The dawn over Tenebrous was different that day. The sky, stained with a purplish, hazy tone, seemed to foreshadow an inevitable change. The mist hung over the castle walls like a heavy veil, and the air smelled of iron and promise.
Sophia had risen before the sun, her silhouette wrapped in a dark cloak—the same one her mother, Lady Astrid, had worn during war campaigns. Facing the grand window of her room, she watched the distant mountains—the very ones the demons called The Forgotten Lands, a place where even the Demon King's shadows dared not enter.
For centuries, this territory had been erased from official maps. Ancient texts claimed that condemned souls lived there, guardians of secrets predating the creation of the Demon Realm. But Sophia could no longer afford to fear the unknown. She had realized that her destiny was not on the throne, but in the truth hidden beyond the walls.
