The Kingdom of Valarium.
Once a beautiful city.
Now?
Ruins.
The place is ruled by The Hollow King. Once he was a fair ruler. A kind ruler. One, who listened. One day, something happened.
They say he grew hungry for power.
His voice echoes in the minds of every living being, and his commands are followed without question. He is omnipotent in the eyes of his subjects, a godlike figure whose will shapes the world and whose reach extends far beyond the physical realm.
No one knows what the Hollow King looks like, where he resides, or if he is truly alive. His presence is felt through whispers. Commands that worm their way into the minds of the people, making them act on instinct. The Hollow King is the ultimate puppet master, and everyone, from the lowliest beggar to the mightiest noble, is under his control. The people are mere marionettes, their lives dictated by his will.
Everyone.
Except me.
Lira Crimson. The girl who is has the will to follow his commands. I hear them, telling me what to do. But for some reason, I don't. I can choose.
But not everyone else.
I am called MANY things.
An orphan, street rat, thief.
I have to survive for anything. My parents abandoned me when I was born. I had to fend for myself when I was young.
And right now?
I'm running away.
Not because I stole anything.
But because my disguise came off.
Why?
I was wanted.
500 Million gold to my name.
What did I do so bad?
Nothing really. The Hollow King knows that I don't follow his commands, so he want s to catch me and make me follow him.
Let them catch you
His voice echoed in my head.
Not a fucking chance, old man.
I was jumping over carriages and bumping into street vendors. They yelled and cursed me out, but I didn't stop.
A wanted flyer flew towards me.
WANTED
LIRA CRIMSON
DEAD OR ALIVE
REWARD: 500 MILLION GOLD
In the poster I had blue fox shaped eyes, honey bronze skin tone, my hair brown and wavy till my shoulders. I was wearing an olive green sleeveless shirt and a brown scarf around my neck and a golden arm bracelet. (I stole that)
I stared at it in disgust. They can't get my eye color right.
IT WAS GREEN? HELLO?
I mean, it's better for me. I use the scar to cover my mouth, not eyes though. Which helps.
So how did I get caught?
I was helping a child from being trampled over some horses, and my scarf came off.
I ran into a dark alleyway, and hid there. The people chasing me ran past the alley, clearly confused where I went.
I exhaled and walked further in.
Come out.
No.
I went to an abandoned house. It wasn't completely abandoned. I lived there. It was filled with jewels and the most valuable stuff I stole. A lot of fancy stuff from nobles.
But the only thing I ever used was the golden arm bracelet. Why? I don't know either. I felt attached to it.
In the house was a painting. A 10 feet tall painting. I was 5'8, yet the difference made me look VERY short.
In the painting, it was a girl. Cleary a princess. It is a princess. The Hollow King's daughter. But her face was out, scratched. As if someone deeply loved her, but she betrayed them, and he scratched her face out.
They say that she died when her father turned. Some say she was killed, others say that she committed suicide.
I don't really know, but if anything, I felt bad for her.
The Hollow King as lived longer than any of us. And his daughter was supposed to as well.
The Hollow King has been ruling for more than centuries. It has been 1000 years since he took control of everyones minds. No one knows what happened to his wife.
One day, they were fighting pretty badly, and she left. Both of them were once in love, once they were happy, but they shared different beliefs. She wanted to change everyone, get rid of the people who were greedy. He believed that everyone deserved a chance. Well, not anymore.
I sat down on the sofa.
Well, it looked like a sofa, but a really worn out one.
I sighed.
I guess it was better to be poor and not give in than to be rich a be submissive.
I wonder my parents left me.
Maybe I was an illegitimate child? Or they were too poor to even raise me? Maybe they weren't ready?
I guess I would never know. I got used to this lifestyle, I don't need anyone to depend on, I don't need the sappy emotions or the pressure to get married. Well, as if any of it would be real. You can't really tell what a person was thinking or saying when The Hallow King controls everyones mind.
I could use the money and give myself a higher title to become a noblewoman.
I would have to submit to his control then. I would rather be a rebel than a rich person with no control of themselves.
I wish....
I wish that other people can have control over themselves as well.
Just at that moment, the building collapsed.
And I went down, but not with the remains. I was falling in a black void with nothing I could see.
After a while I saw a town. A town that was peaceful. Everyone laughing, people selling stuff on the street.
They seemed like...
Themselves.
I couldn't hear his voice anymore. My head, was filled with my own thoughts, away from him.
Where was this place?
What was this place?
"Welcome to Syrus, Lira Crimson." A soft voice said behind me.
I turned around to find a woman, that was short, maybe around 5 feet? She had beautiful blonde long straight hair till her lower back. Chocolate skin tone and she looked young. Like a 19-year-old.
What caught my attention was that she was blind, both eyes.
"My name is Seraphine, and I am the Oracle of Valarium."