It was a late spring in the kingdom of Wyrith.

  The air was cold with no flowers in sight. Parts of the castle, especially the empty guest rooms and the long corridors outside, were cold and empty, with none of the fireplaces in that area being tended by the servants. No one but the guards patrolled that area. Those unfortunate enough to be stationed there had to endure to coldness. Only their own torches provided the necessary warmth, lest they'd succumb to the cold.

  Most of that warmth was instead reserved for the castle's right wing. This was the primary residence of the House of Vesparte, the current dynasty of rulers that reigned over the Kingdom of Wyrith. This castle had been their home for generations, for they had ruled Wyrith for five generations. Their fair rule, despite some disagreements with the commoners, had always been for the sake of the kingdom. The people appreciated them for it, and on each generations, the members of the House were popular.

  Their fairness, however, could not convince some factions. Unfortunately for them, these factions did not care about the kingdom, for they had their own agenda to fulfill. The members of the royal family was the unfortunate victim, and with it, an abrupt change to the kingdom's foreign policy.

  For what happened on that fateful night changed the fates of the survivors.

  That night, all the current members of the royal family were gathered in the court for a celebration. The need to maintain their alliance with the neighboring kingdom of Manarithia was fulfilled by the union of the ruling families, as decreed by a more formal court earlier that day. That night, a feast was declared to celebrate the success of this negotiation.

  The feast was to celebrate the engagement between the youngest princess of the family, one Henrietta of Vesparte, and the crown prince of Manarithia, Gareth. This union did not come without some degree of resistance, especially on Henrietta's part. She made a good reason: this engagement was not her decision, and was not out of love. However, she kept this objection for herself, for it was still her duty as a princess to honor this engagement, lest it would insult Gareth, and in extent, Manarithia.

  Of course, Henrietta never intended to keep this objection to herself. She was blessed by her friendly relationship with her siblings, especially Miriam her elder sister, and Thomas, her younger brother. Miriam was engaged with the son of a major House of Manarithia, one that shared her passion in arts and culture. Her union, while not entirely out of love, was not as politically-fueled as Henrietta was. Thomas, still too young to even consider marriage, pursued the knowledge of the arcane, and was the person Henrietta was the closest to.

  Her primary concern was simple, yet unusual, given her status. She was concerned that she would not be able to pursue her interests once she became the crown princess. After all, nobody wished the crown princess to take arms like common soldiers. It was unbecoming of a princess and future queen, and certainly not to the liking of the crown prince she was engaged to.

  Alas, her concern only came from the letters she received, and not from meeting with the prince in person. During the feast, after the main event had passed and they all enjoyed their dinners, Henrietta decided to speak with her brother of this matter. Thomas, who was aware of Henrietta's personal objection, was willing to listen

  “I’m not ignorant of the need for maintaining our alliance with Manarithia,” said Henrietta. “But perhaps his union is more suited with someone of certain...charm, than to me. I'm afraid I'd accidentally disgrace the prince for pursuing my passion."

  "Have you told the prince about it?" asked Thomas.

  "About my passion with swords? I haven't. I'm afraid it will discourage him. My conduct is too unwomanlike, and clearly unbecoming of a princess. If he broke the marriage proposal because of this, this alliance will be broken."

  "Oh, come now, Henri," said Thomas. "If it's too much for you, then say it thusly."

  "Who is going to replace me, then? Besides, I'll suffer an awkward and embarrassing moment with the others."

  "There's still Joan."

  "Joan? As in the mayor?" Henrietta scoffed. "I doubt she'll take that joke well, Tom."

  Princess Joanna, or Joan among her family and friends, was also the mayor of Eldeen, the capital of Wyrith. She was a competent mayor and had been in office for at least 5 years. Her hard work and the prosperity of the capital city under her meant that almost everyone would object to her leaving her office to marry a young prince from a neighboring kingdom. Her tenacity and strong will would be too much for the suitor.

  Thomas had no particular concern about this. He had gone well past adulthood, being 19 as of that year. However, none of his family was concerned about his future, except for their suggestion that he find someone who was of noble blood. His soft-spoken and mild-mannered nature were enough to convince his family that he would not be the family's downfall. His profession as a mage was also part of the plan to give him a position in the family for the next generation that they could control, but Thomas did not know about this yet.

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  And he would never know, for that night was the night where his life would change.

  As the night winded down after the theatrical performances, and the family started feasting on the prepared foods, the king and the crown prince began their discussion on the recent news, away from the ears of the others in the room. The musical performances drowned their conversation, giving them a semblance of privacy.

  "Have you heard about the increasing cases of black magick activities, father?" he said. "And of impostors?"

  The king grunted. "I have heard it from my court wizard earlier today in the formal court," said the king. "We are to discuss this tonight when the feast is over, so why pull this up now, Robert?"

  "Have you heard from him since this morning?" asked the crown prince. "Where is Alistair? I thought he was invited to the feast. Even he would not turn down your invitation."

  "Perhaps the incidents have weighed his mind with uneasiness. I cannot pretend to understand the situation, but I'm sure Alistair knows what's wrong."

  "We may have to be more cautious on our own behalf. Who knows what that old man is thinking? Perhaps he is thinking about using a different brand of black magick to deal with the incidents."

  The king sighed. "Robert, I understand your skepticism on magick, and I agree. It's not something that we, save Thomas, understands easily. However, if we neglect this part of our defense, we will fall victim to it easily."

  "Perhaps." Robert then smirked. "Or perhaps you have neglected it for too long by deferring all magick-related matters to that incompetent court wizard."

  The change in Robert's tone did not escape his father's attention. Robert had always had a tense relationship with Alistair, whose knowledge of the arcane was confounding the realist crown prince. This was also the reason why he had a cold relationship with his youngest brother, who was trained by the court wizard and was expected by his father to be the court wizard when Robert became a king one day. This, however, was the first time the king heard him talk about the court wizard with such a condescending tone.

  "Does your resentment run that deep, my son?" asked the king, who was slightly taken aback by the hostile comment his son made. "What did he do to you?"

  The first indication that the prince was not himself was when he let out a chuckle. A deep, menacing chuckle that turned into an unnerving laugh. It even drew the attention of his wife and the queen.

  "Nothing, really," he said. "Only that you should have asked for him sooner than waiting for the feast. Who knows what he's doing right now. Perhaps he's desperately trying to swim from the bottom of the lake, panicking when his magick failed him as his lungs burned from the lack of air. Oh yes. We made sure he's out of the picture, so he wouldn't be able to warn you. His troublesome magick can easily ruin our plan for tonight."

  "We?" The king stood up upon realizing that he was not talking to his son. His raised voice drew the attention of the court.

  "Who are you?!" he exclaimed. "What have you done to Robert?!"

  "Ah. But that's not the right question to ask, 'father'," he said. "The question you should be asking is, 'what does C'haka Hakshak means'."

  Before the king could say anything else, Robert, or rather, his impostor, swiped his hand, fingers outstretched, in front of the king. The king's eyes widened in surprise just as he, and the rest of the people in the room, realized what just happened.

  Blood sprayed out of his agape throat, covering everyone nearby in blood. His hand instinctively tried to cover the injury, but blood kept flowing out of his throat. In his vision, he saw his son, face caked in his father's blood, laughing evilly like a triumphant villain. His attention, whatever's left of it, was soon drawn to the hand that just killed him. He wasn't able to show his surprise, though his wife and his son's wife's scream were able to convey his wide-eyed surprise as he slowly lost his strength.

  The impostor's hand was not that of a human's. It was covered in green scales, with fingers tipped with sharp, black claws.

  It did not stop there. As the queen and the crown princess were stricken with fear and panic, the meaning of the phrase his 'son' said moments ago became clear. The queen's attendant, who had been standing behind her throne, pulled out her stiletto and approached her intently. She proceeded to stab her heart multiple times. The action killed her where she stood, as only her dress and her legs propped her up before her lifeless body fell, hand clutching at anything that she could use as support, inadvertently causing the plates and the candelabra to be tipped, starting a fire.

  At the far end of the room, the rest of the patrons were stunned with silence, unable to fathom what just happened. It was only broken when they heard loud hisses coming from 'Robert'. Thomas was still in denial of what happened, thinking that what he was witnessing was part of a sick, theatrical act.

  Then, like nightmare unfolding in front of the young prince, his brother's scale-covered hand grabbed his own face, and slowly ripped it off like a mask. His flat, human face was replaced by a lizard's snout. He stood there like a grotesque amalgamation of a giant lizard and a human, who moments ago masqueraded as Thomas's older brother. Then, with a single flex of his muscles, the remaining part of him that was human burst, revealing a tail.

  This action was followed by the others who heard the unknown phrase he said. They all did what he did. In a scene that could only come from a nightmare, the once human attendants and advisors revealed their true forms, all of which were humanoid lizard people who all let out growls and hisses before they started dispatching anyone who did not understand the significance of the phrase.

  Thomas was immediately grabbed by someone beside him. He instinctively turned.

  He shouldn't have done that.

  Rather than Henrietta, who was beside him and who could have grabbed his hand, it was someone else. However, it was clear from her dress that it was Henrietta, only she was not human, but covered in scales. Her face was reptilian, complete with elongated snout. Her scales were as pink as her dress, with a tint of grey. But unlike the others, her appearance was closer to that of a dragon's, with a pair of coral-like horns and blonde-colored mane, the color of his sister's hair. It did not calm him the slightest; at this moment, she looked just like the lizard people that ambushed the royal family.

  "Thomas! Thomas!" she called.

  He was stunned by fear and disbelief. His sister was also an impostor. He was going to be killed.

  He screamed.