Vexana

The young Duchess guarding Necrokeep. Vexana was the majestic ruler of Necrokeep, the gentle mother of the undead, but also the only glimmer of light that penetrated the Mist, bringing hope to this cursed land shunned by both life and death. === Undying Hope === Princess Vexana Gaius had never set foot outside of Lumina City, and she had no desire to do so. The capital Moniyan was warm, opulent and full of life. A horrible fortress in the southern hinterlands was the last place she intended to spend the rest of her life.

On the other hand, she knew that she was bound to her father's will. Duke Atticus of Ridgeburg had proposed to House Gaius a union through marriage, and Lord Gaius considered Vexana the most suitable partner. And now she found herself alone in her carriage on a long journey south.

She glanced at the letter that the duke had sent her to present his future home:

These are the southern lands blessed by the ancient gods, where torrential rains come and go and silver grass bathes in the glow of the moon.

Vexana admired the duke's thoughtfulness, but these poetic words failed to ease her unease.

To make matters worse, Vexana didn't even meet her host when she arrived in Ridgeburg. He was told that Duke Atticus had left the castle the day before, urgently seeking to clean up a demonic infestation along the border.

DEMONS? Vexana's nausea turned into a slow, creeping terror. She had difficulty understanding her misfortune. Looking around at the damp, grimy walls of the castle, she thought of her sunny, pastel room in Lumina City. She had hot baths, sumptuous banquets, and maidens attending to her every need. Now all she had was a sinister-looking knight named Leomord, who she believed was better suited to patrolling the brigs than her corridor.

However, she remained hopeful. Maybe if she wrote to her father about the conditions of her new house, he would change his mind. Indeed, it would be unwise to entrust a poor girl like her in charge of such a terrible fortress. As she wrote her letter, her peace was disturbed by external turmoil.

Apparently, a pile of thorns had been left at the castle gate. The locals must be trying to intimidate me! Vexana shuddered at the thought. She immediately asked Ser Leomord to find the culprits. But to their surprise, the disbelievers were just... a group of barefoot children.

According to the children, these thorns were called Moonlight Grass. Despite their gruesome appearance, herbs could help calm the mind when brewed properly. The people of Ridgeburg sympathized with Vexana's plight and simply intended to offer her comfort, although it obviously didn't go as well as they had expected.

Maybe I judged these people too harshly. Vexana breathed a sigh of relief and her lips parted slightly to reveal a shy smile. She patted the children on the heads and thanked them for their kindness. Just another week, she thought. Maybe I could last another week in this soggy pile of rocks.

So a week passed, two weeks, then three...

Atticus's letters were the only company she had during her lonely nights in this strange land. With each stroke of the pen, she couldn't help but feel his pain...and his desire to return home. After all, this was precisely what she was going through herself. She wanted nothing more than to ease his grief, and maybe for him to do the same for her as well. More than she wanted to admit, she had developed a strange affection for the man she had never met.

And then the letters stopped abruptly, dashing any hope that Vexana had secretly harbored in her heart. However, she did not relapse into her earlier panic and anxiety; she now had the company of Ridgeburg and its people – her people.

Two years passed in a flash. The meek and immature Princess of the North has become a capable and decisive Duchess of the South. Walking through the muddy streets, solving one problem after another, big or small, Vexana didn't want to leave. With Atticus gone, she was the town's greatest and only hope.

Until that day, as if fate had heard his thoughts, the herald came knocking at his door...

“The Duke is back!”

Vexana's heart skipped a beat, then thumped so hard against her chest that the cheers that had erupted in the streets were drowned out. For two long years she had waited for this day, except when she saw Atticus' face for the first time, she only felt a cold shiver run down her spine.

In her letters, the Duke seemed lively and spirited, but the man standing before her was quite the opposite. His gaze was hollow and empty, his face a picture of resignation...

The wedding was soon held again, and the nobles and commoners of Pentaga all gathered in Ridgeburg to watch this long-awaited union join in holy matrimony. With a bouquet in hand, the stunning bride had her eyes on no one but her groom as he opened the box containing their wedding ring.

However, instead of a ring, a pair of magical wings came out of the box, followed by an evil voice echoing through the sacred walls:

Embrace the world of death!

Everyone in the room gasped in horror as Duke Atticus and his men twisted and writhed, their bodies slowly resembling those of the demons of the Abyss. The city's sworn protectors were its ruin, as they began to ravage everything in sight.

Vexana froze as an enraged Atticus lunged at her, his sword raised high...

"STOP!"

The heavy beast stopped abruptly, as if Vexana's voice rekindled a long-extinguished flame within it. The bride reached out to his heart and all that was left of him inside. “Atticus, please…it’s not you.”

And with a simple touch, Atticus apparently managed to regain a trace of consciousness and froze. Fighting the demon he had become, for the sake of his people and his own, Atticus ordered Ser Leomord to pierce his heart.

With his last breath, Atticus entrusted Ridgeburg to Vexana and revealed the dark secret hidden from all but Ridgeburg's royal family...

Eons ago, during the Endless War, the agony and resentment of hundreds of thousands of dying warriors condensed into a terrible curse. He could devastate anything with the stench of Abyss magic, but those without it would also suffer a fate worse than death.

"The Mist...if there is no other choice—"

"Atticus looked deeply into the eyes of his bride; his demonic hands reached out to her sweet face. A mixture of emotions shone in his eyes. Regret, gratitude and serenity. Until the inevitable claws of death tore her from his arms.

Inside the city, demon knights attacked everyone in sight; outside, other demonic forces were on their way.

In desperation, Vexana raised Atticus' scepter; the magical power that flowed deep in her blood exploded: she chose to keep this city forever!

A dark fog rose into the sky and engulfed all of Ridgeburg. Any townspeople who came into contact with the fog groaned in pain, their skin losing its color in an instant. The demon knights collapsed into ashes, while those outside the gates turned around and rushed towards the Abyss.

Vexana could almost feel her mind slipping out of her body. Amidst the chaos unfolding before her, she fell to her knees, her heart heavy with guilt. The inhabitants, however, came to surround their young duchess, not with reproaches or hatred but to thank her for having saved them from the grip of the Abyss...

Since then, the black fog had enveloped Ridgeburg for a hundred years. As the formidable fortress fell into ruin, its name was forgotten and people came to know it as Necrokeep, the land of the undead and home of restless souls.

In the early morning, the children pushed open the ruined door of the school; and when night fell, the whole family sat around a half-collapsed dining table, the food on the plate long turned to dust. It was all useless, but only in this way could they feel some semblance of life.

Not once had Vexana thought about leaving again.

Since then, she had fully assumed her role as leader of the city, but to the people of Necrokeep, she was also the gentle mother who loved and cared for them all.

Vexana firmly believed that one day, she would find a way to undo the curse... and that her people would regain a taste for life.

=== Song of ancient times === I want to live To wake up with you When the world sleeps deeply Tender is the morning dew On the released rays of the sun

I want to live Walk among the spring flowers And walk on the dead leaves Too cold the snow in the moonlight Melt in the humid summer breeze

I want to live To sip the morning brew While the fragrance rises to the eaves To share the joy and the sorrow Taste all the bittersweet

Your warmth, your breaths And your blooming smiles How I want to live To wait for your return Until all the greens and all the colors are no more

O how I want to live For the laughter of the old For the innocence of the newborn For the birds on the wings For the lingering melodies

Do I have to bear all the sins So that you come back to me Tell me all the suffering Is only a ghostly dream

=== Wedding in the mist ===