Fae were so quick to believe that imperfection was the biggest flaw of all. Being born blind, princess Calixa Elliptica of Astrazalinor was often fussed over, pitied, treated as if she was a delicate, fragile nothing of a fae.

She couldn't see beauty, they said. She couldn't see the sunlight she would one day be queen of.

Calixa was young when she got tired of being treated as if she was entirely helpless. She acted out, became reckless, looked for something better than the constant feeling of being too small for the shoes she had to fill.

Unsure how to handle her, her parents introduced her to Klewell, head trainer of her family's guards. He was different than the others - instead of letting the princess complain, he told her off. Instead of treating her as if she was fragile, he started training her to channel that frustration into a physical form.

The day she started learning martial arts was the day she started finally feeling like herself.

Fae didn't understand the beauty of sounds, of the warmth of sun rays, the faith of being taken seriously despite dreaded imperfections.

For over two hundered years, she trained with Klewell every morning and evening. She grew into an adult, but still felt incomplete. While she loved her training, she still found herself craving something she could use her training for. An adventure, something more than a tree in the palace gardens.

One night, she snuck out. She had always been told to avoid an inn - the Manticore's Shadow.

So of course, that is where she went. She dressed as a commoner would, and found her way to the infamous inn.

It was too loud inside, but it didn't take long for her to find an unsuspecting person to buy her a drink, two, three. Her constitution was high enough for her to feel fine, but the same coudln't be said for her companion for the night.

Loose lips didn't only sink ships, they also burned down entire cities, if not careful.

That night, the man told her everything. A mercenary group, the Midnight Sun, had a plan to assassinate 'the blind princess', to break the Elliptica line entirely. They were underground, and could travel between Astrazalinor and the continent of Evira in the blink of an eye. That they were there now, gathering what they needed for the murder.

Finally, a way she could prove to her people she wasn't helpless.

A new game to play.