"No matter, as long as there is goodness in human hearts, the Omega will prevail."

Gera - Queen of the Forest

Somewhere in the city of Dostov, 8 years later, in the depths of the city, an elven servant had been summoned by the Bucullatus, a group of mages who had arrived a couple of years ago in the kingdom, claiming they would help them overcome the crisis they were facing since the fall of their capital.

When he entered the room, he was horrified; the entire place was filled with bodies, entrails, and blood everywhere. In the center of the room were the Bucullatus, murmuring something. He stepped back slowly, trying to escape, but accidentally kicked a vial on the floor, catching the attention of the Bucullatus.

- You... come closer, little elf, and tell me your name - said one of the Bucullatus, who seemed to be the leader, as the others bowed their heads as if in reverence.

- I'm Tok, an elven servant - he replied trembling - It wasn't my intention to interrupt; I'll leave now.

- I told you to come closer! - shouted the hooded figure, losing patience. He obeyed and approached slightly - you know, there's a legend about elves that they told me when I was a little girl; they said they were beings so mystical and powerful that they possessed magic even in their blood, regardless of their color, size, whether they were mages or mortals, all had magic. I'm curious to know if it's true; after all, legends are often based on real events.

- Yes, it's a c-common assumption since our ancestors originated from sacred lands, but I don't know if it will be t-true. After all, centuries have passed since we left those lands, and I think it only speaks of pure-blood elves - he could barely articulate words.

"Crack" was heard in the background of the room. The elf looked to where the sound came from and saw a gigantic creature that could barely be seen; it held one of the bodies and seemed to be eating it - qe liabolo? - he said in elven. The elf recoiled in terror, without thinking twice, he ran towards the door as fast as he could, but before he could reach it, the hooded figure recited.

- "Redemptio Vinculu" - from the right hand of the hooded figure emerged a kind of shining lasso that reached the elven and tied him up. The lasso began to drag the elf toward the woman, who removed her hood, revealing a beautiful young face. Her hair was long and black, seemingly a beauty in almost every aspect, but her eyes were completely white, as if she had no soul.

- What did you do?! You sacrificed your soul! - said the elf, increasingly frightened - Why?

- How naive; I did it for the good of this nation, and you will have the privilege of witnessing it in person. You will witness what will make us the masters of this world, an unlimited power - she chuckled macabrely and raised her left hand towards the beast - you, get up and come here! - the beast obeyed and approached the witch; the elven finally managed to see the monster clearly.

- En dimanas - "a demon" in elvish - what do you plan to do?

- A demonstration - a grim smile appeared on the woman's face. She moved the lasso holding the elf and brought him closer to the demon; it looked at him curiously, as if it wanted to play with him. It was reaching out its hand towards the elf in a friendly manner until the woman spoke - kill him! - the demon's eyes turned completely red; it formed a fist and with a single motion struck the elf on the side of his body. He hit him with such force that the elf's body split in half; the upper part of the elf flew across the room, falling to the ground with his entrails spilling out. The witch let go of the other half of the elf, letting it rot on the floor.

The elf, using his last strength, lifted his head and addressed the witch - you have meddled with forces you don't understand; you will end up becoming the downfall itself and condemn your soul in the process... - the elf took a pause to say his last words - esai catar maenos! - as he uttered this curse, his eyes turned completely white, and he fell to the ground dead.

- "The downfall itself", eh - she said mockingly - I like it better than doomed to failure, don't you think, master? - the door at the back opened, and an elderly Bucullatus entered with a fairly bushy and unkempt beard. He shifted his gaze to the elf's body and crushed his head.

- Damned servant, don't get too cocky - he turned his gaze back to his apprentice - quite impressive; I see that your control over that thing has improved a lot, although not as much as I would like - he said in a dull tone; this last comment irritated the witch quite a bit.

- What do you mean by that? It's ready; we must take the city of Gramorg and kill Draco right now, or...

- It's not ready! - the old man shouted, interrupting the witch - do you think I haven't noticed that your gond is weakened? You still need time to get used to controlling its power.

- But if we don't take the city, "he" will...

- Don't worry about... "he" - said the old man, disturbed, mentioning it discomforted him - we still have time. The deadline he gave us is five years, of which only two have passed.

Both fell silent. The woman ordered the demon to sit at the back of the room and plunged it into a deep sleep that would last until she decided to wake it up; once the demon fell asleep, the witch's eyes returned to their original state, with a bright green iris. All the Bucullatus left the room; the old man cast a spell on the door so that no one could enter and they left the place quickly.

Lodtrack felt an overwhelming chill, even in his ceremonial armor (which, beneath the metal, clad his body in leather) and his cape. The winter cold pierced his skin; he felt like he would freeze if he stood there for another second.

He was at the entrance to the imperial castle, waiting for Leonor to arrive with his carriage so they could enter. They had been summoned by the king for Leonor and the princess to meet. It was a tradition for princes, upon turning 15, to invite all the noble children for a few days to get to know the future Lords. But, as usual, Leonor was running quite late. Lodtrack was supposed to arrive first, and shortly after, Leonor would come with his Guard. However, he had been waiting for two hours. Fortunately, an elderly woman kindly gave him a cup of hot chocolate, although Lodtrack insisted on giving her a few coins as thanks.

Fortunately, Leonor finally arrived, presenting himself proudly in his ceremonial attire, fine silk garments with gold reliefs, wearing a cloak made of elven silk. His golden hair moved briskly in the winter breeze, and his pale blue eyes stood out in the cold; in these eight years, he had gone from being a pampered child to a haughty and arrogant teenager. On the other hand, Lodtrack had become taller than Leonor. Although he was always overshadowed by the noble's attractiveness, the red color of his eyes had become more intense, and his hair, light brown when he was a child, had darkened almost to black. A slight scar on his face; a small reminder of his training.

Lodtrack approached Leonor with a firm stride – Finally, you arrive; I almost turned into an ice sculpture waiting for you - said Lodtrack, visibly annoyed by Leonor's delay – You're lucky that there are still a couple of hours before you have your meal with the princess. We need to settle in and...

- Calm down, as you said, we still have a couple of hours. We should take the time to explore the place; after all, we seldom get to be in the beautiful imperial palace - said Leonor quite confidently – besides, the servants will take care of our luggage - he added, watching as their bags were taken down from the carriage.

Leonor passed by Lodtrack and headed directly to the entrance of the palace. "Someday he will make me kill him", Lodtrack thought, quite irritated. He told the servants to bring the carriage through the main entrance and ask Mery, the head of the servants, where they should leave all the equipment. He ran behind Leonor to catch up.

When they crossed the main door, Lodtrack was impressed with all the servants working in the palace courtyards. Some were receiving packages and listing them, and mages were creating Camelio potions. From what he had seen of magic, some potions were dedicated to celebrations, such as one with a special powder that projected giant specters simulating whatever the mage desired.

- What is all this? - Lodtrack asked, curious.

- This? These are preparations for the Hen chemon, or the winter day - said Leonor, quite proud of his knowledge.

- The Hen chemon? But this looks nothing like what we do in Gramorg and the New Cycle festival. Also, isn't it celebrated at the end of winter?"

- That's because we Gramorguians come from the wild tribes of the north, while all the culture of the empire comes from the west, at least that of the heart of the empire - explained Leonor. It seemed he could talk all day – Throughout the empire, Hen chemon is celebrated, but the northern cultures celebrate it differently and on a different date than the rest of it. We celebrate the end of winter and the beginning of a new year, while the rest celebrate the prosperity of the people in winter and the expansion of the entire empire.

- Incredible - Lodtrack was impressed with Leonor's knowledge. He had never been outside Gramorg due to his continuous training and his job of protecting Leonor, besides, of course, the time he spent wandering the streets. He always had to be near the noble to protect him. For him, being there was like stepping out of a cave and traveling to a completely new world – I see that Mrs. Muffin's constant scolding has worked to fill your empty head - he said sarcastically.

- Shut up! I'm still your lord, and your impertinence is annoying. I could order your death!

- As if you could find someone who could protect and tolerate you besides me - Lodtrack laughed – I think you're stuck with me. - Leonor was annoyed by Lodtrack's impertinence, although he had partially gotten used to it because Lodtrack showed little respect for Leonor or any other noble. Then the guard saw a circle of wizards around a sprout of fir – What are they doing?

Leonor looked at them for a moment, but seemed very confused – To be honest, I don't know. I've never heard of that. I suppose it will be mentioned somewhere in the trad mud, although I would have noticed it, so it might be a new activity they'll implement this year, but it's too stran... - Before he finished speaking, he noticed that Sir Versert was at the entrance of the palace. Leonor hurried to reach where Versert was, and both bowed. Lodtrack arrived later and just greeted Versert with a friendly wave. Court customs were not his strength, so he avoided bows and only made formalities when strictly necessary.

- I see you haven't changed at all, Lodtrack. You're still as improper - Versert mocked. They had known him for a couple of years when he visited Leonor's father. Versert was a man of average height, middle-aged, with visible gray hair. He was the king's advisor and one of the most important men in the empire – Don't even think about speaking so familiarly to the imperial family, or we'll have to hang you.

- Don't remind me, they tell me all the time - Lodtrack said, trying to sound confident – although I would worry more about Leonor not doing anything strange with the princess...

- Don't speak too much!! - Leonor shouted, quite annoyed. This surprised Lodtrack., "So, if you take this seriously, eh", Lodtrack thought – Good morning, Sir Versert. We apologize for the delay, but there were several problems in the city with some troublemakers because Lodtrack had left earlier to prepare for the arrival. - Leonor was surprised to hear that, as none of the soldiers mentioned it despite being a very important issue. "Maybe he's lying," Lodtrack thought, "or maybe he told the soldiers not to tell me, but why would he?"

- Not a problem. Let's enter the palace so we can give you a tour while the princess finishes getting ready - Versert turned around and went through the doors; Leonor and Lodtrack followed closely.

When they entered, they were amazed at the interior decoration. The palace was quite beautiful on the outside, but on the inside, it was completely spectacular. There were marble tiles on the floor; the walls were made of white stone from the dwarf mines in the south. The doors and furniture were made of orc jungle oak, with reliefs bathed in vulskank gold.

- This is better than I could have ever imagined. Everything here is incredible - said Lodtrack, looking around amazed by the palace's luxuries.

- It's impressive. We should do a renovation like this someday in our castle, don't you think? - said Leonor, trying not to seem impressed.

- It will take several decades before we can do something like this, sir - Lodtrack said with a mocking tone that did not please Leonor.