"Papa, I want to know! Please," the four-year-old girl whined, pulling on her father's sleeves. She pushed her bottom lip farther out than her upper one. "Mother won't tell me – you have to!"

She'd been asking to hear her dad's story since he started talking to his wife, Iliria, about how he found Everett Valley, one of only a few towns hidden behind the Denhid Forest. And since they both had the tendency to lead those kind of conversations in the kitchen rather than locked away in the study, Catherine as well as her brother, Reece, were bound to catch wind of it. 

He was standing in the living room, out of sight but close enough to see a part of the room and hear what they were saying.

"Please, please, please!" Catherine continued to whine. 

Still, a warm smile lit up Xenon's face as he grabbed his little treasure and placed her on his lap. 

He caught his wife's grin, rolling her chocolate-brown eyes at Catherine's impatience. Iliria sat just across from the two, on a bench pushed against a weathered, wood plank wall. The only thing between them was a round, oak-based table as they sat in the kitchen.

"Calm yourself, little one. Or else Papa won't tell you!" Xenon said calmly.

The gold-blond haired girl threw her head back and groaned, not wanting to wait another second.

Iliria chuckled, reaching across the table to run her hand through Catherine's unruly hair. Her soft eyes reflected the warmth of her love. 

She tried smoothing out the tangled mess but to no avail – it was uncontrollable and couldn't be tamed. 

Quite like the girl herself.

The eight-year-old boy, Reece, decided to join them in the kitchen, a small room that fit a large, creme-coloured fridge, an old rusty stove, and two counter-pieces between the two.

He stepped over Xenon's long, outstretched legs. The sun's golden rays shone through a small window above the stove on Xenon's left, who was sitting in the centre of the room. The rays illuminated Reece's handsome features.

Reece didn't say a word, only touched his sister's shoulder and looked at her. "C, you need to be patient. You know, when you're patient, you don't have to wait so long."

The little girl stared at her brother without answering. Both Xenon and Iliria glanced at their son, pride swelling in their chests. They knew his sister would always be in good hands when she was with him. They had raised him well.

"Alright, who would like to hear the story?" Xenon asked, levelling the pitch of his voice, sounding more enthusiastic than he really was, glancing between his son and daughter.

Catherine's face instantly lit up, her forest-green eyes sparkling expectantly up at his dark orbs. They held more mysteries and stories in them than even Iliria, his own wife, could fathom. There was a depth there that none of the other three had ever seen before.

The pregnant mother of two stood up from the table's bench and took a few steps closer to where her husband was sitting. Her hands cradled her womb, a tingling warmth spreading through her when Reece placed his small hand on her stomach. When Xenon cleared his throat, Reece snapped his attention back to him.

Iliria listened, just as fascinated as her children, to what he was about to say. Despite his mysteries, there was a deep connection between the two that tied their souls together. It wasn't just a connection soaked with love, it was one that left scars behind should it ever be severed. 

It was the most sacred bond imaginable, and nothing exceeded its value. 

The separation of two interlocked souls was a fate worse than death.

"There was once a magical creature," the man began, the excitement in his children's eyes reflected in his own. 

He did love to tell stories. 

"And that magical creature fell in love with a beautiful woman."

"What creature and what woman?" Catherine interrupted, bouncing on her father's lap.

A warm chuckle rumbled through him. "Patience, daughter of mine. You mustn't be greedy for more." Xenon chastised. "However, their love was strictly forbidden. You see, the magical creatures had rules. And those rules had to be followed."

He glimpsed at his wife then.

Catherine stirred, pulling his attention back to her. "What rules?"

"No magical creature was allowed to speak to anyone but his own kind."

"Why?"

"Because, Catherine, rules always have a reason for existing. Without them, there would be chaos and destruction."

Reece spoke up. "So, what happened to them?"

Xenon turned his gaze towards his son. They all had their eyes wide open, staring at him, waiting eagerly for him to continue.

"The magical creature fled his home to be with his promised. He disregarded the rules to be with the person he was meant to spend his life with." 

He paused, clearing his throat. 

"Together, they searched for a place that the rest of Espheros couldn't reach easily. After years of searching, they found Everett Valley. And do you know what makes Everett Valley so special?" 

Xenon tilted his head, waiting for Catherine to give him an answer. He was certain Reece already knew.

"The mountains. I know, Papa! You and Mama tell us this every day," she said, another impatient groan following. She wiggled on her father's lap, causing him to grunt.

"And why are the mountains important?" he asked.

Catherine stopped bouncing around and instead grew quiet. She thought, pushing her index finger into her cheek. "I don't know. Because they're big?"

Xenon moved his head to look at his son. Reece gave him a triumphant smile. "I know! Because Everett Valley is hidden behind the mountains. They surround us, like... like a barricade!"

Another smile formed on Xenon's face. "Exactly. Now, once they found Everett Valley, the creature and his love had a family. They wanted to grow old and wrinkly together."

Both Catherine and her brother laughed inwardly.

"But after a while, his queen needed him." 

He paused, taking a deep breath. 

"And he had to go back home."

☼

Xenon and Iliria Black had difficulties putting their children to bed that night, for Catherine kept asking questions that Iliria didn't know the answers to. Xenon wasn't going to give them, either. Reece, on the other hand, accepted his father's silence and dreamt of his own theories.

She had a hard time recovering from the story, even years later.

Although she couldn't understand everything her father had said, there was something about the story that had unnerved her and resonated deep within her mind.

Even though she would forget about most of her childhood memories as she grew in age, the story her father had told would fester, anchor itself inside her soul. 

She wouldn't remember the smile in her mother's warm eyes nor her father's handsome features. 

She wouldn't remember her father at all.

It would be like a dream she had woken up from, one she would never be able to remember.

She would always feel an itch that never went away. A little piece of valuable information planted somewhere that would have to be found first. 

Chapter Question: What do you think the family dynamic changed into, and do you think Xenon really left?

Random Question: What series are you currently watching? 

I just finished Archive 81 and loooooved it to bits. So suspenseful! 

I'm so happy you stuck around to read the prologue. There is quite a journey ahead of you! 

And I'd be honoured if you will go through it with me. 

Your thoughts and opinions matter to me, so don't be shy and tell me what you think, whenever you think it! 

Much love and    

 E N J O Y !