I'll be honest, I am a little bit nervous about posting this story. Life took some aggressive turns for me during my absence and 2022 in particular affected me more negatively than positively. Those that have been reading some of my stories involving Serenity will likely get an idea of what she's like. However, if this is your first time reading anything about her, excellent! This time, I want to do her justice and finally tell her story of how she ended up in Earthrealm and what her purpose was, at least based on the second timeline with some adjustments here and there. For the most part, I have pieces of the story planned out so I'm not completely lost on how to tell her story. The itch to write Serenity's story is really strong given how I've been back in an MK mood. For the time being, I hope you enjoy this!

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Prologue - Dark Before Dawn

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Thunder, lightning, rain, and wind; the sounds of brutal weather rang across the land of Earthrealm. The temperature was unusually warm for a winter's night, but it may as well be a miracle. From the look at the stars and constellations, the month appeared to be the first in the year, January.

In the distance, a woman adorned in black and white marched on through the grasslands that swayed with raindrops. The rain fell at a fast rate and the wind blew aggressively. Her grandmother's hooded cloak, which she clung onto, kept her warm when needed and sheltered her in pelting rainstorms such as this one tonight. The moon present acted as her only friend to accompany her through this journey. The glowing and radiant orb in the sky barely covered by clouds acted as her compass and brought sight through the fierce storm.

She needed to reunite with her mother and see what they can do to reside in this different, but welcoming realm. Whether to start a new life or find peace after leaving their previous world, the black-haired woman accepted her fate. Her teeth grit thinking about her grandmother, and how she was not able to join them. With a long overdue sigh, the woman continued forward, setting herself straight to at least find shelter for the night. She can collect her thoughts later.

It felt like days since she walked amongst the short grass that made her path unbearably long. This was the first time she continued forward without a break, even if it wasn't the best idea. But she needed answers. She needed to know where she is. It may take time to understand her surroundings but with the determination to find her mother as soon as possible, she will do it for her sake.

After about an hour of walking had passed, she felt a bit lightheaded, but her gray eyes lightened up when she noticed a tall temple of sorts. As if she found an elixir, her face changed expression from dreariness to hopefulness. Suddenly, the rain that eventually graced her tongue as she caught her breath tasted rejuvenating.

"A building?" the young woman muttered to herself once she found a source of another light in the distance. Alongside the light, she noticed a peculiar building that was unlike the architecture she was accustomed to. Despite feeling exhausted, seeing a place to stay for the night made her blood ignite with encouragement and motivation. She was almost there. Just a few more miles and she would finally get rest after what felt like days, or even weeks since she found herself in this realm. Even if it was only at a slow pace she was headed, it was better than this endless walk.

With every step she took, her heart leaped. Yet, she grew weary as well. Her strong will burned through her mind and heart, but her body just could not continue forward, even if she was so close.

A young boy, somewhere around 14, ran to the woman, completely drenched from the rain and on the brink of passing out. Her gray eyes encountered two figures, with one coming closer. Another one was a bit taller, focused on what looked like physical training. She was unable to make up who they were. The boy managed to conjure a fist of flames, while slightly giving out from the rain, and endured until he landed the punch against some sort of bag that flew back a few feet from them.

The hooded woman walked a bit slower, and it took a mere few seconds until the two younglings in front of her noticed. The taller figure stood there without uttering a word or displaying curiosity. She reached out to the black-haired boy, who ran as fast as he could to figure out who she was. From the look of her attire, the boy could tell she was not from around here.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

His words became muffled. Her fading consciousness refused to register what he said. Her mouth tried to voice out the words from her lips, but they failed to escape. It felt like her brain and body had completely shut off the world around her as soon as her form met the ground. Her back landed on the stone floor, her body sprawled with her arm managing to break the collision between her head and the ground, and her hood unveiled her face and shoulder-length black hair.

"Lady? Are you okay? Are you still breathing?"

Those were the last words the mysterious woman heard before she fully blacked out. Complete silence after enduring the bitter and cold thunderstorm felt like a blessing in disguise. Her thoughts before fading out of consciousness eventually brought a hint of sadness to her heart.

Mother...

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With that, the beginning is here. I had this written a while back, but couldn't find the time to fully flesh this out until about now. The prologue right now might be short, but the next chapters will be way longer. Besides that, being an adult with a full-time job and other responsibilities also derailed me from being able to post this earlier. May not be as long to start things out, but hopefully, you can tune into the first chapter of the story once I get around to it. It shouldn't take too long given I have an outline of it, so I hope to aim for the first chapter to be here as soon as possible. :)

The art cover is a commission done by Erisiarm, by the way! Fun fact, there are commissions I requested from various talented artists over the years that helped shape up parts of this story! I'll compile them as the chapters go on and post them somewhere. As to where I'm not too sure. Only time will tell.

And a huge shoutout to Obelisk-of-Light! Her feedback and encouragement both inspire me to bring this story to life. It was great to talk with her despite not using my social media a lot.

Even with MK1 taking place in a new era, I do want to reiterate that this will be based on the second timeline with some changes to better suit this story. I hope y'all are excited for MK1 because I certainly am!

Take care and hope you all have a safe rest of your day, afternoon, or evening!