Chapter 1
On a warm morning night, a young boy yawned; he was starting his day. From the clothes he wears, he looks like a farmer. The sun begins to rise, and the boy stares into the distance; he sees the tip of a mountain range. The sun comes over the horizon and blinds the child; he covers his eyes and then looks up at the dawn sky.
A man calls him; he tells him to get to work. The older man and several others were beginning their day wearing worn-out clothes. The boy ran towards them, and they walked to a field. They were all farmers; the boy in his little world didn't know how vast the world was.
The sun rises on a planet; it resembles the Earth from the stars. This planet has blue oceans and green pastures. The sky was blue, and clouds slowly drifted by in some areas. This was another world thriving with life. It was a magical world.
In the middle of the planet sits a vast piece of land. The size could rival The Americas. Many species and races live on this continent. The people call this home Lilith; chains of islands surround it. Other masses of land are unknown. The planet has a unique effect known worldwide as Mana, an energy that allows them to use magic.
Aside from the normal humans living on the planet, it is a fantasy. Elves, Dwarfs, and Beast folk share their lives here; the world is also filled with animals and insects. All life can harness the energy it produces, but not all is as peaceful as it seems.
The world of Lilith is easy to understand; all races are born with magical abilities. It takes time to manifest, like most Isekai, usually at ten years of age. There are five major element affiliations: earth, fire, water, wind, and lightning. All elements can be learned with hard work, but a person has one affiliated solid element.
There are also some other cases, such as dark and light elements. These two attributes are said only to be associated with Elves. Legend said another race existed but has gone extinct: demons. They, too, were said to wield both light and darkness.
Over the years, there have been new revelations; other races were born able to wield the magic. It caused concern when it was discovered that it was overpowered; The individual became something special: a weapon. Other races know little about light and dark; the elves have kept their secrets.
The story begins in a kingdom in the east of the continent; This kingdom was close to the continent's edge. The Umbridge Kingdom is the nation of the human race. It is the most powerful human nation. On a hilltop stands a great brick castle; it resembles mid-evil castles. The castle overlooks the city and ocean; human ancestors built it long ago.
In the town below, people were waking up; the town looked peaceful, and the streets were clean. The city resembles an old European village or town. As the day started, human citizens opened shops and set up stands. The streets were slowly coming to life.
The townspeople greeted each other; other races were also walking the streets. Some people wore European clothes, and some wore armor and carried weapons. A group wearing uniforms in light leather armor walked the streets; they were soldiers for the kingdom. It was becoming busier as more people woke up.
It was a lovely warm morning in the Umbridge Kingdom in late summer of 834. A luxurious wooden bed was in a large room in the castle; bed sheets covered someone underneath. Some knocks on the door; they call out, "My Queen, I'm coming in."
An elderly woman wearing a Victorian maid outfit walked in; she looked at the silhouette on the bed, "Wake up, my Queen; it's morning. You need to get up." The maid walks over to the widows and opens the drapes; she repeats what she said. The maid hears moaning; she walks towards the bed.
The maid moves the sheets; a woman with burgundy hair and a nightgown gets cold and looks for the covers. The maid again tries to wake her, "My Queen, it's morning." "MUM, Sara, please, let me sleep for a little longer." The maid said she was going to be late.
Sara is an older woman with gray hair; she is in her sixties and works as the head maid for the Queen. Sara gets angry with the Queen, "Queen Annabeth if you don't get up, you will be studying longer!" The woman slowly gets up and greets Sara. "My goodness, look at you; sloppy."
Annabeth Umbridge, Queen of the Umbridge Kingdom, is a tan woman of average height; she has hazelnut eyes and long silky burgundy hair. Queen Annabeth has a great body, like a model. Sara helped her prepare for the day; once she was ready, she looked different. Queen Annabeth's beauty could make people jealous. Queen Annabeth wore a one-piece white dress with gold embellishments.
Queen Annabeth looked at herself in the mirror, "AH, I hate wearing tight, stuffy outfits like this," she tried to stretch the outfit. Sara, the maid, was tidying the bed; she cleared the sheets and organized the pillows. She looked over, "Stop that; you will ruin the dress."
Queen Annabeth sighs; she looks over at a dresser. She saw something missing, "So, he woke up early today." Sara was done fixing the bed; they headed out of the room. Outside, Queen Annabeth is greeted by other servants. Queen Annabeth smiles and greets them.
They head down a hallway; Queen Annabeth looks out widows along the hallway towards the castle's backyard. Servants maintain a large garden next to a significant water fountain. The backyard was still much grander. Queen Annabeth heads to the dining area.
Queen Annabeth entered the dining hall, where more maids greeted her; they had prepared the table for her to eat breakfast. She sits at the table alone; Sara comes over and pours her a glass of orange juice. Queen Annabeth looks over at an empty chair; "Sara, have you seen my husband?"
Sara finished serving Queen Annabeth a plate, "King John is in his studies." Queen Annabeth gets mad; she sighs. She looks at her maids, "Come have a seat; let us eat together. The maids smiled and headed to the table; Sara got mad, "Girls, what do you think you are doing!"
The maids get scared; Queen Annabeth looks at Sara, "Come on, Sara, don't be like that; let them have breakfast with me." "That way of speaking is unfitting for a Queen," she responds. Queen Annabeth pleads with her, "Please, Sara, you know I hate eating alone; John won't mine."
Sara sighed, saying, "We have this argument every time; why to bother?" She shook her head. The maids celebrate and serve each other and eat with Queen Annabeth. The maids loved eating with Queen Annabeth; they were treated as equals. After breakfast, Queen Annabeth leaves the dining hall and heads to another room.
Queen Annabeth, followed by Sara, reached a room; they heard yelling on the other side of the door. "What is he mad about this time?" she knocks on the door; no answer. Queen Annabeth looks at Sara; again, Queen Annabeth knocks. "Come in," said a loud voice. Queen Annabeth opens the door; a tall, sizeable man with slick blonde hair is rummaging through some papers. He looks of European descent with brown eyes. He has a noticeable strong-looking physic: King John Umbridge, the fifth—King of the human nation.
King John wore a lovely colored tunic and pants, fine leather boots, and a small gold crown with a bright red crystal in the center. He stops what he is doing and looks at the door. He sees Annabeth, "AH, you are up; good morning." Queen Annabeth rolls her eyes.
"Why are you angry so early in the morning," she said. Sara excuses herself. Queen Annabeth walks into the room and looks at the mess. King John's study had a lot of book piles and paperwork all over; his bookshelves had all sorts of things. Queen Annabeth approaches him, "I told you that you need to clean this place."
King John does not respond; he goes back to looking for something, making him angry. Queen Annabeth clears her throat, "What seems to be the problem, good sir?" King John looks at her and makes an annoyed expression; he then remarks sarcastically, "It's nothing a fine king like myself can't handle."
They laugh; King John apologizes for being rude. Queen Annabeth asks him why he is in a foul mood. King John walks around a messy desk and sits on a chair. He leaned back and massaged his forehead. "King Sloan and I have a meeting. I told you this some time ago." Queen Annabeth looks at a stack of papers.
"While I visit, I wanted to show him some important papers," he adds. Queen Annabeth goes and sits on his lap. King John likes it; he feels flirtatious. "Is this important? You aren't going to drink again, are you?" King John gets nervous, "No, no, no, no…...what happened last time…EH," he couldn't think.
Queen Annabeth laughs, "I'm just joking; it's fine if you want to hang around loud, rowdy men." King John makes an awkward face, "That's not it." Queen Annabeth gets up from his lap; King John looks at the mess, "I know I left it here, and then…." He felt some frustration.
Queen Annabeth walks towards a widow and looks at the ocean from it. King John was still trying to figure out where he felt those papers, "Where are you going all dressed up so early," he asked. "Did you forget? The church said they need to discuss something."
King John tried to remember if they talked about it. Queen Annabeth looks at him, "I sometimes wonder. How do you run this, Kingdom?" King John gets up and heads to the bookshelf. "It's easy; have good friends to help you," he whispers. Queen Annabeth walks behind him and hugs him; she calms him down.
"Is there anything else boring you," she asks. King John stops what he is doing, "I can't get anything past you; those geezers have done nothing but complain. They check on me every time I try to change something…." Queen Annabeth looks at his desk and moves some papers.
"They say the nobles will get mad and war this and war that; how did my father deal with them?" Queen Annabeth told him to get rid of them; King John stared at her; "I would if I could." He goes back to look for his papers. Queen Annabeth said she was tired and needed to leave so she could come back early.
King John tells her to be careful; she will be alone for several days. Queen Annabeth told him not to worry. "Erica will be with me; no one would dare get close," she laughed. King John made a painful expression. "What," she asks. King John apologizes, "I sent Erica to get a letter for me…." "What," she said, surprised.
King John explained that he saw her earlier and asked if she could do him a favor. Queen Annabeth gets mad, "Erica may be one of your generals, but remember, she only accepted the position if she was my bodyguard." King John apologized again; he told her he would send some guards with her in the meantime.
Queen Annabeth gave him a disappointed look; she knocked over some papers. "I must be going then, OOPS." King John gets mad and cleans up the documents, "Here they are," he says happily, "I knew they were here." King John stood up and showed Annabeth, "See, just like I said." Queen Annabeth laughs.
She hugs and kisses King John; she leaves the room and heads towards the front doors. Queen Annabeth comes down a flight of stairs into the house's entrance. The inside decorations were exquisite and showed royalty. Sara and a group of maids bowed to her. The doors opened, and a topless carriage awaited her.
Quenn Annabeth walks down another set of stairs and enters the carriage; King John walks out before she leaves. He approaches her, "Please be careful; I don't want to hear something happen to you." Queen Annabeth again told him not to worry. King John again reminded her he would send Erica once she was done. Queen Annabeth said she would now have to listen to Erica complain about him. King John felt terrible; he said he would make up to them, "I will bring you something back."
Queen Annabeth smiled and again kissed him; she sat up straight, "I will see you when you return." "Yes, you will," King John speaks with the driver; he told him to tell a group of guards at the entrance to escort them to the church. The driver nods his head, "Yes, my king."
Queen Annabeth waves to the maids, looking from the entrance; the carriage departs. The front of the castle was vast and open; it had another miniature garden and water fountain. The water fountain had a statue of a bird coming out of flames; the phoenix was part of the Umbridge family crest.
The carriage followed a brick path with trees along the side; they got to a gate, and soldiers guarded it. The carriage driver calls one of the captains; the captain sees Queen Annabeth and bows to her. He is informed what to do; the captain orders a group station at the gates to escort Queen Annabeth.
The soldiers get ready, and the gate doors are open; some citizens see Queen Annabeth on the carriage and wave to her. The soldiers followed the slow-moving carriage. More and more people see the soldiers and who they are guarding.
The citizens wave and greet her; Queen Annabeth smiles, returns a greeting, and waves at them. Some visitors were excited to see the nation's queen; the guards paid attention to everyone. The streets were full of people walking and enjoying their morning.
The carriage gets to an intersection, and Queen Annabeth gets a whiff of the sea breeze. As the carriage passed the intersection, she could see the port and all the ships near it. Merchants were coming and going from there; the carriage continued to the church. It took some time, and they finally reached a hill leading to the church.
The carriage headed up the hill; some people who had visited the church earlier were coming down. They noticed Queen Annabeth and greeted her; Queen Annabeth returned the greeting. They continued up the road; marvel statues of gods were along it.
Queen Annabeth saw the church; it was a site to see. The church was made of white marble and had colored glass panels. A marvelous garden surrounded it; the carriage pulled up; a skinny man wearing a white robe greeted her; he stared at the guards. Queen Annabeth was helped to get down.
She walked up more steps and greeted the man. This was the priest, Father George. Father George was a European man with black hair, no facial hair, and brown eyes. Father George blessed Queen Annabeth and asked her to go inside.
Queen Annabeth asked the reason for her summon. Father George said he would explain everything inside; the guards were asked to guard the area. The doors to the church opened, and they headed inside. Father George asked Queen Annabeth about her morning.
Queen Annabeth acted like a proper lady; she talked about her conversation with King John. Father George laughed; he gave some advice about it. They walked down the aisle; some worshippers were sitting on the benches. Father George stops; he looks at Queen Annabeth.
"Aside from his messy studies, how is King John? We haven't seen much of him here at the church?" Queen Annabeth apologizes for his absence, "King John has been busy and sends his regards. He asked if you could forgive him?" Father George laughs. "Where is he today?" he asks. Queen Annabeth told him he had a meeting with King Sloan of the Dwarf nation.
"Being king sure is busy work," he had a strange expression; Father George kept looking at something. Queen Annabeth began to feel weird. Father George asked her about the guards. "They are soldiers stationed at the castle gates," she said, shaking her head. "My Queen, you don't look so well; let me show you to another room.
"No, I am fine; let us discuss the matter I was summoned for." Queen Annabeth's vision was getting blurry; Father George asked her another question, "Is General Haddison with you?" "No, Erica is on an errand for John; she will come later." Father George smiles, "My Queen, we must save the kingdom from doom."
Queen Annabeth felt tired and sleepy, "What, the kingdom is in danger?" "Yes, the pope received a vision that said we were doomed." Queen Annabeth suddenly went under; she was in a trance, "We must tell John…." "No, it is up to you to save us." "I must save…" Father George asked Queen Annabeth to follow him.
Meanwhile, at the castle, King John was outside waiting for Erica; a carriage was also waiting, "Where is she?" He began to pace back and forth. The maids saw he was getting impatient; they felt scared. King John looks at the church from where he is; the church and castle were built opposite each other.
In a tower, a little off to the side of the castle, a coop with birds that take and bring messages from allies, Erica waits for a message to be decoded, "Why am I here? This will be the last time I listen to him…is it not ready yet?" Erica Haddison is the general and personal bodyguard of Queen Annabeth. Erica is a muscular Amazonian with long black hair tied in a ponytail and blue eyes.
Erica comes from an island full of women; they have a culture resembling ancient Greece, so Erica wears Greek-inspired armor. Erica has been waiting for some time now. The soldiers who were stationed there were nervous and scared of her. Erica stared with a mean face.
They finish decoding the message, and Erica takes it; she reads it, "What's this? Is it right?" Erica was confused and left immediately; she headed downstairs, "Why haven't you moved this place already, John?" Erica walks quickly; she needs to deliver the letter to King John.
Queen Annabeth was taken to a room at the church, and some worshippers helped her change into a ceremonial dress. Queen Annabeth asked them what they were doing; one of the followers said she needed to perform an important ritual. The worshippers were also under some spell. Queen Annabeth could do nothing but follow.
Once they were done, Queen Annabeth had a white dress with a gold breastplate; on it were colored crystals and a large black one. On her head, she had a crown with more crystals all around. The worshippers took her to another room; inside, there were more followers and some ceremonial alter.
Father George was waiting for her, "AH, she has arrived at last; come hurry me must start immediately." Queen Annabeth was brought closer to a drawn circle; candles and the same kind of crystals from the dress were on poles. "What are we doing," she muttered. Father George smiles, "We are going to call our savior," he tells the worshippers to get into place.
About a dozen people were in the room; they were all covered up. They go and line up; they get on their knees once in position. Queen Annabeth mumbles that she does not want to do it. "It is not up to you," Father George takes her hand and walks her to the circle's center. "Today, we welcome a hero," he says. "A hero?" "Yes, my Queen, a hero, one to help us face the dangers to come." Father George steps away, "Begin," The worshippers draw Mana; the magic circle activates. Queen Annabeth felt energy coursing through her; the crystals lit up.
Queen Annabeth's eyes light up, and a white light emits. Father George can't believe his eyes; he smiles at what he is witnessing. A group of worshippers look at each other; they get up and take out daggers—a light blasts upwards through the roof.
King John sees Erica, "What took so long," he shouts. Erica asked him, "When will you bring that stupid tower closer." King John explained that the birds made too much of a mess and said it smelled. Erica gets mad; she hands him the letter and tells him it isn't right.
King John takes it and reads it. "Where is Anna," Erica asks. "She left for the church, don't worry, I send guards…. What is this?" Erica gets mad, "She should have waited for me, that girl." Erica asks King John about the letter. King John questioned it; he said that King Sloan never sent a letter.
A surge of Mana is felt, and then all see the white light. King John saw it coming from the church, "Annabeth, Erica, Anna!" with a panicky look, he jumped on the carriage horse and cut it free. Erica took the other, and they raced towards the church; the townspeople could only wonder what was going on.
Inside the ritual, Queen Annabeth floats inside the magic circle; a portal begins to form. The black crystal glows, and a shape is also developing inside the portal. There was a scream from the back of the worshippers; three were dead, and a fourth was being held.
The worshippers get up and run away; the energy flow is disrupted and causes Queen Annabeth to get the backlash. She is pushed, but a force field keeps her in the circle. One of the killers laughs, "HAHAHA, they said it was going to be easy, but come on."
The killers revealed themselves; they had different skin colors and horns. They resembled elves but weren't. Queen Annabeth was coming too; she slowly opened her eyes. She becomes shocked at what is happening; the horn monsters are playing with the worshippers.
They tried to open the doors but couldn't; Father George was also gone. Queen Annabeth slowly gets up. She walks but gets stopped by the force field, "What's this," she hits the invisible wall. A female human worshipper runs towards her, "Please, help us!" A dagger hits her.
Queen Annabeth sees her fall to the ground; another female worshipper whimpers by the door, "Please, god, save us from these monsters!" A human male follower thinks back to children's stories, "Demons," he mutters, "Demons!" The rest of them are shocked to hear that; some deny it.
"Looks like the cats out of the bag, HA." Another human is killed; Queen Annabeth can only witness it and can't do anything. Once all the worshippers were dead, the demons walked over toward her. Queen Annabeth was mad, "Why are you doing this!"
One of the demons was looking at the portal and saw what appeared to be a human shape. Another demon was searching the bead bodies, "They must have something valuable." "So, how does it feel to be helpless?" Queen Annabeth stares at him. "You still have courage, I see." The fourth demon watches.
Queen Annabeth drew Mana; suddenly, she felt like someone had ripped all the air from her lungs. She falls in pain. One of the demons laughs; the demon in front of her looks at her on the ground, "Our true Demon Lord shall rule this world; die in his name!"
The demon pulled out a sword and poured Mana into it. An explosion bursts the door open; the demons feel a powerful aura. King John walks in; he sees the bodies of the worshippers. "Why are you here…." King John sees Annabeth's body on the ground.
Fire is released and hits one of the demons. The demon with the sword tells the rest they need to withdraw; they reach the back of the room. Another powerful aura is felt. A hand pierces through the wall, and the wall crumbles down. Erica walks through.
The demons didn't know what to do. King John makes a quick dash and attacks the demon with the sword. Erica drew Mana and punched one of the other demons. The sword demon tried to defend himself, but King John was better; he cut the demon's head off.
Erica was strangling the last demon with one hand. King John sees the ritual altar. He noticed the portal, but it was empty; the human figure was gone. He walks over to Annabeth, "I'm sorry," he pours more Mana into his sword and cuts through the force field.
Erica stares at all the bodies; King John picks up Annabeth. The portal disappears; King John looks around, "Find whoever was in charge." The guards that escorted Queen Annabeth ran in; they saw the room a mess. Erica orders them to search for Father George.
Frighten, they go around searching the church. King John takes Annabeth back to the castle. Erica angrily waits for any results. Later that day, a massive search for the priest was underway. Soldiers looked everywhere for him; they got a tip from some church followers that he often went to a cabin.
Erica arrives with some soldiers; they see this small cabin by the woods. Erica orders the soldiers to surround it; she walks to the door and breaks it open. They search the place and find a hidden room, "General, we found him."
Erica heads into the secret room, angry at what they found. Father George's head was lying on the ground next to his body. Erica punches the wall in frustration. She orders the soldiers to search all around the area. A dark figure watches from atop a tree.