In her tight-fitting white spacesuit, a young woman walks among the stars. Her white eyes, devoid of irises or pupils, give her such a pure presence that space seems a mere speck beside her. Her hair is long. Very long. So long that it trails behind her and seems to slow her down. Her curly mane, adorned with a fresh, beautiful white anemone, is as white as the eternal, brilliant comets that roam the universes.

  Let's call this entity Delta.

  Delta is cheerful by nature. Her face is constantly covered by the most jovial smile. When she finds a beautiful pnet, Delta decides to crouch down and observe it for a while. For Delta, a moment is billions of light years.

  Where does Delta come from? Who is Delta? These questions, whose legitimacy cannot be revoked, will never be answered. No one will ever be able to answer them. Delta herself has absolutely no idea what she is. One thing is certain, she finds space boring.

  Like every thousand times, without anyone being able to anticipate it, the entity outside space and time stops. And for the very first time in Six Dark Ages, it stops. Worse still. Delta speaks.

  "■? ? ? ▓ " """"""""""" !"

  The Universes tremble. It seems Delta is annoyed by something. She feels like she's back where she started. Of starting all over again from scratch. And yet she continues to smile. After all, even though her fate is so cruel and she has already been around the universe a thousand times, Delta has no intention of stopping smiling. She knows exactly what the beginning of this new loop means. And she's not the type to be dishonest with herself. She's far too pure for that.

  Delta is sad.

  A Y ? R O N

  "No...I hate white. No anemones on my grave! I'd rather have Aster on it. Or why not just bck tulips? Everyone dresses in bck when they're in mourning. Isn't it natural to put bck flowers on the grave of the deceased? They all come with their extraordinary bouquets, as if it were a competition... If I die, just cremate me and be done with it!

  - Ay?ron... You are blind. Stop talking as if it makes any difference to you, will you? Abigail has been listening to the angry ments of the fourth son all morning.

  - You don't understand, Abby...

  - Yuck. Stop using that nickname!"

  She noticed that he was unusually talkative today. It's probably stage fright, excitement, or a combination of both due to his father's speech the day before. No?l isn't with them today. That's exceptional too. Nevertheless, Ay?ron couldn't care less and Abiga?l was delighted. All in all, nothing serious. This escapade between our two protagonists is not really an escapade at all. Dressed simply in their dark, bck tunic, illustrating their membership of the high nobility, but also equipped with a simple iron sword, they patrol the capital, Sh?ll?l, on horseback, in a rather random fashion.

  The city is a veritable byrinth anyway, with dozens of roads at different levels criss-crossing each other and going just about everywhere. Built on a cliff in the middle of a huge pteau, the gigantic fort at its heart is the town's nerve centre, with the rgest market in the kingdom on the first floor.

  The drab style of the capital's architecture contrasts with the richly coloured clothing of the city's inhabitants. The density is high, and gets higher the further you go from the centre of the capital. At the same time, the citizens are less and less colourful, and some dress in bck from top to bottom, with a bck blindfold covering their eyes. These are the Eyeless, people who have fallen victim to a deadly, incurable virus that blinds them from birth. What causes it? Nobody knows. It is highly likely that this disease, which affects almost 40% of the Kingdom's popution, is partly responsible for the events that made the Earth what it is today.

  Ay?ron's face is full of mischief. Although he doesn't show it much and tries to be as fair as possible, the Prince can't help but find satisfaction in the fact that he is so privileged. Yes, he's an Eyeless too. But he's also the King's son. Of course, being blind has led to him being treated in a discriminatory and rather despicable way. But in the end, Ay?ron appreciates the fact that everything is retive. That his suffering isn't as bad as all that compared to others. Abigail, to his right, gives him a piercing look before warning him.

  "Stop... A little worried in her voice, the Frost's ugly daughter continues. As usual, there's nothing here. Even the most remote pces are quiet these days.

  - As long as they have enough to eat and can enjoy themselves, this area will be quiet. Ay?ron seems pretty sure of himself.

  - Really? The dress code and the blindfold... Maybe they'll get fed up with it one day?

  - Maybe they will.

  - But so what?!

  - So what? I'm not a mind reader. If that day comes, then I hope for their sake they're more tenacious than those in the colonies.

  - Oh, is that the new head of the crackdown troops speaking now?

  - Yes, it is.

  - If someone had told me that an Anomaly would end up as leader one day... Do you think there really are more like you?

  - Of course there are. Anomalies are a tiny minority among the Eyeless, but they do exist. Of course, not all their powers are equal. Some can't do much on the battlefield.

  - Unlike you.

  - Unlike me. Abigail ughed for a moment before concluding the conversation.

  - You're a lost cause Ay?ron!"

  The Prince continues to smile. His eyes, devoid of irises and pupils, give him such an impure presence. They are the defining characteristic of an Eyeless One.

  S E N N A

  Senna sits in the leather armchair in her bedroom. She is one of the few girls from the upper nobility with the gift of controlling magic. As a result, she is treated like a queen and has a status that is quite favourable to her. But what's surprising is that absolutely no one has ever seen her use her ability. Senna has never shown it to anyone. With the exception of one person: Ay?ron Varrh. The King's youngest son. The prince seems to have been promised to Senna, daughter of the Varrhys, a family under the King's thumb. Despite this, the exchanges between Senna and Ay?ron are often brief. If she's honest with herself, the 17-year-old suspects that the thing that interests the Eyeless of the Varrh is her power. After all, how many times has he used it? She stopped counting a long time ago. Senna leads a secluded life, spending most of her time in her room and only going out when she really needs to. The castle where she lives is on the outskirts of the capital and is called Fort-Terreur. Its name says it all: no army has ever succeeded in taking it.

  Today, Senna is reading a book while sitting in her armchair. Her knees are level with her face, as she prefers to put her feet on the armchair rather than the floor. She has dark bck eyes and short hair. Her hair reaches to the nape of her neck. She is wearing a simple white nightie, the firepce in her bedroom warming the room well enough to allow her to be so lightly dressed. It's not a novel she's reading, but rather an essay. A lecture on the origin of magic.

  "A Dreamer."

  Yes, that's what you are.

  "And this would be due to chance? I'm sure it's not random."

  But that's what this book expins. Oh, Senna! That's the TENTH time you've read this bloody book!

  "Shut up..."

  It seems quite clear to me. Magic is a gift bestowed in a totally random manner. Entities whose existence is beyond our comprehension have devised some kind of algorithm. And this abstract system grants people what we call magic. It's not even something you're born with! Magic only appears from the age of 10 onwards, so stop believing in some kind of destiny...

  "..."

  Besides, being a Dreamer implies a curse. You know that better than anyone. Please close the book.

  Senna closes the book with a sigh and then throws it on the floor. She feels alone. The voice in her head that she talks to regurly gives her a violent headache. She hates being brought back to reality. The daughter of the Varrhys would like to believe that she is the chosen one, that great and magnificent things will happen to her, that everyone will adore her. Then she opens her eyes again. The truth is, she's afraid to leave her room. That there are voices in her head. That people are afraid of her. And that her Prince is probably only willing to be around her because he finds her power interesting and useful.

  Last night, her Prince, Ay?ron, made her a request. Or rather, gave her an order. If Senna has understood correctly, Ay?ron has become the leader of the repression troops. His brothers probably didn't appreciate their father's choice at all. As a result, he distrusts them. And her job is to keep an eye on them, to spy on them. This type of task suits her power perfectly. Senna has got used to it by now.

  She got up, grabbed a sharp bde from her desk and sat down on her huge, sumptuous bed. Everything she did seemed mechanical. It's not the first time she's done what she's doing now. The little noblewoman rolled up her nightie to reveal her entire left thigh. It's in a terrible state. The number of scars and scarification marks would make anyone pale. It's an atrocious sight, and Ay?ron knows it. A Dreamer can only use magic under conditions that he has unconsciously set himself. To use his magic, Senna must mutite herself. And once again, the smooth cutting edge of his steel bde sinks into the surface of her skin like butter, causing a slight bleed in her thigh and a pain she had to get used to. Senna closes her eyes, interces her two hands as if she were about to pray, and drops her bde onto her mattress.

  And then the supernatural happens.

  Her real body is lying backwards on the bed. It is inert. Her power allows her to create an astral projection, to step out of her body and wander wherever she wants. The particurity of her magic, which can be both an asset and a constraint, lies in the fact that her projection takes pce in the future. She left her body while sitting on the bed. But she didn't see her uninhabited body fall onto her back. She was projected directly into the future, at a time when her body had already fallen. Senna has, in the past, tried out her power with Ay?ron nearby, using her power while he moved around the room, counting the seconds. However, by returning to her body, Senna goes back in time. And she realises that the future she saw is just one of many possibilities, as it doesn't always happen. As a result, it has been impossible to determine how much time separates her from the present when she is projected out of her body.

  Senna's mission is clear: to spy on Aaron's home.

  A Y ? R O N

  On their way, the disabled duo pass by a surprisingly rge house that stands out from all the others in this remote and rather rundown area. The building could be described as a manor house. A haunted mansion even, since it's abandoned and the whole left wing looks completely burnt out. As the two of them drive past, the sky is grey. Thick clouds cover the sky and don't let a single ray of sunlight escape. The Frost girl stops. Ay?ron does the same and looks at her, questioningly.

  "Abigail?

  - I've got a leather purse! The girl doesn't look too sure of herself. But she continues: "Would you like to have it? It comes in all colours!

  - Seriously?

  - Come on!

  - Tomorrow, 1087 men will be under my command...

  - Come on! You're gonna die young anyway!

  - You're horrible...

  - Come on!

  - All right, all right, stop repeating yourself over and over.

  - Hehe !"

  Finally, they dismount their horses without even tying them to anything, confident enough to be sure that they will still be there when they return and that the emblem of high nobility on the saddle will be enough to deter possible thieves. Ay?ron and Abiga?l enter the manor through the main entrance, opening the creaking, rusty gate. They don't seem to have discovered the pce. Walking along the worn garden path, the two little noblemen did not enter the manor house directly, but decided instead to walk around it and enter from the rear. Before entering, Abigail stopped and cast a wistful gnce in the direction of the only tree in the ouch on their path. Ay?ron noticed immediately and wondered why.

  "Do you regret it?

  - No. We did well to kill them, admits Abigail.

  - So why the look?

  - Do you think they'll wake up one day? Like zombies? The Frost's daughter deliberately avoids her friend's question and Ay?ron pys along.

  - No doubt they will. Nobody dies forever.

  - Oh."

  Entering the mansion, the couple are careful not to damage anything, avoiding crushing the many works of art that have fallen to the ground. Which is actually pointless, as everything is in an unsanitary and damaged state. Arriving in the spacious and strange living room, Abigail sat down on the sofa to pick up a strange object with lots of buttons on it. In front of her was a television covered in dust. Ay?ron joins her and sits down next to her, sighing in exasperation and wondering if he did the right thing by following her before realising that he never had a choice anyway.

  "Stop touching anything... What do we do if you set off an explosion?

  - Ah! Horrified, Abigail swings the remote at the television with all her might, smashing it into the screen. It doesn't matter! Just watch!"

  She takes a small bck leather purse from her left pocket and loosens the nets to pour the contents onto her right hand. Ten solid, colourful sweets in all sorts of different shapes fall out of the purse: a teddy bear, a crocodile, a mermaid and so on. This little-used drug is harmful, and is supposed to bring a state of intense joy and happiness and make all the tasks of life disappear. The unique fruity taste of these sweets makes them attractive to a whole section of the young nobility. She throws the purse in her left hand to the ground. Abigail turns to face her friend, taking three capsules with the fingers of her left hand, her index, thumb and middle fingers.

  One purple capsule, one blue and one red. Slowly, she brought her hand to the Prince's lips. He opened his mouth and she released the sweets. Once ingested, Ay?ron felt the effects in the instant that followed. He noticed that the girl to his left was wearing ten rings on each of her fingers. Then he remembers that when she was younger, she had expined to him that she wore ten rings so that she wouldn't be engaged to anyone. Abigail is simply convinced that if there is no room for the engagement ring in her fingers, then she will probably never get married. Ay?ron, on the other hand, can't help but burst out ughing with all his might.

  "Are you serious? Are you making fun of me? That's what makes you happy?!"

  Full of compint, Abigail finally grabs three sweets before swallowing them in one go. Immediately, she starts ughing in turn, remembering a painfully amusing memory.

  "Ay?ron! You... Hahahahahaha! Do you remember Ener's st words?!

  - Yeah. He begged me not to kill him!

  - What a jerk! Abigail stops ughing. She's trying to catch her breath. Ener and Eden only got what they deserved.

  - Do you regret it?

  - No! Of course not! Even though they were my twin brothers, they treated me so badly, that's all they deserved!

  - We buried them in the ouch behind this manor.

  - Yeah, well...

  - They won't wake up. Zombies don't exist.

  - Yes, of course...

  - You know what, Abigail? In stories, wanting to protect others is always portrayed as something so noble. Me, I think it's self-centred and dangerous. It's because I wanted to protect you that I didn't hesitate to kill all those people. Your brothers, those apple sellers who ughed at your eyes, that soldier who called you an evil creature.

  - Thank you, Ay?ron...

  - You really are strange... You could have killed them yourself.

  - I suppose so.

  - You like to feel protected, don't you?

  - Are you sure about that?

  - I am.

  - You're blind, Ay?ron. You have no idea how ugly I am. How many mirrors have I smashed cursing this appearance? Everything that happens to me is because of this. But luckily... We're the same, you and me, people hate us for what we are... I find that reassuring. And I... I wonder when we'll get our revenge?"

  The Anomaly doesn't know. He has no desire or need for revenge. The Frost daughter continues:

  "Ahhh, I'm tired!"

  Abigail wraps both arms around Ay?ron, resting her chin on his right shoulder before closing her eyes. The Prince closes his eyes in turn, finding Abigail's emotions absurd and derisory but unable to help cherishing and protecting them, convinced that they are more precious than anything else in the world.

  Although it might seem that closing his eyes makes no difference to him, Ay?ron sees the world in pure white. And therefore bck when he closes his eyes. Both have decided to doze off. In the end, the sweets only brought back the nightmares of their existence.

  Z E R H A L

  Ecstasy.

  Terror.

  Sadness.

  Rage.

  Emptiness.

  These emotions are at the root of everything. They are the answer to every conceivable existential question. In fact, Zerhal Varrh, the King, goes so far as to believe that it is these emotions that prove the existence of God. There is no life in a world without emotions: that's what the King keeps telling his wife and children.

  "Praise be to your blessings!"

  shouts the King valiantly as he enters the hall. Zerhal is almost completely devoid of human features. Needless to say, he is a man whose feats of arms are recounted in every corner of the Kingdom. Despite this, he was nothing compared to the Princesses.

  Simir to a throne room, this room can only be visited by the King and those invited by the Princesses. Five bck thrones adorned with gold and emblems of nobility, on each of which sits a Princess.

  Each Princess has a name that sums up her personality: Ecstasy, Terror, Sadness and Rage. Empty is no longer there, her throne is vacant. All the Princesses wear long dresses and bck gloves. They are barefoot, the floor covered with a soft red carpet that forces the King to take off his boots every time he comes here.

  Naturally, Zerhal stoops down, resting his right knee on the ground and not daring to look at the living deities. He speaks.

  "You asked for me. What can I do for you?

  - Zerhal! Zerhal! Emptiness is still not back! She's still not back! Hahahaha. Extase is always full of joy. Her brilliant yellow eyes and equally dazzling short hair make her look like some kind of personification of the Sun. Extase is a bit of a leader, she's at ease and always takes the lead.

  - You're saying that... How is that possible? Emptiness has been missing for a while now. That's unusual for her, nothing normally interests her...

  - Hihihihihi, isn't it? It's just too weird! Where can she have gone?!

  - Hmm... The King is puzzled. A Princess has left her throne forever? And the most discreet of them all? He couldn't understand. Rage and her long, fiery red mane seemed to be boiling with anger. The King knows he must choose his words carefully. After all, Sadness and her blue hair seem to be on the verge of tears.

  - Co...Come back Empty... compins Tristesse. As for Terror, she's terrified. But it's impossible to know just how terrified, as she uses a golden mask to hide her face, which is constantly twisted in fear. Ecstasy decides to speak loudly again.

  - BRIEF! I've decided we have to act! The disappearance of Emptiness is an ABSOLUTE emergency! Far more important than your human squabbles! Hehehe, but rejoice, I've found the solution to all our problems! There's no need to cry, be scared or sad!

  - Princess... What is this solution?

  - Your son Zerhal.

  - My son...? Which son?

  - Ay?ron. Bring him here. As quickly as possible. He is summoned.

  - But-

  - It's indisputable, says Extase, bursting into ughter.

  - All right, then.

  - Brilliant! You're the best, Zerhal!"

  This would be a first. The King has always been the only one summoned. The father of the Varrhs is confused. The situation is beyond his control, which is unusual. No matter. He decided to stand firm and blindly follow the Princesses' orders. He stands up, bows briefly in respect and then leaves.

  A Y ? R O N

  After a long siesta, the disabled duo, now awake, decided to leave the manor to get back on horseback and ride back to the castle. Abigail stopped to say a prayer at the foot of the tree where her brothers were sleeping, to ease her guilt.

  On the way back, as they bask in the pleasant silence and the autumn night is already falling, the couple observe a curious and recurring event of te. In the centre of a square undergoing renovation in the town centre, there are a lot of people around and a strange object is sticking out slightly from the ground in the middle of a building site. The thing looks very big, a sort of cockpit, and it fascinates the crowd. The workers, who were no doubt about to work on the site, looked disconcerted.

  Ay?ron knows it's an ancient spaceship. He's seen it in the books in the Little Library. He couldn't help but be fascinated for a moment before being brought back to reality by the police shouting at the crowd to disperse them. This is not a first for Abigail and Ay?ron. Lately, objects from the Old Kingdom have been resurfacing and people are often distraught in such situations. But the site will soon be condemned. The area surrounding the object will be quarantined. It's a question of safety. Attempting to dig up the object is no longer a viable option since the st attempt caused an explosion that levelled several vilges in the south.

  As the crowd dispersed, something disturbed Ay?ron to the core. No, it's not just a feeling. He is convinced that there is something alive inside the rocket's cockpit. Something disturbing and unhealthy. So unhealthy that it makes him nauseous.

  One of the men from the capital's police force is standing on the pointed end of the rocket, looking out through the cockpit windows. Waving his saddle, the Prince put his horse into a gallop to quickly catch up with the policeman. Taken by surprise, Abigail doesn't have time to realise that she immediately starts following Ay?ron when he starts shouting.

  "Come downstairs! There's something inside!"

  These warnings are useless, as an arm of tenebrous bckness shatters the cockpit windows and perforates the man's belly, allowing his intestines to escape from his stomach. The suffering on his face did not seem to faze the creature, which used the man's body as support to climb out of the cockpit. A monster? It has a humanoid shape. It must be three metres tall. The monster lifts the man's body with such ease. When it reached the bottom of the cockpit, Ay?ron drew his sword and Abiga?l did the same. All the policemen followed suit. Whatever this deformed thing might be, one thing is certain.

  "It's an enemy!" shouts Ay?ron loudly.