Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

H elheim

The Dark King

Hellsfire.

An eternity orb can be useful for many things: planning a war, for conquest, for gathering reconnaissance, for watching someone in particular when they least wanted to be watched. But it was useless for me right now because I didn't know who I was searching for.

May the gods be damned.

I stood up from my throne with a savage snarl and turned my back on the swirling orb. It granted me sight into other realms without the need for me to ever set foot in a single one of them, but I was getting nowhere with it. I was just going round and round in circles, watching the same things over and over, seeing the same people and places again and again.

It wasn't enough.

I knew what the problem was, but I didn't want to admit it because that would mean that I would have to leave the safety of my realm. Magic was a fickle creature and even though the mystical orb gave me a snapshot of the current happenings in each kingdom, it gave me no sense of magical abilities, be it ancestral or gifted or even earned. I needed to see more, so much more.

I was missing something.

A small cough echoed behind me, and I turned around in a rush. I narrowed my eyes at the apparition before me as it slowly solidified into a more concrete form.

For fuck's sake. I didn't need this right now.

I hated the seer.

No. That didn't quite cut it. I loathed her with the power of a thousand dying suns. What the fuck was she doing here?

Her long white hair cascaded well past her shoulders, shimmering with an ethereal glow that matched the ambient light of the full moon high in the sky. Her eyes were dark voids, black orbs of shadow that revealed nothing about what was going on in her mind. She cocked her head, an all-knowing smile playing on her lips, and I gritted my teeth, staring back at her.

This was the last thing I needed today.

"What do you want? Why are you here?" I spoke, my vitriol clear in every syllable that bled off my lips.

The seer had visited me once before and it brought nothing but trouble. Back then, she'd spoken in riddles and sent me on a wild goose chase that had taken more than a millennium to figure out, but right now I was well on my way to achieving the ultimate power over the five kingdoms and I had no use for her games.

I knew that the key to the final piece of the prophecy was somewhere in Sungard, and I didn't need her interference right now. I didn't need to be set back another thousand years. I didn't need her help, or better yet, her constant diabolical meddling.

She didn't answer, her lips still twisted up in an amused smirk, which only made me hate her all the more.

I wished she would just go back to where she came from and never come back.

I took a step closer to her. She didn't seem frightened. Not that I had expected her to be. She was one of the only beings in all of the kingdoms that held more power than me and I detested that. My fingers twitched at my sides. If she had been a mere mortal, I would have ended her life right there and then. But I knew the seer wasn't one to be trifled with, at least not until I fulfilled the prophecy and gained the crown over all five kingdoms and the world delved into darkness under my reign.

"What do you want?" I tried again.

"I've come to warn you," she said, her voice resonating throughout my throne room. I took a seat on my throne and gazed over my dominion, paying her little mind.

I didn't need her warning or her threats, whatever this may be. Maybe I would just let her say her piece and be done. Then I could ignore whatever meddling advice she would give and go on my way. I sighed, my gaze drifting over her for a moment before looking off over the expanse of my throne room. It was seated at the peak of my castle and if I ventured off the balcony at the very edge of it, I could see all of Helheim. It was a beautiful cold place, one of desolation and constant storms of lightning that pierced the sky and lit up the darkness.

My throne room was magnificent. Towering walls of cold ebony stone soared upward, adorned with sinister runes etched in blood red, their twisted designs hinting at the malevolent power that pulsed through my dark domain. In the dim corners of the massive hall, shadows writhed and whispered their secrets of damnation, their voices those of lost souls condemned to exist without physical form for all time.

And then there was my throne.

Dominating the center of the massive chamber, it stood as a grim symbol of my power. Forged from sharp, glistening obsidian, it loomed tall and imposing, its dark surface catching the light from the flames that flickered along the walls. The backrest, inspired by the ruthless ironwork of the ancient kings who ruled before me, twisted and spiraled like the horns of demonic beasts. The skeletal motif embedded in the design stood as a grim reminder of the inevitable demise that awaited anyone who dared to challenge me.

There were few who did.

Infernal purple flames danced at my throne's edges. Tendrils of dark smoke wove through the air, mingling with the murmurs of the damned souls that haunted the chamber.

Their screams were like the perfect lullaby late at night.

As I settled into the throne, its icy touch seeped into my core. Helheim was hell on earth, and I reigned over it all.

I was the Dark King. The shepherd of souls. Some called me the devil. Others spoke of me like a god. To the people of the five realms, I was the embodiment of darkness, the manifestation of all things evil and vile. But none of that mattered to me. They would all bow to me when the time came.

Because it would come.

And it was coming soon .

I would see to it myself. In the past, I'd relied on others, mainly my changeling Mais, but she had failed me and if I wanted things done right, the only person I could rely on was myself.

I stared at the seer. I was in no mood for her games today. I just wanted her gone, sooner rather than later.

Better yet… right now .

"If you have a point to make, I suggest you make it and go," I pressed, and her all-knowing smile grew even wider. My eyes narrowed.

With a heavy sigh, I lifted my chin and stared her down, wishing I could use my power to engulf her ethereal form in dark flames like I did the rest of the wretched souls that ended up in my domain. My gaze slid over her shoulder to see Mais standing by the entryway.

She had been pretty once, before she'd disappointed me one too many times and I'd needed to punish her. She still bore the marks of my discipline, the burned flesh of her right cheek a cruel reminder of her treachery, but it had served its purpose.

But she'd needed to be punished again. No one failed me and remained untouched by my cruel hand.

After this last time, the burns now descended down the right side of her body, hidden below the leathers of her black armor. For some reason, I had decided not to kill her.

She was the one soul I'd ever granted mercy to. I still didn't understand why. Something had stopped me from damning her, be it fate, I didn't know. Maybe I would understand someday, but whatever it may be, I wasn't losing sleep over it.

It didn't much matter. The important thing was she still served me, and she would continue to do so until her last dying breath.

I gestured for her to join us, and she stepped forward, her head held high, her expression stoic. She may have failed me in the past, but she was loyal, and I wouldn't begrudge her that.

She may fear me, but I was a fair king. Sometimes…

Mais bowed her head, her hand resting on the hilt of the dagger she kept strapped to her side. I knew it well. It was forged with the heart of my magic, and my essence flowed through the black iron, giving it its dark and mysterious power.

Only a handful of weapons in all the realms could match its strength and she was the only one I trusted to carry it when I didn't carry it myself.

"Welcome, seer," Mais murmured, her voice soft yet respectful.

The seer moved further into the room, her form flickering like a shadow caught between realms. Her dark, void-like eyes betrayed no emotion, and her presence sent a chill through the already frigid air. I watched her warily, loathing every moment she remained in my presence.

"Speak your warning and be gone," I demanded, my patience wearing far too thin already.

She smiled, a twisted, knowing smile that only deepened my irritation and I glared back at her with pure hatred.

"A girl with golden eyes will be your undoing," she intoned, her voice resonating with an eerie certainty. "She will come from the light, touched by dragon magic. She is destined to bring you ruin."

I dismissed her words with a wave of my hand, scoffing at the notion. "The prophecy you gave me calls for the sacrifice of four human girls touched by dragon magic. Three have lost their humanity and I'm close to finding the last one. Her sacrifice will grant me unparalleled power, allowing me to rule over all five kingdoms without the annoyance of barriers. She will die by my hand. Your warning is pointless. Her golden eyes will not matter in the slightest."

The seer's smile widened, her eyes glinting with a hint of mockery.

"Power and fate are fickle, Dark King. Beware the golden-eyed girl. She may be more than you expect."

I stood, the icy touch of my throne seeping into my core as I glared back at her.

"Leave now, witch, before I lose what little patience I have left."

With a final enigmatic smile, the seer vanished into the shadows, leaving behind a lingering sense of foreboding. I turned to Mais, who had watched the exchange in silence, her expression unreadable.

"Prepare the search for the girl," I commanded. "Her life will fuel my ascension. I will be sure to cut her pretty human throat myself."

Mais nodded, her hand resting on the hilt of her dagger. "As you command, my king."

As I settled back onto my throne, I glanced around the room, taking in the hellish flames that danced in shadows on the walls. I knew that very soon, all five kingdoms would bow before me. The prophecy would be fulfilled, and not even the seer's cryptic warning could deter me from my path to ultimate power.

I wouldn't rest until it was mine.

All mine.