have two ears on her head, like fox ears, she had a grin on her face. Her tone skin, yellowish eyes, and brown hair. She was tall, very tall and some kind of beauty but behind those misgivings smile, hide a dangerous warrior. She wore a smile, showing big canines with very short hair, but as well a big scar, running from her left cheek to her neck.

It was a very nasty wound but didn't take away the strange beauty of hers.

The other one had a strange white pale skin, two horns coming from her head. Her purple hair made for a bizarre combination, since she didn't appear to be human at all. Her face didn't show any emotion one could say, that she looks dead. She was taller than even Gastto and the fox girl. Maby thanks to her horns or not, but she had zero emotion in contrast to the fox one.

"We are finish commander, the recruits seem to be in good shape... so far," the fox girl said with a big smirk on her face. Scratching her scar slowly.

"Is that Alia?" Asked the empress behind the curtain.

"Yes, your majesty, and Amelah as well, we found countess Valentine as well," Alia said winking at both of them. Amelah didn't seem to respond at all, she walks into the other side of the curtain and the empress seems to give a little squeal of happiness.

"Amelah!" she said.

"Your majesty, we need to finish your pedicure," one of the maids exclaim.

"Oh, that's true," the sounds of water being spilled on the floor was hear by Gastto, who let a smile from the other side of the curtain.

"Alia and Valentine come here, please," Valentine sigh and Alia just smile as the went to the other side of the curtain as well.

"What are we going to do today, Valentine?" Ask the empress.

"We have a lot to do, of course, we have many nobles coming and seek an audience with you, duke and duchess want your presence in many parties and such," said Valentine, reading from her note parchment with a small smile."Ugh," moaned the empress.

"It's going to be a long day," she whispered to herself. While slowly caressing her neck, were a strange necklace seems to not abandoned her skin.

"There is also... the other business," whisper Valentine.

"I see, hopefully, Rosaline will tell me the advances of the operation, but I will wait until later," she said while playing with the bubbles.

"Gastto, what about the spots left for the guardians?" she asked.

"We have at least 50 to give a trail, I believe countess Valentine will agree with me about some of the recruits," said Gastto.

"Indeed commander, some of them are the best of the best," the brown beauty said.

"Some have the best pedigree that the empire has to offer, but of course as well undying loyalty to the crown and royal family," she said with a huge smile on her face.

"I will leave this work to the both of you, for now, we need to get on with the rest of the day," said the empress standing up from her bathtub. The start of the day began with breakfast, something that brought a little happiness to her, then the most awful part of her day started.

The empress was walking to the throne room, as she approaches, two big doors were in front of her. As the guards opened for her, the big salon shine through the big windows. The throne room where the imperial throne was located, was the biggest place of the palace.

Tall columns rise to the highest point, the surrounding of this place was spacious and elegant. Curtains of red and gold fall with style from the walls. In the first half of the throne room, there was a big circle with a fountain, a perfect place to hold dances and such.

You had to go through this place to reach the second half of the place, dozens of stairs to reach the second level and walk and long and spacious place that direct to the throne. You could see the monstrosity, the imperial throne, made of a special stone call, crystal rock.

It was an enormous thing, there was gold and diamonds encrusted on the throne, the sculpture was meticulous, and the power that it emanated was something you could feel.

The empress had to walk from the big door to the throne, her small size made it even difficult. When she finally arrived, she could see the throne with irritated eyes.

"What were ancestors thinking?" she said groaning, as she was taking the last couple stairs to reach the enormous throne.

"Finally," she said. a couple of maids brought some mattresses, to help the empress adjust to the throne.

"Well, Valentine, here we are," Valentine smile, as she sits on a special chair for her, a couple steps down from the throne itself. The royal guards, put themself in position, in front of the throne and around it. Only the guardians were allowed to be next to the empress herself. Gastto was beside her, Amelah and Alia were as well.

"I can barely see the door from here," said the empress. A couple of maids brought with them, in a special mattress, the imperial crown. Although elegant, it was a very simple crown mold of gold. Not as outrageous as the thrown itself, but enough to made it show to the people, the powers that it brings. Since the true symbol of power, was neither the throne of the crown, but the necklace that the empress wear.

It was a strange and bizarre thing, the necklace seems to be part of the empress skin almost, the strange silver with black and yellow diamonds. It seems to shine on their own, and in the middle of the collar, a big green emerald looks more like an eye, than anything else.

"Well, lest start, I don't want to spend my entire day hearing nobles and their problems, so, who is first?" The empress asked.

"The first one is, lord Erim Nosera, he is here to... ask for support for his enterprise in the kingdom of Leonia," Valentine said.

"Oh, and he believes that I will help him because of my family ties?" said the empress with a raised eyebrow. "Perhaps, but your majesty, I advise to hear him out first," said the countess.

"Very well, let him in," order the empress. Lord Erim Nosera, seems to be walking slowly to the immense throne room, feeling intimated by the share size of it all. And in the top of the monstrous throne, a young girl of at least 11 years old look omnipotent in such a place. Her dark hair was incredibly obscure like it could absorb the light itself.

Her small and gentle stature didn't take away her stone and cold face.

Her features are still young and childish, but it was clear that once puberty hit her, she would become a beauty. Her skin was paled with a strange gray tone on it, her ears and face structure were very delicate. As it was normal, since her ancestor, the previous emperors and empress of the empire. Marry other races, apart from humans. Dark elves, Etlines, druids, fairies and even Demorgius, are the reason for the looks of the young sovereign.

Ears that are a little bit large and pointy, thin eyebrow and the fabric of the hair was softer than the clouds. Since Etlines, like Alia, use their hair to cover themself in many ways. The empress still looks human, but the immense ancestry made for an incredible combination of features. Still, there is one that shines above the others, her royal blood. The one thing that made her special, the last linage of the gods. The linage of Nimus.The god of light and creation. Her eyes are a deep green around the golden pupil that froze the poor men, who looks stunned and in wonder. She will become the most beautiful woman in the world when she grows up from her child's form.

"Lord Erim Nosera, you stand in the presence of Elian Lilieth Nimus of Atherion, empress of the empire of Atherion, great queen of the vassal's march, the supreme leader of the united clans of Taros and Unthan, sovereign of the kingdoms of the Teins, Leonia and the holy dark elf city of Elent´Vassar and chosen one of the god's lineage," Said countess Valentine with an imperious voice.

But for the empress, she seems to be irritated by the titles, and how long it takes to say them. For her, she would rather be called just "the empress" but it's only tradition to said them all.

And knowing that she would hear it, over and over again for the entire day, made her feels so ashamed of it.

"Your majesty," said the lord keeping his head down.

"You may speak, lord Nosera," the empress said.

She observes the fairly young man, who seems to be in his mid-thirties, brown hair and oiled skin. He looks very scared and nervous, something that brought amusement to her.

"Your majesty, I come here, in your presence to get permission to work in a new war to harness the energy of the Stelenita stone," said the lord.

The empress gave a little confuse look, and with her eyes, she seems to ask Valentine, what he's talking about.

"Your majesty, lord Nosera, is an alchemist, from the lesser noble house Nosera," said Valentine in a very awkward voice.

"I see... well, lord Nosera, it seems that you wish to expand your knowledge but then again, why come to me?" the empress asked.

"You could go to the order of magic and contact the alchemist institute, why ask my permission for something like this?" the little empress ask, confuse and intrigued.

"Your majesty, I need a certain object to work my project," the lord said.

"And what it is?" the little girl asked.

"I need mining equipment, to get pure Stelenita and the kingdom Leonia is the best place for mining," he said with a small voice.

"You ask for quite a lot, lord Nosera," the empress said.

"I understand your majesty, but I believe that is necessary for my research, that's is why I asked for permission," the empress look at Valentine for a couple minutes. She sighs before answering.

"I may not be an alchemist, but I do know the dangers of pure Stelenita, the miners need to extremely careful with it, and if I remember correctly, experimenting with it can be deadly," said the empress.

"I understand your majesty," he said, not sounding too sure of himself.

"Do you?" she said.

"I... I think so, yeah," the empress look at him with a very unfazed face.

"I don't think, I can give you what you want, I have no idea what are you planning but I need some kind of proof of your work," the green eyes with gold light, look at the men intensely.

"If you want my approval of this... experiment, I need the word of the alchemist institute for me to feel safe, and so the people of my empire, especially the kingdom of Leonia, I don't want to another, bloody winter on my hands. I hope you understand my reasoning," she said.

Lord Nosera shiver when he heard about the bloody winter, one of the most disastrous incidents in the history of alchemy.

Stelenita rock is highly valuable, it works for echos, famous crystals that are used to talk to someone across any distance. You could use it, to talk to someone from the capital of the empire, to the other side of the country with only a few seconds of delay.

But it can also be used to create powerful runes and many other things, many alchemists try to find new ways to use this crystal rock. All lead to an awful day, twelve years ago.

Where in one of the towers of the order of magic, in which the institute of Alchemist stash all their Stelenita, one of the alchemists was experimenting, how much does the Stelenita rock can take in the form of vital energy. Sadly, the experiment was a complete disaster, the explosion that it causes tremble the capital. As the tower explodes with everyone in it.

What follows was a black-purple smoke, that cause sickness, and many more deaths. All of this happened in the winter seasons, it's the reason it is remembered as bloody winter.