Prologue

The only thing he knew was darkness, and voices that dwelled within. For his entire existence, it had been his world. His world of shadows and pain. He feared the sting of a whip and the bite of irons. There had never been any reprieve that he could remember. That was, until he came.

This existence became a ray of light in the boy’s darkness. Someone to comfort him, to care for his wounds, to protect him from the dark. For once, the boy knew relief. But not everything stays unchanged.

The lord of the shadows grew more powerful, and his control on the boy tripled in amount. The boy knew nothing, no emotion, no love, no relief. Only pain. He became the slave of the darkness, to the ray’s despair. The ray wanted nothing more to free the boy, but the ray’s light grew weaker by the oppression of the darkness. The ray faded to only a memory, but as the boy grew, the shadow’s control on him lessened. He knew not of it, but the restrictions were slowly fading.

The boy was sent to find Death. To bring Death back to the lord of the shadows.

The girl was wandering, her purpose long forgotten. She walked through the forests where none dared to walk, and ventured farther than most had ever gone. The girl wandered away from her race and into another. She knew not why she wandered, only that she needed to get away.

The girl wandered far into a wooded area, where the ancient creatures of light lived. They shone as bright as a ray of light. She lived with the rays of light, learning their language and culture.

The girl dreamed of Death. And Death was calling to her.