PROLOGUE

Birds sang a beautiful melody that echoed throughout the misty Forest of Koor. The humid air and the little laughter of stellars caused the male to squirm from his deep slumber. Tired from a late-night raid, two lilac orbs gazed upon the horizon. Then, he was greeted by countless looming shadows of the winged serpents. Enjoying the serenity of the place, he stayed like that for a good moment, and when he had enough, he slowly stood up with the help of his scythe wrapped securely with red satin. His torn, beaten cape hugged his slender body as his short milk hair barely moved from the winter breeze.

And right before his eyes, he was greeted with a sight he'll never get tired of gazing at, the full view of the lovely kingdom of Raxes, the eastern kingdom of the land of Yigena. The tree where he was standing was the tree of the Lady of Fire; it was the tallest on the continent, and standing at the uppermost branch of it indeed had its perks. He saw how darkness was chased by the illuminating light of the blue eastern sun. And when it reached the peak, all nightly creatures crawled back to their holes.

He stood and faced another day with the scythe in his right hand. Inhaling the morning dew sprinkled by the white faes, a blurred shadow passed him, accompanied by a strong wind and a deep roar. Ice dragons were a common sight in the northern and eastern parts of the land. These divine creatures reeked of power and stubbornness, two things he loved the most about them. And it was also common knowledge that dragons were rare. Those only with silver blood and dragon riders had the privilege to have a dragon, whether an ice dragon or a fire dragon.

The ice dragons before her were considered babies, not by size but because these ice dragons could not breathe azure flames yet. His gaze returned to the part where he knew his home stood.

Vague chatters erupted in his hearing radius, the advantage of being an Avatar.

This was his daily life. He always stood on this branch and gazed longingly at the kingdom the whole day. Avatars were not allowed to enter the kingdom without the bell from Korendell or their master's permission. He was only allowed to watch the home he loved from afar. But everything changed during nighttime. Avatars were tools to protect the kingdom outside the great wall, for beyond this wall spoke nothing but horror passed down from generation to generation.

Sighing loudly, he jumped from the branch where he stood. His bare feet landed swiftly on the ground. His feet were numb from the coldness that seeped from the ground, covered with thick layers of snow. Dead silence welcomed him as he walked further away from his sanctuary. No creatures roamed free except the mosquito-liked insects called stellars, and small milk-haired creatures called faes.

As he walked deeper into the forest, a giant silver snake passed before him. A moment passed by, and a red-eyed reaper chased the giant snake. It's these creatures the citizens of Yigena were afraid of. But the worse had yet to come, a horror that caused his ancestors to give up their lives just to build the wall – creatures that craved flesh and the living.

He stopped walking when a very unlikely howl cracked the deafening silence within the Forest of Koor.