Dreele

Prologue

5th Year of Dreele B.S.
(Before Separation)

He- No. 401, as he could and would only be referred to- crept along the silent corridors of the castle. It was impossible to distinguish his features as he was wearing a dark cloak that wrapped around his body and a mask which covered his entire face. 401 was the stealthiest and most vigilant among his group, which was why he had been entrusted with this task of utmost importance. He paused for a moment, surveying his surroundings.

The castle used to be so full of life, but after the terrible tragedy that had occurred- he smirked; the accident could not have happened at a better time- it was now somberly silent, the grief of the people hanging over the whole land- Dreele, was it?- like a black thundercloud.

Naturally, his leader had wanted him to take advantage of the opportunity. With the replacement ruler, Wilfred, or Adyth, whatever he was called, dead and the young heiress to the throne in hiding, no one would be there to stop him.

Still, questions rang out in his mind.

Why did Wilfred- or Adyth- have two names? Why had the princess been forced into hiding the moment she was born? How did they keep her birth a secret? What could 401's people do to make her stay away? What had really happened that evening, when the queen mysteriously disappeared?

And what powers did this strange artefact- the Cryx, they called it- possess?


401 leaped out the window.

His agility was superior to a cat's and his reflexes were even quicker. It was a natural gift for the people of his land, one that enabled them to land from a fall of two floors or even ten, run like the wind (though they'd still be tired afterwards) just like the people on Dreele were either gifted with extreme intelligence or otherworldly skills.

Magic, 401 scorned. Secretly, he admired the Hinopolians, the geniuses, but the magicians- Mytholians, they were called- were simply inane. But then, some of their feats were rather remarkable. Their magic was like nothing he had seen before and there was no explanation for it. The unknown scared him.

"Dear, what's that? I think I just saw-" a lady's voice was heard. 401's head whipped around. Occupied by his thoughts, he had not seen the couple on a midnight stroll nearing. Thankfully, they hadn't really noticed him yet. And who strolled at midnight, anyway?

Alarmed, he fled to his side of the Great Unknown, as they called it, only a few meters away from the castle, which was right in the middle of the whole land. It was just a plain old forest, just like the one on the opposite side of the land, where he had arrived from- even if it was full of 'dangers'. But these dangers wouldn't harm him. They knew enough not to attack the people of the land they had come from. Laughing, he kicked the "Danger" sign on the way in, causing an obvious dent. Snickering, he sprinted in.

The creatures ignored him, and 401 treated them likewise. His only mission now was to return to his land, which would only be possible once he had jumped off the edge of Dreele.

It was a mystery, really.

This Dreele of theirs was supposed to be in the middle of nowhere. When someone fell off, they would never return, because they'd fall and fall and fall through the nothingness. Yet, when someone from his land jumped off, they'd land right in Dreele, and when he jumped off Dreele, he'd land in his own. It was absurb, really. But he wasn't worthy of knowing these answers, he thought rather bitterly.

He was now in the heart of the forest.

401 paused for a while to catch his breath and paused next a tree, which stood tall and mighty with four other trees in their clearing.

Granted, there were many other trees in the forest, but all of them seemed to fade into the background when compared to these trees. They emitted a sort of power and magnificence.

He leaned against the tree, intending to rest for a moment or two. He was exhausted from-

"What's this?"

A deep voice resounded throughout the clearing. 401, startled, stood up straight and glanced around warily.

"Fancy that! An intruder on our land!" another voice rang out. It was shriller, like a lady's. 401 was rattled now. He looked around. It seemed like the voices were coming out... from the trees.

"He leaned on me!" the first voice complained.

"Quit whining, Godric," a younger voice scorned. Another female, 401 thought.

"He has it," came a gasp. It was the second voice.

401 was backing away by now. They were trees, after all… they wouldn't be able to do anything, would they? Maybe he should just turn around and flee.

"He's contemplating running," came another voice. It was a kind voice yet it had a hard edge to it at this moment, a voice of a man around maybe his mid forties.

"This is so going to be fun," came another voice.

401 panicked. Even though no one could see his face, least of all him, he was sure he was deathly white now.

The last thing he saw was a burst of blinding white light.


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"It's not in our power to keep it," Godric said, firmly.

"But we can't return it to the castle," Cloelle sighed. She tried to shake her head, but realised she couldn't and settled for shaking her branches instead. "We're just as doomed."

"The prophecy has begun," Wayth replied gravely. "What choice do we have?"

"I dislike prophecies," Fione retorted. "They're simply tales of fate. Fate itself is what we must listen to. And I agree. Fate cannot be denied. We have done our best to postpone it, but there will be no way to rewrite it."

"You excel at that, Fione- beating around the bush. But well, I agree. It must be broken up," Otmos's leaves seemed to wilt as he said those words. "After the inevitable chaos ensues, we'll send it off on its journey."

"Very well, then. The ritual will start now."


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A/N: I am really proud of this story. I've been planning it since I was 7 or 8. Yes, things seem very confusing and you might think there are tons of holes in the story, but as you read on you'll figure the pieces out and all questions will be answered. I promise :) Also, bear in mind that this is only the prologue. So... yeah. I have even planned a bit of the sequel and I might have a prequel if I ever finish both XD
On a side-note, I love constructive criticism :) It helps me a lot and I love it when I get a good review.
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Review, thanks! :D