1 Chapter 1

Melione sighed in contented relief as she pulled her white hair free from the tight pins that held it back, falling smooth and long down her shoulders. She didn't mind visits to Hampton, her hometown, but the occasions often called for much more formal wear than she bothered with in her kingdom, Havelon.

She still remembers the reign of her father. It was full of hardships and forbidden magic.

Her mother, the queen, had a free spirit and was a great ruler, always taking part in the political matters of the kingdom. It was her strong support that the kingdom became one of the most powerful and promising kingdoms despite the surrounding darkness.

The queen gave birth to three beautiful girls, but died in childbirth of the third daughter.

The first daughter Leferia was a bright child who was brave and strong. She was a wind magic user and resembled the king with her long golden hair and chocolate brown eyes.

The second daughter Zylane was two years younger than her elder sister and was a water magic user. She was shy and took nothing seriously. She remained in the shadow of her elder sister in nearly every way and loved splashing water on her siblings. She was the splitting image of their mother with brown hair and green eyes.

Then there was the youngest of all three, Melione. She was truly what one would call a gifted child but many considered it as a curse. She was one of the rarest magic holders who could control the dead and had command over the spirits. She looked nothing like her parents. She had white hair, but the most jarring of all were her eyes : what one would think at first were a blackish brown were actually a dark crimson.

Melione could still remember the war that took their father away from them. All three sisters took part in the war, winning a glorious victory with the help of other minor kingdoms. But, their grief of losing their father was much greater than their victory.

Melione and her sisters didn't become the rulers of the three great empires within a night. They had fought for it. The war lasted for years and after their win they started from scratch.

It was easy for Leferia and Zylane who were married and had their husband's support and estate to start, unlike Melione who had to start from the very beginning to build Havelon.

Leferia became the queen of Hampton being the oldest of all three and took the right opportunity to use the resources the already prosperous land provided her.

Zylane's situation was no different. Her husband also had a small kingdom which grew rapidly after the trade business they started.

Havelon on the other hand was a new kingdom that grew under Melione. It also became the richest kingdom with it's trade business and mines, all under the watchful eyes of the rumoured queen who was said to be a spirit user.

All Melione did after the war was focusing on building her empire. She had worked day and night drowning herself in paperwork, setting rules and proper foundation for the traders and merchants.

She had long ago learned to ignore the unsolicited advice from her sisters on her attire, who always seemed to think her style choices were part of the reason she didn't have a husband.

Melione looked down at her current attire. She wore a long black dress that was fitted at her slender waist with a thick and shiny golden belt with matching bands on her wrists. She had a thin golden chain around her neck with a small Phoenix pendant hanging from it. Her shoulders were draped with a black cape and a heavy onyx scepter in her hand.

Melione found it hardly fair, considering Leferia was always showing as much cleavage as she could get away with, and she didn't remember the last time she had seen Zylane being serious and splashing her with water at every chance.

Melione did enjoy seeing her sisters, but with any time she visited Hampton, she was exhausted afterwards, her energy for smiling and small talk worn out after smiling for a few hours.

Happy to be alone with her thoughts but not ready to return home yet, Melione walked a breezy meadow on Aurendel, enjoying the view.

She remembered Serabi, the queen of Aurendel. It was a small kingdom located between the border of Havelon and Hampton. It was a famous dwelling for the plant magic users as it mainly depended on agriculture and had a suitable climate for it.

Serabi had always been a loyal ally to Leferia but she was strict. Melione didn't like her, they always argued whenever they were in the same room. Serabi thought that she was the wisest among all because she was the oldest, but Melione could prove it wrong without hesitation. After all, she was the one who helped her kingdom from crumbling down after the war.

It would only take a blink of an eye for Melione to wipe out Aurendel. It was nothing compared to Havelon, who had worked hard for years. But there was something inside her that didn't want to start another war. The last one still left a great impact on her and she still has nightmares about those nights she spent on the battlefield.

Melione knew that Serabi knew her reasoning of not starting another war and that is why she goes whining to Leferia when she faces any problem.

Serabi was a great warrior and there was no denying it. She alone was able to take down dozens of soldiers, but her bad temper and annoying nature made it impossible for Melione to deal with her. Serabi always wanted everything to be as she wanted it to be. And the living example was her son. Melione felt bad for him even though she had never met him. He had to bear with Serabi his whole life. She may be his mother but she could be extreme sometimes.

Serabi never let her son participate in the war or even any other social events saying he was too young for it. No one knew how he looked and even his name was not known. But what was known to everyone was that he and Melione were of the same age.

Melione was too engrossed in her thoughts when she suddenly stumbled upon something, or someone to be precise.

She looks back on who it was when she hears the person groan only to see a man sprawled out on the ground with haphazardly face down. She nervously pokes him with her scepter causing him to jerk awake. He squinted against the sunlight in his eyes with a groan.

As soon as his eyes seemed to have adjusted to the sunlight he looked directly at Melione. She couldn't stop a gasp from escaping before stumbling back a little. She froze, limps locked in fear, caught in the gaze of the man before her. Her brain struggling to keep up.

He had jet black hair with sun kissed skin, but most of all that caught Melione's were her eyes. Just like her rare dark crimson eye colour, anyone seeing his eyes would first think of it as a very deep blue but they were actually a pretty shade of purple.

He looked directly into her eyes, his gaze penetrating and unflinching. That is when Melione noticed a small smirk forming on his lips.

Usually Melione herself was a very intimidating person and is not scared of others. Her winning such a great war and being the queen of Havelon made it impossible for people to not fear her and on top of that she was a spirit user. Although she never let others see the actual strength of her power she was still feared by others. But, somehow seeing the man lying in front of her was different. She could feel his dominant aura but somehow it was not uncomfortable. It had been a long time since she felt that way.

Melione turns back heading towards her carriage without giving the stranger any chance to start a conversation. She could feel his stares at her back. For some reason she knew he still had that same expression on his face. And before she could fully be out from his view she gives a last look back only to find the person gone.

This was really a weird day for Melione and she was ready to return back to Havelon and drown herself in paperwork again. But she still couldn't stop the feeling of being watched throughout her way back to her castle.