Chapter 1: A History Lesson

In the year 19XX two species populated the planet, one called the Luturu who bore wings made of feathers and light, and another called the Teraas who proudly displayed wings of element and magic. Even though the Luturu outnumbered the Teraas, they were able to live in peace and harmony. Until, in the year 20XX, tragedy struck. An enormous earthquake overtook the planet, causing many natural disasters and shaking its inhabitants to the core. Somehow, in the aftermath and chaos of the quake, the prince of the Luturu vanished. The king ordered a search immediately and within days a clue was found, a feather covered in the prince's blood stuck in the tree on the outskirts of the Teraas' territory. Grief stricken, the King destroyed its ties with the Teraas and declared war, one that lasted for centuries. The Teraas were naturally proficient in magic and flight, but they were still outmatched by the physical prowess and sheer numbers that the Luturu possessed. Finally, after centuries of war and bloodshed, when the numbers of the Teraas had dwindled down to mere hundreds, the Luturu banished them underground, under a large mountain range in the corner of the planet no one dared venture to, and cast a spell to keep them trapped down there for eternity.

Years passed, and the Luturu managed to rebuild their kingdom. The Teraas was mostly forgotten, demoted to legends and whispers that were passed down generation to generation. While the King never fully recovered from the loss of his son, he was able to remarry and carry on with his life, although rumors said that the locket around his neck still held the blood soaked feather from oh so long ago. In 40XX the King passed away, leaving his crown and entire kingdom to his son, who was a mere 16 years of age. After a while, the new King decided to expand his kingdom, setting his sights on the rich and fertile land near the Forbidden Mountains. Villages and towns were built, with roads connecting them all to the capital, and a stone wall was constructed around the forest and mountains. The King was pleased and the kingdom flourished, evolving and growing as time passed, the Teraas being left to the history books in the back of libraries.

I sat back in my chair, groaning in frustration. I had tried for hours to find something to inspire me , something to spark that creativity that my mother used to love, but nothing had worked. I let my head hang back off the back of the chair and ran my hands through my hair, thinking about what I could do next. I had exhausted all the resources at all the libraries in the surrounding towns and villages, in fact this was my last hope. Another groan escaped me and I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to ward off the headache I could feel coming on.

"Miss?" I opened my eyes to find the librarian standing behind me, meekly smiling down at me. "The library is close to closing, if you could put away the books you've taken out and..." Her voice trailed off.

"Right," I exclaimed after a few seconds of silence. I jumped up out of my chair, causing the librarian to step back in surprise. "I'll clean up! Sorry about startling you!" She started backing away waving a hand at me to dismiss my comment, but I was already lost in my own little world. I'll just clean up and try asking the librarian for some advice, I thought to myself as I started to put the books I had stacked around me away. No need to wallow in misery! After I cleared my area, I walked up to the front desk near the entrance.

"Hi! I was wondering if you have any old story books or legends you don't keep out on the floor that you would not mind me taking home?" The librarian thought for a second and smiled. She entered a small room behind the desk and dug around for a while, leaving the door open a little. I peeked through curious, but I wasn't able to see anything, so I started humming to myself to pass the time.

"Here we go!" The librarian stepped out of the room, coughing a bit, and held out a leather-bound book. I took it from her and looked over it, inspecting the cover and spine. This might do, I thought.

"Legends and Tales of the Old World," I read the title out loud and looked up at the woman in front of me. She had closed the door already and was sitting down at her desk with the notebook for checking out library books in front of her. She looked up at me and I noticed that her hair was covered in dust.

"No one ever checks it out, but this is one of the books we are mandated to keep. Do you want to check it out?" I nodded at her, absent-mindedly pulling out my ID card so she could jot my information down. "Thank you," she said after a couple of minutes, "and have a nice evening." I smiled in her direction and walked out of the library, nose buried in the book.

It was a book filled to the brim with legends from the Old World. Tales of grandeur and mysticism, legends about shadow creatures and monsters. My brain buzzed with ideas, but one specific story stood out to me. A story called Of Heroes and Demons . It told of a hero who led an army in battle against demons that were plaguing his town. It described how he drove the demons back and trapped them in a forest under a mountain range in the darkest parts of the world. The ending was long and went over his victory and sung praises for him, but I was more focused on the demons. The mountain range in the darkest part of the world with a forest under it... Sounds like the Forbidden Mountains! I looked at the sky thoughtfully and realized that I was already at my house, my feet had carried me there automatically. I opened my door and walked in, closing it behind me and taking in the room that was my house. All I had, all I could afford, was a bed in the corner of my house, a small couch in front of my fireplace, and a dining table big enough for two. Ah yes, I thought. The life of a starving artist.

I took my shoes off and tossed them next to the door nonchalantly, then I slumped onto my couch with a sigh. My eyes and thoughts were drawn to the book again and I picked it up from the floor next to me where it had fallen, turning to the story stuck in my mind. After a few moments of indecision, I nodded at the book.

"Looks like I am heading to the Forbidden Mountains tomorrow!"

Please let me know what you think of this first chapter! Reviews are appreciated, even if it is just to call me out on a grammatical mistake. Thank you for reading!