PROLOGUE | " TEMPEST AND THE DAWNBRINGER "

IT ALL BEGAN IN THE MIDST OF A STORM.

The stars were demanded to become beacons as the whole kingdom dozed off, having a curse falling upon them, regardless it was the hoarfrost of the freezing hours. Only the farmer was wide awake, avoiding hellbound brought by the never-ending darkness, counting the minutes until dawn.

The auburn-haired Casimir was looking out of the window, patiently waiting, holding on to see the spark with his own eyes.

Legend says that as the sun rises, at the horizon will be a sparkle pulsing as guidance, kindly welcoming the wintery days, opening the gates to a better place disguised as the sun.

Casimir declared he'd marry the star to prove everyone their wrongs as no one believed it. Why would they believe that? Traditionally the stars disappeared with the sunrise, clearing the sky, and hiding behind the blankets of the heavens.

Yet there was one that remained, all stranded on the Celestial skyline. There it was, the Stellar that lit up the skies before the dawn was restored.

Daybreak roared with a lightning bolt striking into a tower, waking up the farmer who turned a blind eye. He missed it. A flash of light illuminated his face, casting dawn that lurched through the indigo fog, enlightening the kingdom from the night terrors.

Vicious wind and glare burst open the windows, panes rattled as the blustery clouds tied in a whirl casting a shadow. The silky curtains quivered like a withered leaf in a frigid breeze, ruling the radiant mist to part in a swirl of golden luster, staining Casimir's irises that bathed in the sun.

"No one was ever faithful to me as you are," A hushed voice broke through the glow. The lady was standing in front of him, dressed in an ivory dress that scintillated like sunshine rays on her skin made of copper's afterglow, "I will marry you."

His breath palpitated.

"What else your heart desires?" The lady twinkled, smoothing out the skirt made of bright laces which twirled with every step. A smile was burning her lips same as the warmth that singed the apples of her cheeks.

She was delicate, picture-perfect. His mother would say that she was a right fit for a princess, not a farmer's wife.

"Though I must warn you. Every wish has to come with a price -"

But Casimir didn't listen.

"Your name," he wondered, "I want to know your name." He blurted out eagerly, clutching both of her soft hands, gazing deeply into her eyes, falling in love with them deeply.

Her lips scrunched in a smirk, shyly looking down, "The Morning Star. Nonetheless, for you, I shall be Zvezda."

She pulled him into a kiss, which sealed their vows.

The starlet was so lonesome up there, all by herself, but here below, Zvezda wasn't extinct, a dying star, she was thriving, as this opportunity gave her strength, "What else do you wish for?"

A thunderstorm wailed, soon as the craving slipped out of the farmer's lips, being whispered right to her ear. "Your wish is my command," she uttered the formula.

Whatever he wished upon the star, he gained.

Casimir wished for eternal youth, and within a second he stopped aging. He even dethroned the king and become one himself. He desired possession, fabulous creations; exotic animals, extraordinary jewel collections, and palaces till one day he ran out of ideas.

The urge to want more, had him ponder.

What was the point of wishing when he already had everything?

King Casimir walked in a nightgown around his bedroom overfull with expensive gifts and artifacts cramping in the corners.

"What if I wished to rule over the world?" He sounded enthusiastic, "no, that sounds like too much responsibility -"

"Perhaps you could listen and fulfill the wishes of others, to give them whatever their hearts long for," A soothing voice reverberated, just like the thunder descending from heaven.

The king froze, head-turning to the balcony where the dim moonlight cast a blare on a dark hood that glittered as if it was dazzled with stardust.

"And what will I get out of it?" he fearlessly stepped closer to the mysterious figure that instantly looked away to hide in the shadows.

"More than you can imagine," Sylas proclaimed.

And he was right.

By fulfilling the wishes of others, the king gained respect more naturally than by forcefully asking for it. He was cherished for his kind acts, paradoxically he couldn't believe it himself. The kingdom flourished, overflowed with wealth and diligence, and was the right place to live in. Of course, it was, especially when it was in the right hands.

Once more the hooded silhouette returned with further advice. Casimir was an expound of self-praise, blowing his own trumpet, rain or shine. A wide smile was sculpting his lips into something malevolent like pridefulness.

He crowed with delight about everything he gave to others, he didn't put into use. He was the one who controlled the strings, all mighty, and all that thanks to Sylas.

He considered him his advisor, so wise, still mysterious. His eyes quick-wittedly sparkled, "What should I do? What else can earn me respect?"

He watched Sylas standing by the railing, face turned away. The king breathed, unsure of his own words, "Tell me; what's your deepest wish?"

Sylas' wisdom was silent, which was inadmissible in this shallowly rising distress. His ice-colored iris glinted in the nightlight, luring the king to come closer. He didn't want to, but his curiosity had defeated him.

He walked to the balcony, engulfed by the heat of the tension of the night.

Sylas leaned toward him, breathing his desire into his ear. His whisper froze him to the morrow, chills were running down his spine. Before he could glance into the eye of the storm, he was gone. The cloak flew off, melting away, evaporating in the glow of the sunrise.

The king was condemned to live with his foolishness.

Mercifully, the promised land was right as rain. What an oxymoron in a realm in which a cloud never shed a tear, and was drowned in drought. A few months passed, there a ball was held in the realm to celebrate his grace. The kingdom honored the king's glory, and danced in the golden hall, feasting their hearts out as every single thing that sprouted died immediately.

Casimir groaned underneath his nose.

"What is it, my love?" Zvezda pondered, caressing her husband's hand, "aren't you happy?"

"I am. By all means," he murmured, glancing over the guests trying to keep up with the tones of the orchestra, "but others may not be..."

Zvezda looked around baffled, and all she saw was pure joy that kindled, "I suppose I don't understand. You gave them everything. Your glory is theirs."

"What is glory to anyone in comparison to a sun that burns it away?"

Her eyes lit up with despair as her husband stood up. She briskly clenched his hands, pulling him to sit back down, disregarding the balance of the weather.

"Just look around! You'll see that no one misses overcast," The Morning Star insisted. In truth, all of them were hiding their scorched shoulders behind the velour robes.

"I do."

"I've warned you, don't you remember? Every wish comes with a price. The exchange was fulfilled."

The last raindrop hit the ground when the star herself settled on the surface. She has to be the one who tamed the storm forevermore as the most powerful being.

"Yet can be reversed," he raised the chalice filled with wine to draw all attention to himself.

Zvezda's teeth were gritted, mirroring the nails that carved tiny scars into his skin, "No! You don't understand how much I've put into this. I've hidden a hideous storm; you'd do the same if you saw him eye to eye."

Casimir's eyebrows narrowed, recalling the grimy cloak.

"I advise you to choose wisely," Zvezda persisted, "This realm deserves beauty. Nothing else."

"Even the rarest beauty can't exist without a bit of rain."

Amid all the earnest desires the tempest longed for, one stuck in the king's mind. He leaned over to his wife. His lips shivered, after the utterance, seeing his wife's expression of total regret.

She gulped.

"Your wish is my command," Zvezda emitted uneasily, granting the very last whim as he pleased.

At that very exact moment, the crack of thunder tore the sky apart with rain taking care of mother earth. Rainfall filled the shriveled river streams. The grass and the flowers started to bloom, flushing the land with colors. Guests cleared the way in a parade, so that the stranger may pass through. Sylas took off his hood, revealing his silver, pearl-like locks of hair and scarred face.

Sylas nodded his thanks since he was saved from other blemishes, fading into a cloudburst.

The king was looking down at the storm. When he was about to gaze at Zvezda on his left, she was already gone, exactly as his wish sealed.

Casimir blinked and a strong glow woke him up back in his humble bedroom, on his farm. It seemed that he never turned a blind eye away. The sound of rain was so calming, a reassuring lullaby to his ears. Drowsy, he went to the window where the Morning Star shone brightly while lightning shielded her from falling for the might again, protecting her from ruining things that were so right and beautiful.

Although Sylas' deepest desire was for Zvezda to be safe and brisk despite what she had done to him, he managed to inspire him to wish for equality.

There were days when Casimir regretted his decisions in the depths of his soul, losing wealth in the snap of a finger was unimaginable but after all, it wasn't completely his. There shouldn't be remorse for something you didn't own in the first place.

You should earn it through effort.

Since then, everyone in the realm could fulfill their dreams as they wished, no one had power over them because they had something more powerful. It held way more than they could imagine.

They had the power of choice; the spark of light that never fades.

"Hmm," School Master murmured, staring at the page of a night sky illustration varnishing the ending of a book. It was a tale of one of a kind. First and foremost, there was no repetitive structure. It didn't end with love and by all odds, no one was punished for their wrongdoings.

The Storian floundered in the air, waiting for the master's verdict with patience.

"Fascinating." School Master broke the silence with utterance, flipping and reading through the pages and the paragraphs. He peeked behind his shoulder with curiosity until he turned completely toward the pair, standing by the bookshelves, far from one another.

"How would you like to attend my school?"

Sylas and Zvezda shared glances.

School Master smirked, "But first, tell me, which one of you is good and which is evil?"