The Curseborn Saga, Novella I: Fade to Black is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Created by the Four Lords
Copyright © 2015 by Four Lords, LLC
Excerpt from Novella II: Cheaters Never Prosper copyright © 2015 by Four Lords, LLC
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by The Curseborn Saga, LLC
ISBN 978-0-9861939-0-3
eBook ISBN 978-0-9861939-2-7
Edited by Catherine Knepper
Book Cover Artwork by Jean-Christophe Pouzols
Book Illustrations by Sean Lam Hayashi
Produced by Marten D. Shanks
Original Map Design by Trowa D. Cloud
Map Artwork by Sean Lam Hayashi
Printed in the United States of America
Official Website | www.curseborn.com
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This book is dedicated to all the great artists of the past,
To all the young artists of the future,
And to all who wish to save the world.
A special thank you to my Grandmother, Nena,
For helping me to be the man I am today.
~ Trowa D. Cloud
To my family, my alpha and my omega.
Without you, there is nothing.
~ Simon Gatsu Sandoval
To my Aunt Caroline,
Without whom,
I would have never made it past my teens.
~ Squall D. Ace
To my mother, who is to me, the sky that holds the stars.
~ Marten D. Shanks
TABLE OF CONTENTS
MAP OF SORIA
FOREWORD – OF THE SORIANS
THE LEGEND OF EIEN
NOVELLA I: FADE TO BLACK
I – THE WORLD OF INNER DEPTHS
II – THE END OF THE WORLD
III – THE THREE SISTERS
IV – THE TRUTH OF INNER DEPTHS
V – A LONG-AWAITED GIFT
VI – THE LIFT OF DOOM
VII – A PATH OF LIGHT AND DARK
VIII – NEVEREND FOREST
IX – THE VALYTI
X – LADY ENIES
XI – THE RACE
XII – LADY SAKURA
XIII – THE MASTER OF THE FOREST
XIV – THE END SPHERE
XV – A VICTOR EMERGES
XVI – MEMORIES AWAKENED
XVII – FADE TO BLACK
GLOSSARY
Preview of: CHEATERS NEVER PROSPER
A Little Piece of Us
Acknowledgements
About the Author
MAP OF SORIA
They soar beyond the fiery stars
Entwined through all worlds,
Both near and far
The beginning in truth rests with none,
Like the eyes of those who grasped the Sun
Leaves us keen to the sense that they have always been,
The curves of the ring lay shrouded yet seen
The black boundless void that cages us all,
Is granted no mercy from the cold ring’s call
Yet not without warmth does the ring curve again,
Bringing light to the dark of the vast cage within
As Night follows Day,
The ring curves away
For this voids one of many,
Not one as they say
-Virth, the Ghost of Guardian
Foreword – Of the Sorians
To those who gaze up at the stars at night in wonder, and to those who are willing to set forth on this dangerous adventure with us, there are a few things that I must say to you in hopes of simplifying the transition from your world, to theirs.
Lend me your imagination.
In a protected part of the Universe, far, far away from here, there exists a solar system known as the Aethir Ring. The Aethir Ring is the oldest and most primeval solar system of our Universe, and it is home to seven Gods. Here, my brother—the scribe of this tale—would ask you, in an attempt to frame perspective, to take a moment and imagine Olympus, the home of the Greek Gods of myth and legend. In doing so, he would suggest that if you are to view Olympus as the realm of the Gods as they look over Earth, then you could comparatively view the Aethir Ring as the realm of the Gods as they look over the Universe.
Snap.
Occasionally, I will run on slight tangents and will use this practice of snapping to ensure that I make haste, as their story rests just inside your grasp, but just on the other side of my words.
Seven worlds exist within the Aethir Ring. Each unique world is a home to one of the seven Gods where they sit on thrones of their own element. One of these worlds is home to the Goddess of Life, and is known as planet Aeryx. Far above the unexplored surface of Aeryx, there exist two floating lands, much like earthen wings, with lush forests, tall mountains, and running rivers. These lands are home to those closest to the Goddess of Life; they are her first friends, they are her only family, and they are her heart. They are—the Sorians.
Ah, the Sorians, what a beautiful and powerful race of beings! Essentially . . . badass Demi-Gods. No combination of words could better describe the Sorians, but even with these three words as a foundation, one cannot claim to know the Sorians. I imagine that inside, they are very much a people like your own. They eat, sleep, get angry, get sad, become frustrated, love, hate, seek revenge, stand up for each other, kill each other, smile, cry, scream, create, destroy, dream, succeed, fail, fail again, protect . . .
Snap.
Protect.
A long time ago, after the blip in “time” they call EIEN, the first race born after the Gods came to be in the form of two dragons, known now as Night and Day. The Sorians are the grandchildren of these two majestic beasts, which reveals to you the oldest truth of the Sorians: That although they walk with the bodies of Gods, the proud blood of dragons flows strongly through their veins. Hence, demi-god; hence, badass.
Because of their dragon-roots, the Sorians are a more aggressive race, and can experience heightened emotions which often lead to more instinctual behavior and unique personalities. A Sorian’s personality is so deeply rooted in his or her being that their very life force can take visceral form. This form, or this visible energy, is part of the subtle body, not the physical body, and is known among their race as Aura. Each Sorian’s Aura is different, and it can allow another way to transcend their physical strength, should they choose to train it. And should they choose to strengthen their Aura, in times of Eiendrahk they can call upon their energy to uphold the Law of Sacrifice and . . . to protect her.
The Sorians are the Guardians of Life and will forever defend her with their lives from the God of Death each time he breaks free of his chains and brings his dark and never-ending war to their world, for he is Death, and above all else, Death craves Life. The God of Death is an ever-consuming, possessed-with-passion-obsessed being, unlike any other you have ever encountered—calm, composed, meticulous-in-strategy, and patient with an unquenchable and ravenous desire for her . . .
Snap.
A couple of things worth noting . . . Sorians are immortal in the sense that they cannot be k
illed by Time. Again my brother’s voice enters my mind: Time is hideously upset about this trait of theirs. But although they cannot be killed by Time, a mortal wound can kill them.
Because of their partial immortality, the Sorians live on a time frame very different to your own. Even the words they use are different. For example, where you say the word “hour,” they would say “shade.” Two shades is the near equivalent of two hours. Also, what we call a “year” would be known to them as a “ring.” A ring, to Sorians, is but a small tick in time. Again, for example, you might have a birthday once a year, while Sorians have a birthday once every hundred rings, or once every Cycle, the near equivalent of a century. It would be good for you to understand that, when our telling of the story begins (which is nowhere near the beginning of the story), there are living Sorians who were among the Firstborn—or the first Sorians to have ever opened their eyes. This means that some of the Sorians you will meet will have been living for seven hundred cycles, nearly 700 centuries, since just after the birth of our Universe.
Shade, ring, cycle . . . These words and many others are different for a simple reason. Sorians do not speak in any dialect that you would be familiar with on Earth. They have their own beautifully crafted language, known to us only as the Language of the First. And I only hope that we have held true to the heart and spirit of their tongue in our telling of their tale.
A few more things I’d like to note on the Sorians. They age in a very peculiar manner compared to us reason-and-logic-minded humans. A Sorian ages according to how they feel in their current state. For example, a child who is happy as a child may remain a child longer than a Sorian who is more ready for adolescence. An old man in Soria is only an old man because he has chosen to become an old man. A boy in his teens can remain a boy in his teens if he so desires. You age in accordance to your own heart.
Snap.
Physicality.
Silhouetted, and from a distance, a Sorian would not look much different from you or me, but to assume that they are anything near human would be a tragic misconception. All Sorians have a strange, bone-like armor that grows out of their skin, much like an exoskeleton, in a way that is unique to each and every Sorian. This bone armor is known as Hollow.
There are other characteristics, of course, that show how Sorians resemble those of their bloodline. For starters, their eyes, the windows to their soul, have a deep, predator-like vertical pupil, exactly like those of their dragon ancestors. You will find that some Sorians more resemble dragons, while others will more resemble gods. For example, you may encounter a Sorian with horned ears and patches of scales, but you may also encounter one with fair and beautiful skin, and only the presence of the most delicate, striking and elegantly placed Hollow would confirm their dragon lineage.
When the Sorians first came to be, their Hollow was white, flawless, and pure. Together they were the most beautiful beings in existence; a race unified and constant, with one burning purpose, to protect her. But cycles changed them, physically and mentally. After the dawn of the Curse, the Hollow of many Sorians began to fade to black. A once-whole and spirited world did not seem as one anymore, and those who were different, those with the darkness, came to be known as the Curseborn.
Snap.
Before I go, I would like you to know that the adventure you are soon to embark on tells tales of freedom, friendship, and willpower, in a way that I can hardly manage to describe. The two boys, and the many others along the way, have become some of my closest friends. They have become those whom I look to during trials in my own life, for in comparison to their mission of protecting the Goddess of Life (which in turn ensures the safety of everything, including even you and me in our vast Universe), my burden seems suddenly and surprisingly light.
Snap.
P.S. Caim is pronounced “kime,” and rhymes with “time.”
Snap.
~ M.D.S
The Legend of EIEN
Black and White Flames . . . this is how it all began . . .
In the beginning there was nothing . . . or was there?
And of the beginnings . . . of which do we speak?
This is our story . . .
The truth is there was no true beginning. Beginnings have come and gone through the eons as all else does, curving along the eternal ring that binds Life and Death. But this isn’t the story of other beginnings, it is the story of our Beginning.
So it was that at the birth of the last Universe, Life and Death began their adventures through the blossoming stars and worlds, racing and soaring, bringing warmth to light and chill to dark. But in sadness lies truth, and all adventures must at one point come to an end. And so it was that all within the Universe came to fall, one by one, until only the Great Void remained, and thus, fatefully, it fell as well. So ended the majestic adventures of Life and Death, and together they came to be, weaving of sorrow and victory until at last, the two elements became One.
And as their auras merged a great orb of power came to be around them, burning with their imperishable flames, dancing of black and white in the center of silver nothingness, for space had not yet been tainted by shadow. And this Orb, in all its omnipotence and truth, was the Heart of All, the First and Last Sun, the Keeper of Time, and the Beginning, for only while Life and Death are One is Time captured. And thus, the last name of this Sun is EIEN, the Timeless.
In the empty silence danced the flames of new Beginning. And as they burned did Life and Death weave together, in harmony and discord, twining and twirling, and of them were born the Children of EIEN, the first of the Elements.
And into the form of crystals were the Elements shaped, glistening in unawakened radiance, pulsating with all the strength and beauty of those who had summoned them into existence. And bestowed upon them were their true names . . . Earth, Fire, Wind, Water and Lightning; forever to be remembered, for they were soon to become the Soul of the Universe.
But in their shining greatness did Death become envious, and thus he craved them above all else. And so a dark coldness was stirred within the Heart of All, and with it was Life awakened, and in her perceiving of Death’s thoughts was her virtuous purpose born.
And so the flames of the First and Last Sun grew terrible and chaotic, and of it did two Wings rise high and mighty, shining of black and white. At the center of silver oblivion did the two Wings clash, furious and unrelenting, and all that was once quiet became engulfed in the chaos of their war. The Children of EIEN trembled in the fury of their clashing, until finally did the soft light of hope brighten beyond all memory, and thus was Life victorious. Out of the deepest core of the Sun were the Crystals freed, shooting as crying stars, and to the distant edges they sped, and so was born of the elements Earth, Fire, Wind, Water and Lightning, the Soul of the Universe.
But in all his loathing did Death scream, violent and strifen, horrible and full of wrath, and so the One was broken and split, and a catastrophic explosion unleashed at their parting, greater than any other in all the Beginnings, for all that was quivered and quaked, and thus the cage of Time was shattered, and the Great Void was born anew.
And thus all was not as it once was, for the piercing hate of Death’s scream was so great that space was forever tainted with shadow. Yet flickers of Life sparkled brightly before the dark, and into the black Void they shot, glimmering as mementos of hope, and so these mementos became the First Stars of the Universe. The white and black flames were shed of the Sun, and into the Great Void did they spiral. The twisting flames came upon the Children of EIEN, awakening their thoughts and kindling their hearts, and so was born the First Worlds, and of these worlds, the First of the Gods.
And so did Time begin winding its path through the Universe, bringing an end to EIEN. The two Wings fell from the Sun, and the Heart of All lost its power, no longer flaming of Black and White, but fading to crimson orange.
Yet all was not over, or pe
rhaps, not yet begun. As the White Wing fell softly from the burning Sun, a young girl came to be upon it, and she was Life, shimmering with all the beauty of the newborn stars, the worlds, and all within them. She gazed once upon these worlds before the White Wing curved around her body, glowing brighter and brighter as a great orb illuminating the dark. And thus was born the Goddess of Life and her world.
Far beyond the glowing world of Life did the Black Wing also fall from the Sun. And of it was born a God, dark and mighty and miserable, for he was shadowed by vengeance and overcome by hatred. Driven by this darkness he rose before the Sun, claiming in his tongue of power the eternal light as his own, for his crave was the devouring of all that shone. Yet he was without the strength of Life, for the two had been torn asunder, and so the flames of the crimson Sun overcame his voice, and so was the God of Death cast into the deepest depths of the God Realm.
So begins the story of our Universe, a tale of light and dark . . .
Sometime within the realm of past and future
Lies an adventure that will be told for all the ages to come,
And all will know its tale,
For this,
Is our story.
The Curseborn Saga
Novella I: FADE TO BLACK
CREATORS
TROWA D. CLOUD
SQUALL D. ACE
SIMON GATSU SANDOVAL
MARTEN D. SHANKS
WRITER
Curseborn Saga - Fade to Black Page 1