1 Chapter 1

King Hendred the Peaceful was walking down the courtyard of the Cliffed Palace. Situated in the middle of the Capital, and one of his many palaces in the Kingdom of Derieta. Several nightingale statues were stationed at the corners and the middle of the Imperial Garden. He gave out a sigh, but this expression wasn't of worry or regret, this one was of bliss. He continued his stroll among the blooming roses, the batches of hydrangeas, chrysanthemums, lilies, and several Middlemist's Red camelia. Although this was the most beautiful garden of all the land, there was something that made this one unique.

It wasn't the fact that every flower in the world can be found here, blooming forever, never withering or dying. It was what's lying on the middle of it all. Although there were a total of five statues of a nightingale in the garden, with the same sculpture decorating the garth, there was one unique thing about the one in the middle. It might be another nightingale but this one was made out of pure light. Yes! Pure light! Yet what made this more interesting was the fact that this relic is and isn't whole at all. What made it whole isn't the most important thing of all, but the main question was this; "How can light hold up an object?" Even up to this day, it remains a mystery, and what Hendred wanted to know, was what was the purpose of the object that the light was holding and bearing.

The King strode slowly to the statue, contemplating on what was the whole reason of this thing. He reminded himself on what the Deity told the people of Deityera years ago.

"Capable of chaos or peace"

These words stuck on him like an icicle jabbed deep in his heart as he approached the light. He reached out his hand trying to caress the unnatural monument. Although he knew that all of these actions were futile, he still tried, he hoped that it will finally reveal its true purpose, he hoped it would be awakened. He hoped that it will do something.

When he reached the last few centimeters, he finally gathered all that courage and suspense building up in his heart and pushed his hand to the sculpture one more time. Just as he expected, it went through the statue, making it illuminate more. He wanted to stay in this heaven-like stature; he wanted to remain in the heavenly state; and he willed his hand to stay there in the light, warming and filling his body. But the longer he stayed, the more unbearable the light became. Hendred tried to close his eyes, sadly even the light penetrated through the closed eye-lids of the King, even if he tried to turn away his face, the light radiated more, passing through his skin and going through his bones. He felt its persistence to get rid of the King's hand, he felt the figure's unwantedness to be touched, thus he pulled his hand away. Instantly the light statue stopped radiating menacingly and became still once again, becoming whole and not whole, continuously holding or somewhat balancing the Tear of Heaven on top of its head further being shrouded by countless questions which were unsolved.

So, the King of the palace once again turned around and walked away recalling the happenings and events during the Dark Wars, yet what his mind presented was the memory of his dying father lying on his deathbed.

10 years prior…

A twenty-year-old Hendred stood at the foot of his father's deathbed, tears streaming down his eyes. His father the Emperor of United Derieta was breathing shallowly, each breath was slowly marginalized by the chamber's cold walls. It was as if they were closing on the Emperor waiting to absorb his last breath celebrating and awaiting the passing of another royal figure.

As these things went on and on, Hendred's eyes were pouring rivers of sorrow and agony, suddenly Emperor Goratiea stopped taking in air.

His son thinking that his father was dead, didn't have the courage to open his eyes and look at the dead body in front of him which was once his father but now a lifeless corpse. But the silenced room was soon broken by the Emperor's voice saying.

"My son…" The Emperor said heavily with exhaustion and fatigue, causing the young Prince to open his eyes in shock and disbelief, relieved that his father was still alive.

Yet before Goratiea could even say a word the Prince retorted back.

"Father! I will avenge you and kill those traitorous bastards who poisoned you in your own house! They have shamelessly murdered you in your own household. You brought them hospitality but they selfishly exchanged it with bad intentions! I will slit their throats and feed them to the animals! I will bring justice to them and st-"

"HENDRED!" The Emperor echoed this time with anger but noticeable pity in his voice.

"I know that this hurts you, I know how it feels to see a loved one die, for I also had the same feelings as you when the rebels killed my father, but I made a wrong choice…"

"What wrong choice? You are bringing justice! You are a great ruler! You are holding up our family Code! You are putting a stop to this rebellion that has ravaged our country for ages!"

"People are dying my son! People are dying for a single purpose!"

The young man stopped, taken aback, he knew his father was correct, but curiosity took the better of him. "And what's that father?" the Prince inquired.

"Freedom"

With those last words the Emperor's life faded. The walls closed in; the walls absorbed his last breath; and the walls turned colder. But in all of that glum, hope lit up inside the young Prince like a matchstick. Making the walls retreat, although that same spark, ignited a revolution a millennium ago, yet this time the emperor-to-be had a feeling that there was hope for peace he had a feeling that this was peace for sure…

Hendred stood up from his makeshift throne in the middle of an empty plateau beside Richester City the Capital of United Derieta. Facing the rebel leaders of the different parts of the empire sitting on a long table situated on top of the platform where they were standing on, the King's blue eyes and sandy hair made a distinction, but his complexion didn't matter at the moment.

Since his heart was filled with bitterness and spite, he had little reason to call on the five rebel leaders and come to negotiating terms with them. Yet, he and his father knew that there was no more reason for bloodshed, and he finally had the chance to stop an empire from trying to collapse itself because of its own people unknowingly destroying its foundations! So, Hendred opened his mouth about to say his speech and terms, but before he even said anything, he offered a short yet heartfelt prayer to the Deity above, to guide him and to mold these rebels' hearts to agree with his decisions, after his short mental prayer the newly-crowned King spoke.

"People of United Derieta." His voiced echoed through the council table and through the crowd from the different cities of the empire.

"Countless lives have been lost in the Dark Wars, and many grudges were solved, yet countless grudges have formed! I, the newly crowned Emperor, have finally decided to divide the parts of this empire and give it to these five leaders. Slavery will be abolished and there will be no more Ranking System. We will recognize every single land that will be given to the rebel leaders, as a country. But there will be several conditions that need to be followed!

First Condition: This slave-free land will be named Deityera in honor of the Lord above

Second Condition: The Free Lands of Deityera will come to each other's help in times of crisis or in need

Third Condition: The Kings and Queens of the Free Lands will not conspire with one another to kill other leaders

This is the Lighted Order of the Free Lands! Will you agree and follow the Order?"

The rebel leaders and the crowd of spectators were shocked, they were astonished on how Hendred handled the whole situation unwaveringly. Yet a leader whose name was Theodore the Arrogant stood up quickly knocking his chair down in the process. His bushy red beard giving out a frown and his brown eyes looking at the King's blue ones, these actions were attention-drawing and soon caught the interest of everybody on the plateau.

Thinking that a fight was about to start, Hendred's High Guards rushed in front of him drawing out their gold-plated swords. Like a rubber band being stretched out to its maximum, the dark and silent atmosphere was broken by the silent thuds of Theodore's feet stepping on the wooden platform, he stopped in front of the two guards who were about to raise their weapons and strike, causing several murmurs of fear and shock from the people watching.

Fortunately, Hendred raised his hand which made the High Guards lower their weapons and sheath back their swords which were the only sounds that were lost to the edges of the apprehensive-riddled plateau. After a few seconds, which felt more like several minutes, Theodore spoke.

"As the Chief Leader of the Dark Revolution, I accept all of your conditions and will treat you as a fellow comrade. I, including Jasper the Great, Marianne the Fearless, and Zion the Warrior recognize you Hendred Cliffed the Peaceful as the king of Derieta"

He took out his left hand, and offered a handshake to King Hendred. Without any hesitation Hendred presented his hand and interlocked their fingers fulfilling the handshake, causing his hair and Theodore's red ones to shake vigorously. As they continued on, an eruption of laughter and relief came from the crowd slaves, rebels and Derietans, were slapping backs and hugging each other like they were old friends. The four leaders at the council table shook hands with each other. For after a thousand years of the Dark Wars, peace was finally achieved; peace was finally ruling; peace was finally here.

While the people began celebrating their equality the dark atmosphere metaphorically and literally dissolved, since the heavens opened up, not only bringing other-worldly sunlight but a voice, the voice of the Deity! When the people heard this, they all looked up seeing a nightingale made out of pure light swoop down with four others but these four were ordinary ones. The crowd retreated, mesmerized and afraid of this wonderful sight. When the nightingales finally settled down a few yards away from the crowd, the Deity spoke in a poem.

"It has been a long time since,

I've seen peace grow,

But this young prince,

Helped it flow,

Once again,

After a thousand years,

You have attained,

And made a significant feat,

As a gift I will give to humanity,

I give you a weapon,

Capable of chaos or peace."

At the end of the poem, the four ordinary nightingales dissolved into statues and the light-made one stood still, becoming whole and not whole. And before their eyes a palace was made out of nowhere!

The ground turned into mosaiced tiles and walls, ceilings, pillars and objects surrounded the men and women who were to awestruck to even speak or move. Soon they were standing inside the Great Hall filled with chandeliers and pillars of stone, where sculptures of many kinds were carved. The wooden platform and the makeshift throne dissolved into stairs that led to a grandeur and golden throne.

Before they knew it, bed chambers, solars, bathrooms, lavatories and garderobes, kitchens, pantries and many more rooms and features were added to the palace from nowhere.

Soon the council were the only people left in the Great Hall, the people dispersed and went back to their homes, still unable to speak because of all of the things that happened in a short span of time. Jasper the Great, a young man, no more than 23, with brunette features agreed with Theodore the Arrogant to name the place Cliffed Palace in honor of the family of the late Emperor Goratiea.

Since for a thousand years, the Dark Wars ravaged the land, dragging innocent people into imminent danger. But it finally ended. Suddenly the Deity's face showed once more, although it wasn't a face since it was made out of pure light, He cried of joy but only a single tear fell, the Tear of Heaven. It went down and crystallized itself while balancing on top of the lightingale's beak. Once again, the Deity repeated His words for the last time;

"Capable of chaos or peace"