After you were born, your parents' blood was shed to keep you safe from Gloommuck The Skeletal and his minions, and then they all perished with you. You grew up in that hellish place in the Dark Lands, protected by Thornbrood The Hellbound and the other nobles that served him like servants. You never knew why your life changed when you found a book in the library that contained the spell to turn humans back into humans. This book told you how to escape this place to live on land that you would only ever see through its grimy glass windows.

After you learned of this book and the spells it contained, you spent weeks reading about it, learning how to cast the spells and how to survive on the world that awaited beyond those dark windows. You learned the ways of the people living on Earth, especially the humans, until you finally figured out what your purpose was on Earth.

When you saw a sign at the edge of town stating that there was a small inn not too far away, you decided to visit this town once again.

You wanted answers on what your purpose is here in Earth.

You left a note saying goodbye to the kind lady at the inn who had taken care of you since you were brought into her home and went off in search of information on Earth.

On your journey, you met many different people that shared the same goal: to get out of this hellhole and find their true purpose in life.

On your way to this village, you came across some interesting people, and you decided to stay at this inn for awhile before continuing your quest to get answers. During your time at this inn, you began to feel homesick for your friends back home, so you decided to ask the owner where you could contact them. He replied that he couldn't give you any address as to where they were; however, if you asked him, he might be able to help you.

You thanked the owner and started asking around, finding everyone who looked suspicious.

They looked to be hiding something.

After several days of searching, you ended up going to bed in exhaustion. You were exhausted from being alone, and you just needed some rest.

However, when you woke up after a night of sleep, you found an empty bed. You were confused.

Who would have left their room?

Where would they go?

Where are they now?

You got ready to leave for your morning walk outside to check out the inn, but as soon as you stepped outside your room, you heard loud voices coming from the front door. They sounded angry, angry enough for you to want to hide inside your room again and hope that whoever or whatever it was would leave soon, without realizing that you were still awake.

You never knew whether or not you were awake.

What if you were dreaming?

What if you were asleep?

What if you were both? What if it was all in your mind? What if everything in The Demonic Outlands of the Lost was real, and this was some sort of twisted fantasy? Wasn’t it?

Wasn’t it?

Wasn’t it?

You were afraid.

You were scared.

Your only hope of escape is death if you do not comply with the lich king's wish, however the path ahead may prove fraught with danger. In the past, no matter what your circumstances, you have always been able to turn around and face the challenge head on. However that time has passed since then.

A dark cloud hangs over your head. Every step that you take leads to further destruction of yourself and those precious few you love. With tears stinging your eyes, you hurry towards the edge of your cliff overlooking the vast sea of fire below. It feels so far away but at least this means that you will eventually die there than in some foul death by the hands of some unknown ghoul or lich. Your body trembles uncontrollably, fear coursing through your veins like a raging fever. You feel hopeless; the prospect of dying alone and unloved seems so much worse than the life of death.

Tears stream down your cheeks as despair slowly consumes your very soul. This can’t end like this! The thought strikes you as strange; why am I not running screaming? I could easily outrun you, even though you outnumber me and you’ve spent countless years growing stronger each year. Even though you can see me coming I should be running. Why aren’t I running?

You hated it. You hated everything.

Even though it was scary, you loved everything, because the world, the darkness, was so much nicer than the light.

The Red Knight had said, time and time again, ‘you belong here.’

He was right.

This was your home.

Your safe haven.

Your sanctuary.

Your prison.

You weren’t in The Devil's Kingdom.

Satan's Realm.

Hell.

You didn’t exist. You tell yourself this every day. Every day. Hoping you will wake up from this nightmare. But no. This is real. And you are here.

Gloommuck The Skeletal took you hostage and used you to threaten the inhabitants of The Land of the Flaming Pit into working together with his undead army to fight against The Demonic Overlord, Corpsegibber The Gibbering.

You were forced to kill your own sister and your friends to protect yourself and Thornbrood The Hellbound's kingdom. You were eventually released by Gloommuck The Skeletal but found yourself alone at that moment without any money, supplies or even food other than what your friends left behind.

It was then you made the fateful decision to return back to The Land of The Burning Pit to ask for aid from your fellow peasants. Unfortunately, you weren't greeted well when you returned with your request. Most of them hated you now for being the cause of their downfall. Some still called you a witch.

And though you did manage to get some help from a few villagers willing to help, you couldn't do anything about the way they treated you; not that you really cared at this point since all hope seemed lost.

But that wasn't true. As it turned out, someone was willing to give you a second chance. Someone who believed you could actually make a difference instead of causing more misery in The Land of the Flaming Pit for the people living there. They were a man whose name you did not know: your Red Knight.

Everything was fine, because you had found someone who cared for you, someone who protected you, someone who was there for you, no matter what.

No matter what happened.

You were never alone.

You were never abandoned.

You were never anything.

You were never a thing.

You didn't have a past.

You were just a future that never happened.

No. That is not right.

You do exist.

You have a past.

You have a future.

And you escaped.

You survived, with the help of your Red Knight.

A man who has been nothing but kind and gentle to you since the moment you met him in that godforsaken dungeon. But now you've got nowhere to run, because you don't know where this world ended up nor how long you were gone.

You don't remember much.

Only bits and pieces about what happened after you killed your siblings and friends. Nothing else before that. You woke up here. You awoke in a dark room in Thornbrood The Hellbound's palace.

You had been brought here by the skeletal soldier who claimed to be your saviour. The skeletal soldier said it would be best if you remained here, in his home, and did not leave until he deemed it safe enough to bring you wherever you wanted.

What the skeletal soldier didn't know was that you knew exactly where you wanted to go.

Your old friend, the skeleton man called Grimwyrrr, has returned. You met him once more while travelling the Dead Sea of The Lost. He gave you back your body after you lost consciousness and when you regained awareness again, you were reunited again. It seems that the skeletal soldier thought you were dead. He left you alone in a cell. You found out later that day that all those bones were not real. In fact, they were just the remains of corpses that the skeletal soldier disposed of, whenever he pleased. He made sure you got fed at least once a day but otherwise, you had nothing.

All in all, you lived in this empty prison like a dog that no longer has its masters. Your only company was the skeletal guard

You find yourself standing on a beach. Waves crash against the shore, the salty smell of the ocean fills your nostrils.

You walk farther along the beach until the sand reaches the water's edge, and it turns into something like stone. You take a few steps forward, and your bare feet sink down in the stone, causing a wave to roll towards you, but you don't move from where you stand. Instead, you hold out your hand and wait.

Slowly but surely the wave passes over, and then comes back and crashes again. This time however, you're not at the receiving end of it, instead a dark figure rises from the surf and lands before you.

"Welcome back." His voice sounds familiar, although you don't recognize his face.

A smile spreads across your lips. "It worked!" You exclaim happily. "I'm home!"

He laughs quietly and takes your hands, giving them a light squeeze. "Welcome home, My Lady."

Your smile fades as soon as he said that.

"My lady?" He looks confused at your sudden change of expression.

The only reason he spared you was because he sensed something about you, a strange connection that even he couldn't explain. He could feel it when you were around. You reminded him of the past; a time before The Great War when he and his sister had been happy. He couldn't help but feel like he knew you, like perhaps he had known your parents or siblings, but he didn't know who or why. There was no way that they would've ever willingly given their precious child away.

And yet, you had. That was the most puzzling part of all.

Why, after so long and so many trials had he felt drawn to you? After so much pain, so much misery, you were just another face.

No one seemed to notice you, not anymore at least, and certainly, no one cared.

Why did you have such an effect on him, a man that barely tolerated anyone?

Even his own son, Grog Gangrene Smokeghoul, looked at you with disdain. He saw you as beneath him and was always quick to dismiss you and tell you to get lost whenever he saw you coming.

He was beginning to think that maybe you weren’t so important after all and perhaps this was all some kind of sick joke or cruel prank. It must be; there is no other explanation.

But still, as each day passed and you grew closer to him.

You're alive.

You're not alone.

You're not forgotten.

You're not asleep.

You're not safe.

You're in danger.

But you're alive.

Ghostly knights from realms unknown stand guard to protect the living. Is that not the way it was? But why you? Of all the people he could have saved that day, why you?

You are no one.

You are a peasant girl from The Land of the Flaming Pit. Your parents died in a grisly murder orchestrated by one of Corpsegibber The Gibbering's minions. Thornbrood The Hellbound, the ruler of The Demonic Outlands of the Lost had taken pity on you and adopted you into his family.

Thornbrood The Hellbound sacrificed his own children to Corpsegibber The Gibbering and was to offer you, his new adopted daughter, next as fodder for the lich king, Gloommuck The Skeletal.

But something happened.

Something.

You do not know what.

You were not there.

You were just a little girl and you only remember bits and pieces of what you were told.

What?

What was it they said to you?

Why can't you remember?

In your home world there is an evil mage named Grimetheorath who has been terrorizing the villages in hopes of creating a kingdom out of their souls. He can see spirits, manipulate them and use his powers to create monsters to serve him. He also uses the souls of those with dark magic or the undead, like the necromancers and sorcerers, to fuel his experiments, making him a monster himself in this realm. You, along with two other girls, were found and spirited away by him when they escaped their village. When he discovered you were still alive, he attempted to get rid of you before you grew any more powerful than your friends, but was thwarted in this.

You escaped with only slight injuries and managed to hide among a few peasants until night fell. Then you began to make your escape, only to be captured again and thrown in the dungeon under Castle Black by the infamous Witch of the Waste.

From there you were taken to Castle Oblivion where you met Grimborn the Reaper, who took interest in you because of your abilities.

When he learned of your past, he decided to take advantage of it by taking care of you. Using his dark arts, he used his ability to steal your soul, and turned you into a vampire, which gave you the ability to kill others.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"You were a child," The Red Knight said. "A perfect test subject for the experiments that would lead to the creation of this glorious utopia."

"But why me?" you ask, your voice growing louder. "Why did he choose me?"

"Because you were the most beautiful girl in the village."

"But I'm not beautiful anymore. Look at me."

"Don't be upset about it."

"I don't understand!" you scream angrily. Tears pour down your cheeks. "How come you won’t tell me any more? How come he doesn’t want to tell me? Why won’t he answer my questions? How am I supposed to live my whole life without knowing anything more? How am I supposed to go through each day wondering what’s going to happen to me?"

The Red Knight pulls you towards him, and holds you tightly in his strong embrace.

"When you're older, when you're ready," he tells you quietly. "Then I will explain everything to you. I promise."

He kisses you gently on the lips.

For a few moments you just stood in the middle of the courtyard, holding each other tightly in an embrace.

The soldiers were still walking away from the village, leaving it behind for good.

No one came close to look at you, but you could feel their eyes upon you, watching.

The sun rose over the horizon.

Time was moving fast.

And slowly, too.

You looked up at the blue sky, smiling. Everything was so peaceful here .

It was quiet and serene here in the Staircase Hotel.

The Staircase Hotel wasn’t very big.

It was made out of large stone blocks, covered in moss and ivy.

It stood tall in front of the large windows overlooking the town. It seemed like an entire village lived in this hotel, but there was no sign or name anywhere. It just sat there like a giant abandoned castle with broken down gates, crumbling walls, cracked and crumbling roofs, and many holes. It didn't look welcoming in the least. You couldn't imagine living here in peace though.

There were plenty of monsters roaming about.

In fact, every time you stepped outside you'd see some monster lurking about, waiting to attack or to pounce upon unsuspecting victims, waiting to rip them apart. You always had to be ready for them because they never slept. They wouldn't stop until you were gone. And now that you've been caught, you're going to die.

No one knew where you came from. No one except maybe your father who was locked away in his old dungeon cell. All anyone knew was that you were his illegitimate daughter.

But why?

Why did you end up alone in this place?

Who cared if you were dead or alive anyways?

What did it matter if you were here or there?

You weren't wanted anyway!

Why would anyone else want you?

As if reading your mind you saw someone walking in the hallway towards your room. Someone very familiar too.

A beautiful stone gate led to the entrance of the Staircase Hotel, the main gate, which leads straight into the courtyard where you currently stood.

The Staircase Hotel is surrounded by an enchanted forest. The entire town is protected by the enchantment trees.

There were other small buildings around the outskirts of the town. There were shops, bars and restaurants.

Your home.

The Staircase Hotel itself looks like any castle or fortification. Its main entrance is wide open, a stone bridge leading over the gorge, through which the hotel lies. Inside the building are the reception desk and rooms.

There are also several servants' quarters that can be found outside near the main entrance. You lived there with one servant, an old butler named Nanny who came from another part of the town. It took you quite some time until you learned her name. She spoke little English, but spoke enough for you, at least to understand her.

At your disposal, she did everything for you. Prepared meals, cooked them herself, washed your clothes and took care of you in all of those ways.

Even though you were a noblewoman born and bred in the city, you spent most of your days indoors, in the stables. That way you were able to tend to your horses.

After a while, even she grew tired of having to wait up for you to come back home each night, especially since the inn only allowed visitors in the daytime.

On your left side was a small fountain with a white marble statue standing proud and tall. Above the fountain was a golden archway leading to the front door. Directly opposite to the entrance to the fountain was the stairs that led to the Staircase Hotel above.

On each stair lay a large bronze statue, each one of a different race, each depicting an interesting story from their lives.

There were many races there – Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, Fauns, Trolls, Faeries, Ogres, Dwarrow. You had seen them all, from every kingdom on Earth and beyond, and some of them had even been on other planets.

To the right was a long stone pathway leading to the hotel.

Along this path stood several statues dedicated to customers who came through the gates, usually at night when the town slept.

There was a statue of a woman, sitting on her horse. She smiled down kindly towards you, her hand over her heart, as though telling you a secret she couldn't speak. In her hands were two baskets, the tops filled with fresh produce and vegetables.

Behind the statue of the woman, you saw a statue of a man. It seemed to be laughing, but perhaps it was only a trick of the light that made him seem as if he laughed. The statue was leaning slightly forward as he held the reins and stared at you, his face obscured by shadows, his eyes wide open. You didn't know what he was looking at, but whatever it was, he appeared genuinely surprised by it.

"You've come!" called a cheery voice from behind you.

You spun around. An elderly woman dressed in a long black robe and red hat was sitting under the arched doorway to the staircase. Her face looked worn but warm. She smiled down at you kindly. Behind her was another figure. The other figure wore a long black robe and a crown. Both were smiling softly at you.

You smiled back.

The old woman stepped forward, holding her hands together like she wanted to welcome you home.

"Welcome! My name is Rose."

You extended your hand towards her. The two took hold of your hand.

"I'm pleased to meet you," she continues. "I am Princess Rosemary of the Eastern Wastelands. This is my brother, King Jelesem Eboncloud the Second of Risen Dawn. And you may call us the Grim Reapers, if you like."

"Grim Reapers?" you ask.

"What's this about?" asked the older man behind you.

His arms crossed over his chest. He gave you a stern look.

Your smile vanished.

You lowered your head, your shoulders dropping in defeat.

"I...I apologize."

Your fists clenched tightly.

Jelesem Eboncloud the Second of Risen Dawn sighed.

"Oh, come now, little one."

"No. No!" you protested.

You lifted your head and fixed them both with an angry glare.

"You have no right to do this! They're monsters! They-"

A voice called out to you.

You turned around and saw none other than Gloommuck The Gibbering.

Gloommuck The Hellbound!

A terrifying being, whose every movement caused tremors to run down those beneath him. A giant man who wore dark clothing with black gloves.

He carried an axe in each hand.

The weapons, if they weren't too large and bulky they would seem harmless enough, but this giant man held a fearsome look in his eye!

A smile crossed his lips as he said, "Welcome!"

"Thank you." You replied timidly.

The giant man chuckled, "Don't be shy! Everyone wants to meet a hero such as yourself!"

His eyes gleamed dangerously as he said, "After all, we're in a time of peril and need all the help we can get!"

The man beside him extended his right arm towards you and said, "Come now. I'd like to introduce myself! My name is LelelaneLefou Grumblug Gintae Bonegloom The Baffled, Lord of All Known Realms. And you are?"

You swallowed hard.

What did you do?

Why were these things always so difficult?

How would you even begin explaining this to someone who hadn't yet been to the mortal realm?

This situation seemed to be getting worse and worse.

On the steps that led to the Staircase Hotel was a massive oak tree. Its branches reached high up towards the heavens, reaching far beyond the archway and towards the Staircase Hotel.

Behind you was the courtyard that surrounded the Staircase Hotel.

You were just outside of the courtyard, near to a few other houses, some of them still intact. It wasn't as if this town had been abandoned during the great war that took place many years ago, but nobody had bothered to rebuild these houses after being destroyed by the forces of Corpsegibber The Gibbering.

In the centre of the courtyard there sat a statue of a man holding a sword aloft. He held two swords in his hands, one a scimitar and the other a broadsword. He held them at either side of him, and in each hand he wielded an enormous black shield.

On his head rested a helmet, its face plate carved with intricate patterns and lines, resembling something out of a fantasy storybook.

This knight must have been quite important to be depicted so faithfully, as he even wore a long cape with a hood drawn over his head. His face was hidden behind a mask, but what little of it was visible made his smile seem benevolent.

A nameplate carved into the side of the helm read ‘King Phoras Cruelghast Grimrod’.

King Phoras Cruelghast Grimrod, who had once lived in the town of Honeorac Darkfang. Who had once owned the land surrounding his castle, and whose death had caused the death of the previous owner in an alchemy lab explosion.

But then again, so did every death in Honeorac Darkfang.

To your right was the lake where you spent countless hours swimming and splashing about and laughing and having fun.

And beyond that was the forest which surrounded the hotel with its dense and tangled trees and foliage.

And in front of you, there was a small town with an open square and tall buildings with roofs of red tiles and chimneys rising to the heavens.

The sun glistened off of windows and doors, and even from here you could tell how much cleaner it looked than what most villages were. A smile spread across your face.

How nice would it be if this is home instead? You wondered.

Home isn’t where you live. Home is where you’ve grown up, friends and schoolmates and home. That’s where everyone lives.

Even the castle has a village that is only separated from yours by the wall.

Home isn’t where you go to school, or to the pub, or to sleep.

That’s where everyone sleeps in the castle.

Where everyone grows up together under the care of those who love them.

So why can’t I stay here forever?

Why couldn’t we just keep coming back here?

Where did we go wrong?

In front of you stretched a long pathway that connected the Staircase Hotel to the village, which also contained the stables where all the horses and chariots were housed.

To your left was the lake which stretched out for miles, sparkling under the bright sunlight.

In front of you, to your right, was the path to the Staircase Hotel, winding its way through the woods.

To your left, to your right, you could see the village that lay in the distance.

A beautiful forest of trees surrounded you on all sides, with only the mountains looming over you.

It is such a simple town. So innocent looking. You could hardly believe the things that have happened here, or rather, haven’t happened. All it took was one man to destroy the entire world. It is hard to believe, truly. How can there be peace again? You don't know what has changed within the village since you've been gone. Perhaps everything has been the same. But something has definitely changed.

As you walk along the pathway, a soft breeze blows by. There's something else too, besides the wind. Something... off.

No matter how often I walk past this road, I never seem to reach my destination.

What am I missing? What will become of my life now? Where do I begin? I need answers.

I need to find out who did this to me, and where they are hiding!

"Hello there," a young voice called to you as it echoed down the path.

Startled, you jumped a little bit before turning around. Two children, younger than you, were standing just outside the entrance to the Staircase Hotel. Their dark hair blew gently in the wind. They wore light green clothes, with some sort of symbol on their chest.

The village was empty now.

Everyone uneaten by the undead, had fled to Darkheart Forest.

Darkheart Forest was home to the legendary ghouls known as Lerulus Doomcloud Slothburrow and Mamivandei Terroreye Ghastlycorpse.

They were creatures of myth and fantasy.

Yet creatures real as day.

Creatures that roamed at night.

Creatures... Creatures with no true form, only shadowy forms, shadows which could pass through walls or windows as they chose.

No two ghoul attacks have ever been identical. Each attack is a distinct creature, with its own individual traits and unique characteristics.

Mamivandei Terroreye Ghastlycorpse is the tallest ghoul in the forest, almost reaching the top of the tallest tree in the forest.

It can climb trees to reach the top branches, making it impossible for ordinary humans to reach them without climbing the tree itself.

Mamivandei Terroreye Ghastlycorpse feeds mostly off flesh, blood, bones, organs… anything it can get its hands on!

Lerulus Doomcloud Slothburrow is smaller than Gloomy Grimble Fendalal Coldstrike, but its tentacles are more powerful, longer, stronger and thicker, able to grasp onto any object in their clutches.

When slithering around, it looks like an ugly, dark purple worm, only larger, slimmer and covered with a layer of green slime. Its claws are sharp and deadly, and while it doesn't seem to be particularly strong physically, its venomous bite paralyzes those unfortunate enough to come close to it.

Gloomy Grimble Fendalal Coldstrike has three eyes and four arms. It has many teeth and tentacles that look like snakes or spiders.

You recalled the night, as you two made your way through the town. You and your Red Knight, when you noticed that more people were staring at the strange knight who was leading you away from their homes. Most of the people seemed to be running away from him, hiding behind buildings or even hiding under vehicles. You kept looking back at The Red Knight.

Why are people so scared of him?

Can they not see how helpful he is?

You look to him still and can not understand, why were they so afraid.

Why had they hidden under their cars and trucks?

Even though, your Red Knight looked like a devil with his red cloak and red gloves and red horns on his helmet, with beautiful red feathered wings on his back you felt certain, that he was in truth, your personal guardian angel.

Sent to protect you.

Sent to save you.

Surely he would not let you die.

Surely there was no reason to fear him.

In the morning light, you and the red winged knight made your way out of the town, turned towards Darkheart Forest, and rode towards the forest.

The Demonic Outlands of the Lost is a world of monsters, swollen with endless armies of the undead, where flesh-eating ghouls rule the world, vampires roam the streets freely, and all living creatures are at their mercy. It would be no easy task to reach Darkheart Forest.

A demonic warrior blocks your way.

"Where are you bound?"

"We're going to Darkheart Forest."

"Not allowed," the warrior says.

"Why?" you ask.

"Because."

"Because is not an answer."

"It is if I say it is."

"Why?"

"We are the elite. We are the elite of the undead."

"I am the Queen of the Damned," you say, staring the warrior dead in his eyes. "You will hear me and obey!"

He laughed for a moment, but you held you gaze, and he stops chuckling and begins to look worried.

"Are you really the Queen?" he asks.

"I am," you reply. "I was a peasant girl from The Land of the Flaming Pit. My parents died in a grisly murder orchestrated by one of Corpsegibber The Gibbering's minions. Thornbrood The Hellbound, the ruler of The Demonic Outlands of the Lost took pity on me and adopted me into his family. Thornbrood The Hellbound sacrificed his own children to Corpsegibber The Gibbering and was to offer me, his new adopted daughter, next as fodder for the lich king, Gloommuck The Skeletal. I am therefore the rightful Queen of the Damned."

The warrior seemed to be thinking for a time.

Then he says, with a bow, "Then, allow me to guide you and your noble knight to Darkheart Forest."

"Thank you," you reply, bowing back at him.

As you continue riding down the road, you find yourself glancing over at The Red Knight. He has taken off his helmet and is staring blankly ahead, his face expressionless.

You feel bad for him.

He looks so tired, despite the fact that it has only been three days since you met him. He must be exhausted by carrying this enormous weight around on his shoulders.

When you glance back at the road ahead, you notice that the Warrior is following closely behind you and The Red Knight.

You turn back around in your seat. "Excuse me, sirs," you say.

"Yes, my lady?" The Red Knight responds.

"I don't suppose you know any place to rest for today?"

"No, my lady, we do not."

"I thought perhaps we might stop and sleep for a while?"

The Red Knight nods. "That sounds nice. What sort of resting location would you suggest?"

"Perhaps you should take the reigns of our horse, I shall get off and stretch my legs," you respond.

"Very well, my lady," The Red Knight replies.

"And thank you, sir."

The Red Knight smiles. He bows slightly before getting off the horse's back.

"How is it you ride horses?" the demon warrior asked. "Every one else drives cars and trucks."