At the Royal Palace of the Crimson Dominion Empire, a great commotion echoed through its golden halls.
The Empire's council had spoken—His Imperial Majesty must marry.For it was law, deeply rooted in the culture of the ancient dynasties: no Emperor may rule alone without an Empress by his side.
Thus, the long-forgotten arrangement from his childhood was reawakened.His Imperial Majesty, Lucien Alaric Thornton of the Crimson Dominion Empire, was now to wed Princess Samantha of the Dravencourt Empire.
It was an arranged marriage decided in their infancy, one buried under years of political turmoil and war.
When Lucien was a baby, his real mother, Empress Dowager Seraphina Valtoria Thornton was forced to flee during a devastating war. In her absence, his stepmother, Lady Morgana Ravencourt Thornton, fought at the frontlines and fiercely protected the royal heir.
When the war ended, the late Emperor, moved by Morgana's loyalty, took her as his second wife. By the time Seraphina returned, the Empire and her son already belonged to someone else.
Now, years later, word reached the Empress Dowager that her son's stepmother had secretly arranged for Lucien to marry Princess Samantha of the Dravencourt Empire.
"What did you just say?"The Empress Dowager's voice trembled with fury, her ruby eyes narrowing. "His Imperial Majesty is to marry Princess Samantha of Dravencourt? Who dares make such a decision without my permission?"
The servants lowered their heads. "Your Majesty… it was the Imperial Consort—His Majesty's stepmother."
The Empress Dowager's expression hardened. "That arrangement was canceled the day my son became engaged to Lady Elisabetha! Now that she's gone, she dares revive it?"
Unable to contain her rage, she rose to her feet, her long silver robes shimmering like moonlight. "Prepare the palanquin. I will pay the 'Empress Mother' a visit myself."
Her court ladies and guards followed her through the corridor of jade columns until they reached Lady Morgana's chambers.
"The Empress Dowager visits," a maid announced, bowing low.
Lady Morgana rose gracefully and paid her respects. "Your Majesty, what brings you to my chambers so suddenly?"
"I came," Seraphina said coldly, "to confirm the rumor that you have re-arranged my son's marriage to the Princess of Dravencourt."
"Yes," Morgana replied calmly. "I did."
Seraphina's fury ignited. "And on whose authority? Who gave you the right to select a wife for my son without consulting me? I am his true mother, the one who carried him in my womb for nine months!"
Morgana's tone remained composed. "And yet, I am also his mother. I raised him, protected him, and stood beside him when this Empire bled. What was once planned has merely been set right."
Seraphina slammed her hand against the armrest of the chair she had been given. "You dare disregard my authority!"
"This is not a matter worth such anger, Your Majesty," Morgana replied, her gaze sharp beneath her polite smile. "The late Emperor already approved this arrangement. If anything, your anger insults his will… and mine."
The Empress Dowager rose swiftly, her robes sweeping across the floor like a storm. Her voice dropped to an icy whisper."You have revealed your claws at last, Lady Morgana. But I will not allow you to control my son or this throne as long as I draw breath."
As she walked out, one of her court ladies murmured, "Your Majesty, everyone knows His Imperial Majesty listens only to his stepmother."
Seraphina stopped walking, her eyes narrowing into a deadly glint. "Then it's time that changes."
Meanwhile, in a dark and sweltering room miles away…
A soft cry echoed.
Hazel sat trembling on the cold stone floor, her wrists and ankles chained. It was morning, but not a single ray of sunlight reached the walls.
"Where… where am I?" she whispered, her voice breaking.
The rusty door creaked open, flooding the room with a blinding light. When her eyes adjusted, she saw the truth—she wasn't alone.
Dozens of girls her age huddled around her, all bound and terrified. Men in dark armor—guards—herded them out like cattle. Hazel was thrown into a crowded cell, twisting her finger painfully as she hit the floor.
"Ouch…" she winced, looking around at the terrified faces. "Where… where am I?"
A voice whispered from behind the bars, chilling and hollow:"You're in Avernelle… the Forbidden Cross Border."
What is brought into Avernelle… stays bound for life.
Avernelle was an ancient, enchanted territory an underground dominion hidden at the borders shared by all empires. Though it lay close to a well-known trading post called the Cross Border Market, Avernelle itself was unseen by ordinary eyes concealed by illusions, cursed fog, and blood oaths sworn by the ruling empires.
No map marked its existence.No human dared speak of it.And no one who entered ever returned unchanged.
It was a neutral yet lawless underworld, known only to nobles, vampires, and ancient traders. A place of dark exchange slaves, blood contracts, forbidden magic, cursed scrolls, and death-bound pacts.
The air smelled of smoke and blood. Gothic towers rose from the mist, lanterns glowing red like dying stars. Iron cages hung from stone arches. Beneath them ran tunnels echoing with the screams of the condemned.
Ravens circled endlessly above the twilight sky neither day nor night. Bells tolled in the distance, signaling new arrivals… new slaves.
Though Avernelle was neutral ground, every empire kept its own slave compound:
House Noxshade of the Noctaire Empire.
Velmora Silkbound Hall of the Velmora Empire.
Duskmoor Ironvate Compound of the Duskmoor Empire.
Eclipsael's Shadowbind of the Eclipsael Empire.And more.
Each filled with the lost humans, rare-blooded beings, and cursed souls. Some were nobles who had vanished without a trace, others were debtors, sacrifices… or victims of fate.
Before one could even find Avernelle, they had to pass through its disguise the Cross Border Market, a lively bazaar open to all.Merchants sold wine, armor, silks, horses, and charms under the bright daylight. Yet hidden behind the Bone Weaver's Tent was the shadowed gate to Avernelle a narrow alley whispered to open only under moonlight, with a single incantation known to the damned.
The people called it "The Borderless Zone."Where traders from all provinces mingled…And where Hazel's fate was about to be sealed.