Earth gave a little quake again. It started few hours ago and is only growing stronger as time passes by. I can only hope that this prison of mine would cave in and bury me, granting me a welcomed release.

For sixty years I have been trapped here. Or better to say, imprisoned, by the schemes of no other than my own father. I've been caged to the bedrock, surrounded by rocky walls for years and the only light I have is of a single torch. I should be thankful that I even have that, but I would prefer darkness to this dead, cold, pale blue light that it casts. I've been here for so long that I became accustomed to the fact that the only thing I can talk to is my own shadow and few sculptures embed into the walls.

Looking at them, it reminds me how much I miss the warm comfort of my homes campfires and smiles of my people, instead, I will live the rest of my life having that everlasting torch blind me.

In the first few years of my captivity, I was afraid that those ominous statues would come out of their frames and chop off my head. After my situation became clear to me, I hoped for them to actually come out of that rock and do just that. They are two and a half meters tall, in shape of human wearing a plate armor, but their faces look grotesque, twisted in a judgmental smiles. They look utterly demonic to me, in every possible way. Having them look at me for all these years, deprived me of any hope. Twenty years ago, I stopped praying for rescue and accepted my fate. The only thing left for me are my memories and simple counting of minutes and days. Due to my blood, I can't die, no matter ho much I starve and there is no blade here that could finish the job.

My father is a malevolent creature. A person whose only way of living is tormenting those beneath him. He is a snake that is capable of devouring his own children. Beings of his kind, could rarely produce offspring, but to every rule there is an exception and I am the result of such an exception.

As to my mother, she is a mortal and a beast kin. She showered me with all the love she had and never abandoned me, despite being used by such a monster. She is a strong woman with a benevolent and kind spirit. Even in this place I still strive to the ideal that she is. I may wish for an end, but my father will never break my will when it comes to who I want to be or how I want to act.

The ground is shaking again, making the dust swirl and little rocks drop from the ceiling. These tremors were barely felt only few hours ago. Now, it is loud whenever it happens and accompanying it, is a voice, a bone chilling sound, like something is raising from the very bowels of earth. I have never heard anything like it. I can no longer hope, but there is still a tiny speck of light remaining in me.

"Maybe today's the day this will all end." I looked at the ceiling and closed my eyes.

It is said that moments before you die, you could see your whole life moving before your eyes. I've been locked here since the day I turned eighteen. For sixty years, I've been reliving the past in my head, trying not to go mad. And I miss my home, I miss my mother, my people and the sea of trees. I remember the giant tree and its warm bark, it towered over our home, sheltering us from rain and wind. Not far from it was a river and a hot pond that we used to play in and wash. On few wide plains kept for farm work, you could lie down and sleep in fresh grass. The sea of trees is vast and there was not a place where you could not reach out with your hand and touch green, budding leaves. It's a beautiful place with hundreds of thousands of happy, smiling people.

I was revered as a gentle goddess amongst them. I helped them, I listened to them. They were coming to me to heal their ailments and to bless their children. But I am not a god nor a saint. I killed far to many to be called that. For my family I was like a goddess, but for enemies, mostly humans I was nothing more than a witch. This prison of mine is in human lands and they called my home a Forest Of Evil Spirits despite the fact that there was no evil there, just happy, smiling people. I hope they are fine and that the forest is still there.

"I regret not saying what I wanted to say on that day Imbess. I never had the chance to say goodbye. I miss you so much."

Imbess Ile was a boy I fell for. I gave him my first and only kiss, on a little boat on one of spring lakes in early summer. Red fireflies were there, shining, singing their nightly song making that night magical. It was a special time that I will never forget. His face was handsome, with sharp features and a look that showed desire as well as restraint. It held my heart in a strong grip. He was delicate and charming, beautiful even compared to other elves. He was my prince.

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I hung my head. It is all lost now. Most of the races live a long life and sixty or seventy years isn't that much, especially for long eared folk. But, I will die or be forever trapped here. Waiting for someone your entire live, I wouldn't wish that for anyone. Waiting for the one who might never return is a very sad future and I wouldn't want for him to wither away like that.

"The ether is gathering." I can feel it. I no longer have any strength, but my senses can still feel, ether gathering in this cave. Whatever is causing those tremors, quakes and wails it is raising from deep underground, focusing in this chamber.

The torch flicker and the pedestal in the center of the cell that it was placed on, cracked as another tremor shook the room. The everlasting torch rolled on the rocky floor, sending shadows to places previously being lit for decades.

I know something bad is coming. There is this inexplicable, ominous feeling of fear and oppression. I only ever had similar thoughts when I met my father for the first time. He is evil to the core and what I am feeling now is close to what I felt in his presence. I am anxious, it's like I'm waiting for death, while grim reaper is brushing my neck with its cold hands, preparing it to receive the sharp scythe. My body is so weakened and withered that it almost has no water, but cold sweat is still forming on my brows and palms.

All of a sudden tremors stopped, but the oppressive feeling remained. The ether was so dense and palpable I could barely breath. For all the years in this place, I never lacked oxygen, but now I was gasping for air.

CRACK... THUD...

I saw something moving at the edge of shadow and light. One of that grotesque statues in the wall moved. It cracked and dropped loudly on bedrock raising dust everywhere. Because of it and the torch being on the ground casting light haphazardly, I couldn't see exactly what was happening. In normal circumstances, being who I am, I wouldn't have any problems seeing in the dark, but years in this place dulled my senses.

My heart was beating furiously. The only thing I know is that someone is standing there obscured in darkness. Waking up.

THUD...

It maybe took few seconds, I heard a heavy stomp and then a thick dread took over me as I saw it. I hoped for an end, but what I saw sucked my soul and terrified me. It shook and then paralyzed me. I saw a pair of eyes in the darkness. Pale torch light seemed to avoid them refusing to show their owner. Moving shadow, traces of light and ominous sounds made me think that the death incarnate arrived to take me to the lands of the dead. Those eyes, could never belong to any mortal. Gold and black mixed together. Like grains of sand deep in the desert. Like moving sea of dunes. Powder of glittering gold mingled with black, far darker than the surrounding shadows. With every little move, their glow followed Leaving behind illusion of two intermingled colors. Like they followed a warm wind only to moments later disappear into nothingness.

Whatever it is, it started to move. Closer with every step. My mind raced trying to figure the identity of this person. Gods could alter their appearance and form, but not their true essence and what I see could never be imitated. Whoever it is, he or she, or it, is from beyond this world. It could only spell doom for its inhabitants like many times history has already showed.

What came out of the shadows, was a man. It surprised me because apart from the eyes he looked like any other human. His silhouette was that of a two meters tall fair skinned man, completely different from monsters of myths I was expecting. That didn't fool me thought. He might look human enough, but everything else proved he wasn't one. His very presence itself, created overpowering aura. If I was a simple girl, I would have quivered and fainted on the spot. His face wasn't anything special, compared to that of elves or other people of the races, but there was an allure to him I couldn't quite grasp. His hair were short and black and his lips created a thin line, showing no emotion of any kind. If I had to guess his age, he would be no older than thirty and no younger than twenty. The only thing that made his facial appearance distinct were the eyes. They were as majestic as they were intimidating.

He was wearing a very strange armor of overlapping plates, it looked heavy but not bulky and it moved in perfect sync with his body. Apart from a simple green cloak, the armor was a true work of art. Mostly black with lines of gold and deep green. It had intricate engravings on shoulder pads, on high neck guard surrounding the neck in a wide crescent moon and on the torso. It looked beautiful but also incredibly unnerving. At the height of solar plexus it depicted a humanoid creature with two pair of wings fully spread. It was holding an orb in its hands, that could only be a representation of the sun. That sun was shooting rays, piercing all creatures that were crawling below it. Some had angelic wings and silver swords and some were clearly humans or beast kin.

There are many powerful beings in this world. Some actively protect it, few use it for their own whims and goals. Many just live their lives in boredom and do not interfere with mortals. From weak to powerful they are all bound to the rules of this world. The one standing in front of me, as history already proved, do not abide by these rules. I know perfectly well who he is and I also know, there is no longer any chance of escape for me. My fate is already sealed.

As I look at his face I close my eyes and ready my self. I opened my mouth.

"I am ready..."