In a lavish bedroom adorned with velvet drapes and golden accents, a figure stirred. His eyes fluttered open, and his mind began to stir like a dormant volcano.
The sudden influx of memories began to surface in his mind. In a darker world, one where he had ruled from the shadows as one of the Dragons of Origin.
A being born of power and fear, but his own kind had turned against him. He remembered their betrayal, a battlefield, the pain inflicted by his own kin, and finally… death.
The memories were a little hazy and, in many pieces, which were slowly surfacing in his mind.
However, those memories weren't aligning with his current condition. Raylan blinked, his eyes adjusting to the glow of light in the room.
The room was unfamiliar yet felt familiar, wrapped in silence and luxury. But before he could think further, he saw them.
"Husband!" they cried out in unison, their voices thick with emotion.
In front of him were three beautiful women, one of their own kind. His eyes first fell upon the beautiful, red-eyed, raven-haired, pale-skinned woman.
She was wearing tight-fitting draped cloths which showed her delicate curve, and a delicate silver necklace with a ruby pendant rested against her collarbone.
Next, his eyes moved to a woman whose skin glowed faintly, like moonlight over fresh snow.
Her pointy ears were something he hadn't seen for many years. Her silver hair framed her soft face, and her emerald eyes looked at him with a calm, loving warmth. She wore a fitted, sky-blue gown that highlighted her athletic yet curvy figure.
Then lastly, his eyes landed on a red-haired beast-woman; her amber-like eyes gleamed with mischief and desire.
She wore a fitted, crimson-red gown that showcased her petite yet voluptuous figure. Three delicate fox tails sprouted from her lower back, swishing gently behind her like playful whips.
Raylan's chest tightened. 'Who are these women? Why are they looking at me like I'm… everything to them? Wait—did they just call me husband?'
"H-Husband…" the first woman, Lilith, choked out, eyes full of tears.
Raylan's brows furrowed. "Husband? You think I'm your husband?"
Kae and Zhilin rushed to his side. "You are," Kae said softly. "We've been waiting for you to come back."
Zhilin nodded, her voice barely a whisper. "Three years, Raylan. You fell unconscious on our wedding night. We thought we'd lost you."
He looked at them in disbelief. "Wives? I don't... I don't remember you."
Lilith stepped forward, her voice quiet but firm. "You married us. All of us. Before everything went wrong."
Before he could speak, a sharp pain bloomed in his head—and then it hit him.
Another life.
His name... was Raylan Blackwood. Once the sixth son of the King of the Blackwood Kingdom. But he failed to inherit the Vampiric power of his father and instead, he inherited his mother's abilities, the power of Nyxborn—the shadow-dwellers.
That truth made him an outcast. A disappointment. Until the king finally cast him out, along with his three wives, into the far edges of the kingdom—Eldrador.
And then… nothing.
Raylan's mind was reeling with all memories stuffed into his head, then he remembered having a quiet wedding with his wives and then just after that day… everything went blank.
…
After digesting both sets of memories, Raylan finally spoke, his voice calm, "What happened that day after our marriage?"
Zhilin nodded solemnly. "You fell into a deep sleep shortly after our wedding... we thought you would never wake up."
'I remembered everything before that but happened after?' he thought and about to ask further when a loud commotion erupted outside the door.
Raised voices clashed—guards and maids arguing with someone.
Lilith's eyes narrowed. "What's going on?"
The doors slammed open.
A tall man with a haughty gait strode in, ignoring Raylan entirely, thinking he is still unconscious, his eyes fixed on Lilith. Raylan looked at the man who barged into their room when Lilith spoke.
"Arin Silverwest!"
Lilith's jaw clenched the moment she saw him. Her entire expression darkened.
Arin approached, smug and confident. "Lilith," he smirked, "Have you made your decision? Are you still clinging to that dead husband of yours, or will you finally come with me?"
Lilith's voice cut sharp. "How dare you. Raylan is my husband—and he's very much alive."
Arin's gaze flickered, momentarily thrown off. Then he laughed bitterly. "Alive or not, he's been unconscious for three years. My patience wears thin Lilith, this is your only chance to save what little remains of Eldrador."
"If you marry me," Arin continued, "the Silverwest family will take care of everything. Eldrador, your people, your dignity."
Kae and Zhilin moved forward, eyes sharp as blades, but Lilith raised a hand and stopped them, While Raylan remained still, observing, his eyes locked on Arin.
"Think about it, Lilith," Arin said. "My family's strength could restore this ruined land to its former glory."
Lilith's voice was colder than the mountain winds. "Leave. Eldrador. Now." But Arin took another step forward, and Kae's hand went to the dagger on her waist.
"Not another step, Silverwest dog." she warned, her voice low and dangerous.
Arin turned to her, eyes gleaming with disdain. "You better remember your place, Elf whore. Your brother's coming for you... and you'll be begging him to take you back."
Kae's breath caught. Lilith and Zhilin gasped, the tension in the room exploding.
Arin sneered at Zhilin next. "And you... you'll come to serve me too. Maybe I'll find you entertaining enough to keep as my pet."
"You DARE!" the three women roared in unison.
Kae stepped forward, fury in her gaze. "You dare, Arin Silverwest?"
Lilith and Zhilin flanked her, their magic stirring visibly in the air. Lilith's presence chilled the room. Zhilin's hands glowed with ethereal light.
Arin only laughed, madness creeping into his voice. "You think your dying land and sleeping husband can stand against the might of House Silverwest?"
Then—
A low growl echoed outside. Footsteps followed, slow and deliberate.
"Arin, brother... still lusting after the vampire bitch?"