Chapter 1: The Ash of Arcanumgard

Arcanumgard, the Ducal Hold of Aetheria's Northern Province.

"Aelis! Where are you?" my mother screamed. I hid behind the door, poised to bolt toward the training fields. "Young lady, this is no longer a game. You come out this instant!"

I rolled my eyes, staying pinned to the wall until her footsteps faded. As I leaned against the frame, a single, stark white lock of hair fell across my vision—a strange contrast to the rest of my dark tresses. I tucked it behind my ear with a smirk; it was a small mark of my lineage I usually forgot about until I was hiding like a thief in my own home.I heard her voice drifting from down the hall: "...no... she is not in her room."

Exhaling, I crept out from my hiding spot. "I hate these 'ladylike' lessons. Ugh," I muttered. I sprinted out of my room, down the stairs, and burst out of the hold. A biting winter breeze cut against my bare skin. I rushed toward the stables, startling the stable boy as I passed.

"Sorry! And don't you dare tell Mother you saw me!" I called over my shoulder. I hurried to my horse. "Nyx, are you ready?" He neighed in response. "Let's move before she finds us."

I saddled him quickly, and we galloped toward the field where the knights trained. I'm going to hear so much nagging later, I thought, but I'll deal with that then. On the way, the castle workers greeted me with knowing smiles.

"The Young Lady is at it again," one woman remarked, grinning. "At fourteen, she's already better than half our knights," a man grunted, straining under the weight of an apple crate.

Upon arriving at the training grounds, I was met with an ironic smile from Captain Dominic, the commander of my father's special guard. Having trained me since I was a child, he knew my tricks well.

"Is there something on my face?" I asked, returning his smirk. He stepped closer, causing Nyx to snort. "You ran away again? The Duchess gave a direct order not to let you step foot on this field."

I dismounted and patted Nyx's neck. "Really? Then just say you're getting old and starting to forget things. Besides, Father is fine with me being here."

Dominic laughed. "And that is the only reason I'm letting you stay."

I grabbed my sword and bow. The knights nearby greeted me with slight bows. "I come here almost every day, yet they keep bowing even when I tell them not to," I whispered to the Captain. "Dom, what do I have to do to make them treat me like everyone else?"

He coughed. "It's a trait of being the Duke's daughter, Aelis. You can't escape it. Now, less talk and more work."

Training lasted until dawn. I held my own with several weapons, but archery remained my favorite; I could feel my skills sharpening with every arrow. After a while, I looked around, but the Captain was nowhere to be seen. I walked over to Sid, his aide.

"Sid, where is the Captain? And why is everyone in such a hurry?" Sid raised his shield, looking distracted. "He was summoned by the Duke." "Why?" I asked, a knot forming in my stomach. "We weren't given details, my lady. You should hurry back; it's getting late. Lord Arion is expected back today. If you need an escort..." "No, no," I waved him off. "I can manage on my own."

Someone brought Nyx to me, and we began the trek back to the hold. I was riding toward the castle, the stone walls already in sight, when the world suddenly ended.

An explosion ripped through the air. Everything seemed to slow down—a massive blast that reduced the proud castle to stones and debris. A tremor shook the earth, startling Nyx and nearly throwing me. Once I regained my composure, I urged him into a gallop, racing toward the ruins.

Chaos swallowed me the moment I reached the walls. My nanny came running toward me, her face pale. "My Lady! My Lady! You must leave this instant!"

I stumbled, disoriented. "What? What happened? Why should I leave? Where is my mother? My father? The twins? I can't leave them!"

"My Lady, please! Your life is at stake!"

Before she could finish, another blast knocked us both off our feet. I felt strong hands grab me, forcing me back onto Nyx's saddle.

"YOU MUST SURVIVE!" a voice screamed.

Chapter 2 : The Ember in the Frost

Five years.

That explosion claimed countless lives, including my entire bloodline. What happened? Who struck the blow? No one knew. The only certainty was that the Arcanum ducal family was no more. A land that was once cold yet prosperous and happy had been forged into a brutal borderland where people struggled merely to draw breath. Now, the striking, supernatural chill seeps into the very marrow of our bones. The ancient legend is repeating itself, whispering through the biting winds that plague the North:

*One day, Umbrals will return, A nightmare that the darkness will adjourn. Through frost and fire, their shadows will turn, To claim the world, as destiny's cold decree will affirm. A kingdom by the darkness torn.*

The Umbrals. They are ethereal beings, the living manifestation of pure shadow. While they maintain a hauntingly human silhouette, their bodies are composed entirely of undulating, dark mist that forms a tattered mantle beneath a deep hood. They move in silence—barefoot, unseen, and inevitable.

Their most striking features are their crimson eyes, glowing fiercely from the void of their hoods, a stark contrast to their pale countenances and jet-black lips. Their fingers terminate in long, ebony claws, capable of rending both flesh and spirit. Legend tells that in an age long past, the Umbrals were defeated by the very breath of dragons. Their fire, pure and potent, was the only force capable of banishing creatures forged from despair.

But the era of dragons is now but a whisper in the dust of history. As the Umbrals rise anew, the fate of Aetheria rests in the hands of the few who still possess a remnant of dwindling draconic magic. Because of this, the kingdoms established the Veritas—venerated halls of discipline located beyond the treacherous Mortis mountain range, a place where ordinary men dare not tread.

To even reach the gates of Veritas, one must survive Vita. It is not a mere test; it is a brutal, multi-day physical marathon through unforgiving, lethal terrain. It demands unparalleled endurance and unwavering solitude. Only those who emerge from the silence of Vita alive earn the right to enter Veritas and begin the grueling path to becoming a Reidar.

"Please, child," a raspy voice broke my thoughts.

I looked at my nanny, the only soul left by my side after five long years of wandering the shadows of Aetheria. Her face was a map of wrinkles and sorrow, her hands trembling as she clutched my threadbare cloak.

"Think of what you are asking," she pleaded, her eyes searching mine. "Vita is not a trial; it is a graveyard. You are the last of the Arcanum name. If you go to the Mortis peaks, you go to your death. Stay. We can find a quiet life in the southern vales."

A single tear escaped, tracing a path through the dirt on my cheek. I wiped it away with a steady palm, my gaze hardening like the ice surrounding us.

"I have spent five years running, leaving my life buried under the stones and ashes of my home," I said, my voice low but iron-clad. "I watched my father, my mother, and my siblings vanish into the dark. If I had the power to turn back time, I would. I would give my soul to see them for just a few seconds. But I cannot look back anymore."

I stepped toward the jagged silhouette of the mountains on the horizon.

"I won't just struggle to survive. I will reclaim Arcanumgard. To do that, I must become a Reidar. I will not only survive Vita—I will conquer it."

The nanny saw the fire in my eyes—a flicker of the old draconic heat that the world had forgotten. She stayed silent, knowing that no wall and no prayer could stop me now.

I turned my back on the only safety I had ever known and faced the towering, obsidian peaks of Mortis. The wind howled, sounding less like a storm and more like a challenge.

I took my first step into the dead zone. The trial had begun.