June 17th - June 18th, 1881
The Grand Library of Maraheim had become Emma's second home. She spent countless hours in the dimly lit archives, surrounded by the musty scent of old books and the faint whisper of turning pages. The librarian, Mr. Dellington, had grown accustomed to her presence, often finding her lost in thought over ancient manuscripts and dusty tomes.
One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon and cast long shadows through the narrow windows, Emma discovered a particularly chilling account from an ancient empire known as the Valorian Empire. The documents she unearthed described a series of murders that had occurred during a devastating plague. The victims, much like those in Maraheim, were found with their life force seemingly drained, their faces frozen in expressions of terror.
Emma's fingers trembled as she turned the fragile pages. The descriptions were hauntingly familiar. The victims were always found in isolated places, their bodies pale and lifeless, with no visible wounds. The accounts spoke of a shadowy figure that stalked the night, feeding on the despair and suffering of the people. This figure was known in the Valorian Empire as "The Night Wraith."
The deeper Emma delved, the more she felt a growing sense of unease. Her rational mind struggled to accept the notion that these murders could span centuries, linked by an entity that defied the natural order. But the evidence was mounting, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to dismiss.
She began to piece together a timeline, tracking the murders backwards through history. The pattern was unmistakable: during times of great suffering—plagues, wars, famines—the killings occurred with eerie regularity. Each account described the same method of death, the same haunting expressions on the faces of the victims.
Emma’s research took her further back, to an ancient realm known as the Etruan Empire. Here, she found records of a similar series of murders during a prolonged drought. The people of Etruan spoke of "The Soul Reaper," a cursed being who wandered the land, draining the life force of its victims. The descriptions were chillingly similar to those from the Valorian Empire and the recent murders in Maraheim.
Her nights were filled with fevered dreams, the faces of the victims haunting her sleep. She would wake in a cold sweat, the weight of her discoveries pressing heavily on her. The rational part of her mind continued to resist, but the evidence was undeniable. The murders were not the work of a mere copycat; they were part of a far older and more sinister pattern.
One night, as the library’s ancient clock struck midnight, Emma came across an even older manuscript from the Hellenic Empire. The pages were fragile, the ink faded, but the story they told was unmistakable. During a time of civil strife and famine, a series of murders had plagued the Hellenic Empire. The victims, always found with their life force drained, had died in the same inexplicable manner.
Emma felt a chill run down her spine as she read the final passages. The people of the Hellenic Empire spoke of a cursed prince from a distant land, condemned to wander the earth for eternity, feeding on the living to sustain his cursed existence. The figure was known simply as "The Exiled One."
Her eyes widened as she realized the significance of what she had found. The Exiled One from the Hellenic Empire seemed to be a precursor to the Night Wraith of the Valorian Empire and the Soul Reaper of the Etruan Empire. It was as if the same malevolent entity had taken on different names and forms throughout history, always appearing during times of great suffering.
Driven by a relentless need to uncover the truth, Emma continued to dig deeper into the library’s archives. It was in the dusty tomes of the Grand Library, in a section seldom visited, that she found the first mention of Prince Damon of Kalyvia.
The manuscript was ancient, the text barely legible. It spoke of a noble prince who had been betrayed by those he trusted most. In his desperation, he had turned to dark rituals, invoking forbidden powers to save himself from a dire fate. Instead of salvation, he was cursed to an eternity of hunger and exile, transforming into a vrykolakas—a creature of the night condemned to wander the earth, feeding on the life force of the living.
Emma’s heart raced as she read the final lines. The legend of Prince Damon of Kalyvia seemed to be the origin of the malevolent entity that had left a trail of death and despair across the centuries. The pieces of the puzzle were starting to fall into place, but the full picture remained elusive.
As she closed the manuscript, a sense of dread settled over her. She knew she was dealing with something far more sinister than she had ever imagined. The rational part of her mind still struggled with the implications, but the evidence was undeniable. The Banished Prince, as he was known in the stories, was real. And he was in Maraheim.
Emma gathered her notes and left the library, the weight of her discoveries pressing heavily on her. The night was cold and silent, the streets of Maraheim deserted. She felt a renewed sense of urgency. The killer was out there, and she needed to find a way to stop him before more lives were lost.
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