PROLOGUE
The Legend of Phoebe, Daughter of the Elder of Elemental Fire, the Guardian of Women, the Caster of the Curse.
Listen carefully to the words of Wisdom. For They shall tell You of the End of Love. They will teach You a Lesson for Life. They are the Ones that have seen, heard and understood. History – You might think This is, but take care to avoid such Beliefs, for This made the World what it is, This is the Loss of All, the Weapon that was aimed at the Evil, yet Wounded the Good.
It wrote the Year 1312. The Elders – a Group of a hundred lonesome Titans, with History of their own making, guarded the World. Among Them, but Half a Dozen identified as Female Elderesses and twice as much among All were Children. There was a thirteenth Child. Blessed by the most powerful of Elders, Fathered by Fire and taught by the Wisest and Strongest among her Race. Her Name Phoebe – a Witness to her Beauty equal to the Moon's. Her Magic – a Force to destroy and to make. Destiny must have brought her to the Humans' Door, for on the eighth of February, she descended from her humble Abode among the Elders to pay visit to her Subjects. She left behind her Greatness to merge more easily into the Community of which she was Guardian.
At the Time, precious as it was to add Love to One's Name, it was common to seek such a Treasure. Many who found it also found Eternity.
Love was not Phoebe's desire, yet among the Crowd, one Human caught her Heart in a Knot and Phoebe quickly lost her Defences. The Attack was a Surprise and She – unawares – fell into that Man's Trap.
Sir John was not in the least oblivious to his Success. Deep in his chest Cavity burned Hatred. It was dark and freezing. As if an Acid of Ice-cold Temperatures slowly bit and tore this evil Man's Core, eating upon his Soul and leaving solely the worthless Flesh. Yet this all was invisible to the naked Eye.
Phoebe breathed Sir John's Air, she sensed his Fire, she drank from his Water and walked on his Earth. The longer She travelled around the neighbouring Fiefs the more blind She became to the Inequalities that started to form around her.
Then, one Morning, on her Way to a Meeting of fellow Courier Delegates – one of which She was disguised as – Phoebe was stopped in her Tracks by Sir John himself. She smiled at the pleasant Surprise and he mirrored the Gesture. He invited her to join him and so she did. They came to stand atop a Hill and looked around, before Sir John locked his Eyes to Phoebe's.
As He knew of his Power over her and that She was more powerful than any of his former Prey, he knit slowly a Net around. It was only fortunate for him, that Sir John knew not of Phoebe's Heritage, when They decided to bind themselves together in a magical Maze of Love.
As the great Walls rose around them and the single Gate started to close, Sir John guided Phoebe further into the Maze and showed her around. An evil Glim in his Eye. As he let go of Phoebe's Hand for a Moment, outwardly to leave her to admire the Rays of Magic, it cost him only a few discreet Steps to dash through the closing Barrier and laugh at the Woman trapped within.
At first not understanding what happened, in Denial some would say, Phoebe wandered around, somehow waiting for Sir John to come back to her with a Surprise and thus, the Episode would have been forgotten. But as the Time flew by and the Walls seemed to grow and take the Breaths from Phoebe's Lungs, she began to walk faster and faster, until she stopped dead in her tracks in front of a Line of Cages. In Each and every single One of them was enclosed one Heart of a Woman or Girl Sir John had already seduced for his own Entertainment.
Bursting from her Heart came a powerful Shockwave of her strong Elder Heart, but new to Emotions. The Barrier of the Maze came down in a second and from there rose no longer the Woman, but the Elderess Phoebe with Fire in her eyes and magical Wings on her Back. Crying out in senseless Rage, the powerful Being gathered all the Magic around her into an erupting Sphere of Energy and with her last Ounce of Strength, Phoebe threw all her Possessions into the Aether and vaporized into a small Cloud with her last leaving Spell. The Curse had been Cast.
Phoebe's still untamed Magic burned out on her as the loss of Love broke her Heart. She lost her strength. Her ability to bear Magic and her Eyes turned into two endless Black Holes. It was her Father who carried her within his Embrace to a Castle above the Earth and treated her Body, but he could not treat her Mind.
At the Sight of his Daughter, her Father – a powerful Elder Mage called his fellow Warriors and they Ascended the Winds until they got to Phoebe's Curse. Each grabbed onto an Edge, still suspended above the World and pulled outwards. As the Net grew large, it enveloped all within and only once it was above All did the Elders finish the Spell.
All Love was now buried under the Curse and thus it will stay to the future Days – for the Magic of Elders is Powerful and Eternal.
Author's Note- Greetings! This is the story of the End of Love. Or is it? Someone came along and lifted the Curse. They had a Weapon more powerful than the Curse itself. Come with me, and we will be in this together. And who am I? Well...