When Darkness Arrives (Previously called "Beauty's Melody")

Prologue

Special thanks to @flowergirl82 for helping me edit this book! Thanks so much! ^-^

The picture above is the previous cover by Galasriniel_00! Thanks! :D 

"Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart." ~Kahlil Gibran

~~~~~

The world was in chaos.

That was what the little boy thought as he heard the deafening cheers scream in his ears. His arms burned with magic as he covered his ears, falling to the ground in a tall tower. Lightning flashed over the sky and thunder shielded the world from all sounds of life.

He gasped in exhaustion and pushed himself up from the stray pieces of straw on the ground. He staggered to his feet, clutching the edge of the window sill with his small hands. Poking his head out of the window, he watched painfully as the lines of mages crowded at the foot of the castle. Metal bars surrounded them, preventing them from escaping their fates. Their arms were bounded by chains and their dignity stripped from their bodies. The citizens of the kingdom surrounded them, cheering and screaming for the spillage of silver blood-- the blood of magic.

The boy watched helplessly with wide, horrified eyes as each mage climbed onto a built platform. Their bodies had already been whipped and tortured by hovering guards. A woman mage fell onto the ground, falling at the foot of the executioner, who held high an axe that was already covered in a thick layer of dried blood. The wild wind blew through his short locks as the metal axe swung down.

As soon as she died, he felt it through himself. He felt the pain of everyone that died that day. It burned within him. His magic screamed in agony as each of his caste fell down in death, their magic tearing apart from them. He was the same as them, but he had been spared from the killing. Why?

At his pain, his magic erupted through the small room, filling it with a bright light. The magic shattered the walls, throwing rubble into the air. He loved his magic. It was the magic of light. Of hope. But, now he could sense it changing. The shadows were trying to envelope it, to compress it into darkness. The boy gasped in pain as his light started to disappear around him.

A woman appeared before him, stepping through the holes in the wall that he had created. He could sense her magic flare even from far away. He stayed on the ground, panting. This was the first human he had encountered in years. What was she doing here?

"Who are you?" his voice cracked.

"Someone who will avenge all magical beings," the voice echoed in the room, "And you will be the one who will bear all the burden."

Without letting the boy think another work, dark magic began flowing out of her hands. Shadows wrapped around the room, making it dark and dreary. The boy looked up and screamed, sending a wave of light to expel the darkness. But, it was too late and he was too weak. The shadows overwhelmed his light, devouring it. He felt the darkness enter into his body, replacing his magic. His form changed and his heart was bound by chains of stone. The cries of the people-- the ones he hated the most-- began to live inside him. Lighting flashed and thunder surged through him endlessly.

His cries vibrated in the air, like the sound of a roaring dragon, but it was never heard. Finally, when the woman retreated back into the shadows and the boy was relieved from his pain, the world was bright. The sun shone down on the castle and the people were talking merrily to one another as if the storm of the world never happened.

The executioner never existed and the blood that was spilled disappeared. The only one who knew the hatred was the little boy who would never see daylight again.