PROLOGUE

Once upon a time... 

In a distant land...

            There lived a beast who was the most powerful, merciless, and fierce of all, making him the king of the beast–King Samrat.

            His endless thirst for self-perfection made him the best as a leader, a philosophist, a healer, and a warrior. His way of thinking and ideas were radical and uncontemporary, marching his faithful followers ahead of others. Hence they were the most respected pack.

           The king, however, fell in love with a human girl, Elisa Mitkoi. She was as delicate as a flower with glowing fair skin, soft pink lips, and a pair of eyes to melt the ice mountain. She too loved the king with all her heart. 

           Every night, when the village has hushed down, the lovers will meet in secrecy, as it is a cringing sin to be in love with a beast. Soon, their love was gifted with a baby girl and Elisa moved into a hut, deep in the forest to keep her sinful love away from the world. 

   

           The baby girl would probably be the most mesmerizing baby in the whole world and beyond. Her round, grey eyes with black rim, twinkle as the star against the pitch-black night sky. Chubby cheeks with a hint of rose and nose, too sharp for a baby. The two girls became the heartbeat of the king, fulfilling his duty as a king by daylight and back to the hut to be with his family by night-time. If the king was ever late to arrive home, his baby girl would crawl to the doorstep and wait there for his return.

          Faith took a horrible turn when the king was compelled to marry one of his kind so that he would bear an heir for his bloodline since he has no other siblings to do so. He had to agree for the betterment of his people and married another woman, Queen Aira. Enduring the stabbing pain in his heart, he never returned to his family in the forest hut. He shed tears every night, looking at the moon at the thought of his baby girl and love of his life, waiting at the doorstep for his return. Months went by when one day, the Queen saw the king’s tear and confronted him. He confessed his love to her and couldn’t bear the pain of parting with them anymore. Queen Aira was a kind and sensitive woman. She understood her husband’s pain and motioned him to bring his family from the forest, back to their palace.

          The hyped king ran as fast as he could, with all his might to his beloved Elisa– only to find an empty forest hut. He went to her village, to her formal house, still to no avail. It is said that Elisa was 3 months pregnant when he left and died in an attempt to give birth to him. Unfortunately, the baby boy was born dead as well. Being ashamed of her sin, her parents gave away his daughter to a far away family from the south, erasing any trace of Elisa– once and for all.

 

           The broken king went back to his palace, gave up his crown to his Queen, and left, heading to the south, in an attempt to search for his only daughter. Every night he will hover over trees, searching through doorsteps after doorsteps, hoping she would be waiting for his return. Rumor has it that he never found her and till today, he hovers over the tree, waiting for his daughter. And so, my little girl, if you step outside at night, he will take you and bring you back with him.