Prologue – Stirrings
A single room, deep underground, where no light reaches.
Toward a girl sleeping in a canopied bed, a man in the prime of life, wrapped in a black robe, drew near.
The girl was, by the look of her years, ten and a little more.
Setting a hand to her brow, the man made certain she would not wake from her sleep, and then snapped his fingers.
“Nnh… good morning.”
Waking, the girl looked at the man’s face and murmured, puzzled.
“Huh? Where’s the red-haired big brother?”
“…He’s gone off to somewhere a little far away.”
“Oh. When’s he coming back?”
“It’s all right. The flame is smoldering still.”
“…Flame?”
“But to be kept sleeping all this while in a place like this… poor Bridget. Come outside, with me.”
“Eh? I’m allowed to go outside?”
“You may play as much as you like. To your heart’s content, and merrily.”
“Thank you, Mister Earth. The red-haired big brother always used to say it’s dangerous, that I mustn’t go outside…”
“There is nothing outside for you to fear, Bridget. Yes, the time has come to the full. The ice is chipped away, but in its place, the Undead Emperor. The thunder that follows after, the earth that is myself, and the flame that he left behind. It goes on smoldering within you, Bridget.”