Page 47 of Fated

“The machines of war were not simply tools—they were marvels of innovation, designed to counter the divines’ supernatural gifts. Their weapons were so devastating that the very existence of our world was at risk. A great and terrible war broke out, that of humans and their monstrous machines against the divine, who were led by the four most powerful magic wielders of that time. Before it was over, the humans had nearly wiped out our entire race.

“Just before the brink of total destruction, the divine, desperate for salvation, prayed to the gods for help. They stepped in to give our planet a second chance, scattering thehumans around the globe, and destroying their technology to ensure they wouldn’t have the means to rebuild.

“The time before the gods was a very dark period in our world, and the gods stepped in and gave our world a second chance. The gods—four brothers—then established the four kingdoms of Gardonia. Each brother chose and appointed one of those four strong magic wielders as a king, bestowing upon them both land and the responsibility to protect the world.

“The kings were tasked with maintaining balance and ensuring both humans and the divine coexisted peacefully. Each god blessed their chosen king with a portion of their own power, creating a lineage of leaders who could wield magic unlike any before them.

“The god Elliot, known for his cunning and fluid nature, gave his chosen king—the King of Ellington—the power of transformative magic. This king had the extraordinary ability to shift into any living creature, whether human or animal, and could even transform other people or objects into anything he desired. Today, we call Ellington the Dark or Forgotten Kingdom, but we will return to that part of history later.

“Now, the god Titus, master of the natural world, granted his chosen king—the King of Titan—the power of the elements. This king could command the very forces of nature at his whim: water; fire; earth; and air. He could summon mighty storms, make the earth tremble beneath his enemies, and forge weapons from the raw elements themselves.

“The god Ambrose, the god of wisdom and thought, gave his chosen king—the King of Ambrosia—the power of the mind.

“This power, although intangible, was vast, allowing the king to control armies with a mere thought, and to pry into the deepest corners of people’s minds and expose their darkestsecrets. In the past, kings have used this power for great good and unimaginable evil.

“Finally, the god Aster, the most compassionate of the brothers, gave his chosen king—the King of Astern—the gift of energy, a power now known through its descendants as healers. This king could manipulate raw energy in its purist form, bringing life to inanimate objects, channeling energy from one source to another, and harnessing energy into power to heal the wounded. However, this power also came with a darker facet: the ability to return objects, even living beings, to the void from which all energy originates, effectively erasing them.

“While the current king of every kingdom wielded undiluted power, their descendants could wield a fraction of that power. A prince of Ambrosia, for example, may possess the ability to compel another person’s actions using the power of the mind.”

“Like Ash?” I interrupted.

Madam Pearl nodded. “Yes, like Sebastian. And a princess of Astern, for instance, would have the ability to heal the sick,” she added, her gaze shifting directly to mine.

My heart stuttered, and Ash’s eyes were on me. The room seemed to blur for a moment as her words sank in. “You think I’m a princess?” I asked, my voice laced with doubt.

“I don’t think so, dear, I know it.” Madam Pearl spoke with conviction. “You carry the healing power that only a princess of Astern could possess.”

A wave of dizziness washed over me as the weight of her words settled. My mind raced with questions, but I forced myself to remain focused, clinging to her story.

“When a king died,” Madam Pearl continued, “his power—what we call the ‘heir power’—would pass to one of his male heirs, unless of course, he didn’t have any sons, in which case it would pass to one of his daughters. Every time the heir powerhas been passed down, it has grown stronger. With great power, there always exists the potential for great good or great evil. Many devastating wars have been waged because of the heir power over the centuries.”

“What about Cresinthia? Is it not a kingdom?” I asked.

She smiled. “We are water dwellers, gifted by the gods the ability to live both under the water or walk on the land. The gods gifted us sanctuary beneath Gardonia, a refuge to protect us during times of war, and to guard our most precious treasure—knowledge.

“You see, in that terrible last battle between humans and the divine, nearly all of our planet’s history and knowledge was destroyed. The very first leader of Cresinthia had been a librarian from Gardonia’s largest historical archive. After the library was decimated, she begged the gods to restore the knowledge. Instead, they gave her the gift of the water dweller and provided this land to guard and protect all new knowledge. As recorders of history, our people were stationed throughout the four kingdoms, trained to live in the world above, to be appointed emissaries to the king’s courts, and to pass information through our underground channels.

“In return, the kings and whoever they allow have access to our vast collection of knowledge.

Our very waters are enchanted. Anyone approaching with ill intentions will lose their purpose and forget why they came here long before ever reaching the water. Those with pure hearts, however, can summon us.”

Ash cleared his throat. “So, Agidius warned us to stay away from the lake and ordered us to kill you on sight because he didn’t want us gaining access to Cresinthia and learning the truth.”

Madam Pearl nodded, her expression solemn. “Agidius haskept much hidden from you … Do you remember when I mentioned the dark kingdom, the Kingdom of Ellington?”

We both nodded.

“In the earliest days of Ellington, the first king was fated to a powerful divine who dabbled in dark magic. Some would call her a witch.”

“Fated?” I asked.

“To be fated to someone is a rare and precious gift,” she explained. “It means fate has destined two individuals to be together, a perfect match in every sense. When two fated souls find and choose one another, a magical bond is formed, linking them forever as one. This gift is powerful and although it may lie dormant for many years, it often awakens during times of great need, drawing together individuals destined to shape history. Now, back to the King of Ellington and his own fated witch. The witch queen’s name was Cynthia, and somehow, she managed to murder the king—her own fated one. Being Fated to the King, and with no other heir to succeed him, the heir power transferred to Cynthia. No one understands how she was able to endure it as the death of a fated one is the most excruciating pain imaginable, like losing a piece of your very soul.

“Cynthia may have become the legitimate Queen of Ellington, but her people despised her for what she had done. She was a tyrant, consumed by her hunger for power. Rebellion grew quickly, and her reign was marked by cruelty and chaos. One of our Cresinthian emissaries, stationed in her court, discovered that Cynthia had imprisoned a rare and powerful being, a world walker—someone who could open portals to other worlds. The only one of his kind.

“She forced the world walker to open portals in hidden places all over Gardonia, leading to worlds where only humans lived. To quell the rebellion in her kingdom, Cynthia devised a darkcurse—a curse that would later be the blueprint to the curse plaguingyou.”Madam Pearl pointed to Ash. “Cynthia bound the curse to herself, becoming the sire to a new race she called the rippers. As she was their sire, the rippers were compelled to obey her every command.

“The curse bound her people’s magic, muting it. It altered their very DNA, forcing them to rely on human blood to survive. But blood wasn’t just a need—it was an insatiable craving, as addictive as a drug. Blood became a currency in Cynthia’s kingdom, and the human worlds to which she had opened portals were her blood farms.”

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