All major races in this world use the Alyar calendar, where the year ends with the eighth moon of Barren Fields and begins with the ninth of Gales. As the cycle of life has come to an end, winds of change come to wipe the fields clean of the ashes of what once was. The Day of Slumber lies between those two moons. New beginnings stir beneath the shroud that lets life rest until it is ready to face the world once again.

An excerpt from the diary of Pia...

         KELDIN

One ten since the Mark of the Other One blossomed.

The end of an Age - an end to all peaceful days. It was urgent Keldin find his brother, Seldin. Over the past moon, he had enough of everything. The second heir to the Eternal Throne of the Empire wanted to take it easy, relax, maybe find some fine food and definitely find a few amiable women for the evening.

Instead, he was running around the entirety of Narris' Citadel. Not only the main palace, but all the old mansions, barracks and riverside fortifications. For every palace and fort in use, another had not been touched in centuries.

Where was Seldin? Everything Keldin had to deal with was too much for him. Starting with the Mark of the Other One, the voidstone, the senators and warlords of the Grand Council, ending with the Alyar envoys, and said envoys murdering a thief in a closed down building in the upper city.

All of this was the responsibility of the first heir, the good brother. And father's favourite son. The thing Keldin hated most was dealing with his father. When did all this start, exactly? How many moons ago had it been when Seldin was told he would marry the second princess of the Pelesian Dominion.

"Your Highness should not make me look for you every time you feel like following one of your whims." One of the royal guard, dressed in red and silver, was hurrying after him.

Keldin could not remember this one's name. Her outfit was clashing with her dark eyes and hair. To Keldin, they were his second most annoying problem. "You need not follow me everywhere. We have been over this."

"I have explicit instructions from the Emperor to keep you in my sight." She insisted.

"We are in Narris Citadel, in broad daylight. You know I'm perfectly safe here."

"That is not why I need to keep you in my sight." Keldin knew that answer was coming.

"If you're here, then help me find my damned brother." He growled impatiently.

"Your Highness is the one who can read presences; I have no such gifts, my Prince."

Keldin sighed and quickened his pace, occasionally stopping to open doors and look at branching corridors. Pieces of Seldin's presence were all over the place, but he could never find the exact location. His brother had found a way to hide himself. The thought of devourers had crossed his mind, but who on earth would own one of those trinkets these days.

At first when his brother had started this little hide-and-seek game, it was easy to find him, if a little time-consuming. Before this, Seldin had left Ironcourt for a whole moon, only returning to the capital after the Mark of the Other One blossomed. It had been a ten since. Now, back in the Capital, his brother had disappeared. Keldin had not seen him for days.

Keldin wondered if his thoughts of his brother were too harsh. Arranged marriage! The Emperor had gone too far. What was he thinking, securing political alliances and staging a show of strength in this dreary age, in exchange for his son's well-being? And if the rumours were true, then the second Princess of the Pelesi Dominion was quite the woman.

Keldin stormed through a garden into another mansion full of ancient pictures, decorations and relics. More doors, side passages, and balconies that led to other buildings. The royal guard had tired of running after the Prince and Keldin left her at the doorway.

Keldin peeked into another room, swiftly closed the door, took a few steps and then stopped. He rushed back to the door he had just slammed shut. Someone had lit a fire. The servants took care of these old mansions, but the fireplaces were only in use when someone was housed there.

A single unfamiliar presence lingered on the floor above. Yet there were no obvious stairs that would go any higher. There had been plenty of remodelling done in times past when some noble needed that little extra privacy. Hidden passages were not a rarity here.

It was not only the fireplace. There were signs of Seldin all over this room. Books Keldin knew he liked to read, food, and his brother's favourite drink. Now, how to get to the upper floor? The room looked like a regular office. There was a balcony behind a set of paned doors. Keldin stepped outside and cast a look at the river running through Ironcourt.

It was getting colder by the day. Riverboats were few, yet some brave souls were still looking to earn that little extra silver before the winter. On some mornings you could see a small lining of frost on the riverbanks before the faint warmth of the day drove it away.

Keldin turned around to look at the upper floors, but there were none? A chamber under the roof, then? Keldin cursed his brother in his mind. He did not have time for this. He could take a seat in the room and wait for Seldin to come out of his hiding place. But this charade had lasted long enough. Keldin rummaged through the mansion.

It was slowly getting dark outside. Keldin had spent a good while in here without results. Even the guard had come in to see him twice. Keldin went back out on the balcony for a breather. He was about to give up when he looked to his side. The balcony turned a corner and there it was. A door hidden in the shadows of a tree and the mansion. How on earth had he missed this?

What was more important than the duties of the first heir, Keldin wondered as he ambled up the stairs? He pushed open the door and froze for a moment. The sight of his brother buck-naked and going at it with a male servant was one he would rather not have witnessed.

The terrified servant grunted a small yelp and jumped off the bed. Keldin buried his face in the palm of his hand and turned away. He felt the servant run past him and down the stairs. This had to be a bad dream.

"Brilliant." He turned to face his brother, who had sat down on the bed. "Put some clothes on." That was all Keldin could manage.

"Funny." Seldin chuckled a small, disheartened laugh. "It's what I always tell you."