Anyway, Adella was a daughter of an Innkeeper in a small town outskirting a large monastery.  Besides her Father, she had a mother, and a sister.  Her sister had something of a strange ability, one that no one really understood aside from her own family.  Her sister's name was Sonya, and she was born a "whisperer".  Whisperers are creatures... humans, generally, that are chosen to be placed there, created by the planet.  Certain children with certain potential are given this gift by the planet when they are conceived.  Sonya was.. by far the most potent and powerful of any that had ever been created, even before the council and it's fall (See "The Status of the World" for an explanation on the fall of the whisperers).  Her birth, though unknown to her parents, was something that was a prophecy, a prophecy that LONG ago before the earth was sundered, was forgotten.  But the sundering came to be, and thousands of years later, Sonya was born to a peasant family in the Lost Lands.

As explained in the status of the world, whisperers continued to be born though after the sundering and the chaos took hold, they hid in the shadows, never knowing that others like themselves existed. Whispers generally kept to themselves, and had the unusual ability to behave as magnets for wayward souls.. And not necessarily just spirits, but also living souls.

While the memory of whisperers was forgotten by the world, those who had the ability acted silently upon it, behaving as shepherds for the lost.

Sonya was no different, only far more powerful. With her abilities as a shepherdess to guide ghosts and phantoms to ascend to the higher plane (Heaven) she could converse with them openly, and even control them.. As they loved her so dearly that they would do as she pleased. Sonya was a very kind hearted person, benevolent yet witty, spirited yet calm. She was all that there was good in the world, and Adella loved her dearly.

But like in all stories and tales of the past, good things came to an end. Adella used to enjoy playing near the walls of the Monastery, a field of flowers existed there for her to weave crowns with… and it was there that the rest of her life was decided. A man by the name of Dakota saw her playing … and soon after came to spy on her every so often … as her childish innocence at only the age of eight intrigued him. So much was she innocent and almost siren-like in her serenity that he fell in love with her.. Instantly deciding that she would be his wife when she came of age.

Dakota that night attacked the inn, slaughtering Adella's parents as they attempted to protect their two children. While Sonya was only six at the time, her mind was very keen and quick thinking, and before Dakota could act upon his plans… Sonya helped her sister escape, and the two of them disappeared.

Many years passed by, Sonya and Adella growing older. Adella blossoming to eighteen, and Sonya sixteen. While Sonya retained her honeyed persona, Adella grew bitter and spiteful over her parents death, taking up the practice of drinking, gambling, sword play, and overall became a plague to society. Perhaps it was a curse that she would always lose those that she loved, but even if they had stayed hidden for many years, the Monastery that Dakota had come from had eventually expanded it's shadow to find Adella's whereabouts. Dakota had led a mutiny from within, and by beheading the head priest, become it's head himself. And only days after the two children had escaped his grasp, did he burn down the entire village that Adella had been born in (unknown to her) in his search for her. But she and her sister had already left… and he was unable to find her for many years.

The City of RhyDin was not the average city… and it was no wonder that he could not find her or her sister. The two of them blended well within the dirty walls of the enormous city. Its expanse was endless, buildings scraping up into the clouds, countless ships of various time frames floating about its skies, and while the bright lights twinkled from the looming buildings, deep in her streets and allies there were billions of pubs, shops, and treasures to find. It seemed that all time frames clashed in this city, and while none there new it, it was the scar where the world was originally sundered, and because of such a thing.. It's manner was the most chaotic. Adella and Sonya were faceless citizens, living under her looming shadow, spending their nights in medieval taverns, their days roaming the streets that clashed of anachronistic confusion.

Dakota had spread his fingers far and wide from the years in which he had first burned their village, and eventually through his network and outreach… Adella had been found. Perhaps it was her big mouth and showboating behavior, but she had eventually gotten a reputation as a trouble maker and drunk, and always following her was her kind hearted and ever patient younger sister.

This time he struck for her heart… Those around her were always protecting her, even if in her current state.. Perhaps she didn't deserve it? She was young.. Foolish… but still very human. Dakota attacked, but even with all the power he had gained… he was not able to win… for there was something he did not expect in his pathway… something he had been studying with a driven obsession. A seer… Sonya in her most simple of manners, was able to hold him back, control him puppet-like with utter precision, driving him to a rage. With all the energy he could muster, he struck back at her, wounding her mortally and sending her guardian spirits into a furious pile drive against him. Dakota was easily forced back by their assault: confused, pinned, and wounded beyond recognition… but before he left he saw something he had never expected… something that IN ALL the years of the life of the planet they lived on and in the endless flow of birth and death, none had ever seen come to pass.

A whisperer passed her powers onto another. It was an IMPOSSIBLE act… truly impossible.. For a whisperer was chosen by the planet, BORN with his/her powers, they were not transferable. Yet somehow, as Sonya lay dying in her sister's arms, she passed on her powers to Adella in her final breath. Sonya died.. And it would seem that yet again another Adella loved was lost because of her.

For several years Adella wandered in confusion… eventually disappearing into the city… those who had known her for her ridiculous drunken antics never knowing what had ever happened to her… for she had changed… She had been given a reason to live… this gift she did not understand was her reason, and with her … invisible to all save herself… forlorn spirits unable to ascend mirrored her path… floating invisibly behind her in a procession of sadness.

Sonya died to save her, died so that she could go on living, and so she dedicated herself to kindness, understanding the plights of others and the attempt at cleaning up her city, finding solace in caring for those less fortunate than herself. Sonya would have wanted this.. And through her deeds she matured from eighteen to twenty five…

It was then that she met Cain, her first husband. Cain had a brusque manner, but he was dedicated to his work and while a severe person, was generous and loyal in the same sense. He was a sorcerer… his life long goal …. Unbeknown to Adella.. Was the research of the immortal, the search for immortality. It was a taboo subject, the only ones that ever achieved it did so by dark means… selling their souls to the dead… vampires… etc. But Cain… Cain was determined to retain his humanity, and while his countless experiments were failures, he grew closer to his end goal. During this time he came to know Adella, growing to love her and eventually desiring her to be his wife. She was nothing as she had once been, no harshness existed within her. She was kind, soft, gentle, funny, joyful, beautiful, and radiant. They were wedded after only a year of knowing one another, and she became the proud mother of their only daughter, Lena.

There was a lake near their home where Adella used to take their daughter, a place where the bellflower bloomed in summer. And while she was blissful in her life as a mother and wife.. What she did not know was that Dakota had been watching her from the shadows, lying in wait. It was fate that she had met Cain… and through Dakota's manipulation… she was forever changed. A simple sleep spell was cast upon her while she knelt on a blanket with her child near the lake, and her child… well she was drowned. By Dakota's hand Lena died, and when Adella woke from seemingly a simple nap, her child was already gone.

Cain's rage could not be forseen by any save Dakota… and with the death of their daughter… came the death of the joy that twinkled in Adella's eyes for many long years.

"Look into the mirror!" Cain cried as he slammed his wife against her dressing table, fingertips intertwined in her long dark hair, tugging her head back so that she could stare into her reflection.

"For that is the face that killed our child! Forever will you see that face and remember!" She choked on her cries, every breath more painful than the last, "Unlike others you will not grow old... you will remain like this for eternity... when all those you have loved have grown old and died you will still look into your reflection and see this very face!" And so he cursed her.

Her face would not grow old, her skin never wrinkle, and her beauty would be eternal. But her body was human through and through, easily broken, easily slain, but only by those means could she die… age would never take her. "A blight on this planet you shall be, and you will suffer until the day you are slain. Only then will the chains that bind you release you from your penance!"

On that day she lost her daughter, and her mortality. She was cursed, living a life of eternal youth… a body that would not age, grow sick, or wither and die in peace. Her only release would be a death that was forced, until then she would walk their world… never changing as all that she had known disappeared into history.

Adella had never known any that were like her sister… She had always believed her sister was unique. Now those who kept her company were the dead souls that trailed her while she walked, barefoot and broken, cast out by a husband who she outlived long after his death. Cain was never able to achieve immortality again, but this all fit precisely with the well orchestrated plan of Dakota.

Adella disappeared into the twilight, a wanderer and vagabond who meandered aimlessly across the surface of the planet. From time to time she would come to rest in a village, only to vanish when those about her noticed that she was eternal, her youth never changing as ten… twenty years passed in their wake. She would move then, her spirits following her, unseen by all, yet whispered to by her. She spoke with them, loved them, cared for them, aided them in their sadness. As the years passed her hair grew long and lush, her eyes became wise yet sad… and a beauty she was to behold. A solitary maiden, seemingly alone, yet accompanied by the dead who cherished her kindness and purity.

The years became lost to her.. She knew not how many had passed… but many centuries time lead her back to her home, back to the village of her birth. It was in ruin now, as it had burned only two days after she had fled it as a child. The only thing that remained of the inn her father owned was a chimney, a crumbling stone wall, and the grass that had grown over the floors and buried those who had died there. This village was forgotten in the annals of time, but she still recalled it, the field she played in, the dance her mother had taught her, the room she and her sister shared, ….the monastery…

The name of her village had been Kavkora, and many centuries before it had been a thriving little farm town, but now it was nothing more than a shadow of a memory that had once been…. Because she had lived there. Adella stood quietly in the grassy ruins, the cold air from the distant mountains scattering her tattered skirt and long hair. What she had discovered in her journey to this place was that the entire northern region of the Lost Lands had been demolished, burned to the ground and left uninhabited for many years. Still to this day none had bothered to rebuild it… or even ventured into the north. There was nothing left, and those who survived its destruction escaped and never returned.

But why had it been destroyed? Adella had lost contact with any sort of knowledge as to what the political state of the world was… centuries of wandering had disconnected her.

It was there in that village that fate would play its course… for as she pondered what had once been, the looming shadow of a collassal army began to form in the east, guided by the rising sun. At the head of the army was a tall general, eyes cold and observant, waist length hair pulled high into a ponytail, his tattered and bloodied cape caught in the winds from the mountains as he crested the hill leading to the ruins of Kavkora.

This place had not seen a human being in centuries. The Northern Kingdoms of the Lost Lands were nothing more than grassy ruins. That was all that ran through the General's mind as he stared in disbelief at what he saw far before him. A woman stood there, small and slender, hair longer than Rapunzel and a tattered dress scattering with the breeze. It was written in the annals of history that the northern kingdom was a ruin, a cursed land that none had visited for hundreds of years. Was she a ghost? He did not know. There was no horse, no bag of belongings near her, nothing except the clothes on her back and the ragged shoes she wore.

"Is it a banshee?" The comment drew him from his thoughts. Beside him his Second in Command was staring pensively at the woman, who, oddly enough, had not seemed to notice them at all. "I don’t know…" Was all the General could reply.

Then it was that the two saw her face, for she finally acknowledged them, turning slowly, her head canting to the side as she gazed over in their direction. She was young… no more than twenty two or twenty three, but her eyes, they captured the General. He could not speak in that moment, only stare into them as if he were caught within the wrinkles of time itself. There was an endless depth he could not understand, a sorrow that was nearly tangible, but instead the mysterious beauty's lips tugged lightly into a smile.

"General Drevin?" But the Commander had ridden away from his Second, his horse trotting warily towards the quiet smiling woman.

"A living soul has not set foot in these lands for almost three hundred years… " He said coldly down to her, eluding to her strange location but not bothering to dismount. She could have been a banshee after all.

What she said in response however, surprised him, "…How?..." The woman whispered in a sad voice… one that border-lined grief and confusion. She turned away from him then, the bottoms of her eyelids twitching upwards in quiet contemplation. "How?" He repeated her question. How could she not know? Most everyone knew that the Northern Kingdom was a desolate place. The events that lead to it's destruction were not recorded, the names of all the small towns that dotted the countryside forgotten with the passing of time.

"This village's name was Kavkora…" She said forlornly, interrupting his thoughts before he could even answer her first question.

Who was she? Drevin could not understand it. His army had been the first to cross these lands since their burning, and the last thing he'd expected to find in passing was a woman with nothing to her name who seemingly knew the history of the ruin she stood in. But before he could ask, her sad smile caught him again, "My name is Adella." She stated softly.

It took him no time to recover from the sudden introduction, the shock of the entire meeting never showing on his face. She was a mystery to him, captivating and strange, something antique about her manner yet for some reason she gave him hope. "I am David…" he said finally, his voice trailing off as he no longer glared down at her, but instead merely caught her gaze, lingering there in her eyes for what seemed like eternity.

The beginning of David and Adella was a unique one. She knew nothing of him, of his deeds. He was a great general, commanding an army that marched across the lands, conquering in the name of unity. Since the curse of Adella she had become detached with the world, and in that time the Lost Lands had fallen under a tyranny that David had risen up against. He was a fierce man, determined and unstoppable in his quest to unite the Lost Lands, and perhaps after that, the continents of their world.

The chaos of the world had grown considerably worse in the last several hundred years, and while unnoticeable by humanoid kind, David felt there was a way to fix it. He knew not what, or how, but he believed in his mortal mind the first path was uniting the people of that world. So was his goal, driven and strong, he had built an army that had conquered nearly all of the lost continent, overthrown it's monarchy and rebuilt a government that began to lend to stability.

David was a mysterious man to most, adored by the women of the world, and respected by the men. He was a figure of hope, tall, statuesque with long black hair and a chiseled handsome face. Rarely was he seen smiling, and more often did he have a stern and hardened expression, a commanding presence and firm brow. He was married to a woman named Ariana, who most knew nothing about, and spent most of his time either on the battlefield leading his army, or within walls of the Palace of Rhydin. David had overthrown the emperor, and turned his palace into a military hall.

And Adella? She had been the only person he had ever introduced himself as "David" to. None called him that, it was almost a taboo practice. To his close personal friends he was "Drevin" and to the rest of the world "General or Grand Commander Drevin."

He had brought her back with him, away from the northern kingdoms. He had not asked her how she'd known about that village, but he came to know her story with time.

Their friendship grew, as to him she became the only person he felt he truly could open up to. David was a different person around her. While around others he held a commanding presence, with Adella he was kind … and even smiled. For so long she had abandoned everything to walk the world, cocooned in her sorrow. She had forgotten that all things happened for a reason, and she too had a role to play in their world.

Adella was pulled from her lament, brought back to the city of Rhydin where despite her very poor means, was able to make ends meat for herself and survive. She purchased a small rundown apartment on the 21st story of an old apartment building, and began work as a maid for a local inn and tavern. David's friendship with her was purely secret, as none in his military or even his wife knew of her existence. She had been spoken of as the ghost woman he had taken back to Rhydin with him, and none had seen her since the day they'd met. Yet David saw her often, kept her safe, and watched over her. While his visits were sometimes few and far between due to war, he made sure that she was guarded always, without her knowledge of course. David's Second in Command, Eric "Ice" Claymere, was not only that, but also his personal assassin who did all of the dirty work that was necessary in political gain.

Eric was David's closest friend, along with the other top assassin, Ravien Natashimoto. The two (Eric and Ravien) were lovers, and eventually came out of the shadows to befriend Adella, having seen how much she meant to David. Adella became fast friends with them, and the foursome (David, Adella, Eric, and Ravien) began to see much of each other.

This was the golden age of Adella's life. She had two very dear friends, and one that meant more to her than anyone ever had. Adella was growing to love David, despite herself. She knew he was married, he was an untouchable object. While she had her secret friendship, she knew that he was beyond her reach. He had Ariana after all, he had pledged his life to her, wore her ring, and was her husband. Yet still despite her better judgement Adella pined for him, a burning desire secretly raging within her.

She looked more and more forward to his visits, rushing home to her poor little apartment and cleaning feverishly in hopes that he would appear. Often times he never would, as he would be away for long periods of time at war.. But when he did return her heart would be overjoyed. She would fix him meals, talk to him, listen to his stories, and excite in his adventures of conquest. It seemed so strange, this mostly penniless woman who lived in a rundown one bedroom apartment was so close to one of the worlds greatest figureheads. But despite the strangeness of the situation, the affairs of the heart moved in mysterious ways.

David's voyages away to war became increasingly frequent, and he was gone for longer periods of time. Adella spent her nights awaiting his return, hoping for a letter or any word. She received none most of the time, and she prayed for his safety, her heart yearning to see his face, to feel his hand upon her shoulder, to smile and stare up into his eyes.

When he did finally return after nearly 6 months of absence… it was not what she expected in the slightest. David appeared one night with no announcement, his hair disheveled and his clothing stripped down to just his military pants, his boots, and his undershirt unbuttoned almost to his middle.

"Adella... She... " he gasped, looming in the doorway, "she was... I found Ariana with another man... in our home!!!" David yelled in anguish, storming past the short brunette girl into the slummy apartment that she lived in. 

Adella's face looked completely shocked hearing that.  David's wife.. with another man?! Her eyes were wide like saucers as she moved to shut the door, a hand creeping over her collarbone and instinctively linking her fingers around one of the brass rings she wore about her neck.  "I'm sorry David... I....Don't know what to--" 

He interrupted her, "Stop.  I don't want to hear it." Well that hadn't gone very well.

Her gaze averted to the floor while she skirted his steps, his expression cold as he moved out onto the balcony overlooking the darkness of the city.  The wind had been fierce that night, and as his stare lingered dismally over the twinkling lights, his long sable hair tossled behind him ink-like.

Adella had ever desired him.. how much she had longed for him in all the years that they had been close friends.  He was beautiful, handsome and powerful, but despite all that, David Drevin was a kind and gentle person. He did not deserve to have this befall him, and she truly wished she could make things right. It pained Adella to see him in such despair.

His vision did not waver from the cityscape and for the longest time he did not speak. 

The look on his face... it captivated her.  She could not draw her eyes away from his, so strong and severe.  Of course it was only natural... he was a great general. 

Her eyes moved about the small rundown living room of her apartment, feeling embarrassed by what little she had, but it was all she could provide for him and she would give it if he asked. 

Forever passed until the Grand Commander finally spoke, "This city… it is suffering. It cries, and I want to stop that. Yet in all of my conquest… I cannot even keep my own wife?" 

Then for the first time since she had known him.. he looked stricken.  For the very first time ever.. David Drevin... had tears in his eyes. 

Adella did not know what to say.  What could she? Here he was, someone she had longed for and dreamed about. He was standing here in her little measly apartment, telling her that his wife had been unfaithful.  She should have been overjoyed, it was her big chance! Somehow though she was not, for she only wished that he could be happy again.

They were not the best words ever, but they were all she could manage, "...Please... don't cry..." her small hand lifted up to rest on his shoulder. 

David's body became rigid at her touch, slowly moving his gaze down to look at her hand.. and then into her eyes.  What she saw there... it caused her insides to freeze..

His expression... it sent chills down her spine and stopped her breathing entirely.  David... looking at her like that. 

It was then he fell apart, whirling around and grabbing hold of her wrists, shoving her up against the wall firmly, "Do you think these tears are for her, Adella?!! Do you think I weep because I have lost her?!"

He couldn't keep his wife, but in truth he hadn't wanted to. The tears were not for Ariana, but instead, a beautiful maiden he had met among the ruins of a forgotten village. A maiden who's ancient wisdom and kind heart enthralled him. For ten years he had longed for her, longed for merely this penniless girl.  He hadn't wanted anything else, but because of his oaths to Ariana he had stayed true.

She had definitely not expected that, nor expected such a fire in his eyes.   "...I...w-well... yes..." She had to answer him honestly though, right?

She did not understand. This frustrated him, and so he did the only thing he could in order to explain himself.

Before she could even react he was kissing her, his black hair falling about her face, his powerful arms crushing her against him. 

Oh how her head spun... and in that moment she realized that she never wanted anything else.   

The two realized their love for each other that night, and it didn't take long for David to announce he was remarrying. The world was shocked at first to find that he had divorced in the first place, but the fact that he was remarrying so fast caused much uproar and gossip.

The people's adoration for the General far outweighed any gossip that his decision could have created, and the wedding was grand. Adella was a faceless girl, nameless to all who saw her, yet suddenly she was in the limelight of the world, someone none had ever seen. "How did he come to know her?" many asked. David Drevin's wedding was the talk of the world, and catching a glimpse of Adella was the desire of all. She was kept secret however, her unveiling was not until her wedding day.

And a gala event it was indeed. The wedding was held on the grounds of Drevin Estate,

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With what seemed to Adella to be the entire world attending. She knew and recognized only 3, the man she was to marry, his best man Eric… and Ravien.

The two were joined under the morning sun, the sky high and blue with white clouds dusting across it casting periodic shade upon the onlookers. Adella's gown was a blend of many styles, a bustle and flounces, split open in the front with several layers of pleated silk, off the shoulder sleeveless with a greek-esque stay/bodice and a cathedral length veil.

She had been married once before, but never in such splendor. David had demanded only the best for her, and here was where the world saw it's first glimpse of the soon to be Adella Drevin. Her face was masked behind the collarbone length full frontal veil, but when she approached the alter her husband-to-be lifted the chiffon away from his bride's face, and all fell silent in shock. Those who had seen her when she had been first sighted in their pass through the lost lands recognized her to be the ghost woman he had taken back with him… while others who did not know her only marveled at her beauty and the unheard of joy they witnessed upon the great General's face.

The wedding celebration carried on through the day and all of the night, but eventually died down and the two were left to be alone with each other. Adella and David did not venture off on a honeymoon, for his business of conquest kept him very occupied. There was a change in him however.

David had always been somewhat brusque, quiet for the most part and commanding. He had an almost ethereal presence about him, tall and handsome, untouchable and severe. With Adella though, he was different, and it was showing to all the people of the world, which made him even more captivating somehow, charismatic and human to them. It was easier for him to take hold of their futures, create a law for them to abide by and build a system of justice that would end the suffering and sadness he strove so hard to destroy.

He had united the chaos of the Lost Lands… the most uncontrollable continent in the world, brought it together under his leadership, his sword was the protector of the people. It was the era of peace, the golden Era for the unruly city of RhyDin and the continent itself. David planned on expanding his unity to the other two continents, for the west was far technologically advanced and refused to share their discoveries with anyone else, and the east? It was an oriental land lost in a time far behind the west or the lost lands. The people of the east were without even electricity or running water.

All these things David wished to control, wished to merge together so that all the beings of the world could enjoy a comfortable life. The west should share their discoveries with the rest of the planet, the east would be cared for and the lost lands, while thanks to David was the most stable of all the regions, would be the central point of world commerce. Rhydin its capital city.

Ten years passed as diplomacies were discussed back and forth, David not using his sword as a means to join the lost lands and other two continents. Peace had found it's way into the Lost Lands and for the first time since the sundering people believed that the name of the continent should be changed, but to what they did not know.

Adella's happiness in the meantime was endless, for she was the wife of the man she loved more than life itself, a man who meant everything to her. Her curse did not seem like a curse any longer. If she had not been put under it, she never would have lived long enough to meet him.

Recent disputes with the western continent had escalated into minor riots and warfare within the western lands themselves. The government of nobles that had grip over the people did not agree with David's aspirations. While General Drevin wished to unite for the people, to create a world for the people, this would do away with the need for nobles being those who were in power. They did not like this, and so the Western Continent launched an assault upon the lost lands.

David immediately set off to command his forces, calculating the movement of the western army and building defense against them. The people of the lost lands were rallied together, desperate to have their peaceful lives protected. The war began with the air raids and bombing of the north western shores. The civilians had been long evacuated from their homes, but the cities and villages themselves were utterly destroyed. The west could not send their missiles further than the north western shores however, and so invaded with a mighty force that clashed violently with that of David Drevin's.

The army of the Lost Lands held up easily to the test of might, keeping their territory defended from the onslaught of the west. The west had a far greater mass to send forth (it was a much larger continent), and so what seemed like an endless wave of attacks continued.

Battle raged for nearly two years, David splitting his military among the various shores of the lost lands. Where his fronts broke they were reinforced later, a game of strategy and wits was being played. However he was the wiser of the warring sides, and so his lands stayed defended, his military's death toll far less than that of the mass which threatened to engulf the lost lands.

A victory over the west was imminent, for they were tiring of their assault, and a war that was going on three years and a people who were exhausted and battle worn. Drevin did not faulter however, for he remained steadfast and proud, holding the morale of his troops high.

His wife? She only saw him briefly, for when the fighting died down he would return home to her arms, weary and yearning to be loved by all that she could give. Adella would embrace him, warming his bed and giving comfort to him with her happy and gentle nature. With the end near it was almost clear that the Lost Lands were impregnable, and David Drevin would soon conquer the western continent, as they had exhausted their efforts with no gain.

Drevin Manor was located south east of Rhydin, nestled within its rolling hills and forests. It was a place that was well defended, however the shores of the lost lands itself had not been breached, so there was no need for the home to have more than a hundred extra guards. The estate was not a fortress of any kind, and so it was not a desirable military target, yet oddly enough, it was suddenly under seige.

David had never once abandoned his post for any reason. He was a leader, all of the lives and happiness of the people in his fingertips. His dream had been to see the world united, a peaceful government set in motion and a stability formed. But in a moment none of that mattered, for when the reports that an army had formed and was pressing towards the manor, he gave up everything.

The great general himself had to choose between defending his lands, or his love. His heart did not lie to him, and while his pride and strength were overwhelming, he threw it all away to save the one woman who mattered most to him.

David left his post, reworking his strategic plans and leading a portion of his army to defend his manor… his wife. He was a fast thinker, and because of this his military positioning on his many fronts suffered no severe loss. When he arrived upon Drevin Manor the gates were already under siege, the guards guarding the chateau had been locked in combat since the night before. So far the manor had not been damaged, but when the reinforcements following David arrived a swell of new horsemen came to overwhelm the estate's guards.

It was all the reinforcements could do to hold off this new onslaught, David himself growing suspicious of the men that were attacking. They could have easily overtaken the Drevin Army, but they were holding off for some reason. His thoughts were only on Adella at that point, and so he rode towards his home. All around him servants rushed, screaming, for fires blazed across both the gardens and in the various servants quarters themselves. It seemed though that the majority of the servants were fleeing from the manor itself...

When he arrived, it was strangely quiet inside. The lights flickering dimly and not a servant could be seen or heard. Where was Adella? He did not have to look far.. The haunting sound of a man's laughter suddenly alerted him of where life inside of the house could be found.

Though David did not know it, Adella had taken action the moment she had heard the war drums and seen the torches approaching. The servants had been evacuated from their quarters and she had done her best to create a defense. The soldiers guarding the estate obviously knew better than she about how to position themselves, but she was sure to be informed of what they planned on doing. However the army that approached them surrounded the property, there was truly no escape. So she brought all who lived on the grounds who could not defend it within the manor itself.

It had been her little fortress that she defended, and it provided comfort for the workers and servants who Adella strove to protect. She was a brave woman, and her plan the only desperate one she could think of to protect her people. The comfort however, was brief.

The last person in the world she ever expected to see appeared, out of thin air no doubt. The ballroom was the only room large enough to facilitate the servants and their families, so that was where she had lead them. Here he made his presence known, and she had not seen him for almost three hundred years.

Dakota. Adella was so terrified she could not scream, only whisper for those closest to her to flee the manor. The servants did not disobey their mistress, and from the fear on her face, they knew that there was something far more terrible within the walls of Drevin Manor than that attacking it outside.

It was not the fleeing maids and gardeners that Dakota had come here for. Oh no… they were all invisible to him as they fled in various directions. Adella remained in one place, frozen in fear… or perhaps she could not move of her own free will? Well it didn't matter…

"My dear…" He whispered softly to her, his serpentine facade twisted with pleasure. Of all the most horrific things she could have ever witnessed, she never thought her eyes would set upon the face of this man again.

"I have waited endless ages to be with you again… for the perfect moment to reunite… and now here we are… together again." Dakota's lips curved up into a snakish smile, his hand extending out to her in a manner which a gentleman would ask a lady to dance.

When Adella finally found the words she wished to say to him, hateful words driven by years of pain, no sound came from her vocals. There was an invisible force wrapped around her neck, squelching her ability to speak. It squeezed her throat, threatening her air supply and crushing her petite form. Escape was impossible.

Against her will her hands lifted gracefully into the air, her head canting back. She spun once, then twice. It was his will that she dance for him…

And so she did...

"Dance my darling…" He hissed into her ear then, having approached her as she'd begun.

Dakota raised his hands above her head like a puppeteer, and immediately she followed a line of steps he wished to see. Bowing, twirling, swaying, and gasping for air..

Adella performed for him a desirable and beautiful promenade. She was his marionette, and what he commanded of her she complied. Her body was his, the magic that had taken hold of her controlling her limbs.

Always she had been his doll to toy with…

Dakota was an immortal being. Everlasting life was a mythical creation, and only those who sold their souls to undeath could achieve it. Vampires mainly. But Dakota was different. While Adella had never witnessed it, his power exceeded that of any living soul on their planet, and because of this he had achieved the ability to preserve his life. He had not studied the practice of immortality, however… he had extended his life merely through power gain alone, perhaps by changing the frequency of how his body existed.

Dakota had followed Adella secretly and orchestrated the meeting of Cain and herself. Knowing full well that Cain was a brilliant man beyond his times, Dakota sewed the seeds of Adella's eternal youth. Cain could not create immortality in it's true form, but what he had discovered was a method of containing youth so that it did not age or become warped by sickness. Cain's unstable nature was the building blocks for Dakota's plan, and casting a sleeping spell on Adella, Dakota had drowned their daughter with his own two hands. This was meant to set Cain off, and it had worked.

In his rage, Cain had cursed Adella with his discovery. Given her eternal youth. Her body would not age or get sick, however she remained 100% human. She could die, easily from anything such as a fall or a bullet wound… and so to Cain that was the ultimate torture. She would continue to live until the day she was killed by a forceful means… there would be no peaceful death.

Dakota explained all this to her as he forced her to dance before him, his smile never fading. The more agony he saw in her face the more he went on, delving further into the past.

Kavkora had been one of the small little villages located in the Northern Kingdoms. Before their destruction, the northern kingdoms had been a thriving region of farm towns and cities. Dakota had bided his time as a priest in a large monastery that was located near a very small farm town where Adella had been born. It was meeting Adella that set the burning of the northern kingdoms in motion.

Dakota fell in love with her, and when Sonya helped her escape the inn after he had killed their parents, his fury at being outwitted by an eight year old child drove him to begin burning the region in search of the two children.

Town after town, the first beginning with Kavkora. Kavkora had suffered the worst of the damage, it's people slaughtered rather than just burning it itself. It had been the focus of his initial anger, and once he had let that out, he continued to every city in the northern region, burning everything in his path in search of the girls.

But Sonya and Adella had fled to the city of RhyDin. Perhaps Sonya had known what Dakota would do? Either way it was easy for the girls to hide in the underground of the chaos that was RhyDin, and so Dakota did not find them for a number of years.

Those who escaped the burning of the northern region kept the horror that they had witnessed silent to their graves, so no historical writings of why it had been destroyed existed in their world. The only ones who knew now where Adella, Dakota… and David.

David had arrived only moments after Dakota had begun puppeting the General's wife to dance about for him. He was enraged by the cruel torment that the priest displayed against her, but he was a calculating man, and instead of blindly rushing in to save her, he bided his time, sizing up his opponent and listening to the unbelievable tale. The history of the Northern Kingdoms, Adella's true past… All this was a shock to him. She had explained a bit about her curse, but never with so much detail. He'd had no idea that it was to this extent.. But he understood now the pain she had felt, and his rage was unable to be quelled.

The sound of flesh being punctured ripped loudly through the vast dome-shaped ballroom. Dakota screamed moments later as the perpetrating sword was thrust further through his back, the end of it's large white blade protruding roughly out of his chest.

Adella was instantly freed from the spell that bound her. Gasping for air, she dropped to the ground clutching her throat. "Get away from him!" David commanded her through gritted teeth. Before she could even gain her bearings she obeyed, pulling herself from the floor and fleeing behind him several yards.

"I'd heard enough… It was time you released her." David challenged, jerking the sword out of Dakota's back. The priest squalled, stumbling away as blood from the wound pumped thickly over his robes.

He had not expected to be interfered with, nor anticipated that The General would overhear his boasting.

"I came here for her. I would have spared you if you had not interrupted me..." Dakota retorted breathily, hunched and glaring at the general with one eye squeezed shut.

If David was bothered by the fact that Dakota did not collapse after having a sword shoved through his heart, it did not show on his face. His features remained ever cool, his brow knitted and jaw tight. "Adella is my wife… I won't allow it." His retort had a passionate authority to it, a tone that she had never heard come from him before.

David had challenged him. Although that much was obvious from the gaping sword wound that did not even seem to effect Dakota. Any other man would have quaked with fear, but the priest found the challenge laughable. Impossible even. None had ever or could ever stop him from obtaining what he thought was his. Why was this man any different?

Being waylaid was not part of his plan, but Dakota also knew nothing about the opponent that stood before him. David Drevin had with him the only true worldly possession he valued. Chaos Tear. It was the sword that now dripped with the blood of the priest. The sword that had belonged to his family for generations, an heirloom of great power and mystery.

When Dakota attacked he was not prepared to have his strength matched, nor the manipulative energy that he used to control Adella… completely negated by the sword.

The two of them clashed with such force that a shockwave erupted from their meeting, knocking Adella to the ground and uprooting many of the fine tiles that lined the surface of the Ballroom.

David was certainly like none that Dakota had faced before, and no matter the magnitude of spell he threw at the General, the sword seemed to have no trouble slicing through it. Not only that, but with the power of the sword came the speed of the user. He was everything that the world feared him to be; swift, calculating, and powerful. Chaos Tear had been a perfect addition to the hand of David Drevin. His skill was honed and unmatched. To every one of the attacks the priest threw at him, he had a counter.

Their combat had an overwhelming energy pulsating from it. Dakota had begun to realize that he could not toy with this man as he would a normal human and an actual serious fight would have to be played if he wished to win.

With a gutteral cry he drew his own sword, the area around him exploding, leaving a crater beneath his feet. From the explosion the windows of the ballroom were blown out, as well as throwing David backwards into the wall near to where Adella had long since taken refuge.

"David!" She screamed. This had truly become a living nightmare, but when she moved to go to his side she immediately halted. He had already returned to his feet, his hand held out to her to stop her approach. "It's too dangerous.." He growled, his eyes never leaving the form of the now floating priest.

Dakota was not a soul to be taken lightly, and David had known this from the start. Going into a solo duel against the monster who had been the cause of the Northern Kingdoms' destruction was a death wish if there ever was one.

Love, however, had driven him to such. He had no reservations, he would protect her no matter the cost. There was nothing in the world that would hold back Grand Commander Drevin from defending his wife, not even a man so powerful that he could lay waste to an entire village with just his hand alone.

"Such determination for one so weak…" Dakota laughed arrogantly down at David, knowing full well what was going through the General's head, "You would give up all that you worked for all these years, David Drevin? You would cast away your duties to the people who so love you? The happiness and safety of thousands lies in your hands. Would you truly forsake them?"

David was not a man of many words, and so he did not reply. He knew the gravity of his death. He understood what would happen to all that he had achieved were he to perish in this battle, and he did not care. The only thing on his mind now was Adella.

All of her torment, it was by the hand of this man. If he could end her suffering, if he could save her from this creature… Nothing was more important to him than this battle, and that was why he fought with such vigor, such force as he never had before.

It was everything he could do to keep up with Dakota now, his moves anticipated by the priest's own blade. Dakota had changed since the start of their fight, and his ferocity had magnified a tenfold. When before the Warlord had been able to outwit the other with his swordsmanship, now he found his attacks were flawed.

Metal upon metal crashed and groaned. Fabric and flesh were torn. Their battle raged on, blood covering the ruined ballroom floor. The structure they warred in was slowly being destroyed. The windows had been blown out, and several walls were knocked away, parts of the ceiling crumbling and collapsing with heavy force. A fire was spreading from a fallen oil lamp, and the situation beyond the ballroom seemed equally grave.

By now Dakota's army had broken through the gates of the Drevin Manor, beginning to lay waste to everything in sight. Servants were cut down mercilessly and buildings erupted in flames. The manor itself remained untouched, but the screams from beyond it's walls were not unheard.

Despite everything, David kept up his determined opposition. He was battered and bleeding now, but it did not seem as if he were bothered by this notion at all. He was a calculating man, intelligent beyond his years and a hardy strategical genius. But the fight was not in his favor, and he knew it.

Dakota had to be defeated no matter the cost. If David could not get through the priest's defenses by speed alone, then he would break them with tactics instead. It was a sacrifice he knew he had to make, but more than living he desired to see his wife's smile carry on. If he did not take this man down then all that she had suffered would go unavenged.

The sound that Adella heard then would be remembered always. It was the short snapping of armor being pierced, and then the struggling grunt that later followed.

"David!" She screamed in terror, rising to her feet and taking several steps forward. David had done the unthinkable, something neither she nor Dakota had expected. He had willingly left himself open, taking the entire force of Dakota's blade in order to execute his own offense.

Dakota's eyes were wide in shock, the full thickness of Chaos Tear once more shoved through his body. Though this time, despite being impaled by the priests own sword, David would not let him recover. With one swift motion David tore the sword sideways, ripping away nearly the entire torso of his opponent.

Dakota choked, blood erupting from his lips and trailing down the side of his face. He was wounded beyond even his own regeneration. A mere mortal man had defeated him. He had taken the bait! He had run David through with his blade, and in doing so, left his own chest wide open for the fury of Chaos Tear to consume. He had been foolish...He had lost... He could not believe it...

"…No… Adella..." He gagged, his face twisted in fury as he collapsed into a bloody heap, his body disappearing the moment it touched the floor, his presence completely forgotten.

Before Dakota had even fallen Adella was scrambling forward, tearing across the floor towards her beloved. "David!" She screamed a second time, reaching him just as he lowered to his knees, the priest's sword still impaled through his chest.

"David… No… Please…"

He listed forward, his heavy body pitching against her as she fought to find the strength to hold him up.

Beyond the burning walls of the Drevin Manor the fighting had strangely ceased. There were no sounds aside from the roar of the fire around her, and the struggled breathing of her husband in her arms.

"Adella…" He whispered hoarsely. Adella had begun to pull Dakota's sword from his chest. "…Leave it…" But she would not. She could not. He had to survive. She could not go on without him and if he were to leave her then she would be truly lost.

David groaned painfully as the sword finally came free, dropped to the ground and forgotten. Adella lowered him gently onto his back, her hands carefully tucked beneath his head so that it could rest in her lap.

"… My beauty…" he said quietly, looking up at her with all the love and pride that he had when they had exchanged their vows. Often he gazed at her this way, and always it had caused her insides to burn and her heart to swell. But this time… This time it was different. This time she understood…

"Please…" Adella begged him, her voice warbling in anguish. "…Stay with me… Don't go… Don't leave me here by myself… I need you..." Tears streamed down her soft pale face, her body beginning to tremble beyond her control.

"I have no regrets. This… world… it is safe for you… free to bask in your smile… my love."

All the pain that she had felt in the three hundred years of her immortal life could not compare to the emptiness that consumed her when his spirit left his body. He had been her everything, the most important treasure she had ever known. But he was gone. His soul departed for eternity, leaving her behind, wailing and clutching at the empty shell in her arms.

There was no consolation for Adella Drevin. She was alone now, the dream of their peaceful life together lying shattered about her as she clung to the motionless body of the greatest general ever recorded in history, begging for him to return.

Shortly after his death, Eric and Ravien had found her there by herself, screaming and clinging to David's corpse. Had they not appeared she would have stayed, allowing herself to be burned alongside her husband. But David had left her with her life, and her friends would not allow something like her death to ruin what he had sacrificed.

The manor burned to the ground, leaving behind only the skeleton of a beautiful memory. The fire spared nothing, his body had been consumed, as well as everything within the walls of the building. Outside there was no indication that Dakota's troops had ever been there, and the remaining soldiers and servants marveled that they had vanished into thin air all of a sudden. They had been nothing more than illusions.

A funeral was held the next day, and the world mourned the loss of the General. But the west looked at his death as an opportunity. The morale of David's forces suffered a severe low, for he had been desperately loved by them.

A new wave of attacks consumed the lost lands, and Eric took his rightful place as the commander of the army. Years of studying David's tactics gave him an edge in the beginning, but the depression and low morale of the Drevin soldiers caused them to be shortly overwhelmed.

Eric was the only one with desire to fight left in him, and in battle he too fell, defending the shores of their country. It did not take long for the Lost Lands to be engulfed in war once again, the people thrown into confusion and the peace that they had known dashed forever.

The countryside was lost in chaos, everything David Drevin had worked for unraveling quickly.

When the warring finally ceased the continent was left broken and torn. Alongside Ravien, Adella escaped to the city of RhyDin, hiding within the slums in places that were well known to her.

But her pain did not leave her, for she had an emptiness in her soul that would never be refilled no matter how long she lived. David had touched her heart like none ever could, and for countless decades after his death she would only desire to hear his voice once again.