[[COMPLETE BUT CURRENTLY UNDER MAJOR EDITING]]
She's an anomaly. He's a vengeful demon. Both haunted by what they are. Together, they must race against time to protect the realms.
Desperate to escape her past, seventeen-year-old Ashley Morgan has be...
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It was almost time for a bedtime story. With her back rested against the wall, her legs crossed and her body to some degree sinking into the soft mattress, seven-year-old Ashley Morgan folded her little arms over Mr. Carrots—her blue cushy long-eared stuffed bunny— grasping him against her chest. The bed squeaked a little as Ashley's mom sat on it. Her mom was wearing a rich white night outfit that shone as the moon's light bounced off it. Ashley wore a blue silky sleeveless one and her lips naturally bent into an anxious grin as she waited in anticipation.
"So," her mother stated, sitting comfortably in front of Ashley. She also folded her legs and leaned closer. "What story do you want to hear tonight?"
A small smile crept its way onto Ashley's face. Even though she had asked that question, her mother already knew that there was only one story that Ashley loved to hear every Halloween night.
Her mother mirrored her smile and said, "The Legend of Ethan and Richard it is."
Ashley's fingers pressed into Mr. Carrots' flossy body as she nodded.
"Once upon a time, there were two friends, Richard and Ethan. They were both mermen and lived deep in the great underwater kingdom of Rathzoria. Richard was the son of King Magnus, the ruler of Rathzoria."
"That means he was the prince," Ashley added, tilting her chin up proudly. "And Ethan was a sorcerer right?"
Her mother raised her brows. "Yes sweetie. Now listen. Everyone in Rathzoria loved Richard. Ethan, however, was always alone, unloved, and despised because of what he was... or rather what he did not have. Even though, he could talk and breathe underwater like the rest of the merpeople Ethan never had—"
"A tail," Ashley interjected, bending her head down sadly. This was one of the sad parts of the story. "Merpeople could change into human or mer form whenever they wanted. Ethan couldn't so the merpeople hated him."
"Just like they hated humans," added her mother. "Even in those days, humans and merfolk were sworn, enemies. Humans hunted merpeople for their scales and some dark sorcerers even killed merpeople in order to obtain their blood."
Ashley gulped. Now came the scary part of the story.
"Merpeople would sink the ships of humans, killing anyone who survived. The merpeople thought that Ethan was half-human even though it was well-known that humans and merfolk couldn't have children together. The merpeople didn't go after Ethan was because king Magnus had said that anyone who harmed Ethan would immediately be executed. This decree wasn't because of the King's love for Ethan... Oh no... It was because of the power Ethan's sorcery gave Rathzoria."
"Richard was the only one in the kingdom who loved and accepted Ethan for who he was. But one day, even that love decayed into hatred."
An icy cold chill slithered up Ashley's back.
"To this day, none knows why Ethan did it. It is known as the darkest day in Rathzorian history. Ethan attacked Rathzoria. He had acquired a power that was feared not only here on earth but throughout the realms. The anger that he kept inside all his life was finally released on the kingdom. None could stop him— not even the King. When Richard heard that Ethan had attacked the palace, he grabbed his sword and swam to his parents as fast as he could. But he was too late. Richard found his parents lying dead on the ground, their skin pale and eyes empty. Ethan stood beside them. Richard demanded an explanation from Ethan but Ethan gave him none. With pain in his heart, Richard attacked Ethan— but he was powerless against what he had become."
