The Darkmoon: Awakening

By Naomi K Seifried

A thrilling fantasy adventure set on a distant planet. With five unique perspectives to see the world from. This book encourages readers to advance their reading level and vocabulary in a fun and entertaining way. Dive deep into the world of Achelios and defeat the Darkmoon.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Naomi Seifried
• Release date: Apr 1, 2024
• ISBN: 9798218408633

Book preview

1

Prologue

-KHAOS-

They need love and nurture! Zariya yelled.

No, they need guidance and purpose, Khaos refuted.

Their words echoed throughout the golden chamber. Marble walls and grandeur spirals lined the room. A ring of thrones encircled the chamber, one for each moon. Every throne had a nook that hosted it. The one closest to them was blue for their eldest sister, who ruled the oceans. The nook was lined ceiling to floor with copious amounts of seashells and seaweed in a beautiful array of colors. 

The next throne floated in its niche. It was for their brother, whose domain was of the sky. The throne itself was made of moonstone that shined whenever a drákon touched it, and cirrus clouds created a halo.  To the left of it was their sister's throne of wood. She ruled over the vegetation and forests of Achelois. Unlike her modest throne, her alcove boasted fruitful flowers that threatened to spew into the areas surrounding it. The next nook was home to towering waterfalls and a swampy pond. Within the pond, a throne of mud stood firm for their brother who ruled the swamps and rivers to sit. 

Next came a thundering throne made of clouds that flickered with lightning. Snow and sleet constantly fell from the ceiling. How their sister never got annoyed by the constant precipitation they would never know. Then again, she did invent the ever-changing weather. If that throne wasn’t crazy, Khaos’s favorite sister surely tried to outdo it. Her throne was made of stars, dust, and black matter. It seemed to pull on the walls of the niche that contained it. So much so that the wall broke into dust and sprinkled towards the chair like a black hole.

 Lastly, came the twins’ thrones. Zariya’s was made of molten gold, a stark contrast to Khaos’s, which was made of molten obsidian. The two thrones were side-by-side in a singular recess. In the middle, the gold and obsidian seemed to intertwine with each other.

For all the decorations and praise, the moons ruled alone away from those they were to care about. Life had no meaning and no purpose, for any of them. They were like statues to look up to in fear and awe. There was no reason to help the world below; they were above it all. But a true ruler should know everything about their subjects. Rulers should walk with them and know their pain, passions, love, and heartaches. Khaos gave the drákons something no moon could overlook and ignore, now they each had a purpose to one another. The moons could protect the drákons and they would listen. Not just merely exist in tangent to one another, but he gave them the purpose that every living drákon craved, Khaos thought.

No, his sister Zariya said, interrupting his thoughts. You gave them pain and death. That’s not guidance—that's cruelty.

He took a deep breath. He and his sister never saw eye to eye when it came to ruling the drákons. His sister continuously gave them gifts but never walked their paths and never truly lived among them to see what they needed. He knew better. 

I gave them pain to caution them. Death gives their lives meaning. Without it … without me, the life you’re so fond of would mean nothing. No purpose. No pursuit. No winner. Nothing would matter. It would be pointless repetition, with no end in sight. I gave them a goal.

What you gave them was pain, torture, and fear. Does that sound like mercy? Zariya questioned Khaos.

I am protecting them.

You’re the reason they need protection!

Why can’t you see? Without an end, they just exist indefinitely. We idled about, content to be worshiped from afar but never earning any of the undying support they garnered. The drákons have nothing to do but eat, sleep, and do whatever pleases them. Nothing but themselves mattered to them; a true reflection of the moon that created them. Now the moon’s purpose, our purpose, is to protect them and the drákons found the meaning of community. With less time, only true things matter more. Friends, family, dreams, love, and hope all have a new perspective. Limited, but with more weight … more power … more meaning. Khaos chided.

If you love the purpose you created so much. Well, maybe it would be better for you to taste what you created. Would that then give your life the purpose you so desperately crave? The other moons fear you. They protect their drákons from you, Zariya warned.

Without me, how many would pursue their lives’ work? Find purpose? Give themselves meaning? Hope for a better day? Long for the past? Respect the future? Khaos questioned.

And how many, with your creation of death, are gone too soon? Who never truly reap the benefits of their labor? Who hope for a new dawn only to see the dark?

Fine, I’m a hypocrite, but so are you. From this point forward we will know what they know. Death will be normal. Our champions from all around will heed our call, and when we die we will pass on our powers and knowledge to them as they become the rulers of Achelois. What will you do with time now, sister? Now that it’s so limited? Will you make it purposeful? Passionate? Powerful? Prosperous?

Khaos, I curse you in the name of all the moons, me included. Forever our champions will find each other so I can keep you in line. And from this point onward your champions will carry the weight of your actions. You will help to cultivate and sculpt Achelois’s heroes, creating those who will save others from the atrocious death you created. 

Can you taste it now? Time. So sweet. Yet gone in a second. Only made better by the purpose hidden inside it.

2

Mage Markings

-OCEANSCALE-

Many centuries ago chaos was all that was. A single star was the center of it all. The star was the past, present, and future. But the chaos on the inside and outside of the star battled each other as it does inside each of us. Finally, the stress was too much and the star exploded. Against all odds, a planet cocooned in mist arose from the ashes of the fallen star. Darkness was all the planet knew. The only way to get rid of it was light, and back then there was no such thing until the Great Eight. Oceanscale felt a chill run through her spine. Shrugging it off she hurriedly flipped the page. The book she was reading, A Recollection of Achelois’s Creation by Udia, the Light Moon’s Champion was interesting but way too long. She didn’t have the luxury to read hundreds of pages. The exam was only two hours away! 

The next page read: 

Eight moons—each one brought a different part of Achelois into being. The oldest gave the planet the gift of water, so none would ever be thirsty. The second gave the planet the gift of air, so all could breathe. The third moon clothed Achelois in vegetation, for food and beauty. The fourth gave the planet rivers and swamps, so it would be easy for others to get around and everyone would have a safe place to call home. The fifth moon gave the planet rain, snow, sleet, and everything in between. The sixth sibling gave the planet the cosmos, so Achelois would never be alone. 

Last, but never least, the two youngest, twins, gave Achelois a special gift. No other planet had life, until now. No other planet could share its gifts with others. But with life came the same darkness as before. For we all have that darkness within us even though it didn’t have a name. The first twin cultivated life, helping its emotions grow, showering them with gifts. The second cautioned life, providing it with reason and intelligence. 

Together the moons helped protect life. They gave the drákons guidance to live a certain way. There were eight moons then, guiding Achelois to prosper. Of them, six became the Great Protectors. These Great Protectors are the moons that watch over each tribe. Five remain today: Water, Star, Sky, Forest, and Swamp. The extinct tribe, Snow, was destroyed by the Darkmoon’s wrath. The light and dark moons used to battle over the drákon’s hearts. A battle that was never recorded and has since been lost to memory.  Every moon used to be a living being that looked over the drákons from above. However, since Khaos the Darkmoon turned, they have died. The moons are now a shell of a celestial body that contains the soul of the original moon. However, the original Darkmoon still lives and has since orchestrated the rise and fall of many different heroes. 

In every royal family, the moons have a champion who protects the tribe. This champion has access to dead magic, which was created through the passing of the original moons. These champions act as vessels for the moon’s remaining powers. Each generation the moon passes down the right of the champion to the appointed Crown Heir. The order of succession is as follows…

"History of Achelois, Diversity of Tribes, Divided Memories: An In-depth Look at the Wars That Shaped Achelois… I mean how many books does one really need to read?" her sister interrupted. Silvermoon, better known as Silver, was always late to their study meetings.

All of them, Silver. All. Of. Them. You want to pass the test, don’t you? Ocean questioned.

"I mean, I want to. That doesn’t mean I will. Plus, why are you so worried? You’ve been studying for weeks now."

Clearly you need to study more. Here, we can do the flashcard game! Oceanscale suggested.

Oh! I love that game! Silver exclaimed.

Ok. Speed round, think fast. Wars of Achelois edition. First, we have… Ocean picked up a flash card from her sister’s messy pile, ...Siege of Broken Homes.

Star. Snow. Bread shortages. Uprisings. Civil war. Anarchy!!! Silver roared.

Not something to be excited about!

Muahaha! Silver’s fake villain laugh bounced off the library walls. 

Even though they were underwater, that never seemed to stop Silver from being the loudest being on Achelois. It didn’t help that the library, being a supposedly quiet place, had an arching dome-like structure that emphasized the acoustics. 

Ocean rolled her eyes, Focus. If we both don’t pass these tests you’ll be trapped in your room all day and I’ll be forced to converse with the nobles, both of which we don’t want.

Fine, Silver grumbled.

Attack of Brothers, Ocean inquired. 

A dramatic sibling fight, with both having claims to Sky and Snow Tribes’ thrones. Pretty much toddlers fighting over toys.

And it resulted in..? Ocean gestured for her sister to give her more.

A taboo on mixed couples if they were of royal descent. Which is a bunch of crap if you ask me. I mean, just because one royal sibling couldn’t play nice doesn’t mean all royal siblings are like that, Silver said, exasperated.

Back to the cards. If we were studying for a persuasive essay or debate like normal drákon teens, I’d let you rant, but we are studying for the heir trial. So pleeease focus. If we pass this we both get to go to the heir meeting. Pleeease, Ocean pleaded.

Ok. My turn to trick you then. Give me! Silver snatched the notecards from her sister's folder. Speed round. First one: Calista. Wait, that’s too easy!

I still need to know it! Calista: Our current queen and great aunt. No heirs. So the crown will go to us, Ocean replied.

You, Silver corrected.

And you will protect our great nation. Both of which are important. Ocean gave Silver a pointed look.

 Even though she would never admit it out loud, she knew Silver thought everyone loved Ocean more. While she was being named crown princess instead of her twin, she certainly wasn’t more fit than her to rule. Her grandmother thought it was better for someone who at least looked the part of being the ruler to become one someday. It drew the attention away from Silver who, according to the whole kingdom, was a reminder of their parents’ disgrace. Ever since the Attack of Brothers, mixed tribe couples had become taboo. So, naturally, a young Water Tribe heir running off to join some no-name Star Drákon and abandoning their twin eggs was a bad sign. It wasn’t Ocean or Silver’s fault, but they would have to bear the consequences. A shiver ran through her again. She really hoped she wasn’t getting sick. Now would be the worst timing. She had the heir meeting and an exam!

Yeah, yeah. Protecting and defending. Now you have to go again; that one was too easy. Next, we have, Skyler, Silver announced.

Current Sky Tribe leader. One child. Crown prince: Palecloud really long name.

Well, that’s a unique name. Palecloud Really Long Name, Silver snickered.

You know what I mean! 

Still laughing, Silver continued, Zathura.

Current Forest Tribe leader. Two children. Crown princess: Wildflower.

Silver flipped to another flashcard, Harmonia?

Current Swamp Tribe leader. One heir: Reed.

Last, but not least, Irizar and Zion.

Irizar, deceased, the last Snow Tribe champion. Zion is the current Star Tribe champion. He has two heirs: Crinj and Ezekiel.

Perfect as usual, Silver said.

All I need to do is spout facts, smile, and make sure we don’t start a war or cause economic decline. You have to know every tribe’s different war tactics, how to counter them, and protect the kingdom from threats inside. I’d say it’s ok if you don’t know it all. Plus, I’m book smart, you’re life smart. You’re going to do great things, Ocean pointed out.

We’re both going to do great, Silver said. You’ll have me no matter what. Even that stalagmite, unmovable throne can’t get between us. Plus, I’m just glad I don’t have to wear that stupidly heavy crown.

Ocean giggled.

No, seriously! Your neck is going to be all curved once we’re ancient like Grandma, Silver said sarcastically.

Ancient who? A voice said from the doorway.

Grandma! Ocean exclaimed. We were just saying how you’ve seen a lot…

You heard what I said, Silver playfully declared.

Silver! Do you want to pass this test? Ocean exclaimed.

You should listen to your sister, their grandmother Udia said, raising her eyebrows. Ocean, you’re first.

Be right back! Pray we’ll pass! she said to Silver.

We all know you’re gonna! Silver replied.

You too, Ocean called over her shoulder as she turned to follow her grandmother.

They swam down the hallways of the castle. Each wall was lined with pearls, giving the whole area a very bright look. On their way to her testing room, they passed the throne room. Its usually empty space—other than the throne—was now being set up for Silver’s test. They each would get different rooms to test in and had different tests. Oceanscale would take the ruler's test to prove she could effectively run the mock heir council. 

Once every drákon heir from all the existing tribes was over thirteen rotations, all the young heirs met up to practice discussing what they would discuss when they grew up and partook in world councils. Usually, while the child drákons did mock councils, the parents or grandparents were somewhere else holding real global councils. This way once they took over they had an understanding of how to rule, the other tribes' agendas, and who would be most helpful to maintain a friendly relationship with.

They were only thirteen, so Ocean highly doubted anyone would try to be manipulative now, but she still had to be careful. War hadn’t ravaged the world since the last mage had lived. If a turning point was ever to occur during her reign she would need to be prepared. The water around her seemed to drop in temperature, but as soon as it came it was gone. Her grandma didn’t seem to show any signs of discomfort, so she shrugged it off and continued swimming.

Turning left they made their way past the throne room and swam down the spiral passage. Other tribes would have stairs or moving platforms to go to other levels, but seeing how they were underwater, nuisances like that weren’t needed. It was nice to have, much simpler than stairways. Just dive right through!