Chapter Text
“Once upon a time, in a land and time far far away, there was a beautiful, vibrant, lively kingdom. The kingdom was called: Lamentus. And the ruler of this gracious land was King Eldwin Delborne, my grandfather.
The king was beloved by his people, for his kindness, generosity, and the promise of security within his land. Eldwin was a genius of his time, personally overseeing the enrichment and advancement of education and innovation. Concurrently, he was always fascinated by alchemy, and the power it could hold to help others.
The king spent months, seeking out the greatest alchemists, mages and powers of the world, to educate him and his board of scientists. Eventually, they had found what they were looking for, and Eldwin had written all his knowledge in a sacred book.
As promised, the king and his companions helped the kingdom into a short-lived era of prosperity.
When there was a drought that destroyed the crops, he learned a spell that caused a spring rain, making the fields flourish like never before.
When enemies threaten the destruction of the farthest corners of the village, he cast a protective shield over the kingdom, causing security and safety for many years to come.
When his daughter was deathly ill during childbirth, he brewed a concoction that saved her life, and mine.
One day, the King had a vision. Of a bright future, of making his kingdom the most beautiful place in the world. Where death was untrue: where happiness and health flourished amongst all the kingdoms inhabitants.
He spent years, desperate to create the ultimate spell for his vision, but alas, the world is a cruel place. One of his experiments went deathly wrong. His observatory imploded upon itself, many of the kingdom’s top scientists, alchemists, and scholars perishing from the blast. And the king himself, was nowhere to be found, his book rumored to be destroyed. Soon, every spell he had cast had started to decay; the rain during drought season had left, making the famine worse; the dome started to shatter, and surrounding kingdoms claimed more and more territory, some more generous than others to the people in their paths; and my mother, her health declining at a rapid rate, though I myself, was fine.
My mother spent most days in her bed, as my father ruled as the new king. My father was never meant to hold such a title; his heart uncaring; his strategies begging for demise; his desires selfish and cruel. Many blamed me for my mothers sickness, though she herself never did.
All she wished for was that I grow into a proper king, and that she would be able to reach my coronation. She had the horrible burden of becoming comfortable with the ‘inevitability’ of her death.
I, on the other hand, had different plans. I would not allow for my people to suffer, my grandfather to remain lost, and for my mother to die at my hand while I sit and watch.
Against my father’s orders, I learned alchemy from the remaining few scientists of my grandfather’s time. I learned, I practiced, I grew. Soon, I became a young adult, and I could no longer escape the confines of royal responsibilities. My father tried his best to steer me on his own path, and the one the oracles have predicted, I wish to carve my own path forward.
Despite what destiny holds for me, even if it is written in the stars: I am Elias Delborne, Prince of Lamentus, a dying kingdom. And I was not going to allow for such a tragic fate. I will find success in where my grandfather failed, and I will save all I hold dear to my heart; no matter the cost to others, or to myself.”