A millenium ago, when the Dragons resided in heaven and the earth was a peaceful and prosperous place. The earth was divided into two major continents. One larger chunk of land belonged to the land-dwelling races consisting of humans, dwarves and shifters while the other side which was surrounded majorly by oceans on all sides, belonged to the seafolk and Elves. It was on this island that stood the Tree of Life planted by the Almighty.

It was the influence of the Tree, which the Almighty called Yggdrasil that the continents were close and connected by a bridge made of Yggdrasil’s roots.

Humans co-existed with the other species and were helped since in comparison they were the weaker species who had neither the fur that would protect them from the harsh winters, nor the claws or teeth that would protect them from the predators.

In those times, the mana and aura users were not differentiated. Coexistence came naturally since there was no ill will.

But that changed as humans started evolving, they had but one gift that was given to them by the heaven. Intelligence.

The intelligence that could adapt and take its own form in a way that could surpass every species. They lacked fur, so they forged armor. They lacked claws and fangs, so they created weapons.

The period of evolution became faster as the humans started watching, learning and adapting from what they saw around them, especially from Dwarves who were for centuries called the Gods of Craftsmanship.

They built houses, castles and soon the walls that protected them. With intelligence came responsibility, and with responsibility came power, power that was naturally followed by greed.

A lot of humans started showing distrust for the other kind and hence made their own villages and stuck together.

A few though, who preferred the company of their benefactors made tribes and stayed with them.

As years passed, the humans encountered evil and hence began the downfall of the world and life. The demons ran rampant on earth and till the time the humans realised their mistake, it was far too late.

The earth was ravaged with battles and wars that destroyed both the continents in the worst way possible.

The continents once bound together by the roots of Yggdrasil slowly drifted apart as Yggdrasil was the major target for those who sought destruction.

With the bridge severed, the smaller continent drifted away in the oceans before finding a stable space, yet, with the wars that was waged between Demons and Dragons. The land suffered major blows and chunks of the continent was blown leaving the once beautiful continent into a small island.

While the island inhabitants by humans and other races was divided yet again by towering mountains and boundaries.

The time passed by and the war ended and the tales were only sung by the passing bards but, there were still traces of those who remained in the shadows after the war was forgotten. Those who remembered the betrayal of humans and thus loathed humankind.

The gift humanity had wasn’t only intelligence, it was also mortality and adaptability which helped them forget the scars but the same couldn’t be said for others. Elves, Dwarves, Shifters and Seafolk who had experienced it all couldn’t forget even after such a long time and apart from them, there were also those whose existence was forgotten and never even mentioned in the archaic tales of humanity.

The forgotten kind who remained shrouded and isolated, the tribes that once were bridges were abandoned by both sides and were forced to flee since they weren’t welcome anywhere.

One such tribe was of the group of humans who maintained close relations with the land shifters and had been blessed by the gift that allowed them to communicate with the shifters even when they were in their animal form.

They were known as the tribe of Whisperers.

Gargi was probably the last descendant of the tribe who was born with that ability. The tribe, now reduced to barely thirty people, had long lost the ability that distinguished them.

Gargi was six when she realised that she was able to understand the words of the animals around her. The tribe’s people cherished her as they usually asked for her help whenever they had any trouble with their cattle.

She had long black hair that her mother tied in twin braids and warm honey eyes that were capable of melting anyone’s heart.

Life was peaceful for her as she lived with her parents and the people she loved.

Until tragedy struck when she was 12 years old. She had gone deeper into the woods to play with her animal friends but abruptly the silence enveloped the forest. Confused she turned to her friends while the birds frantically cried.

"Protect her!"

"Hide her!"

Gargi had no clue of what had driven her friends to such terror but when she looked in the direction of her tribe and noticed the thick black smoke that rose towards the blood red sky.

Her heart hammered wildly in her chest as she ran back, all the way, she kept thinking that maybe it was the bonfire, maybe it was an accident, maybe it’s nothing.

Her parents, the people, everyone were safe and were probably just preparing for their evening activities.

The animals and birds were on high alert all around her, screaming at her to turn back and run away but she couldn’t. She pushed away from the ones who tried to stop her and kept running, falling over the rocks, tripping over the roots.

When she reached the forest, the heat from the fiery inferno greeted her and she heard the sounds of the cries and screams of her tribe’s people along with the flashes of the dark shadows of people with weapons attacking them.

She ran forth screaming for them to stop but just as they noticed her, she could hear the familiar voices screaming for her to run away but she couldn’t.

Gargi felt the strong arm grab her and shouted loudly, "Found her! Let’s go!"

Gargi screamed and shouted, cursing and biting at her captor as she desperately tries to go to her people and she also felt her friends emerging from the forest howling and growling but she couldn’t see more as the sharp blow at the back of her head frowned her vision in black.

For a long time, Gargi believed that it was all just a nightmare, a horrible dream that would end soon and when she would open her eyes, she woukd run into her mother’s arms and tell her all about it.

She could almost feel her mother’s warm arms around her and her sweet scent calming her as her mother’s soft voice would whisper to her that it was all right, she was fine, everything was fine.

But whenever she opened her eyes, all she saw was misery and suffering. There wasn’t a day when she wasn’t in pain, she was passed through masters who saw her as an object of entertainment. They would demand her to use her power and enslave exotic animals for them but she couldn’t.

As the time passed, her heart grew heavier and heavier as if it was filling up with something so dark that she couldn’t ever think of being rid of it anymore.

It was hatred. Hatred for the people who killed her parents and loved ones, the ones who hurt her and other weaker children, the ones who sought entertainment in other’s misery.

The darkness grew so deeper until she was approached at an auction by a person clad in all black. When the person lifted their hood, she saw brilliant red hair that reminded her of the sky on the night she had lost everything.

"You poor thing," the woman spoke, her long finger caressing Gargi’s bruised cheek so, gently that Gargi at first couldn’t feel the delicate touch.

"How low has the human fallen to make a child suffer like this..." She lamented.

Gargi felt the softness in her voice as she smiled at her, "But there’s no need to worry..."

Gargi couldn’t understand why this woman was being so kind to her, she was suspicious but in years after being separated from her people, she hadn’t heard a word of kindness from anyone. So, even if the woman was being deceitful, Gargi wanted to listen more.

"I shall help you be free from this hell," the woman said and Gargi’s eyes widened.

"What?" She gasped.

Sitting in the dark cell now, about to be sold over to another master, she was hearing that she could go free.

"But... Where will you go?" The woman asked.

Gargi immediately opened her mouth to answer but the blazing inferno flashed before her eyes again and she recalled seeing blood and the bodies of her tribe’s people strewn all around.

There was nowhere to go.

The woman’s beautiful face crumpled into a mournful expression and Gargi’s eyes widened again as she felt the woman’s arms gently enclose around her as she felt her cheek being pressed against her bosom.

The gentle pats at her back seemed to open the doors to the tears that she had locked away for a long time.

She cried for a long time in the arms of the woman who reminded her of her mother.

"Hey, what’s going on here?! Who are you?!"

The sudden harsh voice made Gargi flinch and she trembled but the woman gently patted her back before she heard the sound of a paper being torn behind him. The woman scooped her arm under Gargi’s knees picking her up covering her trembling frame with her cloak.

"I’ve come to collect what’s mine." The woman announced.

The man who and arrived grimaced hearing that and Gargi clutched onto the dress of the woman, scared for their life.

The woman glanced once at her before she spoke an order, "Noctris... Feed on those who dare to stop us."

Gargi glimpsed outside catching the fleeting black misty figures, when she caught a better glimpse in the light of the burning torches, she saw the skeletons that seemed to be dressed in black rags.

Her heart hammered as she saw these creatures chasing behind the man who ran away screaming.

Gargi couldn’t see anything else as the woman covered her eyes as she started walking away and Gargi heard her voice at her ear.

"Those who made you suffer, shall burn in hell. And you my dear... I shall give you a chance for vengeance, would you like that?"

Gargi’s heart was beating so loudly that for a moment, it drowned out the sounds of the screams she heard behind them.

She made her decision at that time. The humans who had made her suffer so much, shall also suffer at her hands.

That was what she had been doing at the present as she watched the humans screaming and running for their lives as the beasts under her control chased them and fed on them.

No humans would escape her wrath and certainly no dragon could save them anymore.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of loud pain-filled howls before the strong current of shockwave hit her.

The mage closest to her stepped protectively in front of her and scoffed.

"They are here." She heard him mutter.

Gargi turned her head and past the mage’s arm she saw the figures mounted on horses rushing towards them, with two figures leading them.