The Dragon Prince: Zero Eclipse

Book 1

Rise of the Dark Crystal

Chapter 1: Purged

The cold. That was the first thing that Zeren Amari felt as he opened his eyes, and saw the tumbling waves crashing all around his families ship. The wind and the rain were making his face numb, and the constant water splashing upwards from the stormy seas was beggining to make him slightly nauseous but still the eight year old boy remained on deck staring out at the horizon, waiting for the landline of Katolis. Clutching the letter in his hands, the boy was full of excitement about being able to meet other people outside of his families private estate, and beyond the close watching eyes of the servants and guards. He was finally being given the chance to make friends and see the outside world, even if it was just the human kingdoms, he was still excited. The rest of his family had set sail four days ago, leaving him to his history studies and mage lessons.

He was travelling from his ancestral home in the kingdom of Duren to meet up with his parents and siblings in Katolis to attend the wedding of King Svengauld and his wife to-be, Dalia Amari; Zeren's older sister. As he was the youngest son, Zeren was told to remain in the Duren family castle and continue his mage lessons until he received a scroll requesting his arrival. His father; Lord Sion Amari, and siblings were all very protective of the youngest child. Mainly due to the fact that his magic aura was the strongest out of all of them, and so Zeren was kept out of the public eye for now. Yet, with the marriage of his beloved eldest sister to the new king of Katolis, Lord Sion decided it was the right time for the rest of the world, both human and elven, to know about the newest human primal mage.

The Amari family was one of the most prominent bloodlines within the five human kingdoms; and they were often called the 'shadow royals', because they were the sole remaining human family that possessed innate primal magic, and they didn't have to resort to using dark magic. This made them legends within the human occupied western half of the continent, and heretics in Xadia; due to the elves and dragons believing that humans solely brought about death, sorrow and destruction, and that any primal human mages were an affront to the sacredness of magic itself. And should be eradicated from

existence to keep pure primal magic out of the grasp of 'corruptible humans'. For nearly twelve hundred years, since the continent was divided, elven assassins were sent into the human kingdom whenever strong primal Amari blooded mages were born, and so said family would always try to keep the births of their children secret to protect them, and ensure that the Pentarchy would always have strong mages to protect it.

Such respect and such fear, was at the heart of many of the royal families interests when they worked with this illustrious family. But amongst the fear and respect, also brewed resentment and jealousy. The power of primal magic compared to dark magic was already known to be non detrimental to the dark mages health, dark mages would eventually become so corrupted by darkness that they would die from overuse of their own power. Whereas the primal Amari's never succumbed to that fate, they lived long prosperous lives and died of old age. Moreover, the power level was slightly more inclined towards primal magic. And so the Amari family was often treated with deference and hidden suspicion, kept within the loop of royal influence and power but always on the fringes of it.

The Amari family wasn't aware of the distance that the kingdoms placed between them but they did know that they were watched, suspiciously and jealously. So when Lord Sion and Lady Ulrica were told that the new king of Katolis wanted to marry their eldest daughter, they were enthused, Dalia herself was reserved about her arranged marriage but nevertheless relented to it; as was expected of her. Yet, none of them ever considered that the offer was anything but a ruse to have the whole family gather in one place to be eliminated. Such was the intended outcome by the royal family of Katolis, with the collective assent of the other four kingdoms. King Svengauld already had a wife and an heir, Crown Prince Harrow, and yet he and his father-in-law; the King of Neolandia, Otar Ren, were the ones originally behind the plot.

The ordinary citizens of the Pentarchy were unaware of the plot of murder the entire Amari family, so when lord Sion and lady Ulrica and four of their five children arrived in Katolis, the people cheered joyfully and genuinely. Thinking that they were about to have an Amari queen, for the first time in over two hundred years; back then marrying an Amari had been all the rage. The striking violet eyes contrasted with the brown hair, was said to be gifted from the gods. However, ever since the catastrophic exploration in the borderlands between the human and elven territories that resulted in the deaths of two kings; the Amari's fell from grace and became isolationist. So when lord Sion received that betrothal letter about Dalia and King Svengauld, he believed that they were being let back into the fold of the Pentarchy, and decided to bring his whole family to the wedding. Lord Sion and his wife, Lady Ulrica, and their twenty year old daughter Dalia, eighteen year old son Andrei, the twins brother and sister; fifteen year old Reina and Lysander, and finally the youngest son, eight year old Zeren; who would be arriving later.

Attending the fake wedding, were the crown heads of the five kingdoms of Katolis, Duren, Neolandia, Del Bar and Evenere. All putting on aires of pleasantries and graciousness but also expecting to witness the extinction of the last human primal mage family in existence. Only then would the Human Pentarchy be safe and secure from any perceived threat from the ancient Amari family. Then the only thing left to do would be to burn the private estate to the ground along with every relic and artefact within the Amari castle, so that all trace of them was gone. As they watched their targets walk into the throne room, King Svengauld and the other kings and queens smiled rising from the places at the large table in front of the throne. Then just at Lord Sion was about to speak, the doors of the room were shut and bolted making him turn around to see why such an action was done only then to find himself and his family being set upon and repeatedly stabbed by swords and spears of the oncoming Katolis guards. Falling to his knees and clutching at a gaping wound to lose his stomach, he beseeched the kings and queens, "why...? What have we done wrong?"

He got no answer from the grinning monarchs standing motionless behind their table, witnessing the murders before them. As he witnessed his wife and four of his children die before him, Sion Amari clicked his fingers together, in one desperate last move, and wrote and rune in the air before swishing it out of the window and out towards the sea. "Semper Pleinus". He then collapsed to the floor as a knife was slashed across his throat, and as the light faded from his eyes he stared at all the kings, and smiled at them in turn. "You are the moon, unaware of the dawn... may your purpose be fulfilled", he rasped, "...and cast two shadows down upon the ground of tomorrow, and you will know your penance". With his piece said, Lord Sion Amari fell face first to the ground in a pool of blood, dead, surrounded by his wife and children. And yet the words he said, chilled those who heard it to the bone. A prophecy or threat, about the survival and return of the youngest Amari child.