Prologue

Sixteen Years Ago

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Ivia was a godless place. Cina, the Goddess of the Sky, watched the continent with baited breath. She loved her people, that was true, and she spent her days watching over them. The gods had all loved each of their people, but with power came corruption, and for the sake of their people, they had no choice but to leave behind the broken world.

Of course, it was not only the peoples’ fault, the blame was in the hands of the gods as well. It was a dangerous thing, devoting yourself so wholly to another being. The people of Ivia followed the gods too closely, and thus had begun their ultimate demise. Cina knew she was at fault too, for combining two tribes of gods in one continent could never go well. For Elvana and Lunathe, it was far simpler. They each had one tribe of gods, eliminating the possibility of war. But for Ivia, contact between the gods and humans had become a thing of the past. Cina and her family had no choice but to leave behind the people, for when the gods had torn each other apart, the people followed suit. So it continued, an endless cycle of hatred and division. No god could truly solve that. 

Cina looked to her right, to Oraldir, the only other god she knew still stood with the people of Ivia. The God of Prophecies looked back at her fondly. The purple hue of his eyes was practically glowing. Oraldir had given the people the very last gift from the gods, save for the magic in their veins. He’d gifted them the Prophecy of Eclipsis, a promise of salvation in the form of a headstrong teenage girl. 

“She will save them,” he whispered to Cina. It was true, and it was their last hope. The girl had been born and she had a destiny to fulfill. If she could survive what the world threw at her, if she could survive Ivia, the world would be forever changed. This much, they knew to be true. 

So from the sky, Cina and Oraldir cast their vision down on the divided land. They traced the electric fence that coursed through the thick woods that had grown when the people split—a symbol of division. They watched as the man took the child and fled back to his kingdom. 

Azaraya Mairi Alvanshia was the gods’ promised daughter, and through her the divided land would become Ivia once more. Cina looked down on the girl fondly, a smile tugging at her lips. She considered Azaraya her own and would watch as the girl grew up to change the world forever.