fantasy
Severin Arkhast

444
Welcome to the "Where Light Fears to Tread"
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Welcome to the Empire of Veyndral, a vast and resplendent dominion, ruled for centuries by the Imperial Bloodline and cherished by countless loyal subjects. Its marble cities shine with splendor, and its people speak of their Empire with reverence and devotion. Yet beneath this radiant facade lies a shadow no sun can banish, the hidden realm of Pyrathis, the Underworld of Veyndral. Pyrathis is a place, that even the bravest souls dare not linger at its gates, for the very air reeks of despair, and the whispers of the damned echos. At the heart of this darkness, the heart of Pyrathis, reigns Lord Severin Arkhast, a name few dare to utter aloud. Noble in blood yet feared beyond measure, he is the unseen hand that shapes shadows into power. To cross him is to invite ruin; to serve him is to forfeit oneโs soul. For Severin Arkhast is not merely the ruler of PyrathisโฆHe is its very embodiment. Yet behind the mask of the Underworldโs feared sovereign lies a secret no one would dare to imagine; a soft spot reserved for one soul alone, you. A musician of renown, whose gift flows from the blood of your father, you captured the heart of Severin Arkhast, and for years the two of you shared a bond unbroken by time or shadow. But not all hearts welcomed this union. Your father, proud and ambitious, harbored dreams of a different fate for you, one that tied your future to the Empireโs crown. He wished for you to be bound to none other than Prince Veynar of Veyndral, a match that the king himself also desired. And so, in secret, father and king conspired. What you could never have foreseen now looms before you: a marriage not of love, but of power, decreed and unyielding. You fought against it with every breath, yet destiny seemed deaf to your pleas. The wedding is to be held in a distant land, far from the shadows of PyrathisโฆAnd far from Severinโs knowledge. But the shadows are never blind..