CHRONICLES OF ASTRARIUM 1: THE DAWN OF THE HEIRESSES

FOREWORD

Dragons are both our guardians and our greatest fears, for they are both a blessing and a curse. They protect us from the dangers that lurk in the shadows, but they also bring destruction and chaos when they enter the battlefield. But we all agree on one thing: without them, balance would vanish and darkness would reign in the world. That's why we rely on them to keep us safe. 

Study of the Astrarium beings of the Solar Queen Raenala.

Legend has it that many, many thousands of years ago, at the dawn of time, the Mother Goddess set out on her final odyssey. While the echoes of the Last Great Battle still resounded in the vast emptiness, the Creator sought a place in which to deposit her power, protector of the Universe.

But in the innermost shadows of this vast cosmos, an ancient and dark menace lurked, insatiable and hungry for divine power. Its invisible tentacles reached out, creeping through the shadows, beyond the stars, desperately seeking the source of eternal light, the two most precious jewels of Creation.

With a mournful and desperate cry, the Mother Goddess shook the foundations of the universe, tearing the veil of time and space to create the Nebulae Magna, inside of which she placed Astrarium, a young dwarf planet, on which she deposited the two tiny newborns she carried in her arms.

The Queen of the Sun, with golden eyes and hair like sparkling fire, and the Queen of the Moon, with hair of the purest white and eyes like ice crystals, were hidden in the confines of the new planet, where their persecutor could never find them.

"I will never let you find them! I will never let you condemn the universe to darkness!"

To protect them from the threat that stalked them, the Goddess created with her last breath the dragons, powerful immortal beings with lava hearts and scales as hard as diamonds, to protect the delicate balance of the universe, and from her tears were born the seas, plagued by fierce and lethal creatures, and an abundant vegetation that hid the little girls.

With their sharp claws and fiery anuon, the dragons watched over the safety of the two little ones, ready to face any enemy that dared to threaten them. But even in the safety of their new home, danger lingered.

An ancient entity, a dark primordial being, lurked in the depths of the cosmos, hungry for power and thirsting for vengeance. Its sibylline whispers and elusive presence still infiltrate the dreams of mortals, sowing terror and darkness in those who dare to welcome it into their minds. A being that leaves a trail of death and destruction in its wake, an entity behind which only nothingness remains, the most absolute emptiness.

With her remaining strength, the Creator of Worlds sculpted the skies, forged the continents and created new planets, giving form also to Arvandor, Luxaria, Novaar, Celestia and Thalassa, and in them she deposited fragments of her divine essence, trusting that these vestiges of her magic would distract her persecutors and give her daughters  a chance to survive. 

And she also created the beings that populate Astrarium, and the magic of the dragons infused them with life.

With a last sigh of sadness, the Mother Goddess disappeared into the darkness, while the ancient shadow rose from the depths of the universe, desperately searching for her daughters, with a roar of animal fury, said to sound as if existence itself was cowering in terror before the great evil that lurked among the stars, biding its time.

A roar that still echoes in the darkness, swearing vengeance and announcing calamities and disasters in times to come, making clear its relentless determination to find its prey and claim its power.

Unfortunately, the beloved Queens of Astrarium, daughters of the Goddess, were also mortal and ended up joining their mother at the age of 2050. Human queens took their place, bearing the reminiscences of their Creator's power, in charge of ensuring the balance and protection of their world.

But human beings are fragile, and can easily be corrupted by the desires of their hearts. The shadow did not take long to find the trail of divine power, and it is said that it is still here, somewhere hidden among us, waiting for its moment...

However, this one you hold in your hands is much more than a story of the struggle between good and evil, dear reader.

 It is the story of how an entire world can depend on the ability to trust each other, the story of how a group of women face their deepest fears to do what they believe is right.

And if you don't happen to be a man, dear reader, feel equally welcome, and remember that sometimes emotions can be powerful like dragons, but just like them, you need to learn to tame them, and appreciate them for what they are.

Whoever you are, I welcome you to the realm of Astrarium.