Kail was standing by a pond that was fed by a small waterfall. There was a mist that covered the land and wove around the tall pine trees that oozed a strange dark substance. Upon closer inspection, he discovered it was blood.

Even the water of the pond was blood. A strange light pierced dimly through the treetops, illuminating everything with little light. Footsteps reached his ears and he turned around to see a young man walking towards him.

He had long red hair and red eyes. A scar was across his nose. He wore a simple black tunic and pants. He wore buckled boots that seemed to be unaffected by the muddy forest floor.

Kail could sense an immense amount of power from the man. The air was pierced by the caws of ravens as the man walked closer. Their cries died down when the man reached him.

“Who are you?” Kail asked.

“I am the God of Death,” the man replied.

Kail’s eyes widened from his shock. “But everyone thinks you’re dead!”

“No. I am locked away in this place with my husband. The Goddess of Light has locked us away to prevent us from trying to stop her. She failed to realize that I see the world through the eyes of the ravens,” the god said before sighing.

“If you can use ravens to see what is going on, why didn’t you contact Izabella?”

The god frowned at Kail’s question. “My power is limited. I can only see what they see. It shames me to know that I was overpowered by my sister. Now I’m stuck here till someone frees me and my husband.”

Kail felt the rage towards the Goddess of Light begin to burn brighter. “How were you able to contact me? How can I free you?”

“I am able to contact you through your dreams thanks to your element. I have a raven sitting outside your home, watching you. As for how to free me, you must return to the place where the great battle between my husband and the warrior of light took place.” The god raised his hand.

The mist began to twist and change colors. An image quickly formed. It was of a yellow grass plain. Rather, it used to be a plain. Several massive holes that looked to be formed by craters and long lines that looked like they had been made by claws littered the plain.

“The battle took place where the first castle of your kingdom once stood. They call it the Plain of Demons. The living have created a false legend, saying that it was destroyed by demonic beings having a territorial battle. Use this information to find it,” the god explained.

“What do I do when I get there?” Kail asked as the image dispersed with a wave of the god’s hand.

“That I do not know. Make sure Izabella is with you. She knows our cruel sister’s magic better than I. Perhaps she can give you the power to break the spell that keeps entraps my husband and me.” The god then smiled.

“I waited a long time for a darkness element to show up. I’m glad that you appeared and have hate for the cruel Goddess of Light. Make sure you get stronger. She will do everything in her power to stop you. Be wary of more warriors. She will most likely create an army to stop you,” the God of Death warned.

Kail nodded, determination blazing in his eyes. The scene around him began to fade.

“I will follow you on your journey with my ravens. Call to them if you wish to meet me in your dreams.” The god’s voice sounded far away as he disappeared along with the forest.

As soon as everything faded, Kail woke up. He sat up and yawned before hearing a caw outside his window. He looked out the window and saw a raven perched on the outer sill, peering into his room.

Kail was mystified by the dream he had as he gazed at the raven. He nodded towards the raven before getting up and preparing for the day. He mulled over the information the God of Death had given him as he got ready with the help of his nanny who had arrived just after he had woken up.

With it, he would be able to learn more about the past with better results. Perhaps there was information on the legend in the library. Or maybe he could use his relationship with the prince to get access to the royal library for better sources.

The idea made him smile. If they wanted to shackle him with the arranged marriage, that was fine. He would use the benefits of it to prepare for the future.

Kail was still lost in thought even at the table. He ignored his family as they talked about this and that. Storm noticed Kail wasn’t paying attention and a sly smile came to his face. Bastard is probably trying to figure out how to get stronger now that he’s been tied down by marriage. Go ahead and try to fight the destiny you were given. You’ll never win.

Kail had zoned into the conversation at that point and noticed the look on Storm’s face. Kail briefly glared at him before focusing on his mother who was trying to get his attention.

“Kail, dear, we’ll be going to visit the palace again in a week. Teacher James will teach you proper etiquette till then. You’ll be attending a dinner in honor of the arranged marriage between the Phoenix and Skye families,” she said once she saw that he was paying attention.

“Yes, Mother,” Kail replied politely. He made a mental note to ask about visiting the library when they went to the palace.

“Please focus on your studies and don’t lock yourself in the library!” she said sternly.

Kail nodded. “Yes, Mother.”

She sighed and turned her attention back to her breakfast. Kail mentally called out to the Goddess of Darkness but she did not respond. He had hoped to gather more information about the God of Death from her. It seemed that she was still busy though.

Disappointed, he finished his breakfast before excusing himself and hurrying off to the library. He had a few hours before Teacher James arrived. He would use that time to find information on the Battle of Demons.

A week flew by. During that time, Kail was busy with his lessons and digging through the library for any information about the ancient times. His search came up empty and he decided his only option was the royal library.

The day of the dinner arrived and he was dressed up more extravagantly than usual. This was something he would not miss, he decided. Kail enjoyed getting dressed up but the process took too long for his liking.

Kail soon found himself walking through the royal garden with Diacus. The garden was massive and full of flowers he had never seen before. A few of them resembled the ones from his first life but their names were no doubt different.

The scene was quite beautiful though. The only thing he didn’t like about this moment was walking with Diacus. Diacus kept looking at him with judging eyes and talking to him like he was lower than him.

Of course, it was true that Kail was a class below him but he didn’t think that was a reason to be disrespectful. How could a child be so condescending? This question came to mind the longer he walked with Diacus.

But it wasn’t all bad. He learned some curious information about Diacus. He was named after an owl for their shared color and Diacus hoped that he would have the ice branch of the water element. This revealed to Kail that the elements were more complex than he originally thought.

As soon as Diacus stopped speaking about why he wanted to have the ice branch, Kail seized the chance to ask about the royal library. “Can I visit the royal library at any time?” Kail asked, jumping straight to the point.

Diacus was surprised by his question and shrugged. “I don’t know,” he answered. “I’m not allowed in the library myself because the books in there are precious. I will be allowed to visit when I’m ten. The same might go for you.”

Kail was disheartened by his answer. He had hoped to learn as much as he could as quickly as possible so that he could figure out a way to rescue the God of Death and his husband. Who knew what would happen in the five years that he had to wait?

But if it was a rule enforced by the royal family to protect the knowledge within the library, there was nothing he could do. Kail understood completely but it didn’t make it any less disappointing.

“Why do you want to visit the library?” Diacus asked. “All those books are way above our reading level.”

Kail was reminded once again that Diacus was a simple child unlike himself. He sighed.