Tara Kymmer sat on the Dark Throne of Terpola. The masses had insisted, but it was nothing impressive to her. The throne was carved into the polished obsidian stone behind her with patterns etched into the surrounding area. Various red stones – Scarlet Budtorite mined from Dragmire, to be exact – were embedded into the armrests and around a currently-empty stone circle slightly above the throne. Almost all of Dragmire’s core had been full of the crystal. Unfortunately, that Queen had put a stop to the mining project almost immediately after finding out.

Her head rested on the stone behind her as she held up the two crystals in her hand. The first was the colour of snow. In the light, it was almost blinding to look it. It was carved into the shape of a diamond. Icelea. The second crystal was shaped as a star and made of a silver shaded stone, swirled carvings covering it. Starryice. They were two of the ten crystals, stones, and herbs required to release Enliatu.

The Dark King was trapped in the prison of Negative Space, the space between dimensions and universe. It was not a place one would want to visit. Majority of the area was nothing but a dark empty void, only some holding the worst of the worst as prisoners. Very few areas had small towns and populations somehow thriving on a floating mass. Those places were all but impossible to find and there were almost no records of them to be found anywhere. They were more of a story. A legend.

Tara groaned as she sat up properly, her free hand grasping the armrest. There were only three items left which had the locations known. The others seemed to be lost to time. For now. They had just discovered the location of Shadowdrift. It was in the Dark Realm, more precisely on the world located there named Ozialon. It was hidden in the ruins of the Shadow Sea. Exactly where, however, they were yet to figure out.

As Terpola’s current ruler, Tara would be the one who decided the who, the what, and the when. Perhaps she would let that prisoner waiting in the dungeon have some fresh air for the first time in ages, considering she was originally from that world. She clapped her hands. Liam appeared before her. “Bring me Xix,” she ordered. He bowed, running to grab the prisoner and barking orders to the guards.

Liam returned minutes later, the guards behind him dragging a woman. She showed no sign of resistance as they threw her at Tara’s feet. The woman lifted her head, giving Tara a good look at her dark smile through the many layers of dirt covering her. She had extremely dark skin – or is that just the dirt? –, crimson eyes which were rumoured to look like the Dark King’s eyes, and knee length mahogany hair. It fell over her face as she struggled to stand. She seemed so thin and weak. The woman pushed her hair behind her pointed ears, revealing various entwining golden marks on her brow, barely visible through the grim covering her skin.

Xix ‘Nightblade’ Acheron. She was certainly a force to be reckoned with. Tara could feel her power radiating through the room even though it was largely restrained by the cuffs around her wrists, ankles, and neck. Even with her torn clothing, she was still quite the specimen to look at, and one of the finest captured. Somehow, she had survived the harness of the Terpolite dungeons and come out in one piece while also surviving the labours that followed. Not many could do that. No, no one was supposed to be able to do that. These people were strong, as much as Tara hated to admit it.

The Terpolite Queen smirked at the woman below her. “How would you like a chance of freedom, Rebel?”

The woman lowered her head slightly before replying smoothly, “I would very much appreciate being given any opportunity possible to free my people and myself.”

She puts her people before herself? Who does that? The thought rattled Tara’s mind. Still, she could not hold back a full smile as she grasped the crystal and stone tightly enough in her hand that she felt a small trickle of blood. “Here is what I want you to do.”