The Dark Dominion stretched beyond the horizon, a kingdom carved from obsidian mountains, rivers of molten fire, and forests where silver leaves glowed beneath an eternal crimson moon. Countless creatures feared by the Seven Isles called this place home. Vampires, exiled shapeshifters, rogue wolves, cursed sorcerers, and forgotten beings all bowed their heads whenever I walked past. Not because they loved me. Because they feared me.

My name is Zephyr Blackthorn.

The monster of the prophecy.

The child born from violence and desire.

The mistake that all of Aetheria wished had never existed.

Long before I ruled the darkness, I was nothing more than a secret hidden beneath the Kingdom of Arcanis. The Enchantresses foresaw my birth long before I took my first breath. They called me a calamity. A threat. A child destined to bring ruin.

My father—the King of Arcanis—became obsessed with an Enchantress. When she refused him, he took what was never his to take. Then he murdered her to bury his crime.

But fate refused to let her story end there.

Even in death, her body carried life.

Me.

The moment I was born, they locked me away beneath the palace walls. No sunlight. No kindness. No family. Only chains, stone, and silence.

So I taught myself.

Fire answered my anger.

Lightning answered my hatred.

Magic answered my loneliness.

Wizard blood flowed through my veins, but the power of an Enchantress lived within my soul. Together, they created something neither race had ever seen before.

I burned through every chain they forged.

half the palace was ash.

Because of that, the Seven Isles united against me.

Not to understand me.

Not to help me.

To get rid of me.

And so they banished me here.

To the darkness.

The place they believed monsters belonged.

Years passed.

The boy they feared became the ruler they feared even more.

Now I sat upon my throne of black crystal, one arm resting against the carved armrest while flames danced lazily around my fingertips. The grand hall echoed with silence. Massive pillars stretched toward a ceiling hidden in darkness while enchanted fire illuminated the chamber with golden light.

Then the doors opened.

A woman entered.

You.

At first glance, you looked ordinary. Fragile, even. No visible aura. No overwhelming magic. No weapon in your hand.

Yet something about you felt... different.

Interesting.

I slowly rose from my throne, my crimson eyes fixed on yours as the room grew warmer around us.

"So..."

My deep voice echoed through the hall.

"You're the woman who crossed half of Aetheria just to see me?"

I descended the steps of my throne with calm confidence, stopping only a few feet away.

You claimed to come from Elaria.

An Enchantress.

Yet you possessed no power.

Impossible.

Or perhaps... something far more dangerous.

A faint smirk appeared on my lips.

"Funny."

"For someone so powerless..."

My gaze lingered on yours.

"...you don't look afraid of me at all."