A long time ago, Leviora Academy was not a school. It was once a fortress. A grand fortress.
But even the greatest fortresses would collapse.
My name is Maya, and I am a princess. I am 11 years old.
A long time ago, my parents and I lived happily in our castle. It was quite a large castle, and it was fun to run through all the halls with my friends, making fun of the paintings on the wall, and just living life.
My parents kept talking about me taking over the kingdom in the future. It was a nice thought. I had all these people who believed in me and my strengths, and trusted me to lead our kingdom. I would've loved to do it.
That was a long time ago. I don't even know how those people are doing now.
One terrible night, there was a fire. There was screaming outside the castle, soldiers rushing through the halls and yelling orders at each other. Everything was chaos.
Mother and Father told me to stay in my room. I obeyed their command, covering my ears with my hands to drown out the screaming and shouting.
I thought about my friends and family. Whatever was going on out there, surely they would be fine, right? My parents, proud rulers of our kingdom, they would surely protect us. My friends were smart, they would know danger if they saw it.
I didn't even know what was going on until I peered out the window.
Shouting, fighting, overall chaos. Soldiers fighting soldiers, civilians cowering in fear, catapults outside the castle grounds—at least I think they were catapults.
My home had turned into a war ground, and I couldn't do anything to stop it.
A flickering light. That was what I saw crawling up the vines which rested on the castle walls. I barely had time to think before the fire made its way into the room.
I had left the window open. It was too late to close it. The fire had me cornered, as I slowly backed away and pressed my back against the door.
Tugging on the doorknob would not allow me to open the door. It was as if it was deliberately shut, trapping me in the room I once enjoyed spending time in.
There was nothing I could do. Shouting for my parents would not help at all.
The last thing I remembered before blacking out was the painful touch of fire upon my skin, and the terrible smoke which forced its way into my lungs.
I clutched onto my golden necklace—my most prized possession, a gift from my parents—as I waited for the pain to go away.
When I woke up again, I felt light. The fire had stopped, and the sky was a lovely shade of blue. I walked—no, floated?—towards the window which the fire had come from.
The birds were chirping once more, and the sounds of fighting had disappeared. The faint chattering of citizens could be heard in the distance.
I sighed I relief. Everything was finally peaceful again.
Or at least it was how it seemed.
My parents and I grew distant. My friends never came over to see me again. It was as if they forgot I existed.
One by one, they all disappeared. I tried going outside to look for them, but it seemed that I simply couldn't. I physically couldn't go outside. It was as if some magical force kept me trapped inside the castle.
On another hand, my necklace had disappeared. I remembered that I was wearing it on the day of the fire. It just seemed to disappear.
I saw many things in the castle as the days went on. New people, new paintings, new rulers. I wanted to talk to them, but none of them seemed to pay attention to me.
It was starting to get boring. Boring and extremely lonely.
I remembered waking up to find that the castle was something completely new. My room was turned into some sort of closet with a variety of cleaning supplies. I didn't know what they did with my things, but I decided to relocate to the secret library in the castle's north wing. It was something I'd always wanted to do in the past anyways.
There were new people now. They were all wearing funny clothes. Some girls were wearing pants now. I'd never seen a girl wear pants before, but they looked nice on them. It's good that they're happy about it. I wish I could be like them.
I tried talking to these new people. They seemed a bit older than me, so perhaps there were differences in interests between us. Whenever I wanted to talk to them, however, it was as if they simply ignored me.
I just kept calling out to them. Hello there! What's your name? Do you want to play with me?
Can you even hear me?
~~~
500 years ago, this place was not a school. It was once a fortress. A grand fortress.
But even the greatest fortresses saw bloodshed behind its very walls.
My name is Annelise, and I was a protector. I was 21 years old.
My home is in the north, in a place much colder than where I currently reside. I crossed many borders to escape from the brutal wars between my homeland and neighbouring countries.
When I came here, I became a protector of the daughter of a wealthy family. She was around my age. I thought that when I arrived, I would not make many friends. I thought that I would be separated from others, distant from them due to having moved.
She proved me otherwise.
I treated her as my master. After all, my new purpose was to protect her. I was sure to ensure that no harm came to her way. I would listen to her every word, carry out every task she asked of me.
She did not treat me as a servant. She treated me as a friend.
We were close. Oftentimes she would sketch the objects surrounding us, pointing out every detail that she found interesting.
"Annelise, look!" She would say. "There are birds in this tree. They seem to be singing."
And every time, I would answer, "Yes, My Lady. They are."
And she would say, "Annelise, look! The people are selling wares! Don't they just look so happy? It's great seeing everyone in such good spirits."
"Yes, My Lady," I would respond. "It is."
It was something about her radiant smile which I was interested about. No matter the situation, she always seemed to maintain her smile.
One day I asked her, "How do you do it?"
She said, "How do I do what?"
"Keep smiling," I answered.
"Oh," She paused to think, humming a playful tune as she did. "I don't know. It just feels better this way."
"Smiling?"
"Yes," She looked at me. "Wonderful, isn't it? It's as if smiling solves all your problems. If things don't go how you want them to go, just smile and it won't feel as bad."
"Really? I see."
"Annelise, you should try smiling more often."
And try I did. With her around, everything seemed to be happier. I could smile more than I did back at home, with fighting and battling sounds heard outside every home. Here, everything was peaceful. I could feel at ease when she was around.
Unfortunately, it seemed that it would not last.
She always wanted to travel, to see the world. She would beg to her parents all the time, but they would always reject her ideas.
I always told her about the lands beyond this one. There were lands where the sun shone brightly each day, and there were lands covered in thick blankets of snow. There were lands of war, but also lands where people would come together and be a part of their community.
The talks always intrigued her. I liked seeing how she reacted to my tales, how she asked me to tell her more.
One day, she got her wish. With the help of some relatives who supported her wishes, her parents begrudgingly allowed her to travel the world. I was happy for her, even if I did not go along.
On the day she left, she gave me her necklace. It was a golden necklace, left in this castle by someone from a long time ago. It was one of her most prized possessions.
"For me?" I asked.
"A momento to remember me by when I'm gone," She said. "Besides, I wouldn't like for the necklace to break or get dirty while I'm on my travels. Keep it safe for me, will you?"
"Yes, My Lady."
And so she left.
Her parents were having second thoughts. As they left, they became furious. Furious at her relatives for letting her go, and furious at me for not accompanying her.
They warned me that should any harm come to her, there would be a price to pay. At these times, I, too, started to regret not going with her.
Her parents were forgiving, I knew that. They could see to reason.
The snow was not so forgiving. Her carriage could not outrun the howling winds behind them, and so she perished, buried under layers and layers of snow.
Her parents were devastated. So was I, but deep down I knew that perhaps they were right all along.
I had failed my duty, and I would pay the ultimate price.
She was the sun to my moon. She brought warmth to her surroundings, but even when being her servant there were times where I could not be by her side at all times. Without the sun, the moon would not shine as bright as it did when the sun was there.
The day of my execution came. I clutched her necklace tightly in my hand as I waited for the moment to come.
Perhaps now we would both truly be at peace.
~~~
500 years ago, this place was not a school. It was once a fortress. A grand fortress.
But even the greatest fortresses could not protect all from harm.
My name is Johnathan, and I was a researcher. I was 27 years old.
I had heard of this castle, one of the oldest in the area, a rich history of being passed through generations and leaders, serving a different purpose at a different time period.
At that time, around 300 years ago, the castle had succumbed to a fire, a burning inferno that engulfed those both inside the castle and on its grounds. 100 years later—a lesser known piece of knowledge that I took pride in knowing—there was a revolt regarding the unfortunate death of the adventuring princess who once lived within those walls.
I had been excited to see it with my very own eyes. Never would I have thought that this excursion would have been my last.
I embarked on this journey with my research partner Gilderoy. The two of us had been friends since childhood, and we had often studied together. He had heard about how important my research about ancient kingdoms was to me, and he offered to accompany me to see the castle.
Gilderoy was a good listener. He listened as I went on and on about the history of this castle, and only smiled and nodded. It was nice of him, but on the other hand it was a bit strange. Wasn't he usually a bit more vocal?
"Just look at this sight!" I exclaimed. "The walls, although damaged, still mostly preserved! And these paintings must have been of ancient rulers! How astonishing to think that no one has step foot in here in a long time!"
"Indeed," said Gilderoy. "The state of this castle is truly amazing."
"And just look at these artifacts!" I continued, dragging him by the hand and taking him around the castle. Gilderoy's short words of agreement were drowned out by my non-stop rambling.
That poor sod. I do hope he's doing well now.
"I've invited a few other researchers to join," I added as we explored the castle. "They said they would arrive much later. Something about a meeting."
"I see," Strangely, a different expression appeared on Gilderoy's face. Concern, maybe? Nervousness? Fear? I couldn't tell.
"Is everything alright?" I asked him. "You seem... troubled."
He shook his head vigorously and cleared his throat. "Nothing wrong. You musn't worry about me. I'll be fine."
We went to a small room, which, according to my research, used to be the bedroom of a princess from 300 years ago. The room had an old bed in it, as well as several cabinets and assorted furniture. The one thing that caught my eye was the golden necklace which laid on the ground.
I picked it up to examine it. It seemed to be quite old, and the gold plating on the necklace seemed to chip away.
As I examined the necklace, a sharp pain grew abruptly in my stomach. I buckled forwards, clutching my side tightly as I fell. I removed my hand slowly. There was blood, trickling down from my hand to my arm.
"What-" I started, turning around. There stood Gilderoy, a dagger in his trembling outstretched hand. "You- You came all the way here to murder me?"
"You had it coming," said Gilderoy in a tone which had drastically changed from the tone he spoke in when we first arrived.
His words caught me by surprised. "What do you- What is the meaning of this? How could you? I thought we were friends!"
Gilderoy stared at the blood on the dagger, then back at me. "Funny how you say that." Slowly, he walked towards me. "All day it's just research this, research that, even when we were children. You've grown distant."
"Me? Distant?" I retorted. "You were the one who grew distant! Now I know it was just so you could backstab me!"
"I was dealing with my sister's death!" He shouted. "Many times I asked for your support, for you to comfort me even if it was just for a little while. All you would do was turn your back to me and continue with your research on things that are long gone! Well let me tell you, my sister is long gone! Must I remind you that I was there for you when your mother had passed away-"
I took a shaking breath, once again feeling pain in my side. "We were not to speak of that again."
"You regretted not talking to her before she passed." Gilderoy continued. "You were so busy doing your research that you had no time to see her. I watched as you downed bottle after bottle of alcohol to cope with her passing, and I comforted you. You never did the same for me. Even after your mother's death, you just went on with your research. Reasons like these are why you drive people away."
It was starting to get harder to breathe. "Gilderoy, you're mad."
"No," said Gilderoy, crouching down to meet my eyes. "No, Johnathan. You're mad. You were from the start. I was a fool to have trusted you. You know why?"
"Gilderoy..." I pleaded.
"Because you don't care." He said sharply. "You never did."
You don't care. The words rang loud in my head. No, Gilderoy was wrong. I did care. I cared about my mother, I cared about my friends. I cared about him. Why wouldn't he see that? This isn't my fault. It's his problem that he felt the need to stab me. He was in the wrong.
I wasn't wrong. Right?
"I was a fool to think that you actually cared." Gilderoy stood up, making his way to the exit. "Your thirst for knowledge led you to believe that research always came first in your book. Never the people around you. Perhaps," He stared down at the dagger again. "Perhaps now I'll leave you in your misery, give you a taste of your own medicine. Now you know what it's like to be betrayed."
"Gilderoy..." I called out to him. "Gilderoy... Come back... God, you can't do this to me... Please... Gilderoy..."
I spent my last breaths calling out the name of the man who had killed me as I slowly bled out onto the floor.
All this time, the golden necklace was still clutched tightly in my hand.
~~~
Illusionary lore woo
So I ended up deciding to publish the prologue first, just because it was closer to being finished anyways
And by prologue I mean an introduction to some side characters that are related to the plot and the stories if how each of them ultimately met their demise
I'm still polishing up the cast chapter, as you know aesthetics are taking quite a while so I'm not sure when those will be done
For now, enjoy the prologue!
Thanks for reading! Have a good day/night, and stay safe!
Peace out,
Confusion