Hello! As promised, this is the first chapter of the new story I'm writing. There will be changes in the characters and the age are also adjusted to go with the story and I hope you won't mind if I'll make Cedric a little bit nicer. :)

Into the Devil's Lair: Chapter 1

Meridian...

"You summoned me my prince?" Cedric said as he arrived in the Prince's gardens. He just came from his daily inspections of the lands and he rushed here when the servant told him that the Prince has asked for his presence.

It was here that the Prince would find his solace and would gather his thoughts. And for Cedric, nothing can ever be compared to the beauty of the palace's gardens.

For fifteen years, the prince has been drying the planet of its magic and his actions have affected the lands leaving a negative effect on living things around it. The soil can no longer grew crops and plants and it remained parched; the weather was always harsh thus it brought sickness and diseases over the people and the animals.

However this place was the only exception. No winds or storms can destroy the healthy alluring flowers that grew here. Each was different from each other, from the scent, shape and colors.

But the one that standouts from the rest was the rose- bloody red and intoxicating. It was the Prince's favourite.

"Yes. Are there any signs of the rebels in the villages?" The prince asked and then plucked a rose from the flower bed and took a sniff never bothering to look at his right hand that was currently kneeling behind him.

"No sire, apparently the scums know how to erase their traces." The lord replied, his eyes still fixed on the dirty soil. Even if he looks calm, the man was afraid. The prince does not like failures and empty handed results; he always wants to have something.

"We need to find where those filth are hiding and of course, I would like to see their leader. I will be the one to destroy him. " Phobos replied in a calm manner that surprised Cedric, and then the lord looked up when he heard the prince coughing harshly. When it stopped Cedric noticed the trickle of blood on the side of Phobos' lips.

"Are you okay my prince?" He said and tried not to show any emotions in his words. The man in front of him was feared by many but they haven't seen how this man behaved before he became a heartless tyrant. Phobos has always been arrogant since childhood but he wasn't this evil. However after his parent's sudden death, the young man became a ruthless monster, he usurped the throne and was about to kill his own sister if she wasn't rescued by some palace workers.

"I'm dying Cedric." The lord stifled a gasp as he heard his master's words. Phobos dying? Impossible! He then thought. He never imagined that his master, his prince, a very powerful sorcerer would one day succumb to death.

"My prince?" He was lost for words. He does not know what he can say to comfort the prince who must have been suffering now. Did a disease strike him? He asked himself. But he can't bring himself to ask the question. Phobos was a man of few words and doesn't like being asked.

"I talked to a seer earlier." The prince said as he wiped the blood from his lips. Cedric was very familiar with the Seer, she was an old woman who had the powers of predicting the future as well as many others he doesn't know. So the Prince visited the crazy old lady, but why? Is this even related to his current condition? "She said that I will need an heir." Phobos calmly said.

It took Cedric a while before he can reply to his master, his mind was currently full of questions but he does not know how to ask the young man in front of him.

"An heir my prince?" He asked. He was too surprised with what his master said. An heir? A child? So the prince will finally decide to marry. Well, this custom should have been done a long time ago. What does a child have to do with all of this?

However, the thought of the prince marrying someone to have an heir is just unusual for the henchman. Then it came to his mind that the noble houses of Meridian is composed of different sorts of creatures; Galhots, shape-shifters and other sorts. He can't imagine the prince having a baby with those beings.

"I won't be marrying some sort of creature Cedric." The prince said and turned to face his disciple, Cedric winced, Phobos must have read his thoughts. "The woman said that the lucky girl, the mother of the child…" he paused and emphasized the last words before continuing. "...will come to me soon, this seer also said that I will know that she is the one the moment I see her."

"The child's powers will then be enough to cure me, after that I shall drain its body up to the last drop." The prince said without any emotions and the snake-man gulped. That is the very ritual he will use for his own sister and Cedric knows that it can kill the child in the process. Bile formed in the back of his throat. "This child..." Phobos said as if tasting the words. "...is destined to have great magical abilities, even greater than me and my sister combined. I will need that kind of power to conquer the worlds."

Ah, the Prince's dream. The dream of ruling the worlds. Cedric can't sometimes understand his master's lust for power but for now, his mind is focus on Phobos' revelation; his current health status and of course about the child he mentioned. He lived with Phobos all his life and he became almost as evil and sneaky as his master but he was just doing his own job; to protect his master and do his bidding. He killed a many but those were enemies of the crown, he never once lifted a finger on an innocent child.

But this man in front of him, the dark ruler of Meridian, does not know any emotions except for hatred, greed, anger and lust for power. He doesn't understand what love and care is. And for the first time in years, Cedric felt scared for the child and its mother.

Heatherfield

Cornelia's eyes opened at the first shrill sound of her alarm. She groaned as she looked at the time and covered her face with a pillow. It was Monday once again and she'll need to go back to school. It annoyed her because she wasn't able to sleep well last night.

She had the dream again. There was a man. A tall and pale man who was holding out a hand for her; he had a long silver hair that reaches his waist and his eyes… they were the coldest set of eyes she ever saw. And everytime she reaches out for him, his lips curved into a malicious smile and he suddenly disappears through thin air.

She had no idea who the man was and she was sure that she hasn't seen this man before. But she tried to keep the thoughts out of her mind. She had no time for men. She hated them. That is the reason why she was nicknamed as the "Ice Queen" because of her coldness to her suitors.

She was popular, yes, and she somehow likes the attention of men trailing after her. However she never imagined herself falling for one. High school boys are childish and they were never good enough for her. She had always pictured herself with a strong and mature man.

She sighed. Why was she thinking about men again? Shouldn't she focus on her studies first? Her mother always told her that if she becomes successful she would be able to pull a rich and handsome man to like her.

She stood up from her bed and went to the bathroom. Today they will have to present the results of their Science experiment. She was grouped with Taranee and Irma, and they need to confirm that too much fertilizer kills a plant.

To her disappointment however, the plant she tried to destroy have now grown a foot after she showered it with compost. She knew that Taranee would kill her if she will present a fully grown plant. Well, she had no choice. Either submit it or fail.

After taking a short bath, she wrapped the plant in a plastic bag and hurried downstairs where she found her mother cooking breakfast, her father reading a newspaper while drinking coffee and Lillian, her annoying brat of a sister had stolen a pancake from her plate again.

She didn't mind the action and just sat down at the table. Her thoughts were drawn to her mystery dream man again. One time, she had snuck into the library to read about dreams and she found out that dreaming of someone you don't know means that the person may be from your past or will appear on your future.

Since she hasn't met the man before then surely he has something to do with her future, but what will be his role in her life? Was he the man that she has been waiting for?

It didn't take her long to reach school after she finished her breakfast. Today was a cool day and she felt that it's going to be a nice day for her even if her experiment has failed.

"Cornelia!" She turned as she heard a familiar voice. Standing a few meters away from her was her best friend Elyon. She smiled as the girl hurriedly ran towards her.

"Hey Ellie." She said, calling the girl with her nickname which was so much better than what her other friends has nicknamed her, Corny, what a stupid and classless name. Her parents should have given her a better name instead of Cornelia, not that she was complaining, Cornelia was a nice name very much feminine like her but people could easily make silly names out of it.

"So how was your experiment?" Elyon asked her and she frowned. She then showed Ellie the plant. Elyon just laughed.

"I guess plants love you so much that they can't bear to die in your hands." Elyon teased and she just scowled. Her friend's words however were true. Plants love her. She noticed that since she was young. Even in the coldest winters of Heatherfield, the plants on her balcony stood and grew healthy; they didn't give signs of cold and death.

"You can say that again." She answered as she saw Taranee waving at her. She grimaced when she saw the flower pot the girl was holding, the plant withered and was knocked out cold. And knowing Taranee, the girl would total scold her for not being able to do what was directed.

Taranee didn't notice the plant she had until they were now arranging it on the table. The judges would come any second now and she knew that she won't be able to do anything about it.

"Cornelia! Our project's supposed to prove that too much fertilizer reverses osmosis killing the plant!" Taranee exclaimed as she saw the foot long flower. Irma just shook her head and looked at the plant suspiciously.

"I tried to! I fertilized its little butt off!" She answered. She did everything she could okay? She had spent a lot of money buying fertilizer every day and she even thought that she had bought a sack of it but no, nothing happened and they were now bound to doom because of the stupid flower.

"The judges!" Irma exclaimed as she saw Principal Knickebocker along with some other teachers. They were headed towards their direction.

"Quick do something!" Taranee whispered. She and Irma then ran in front of the table to cover the plant. Principal Knickerbocker raised her eyebrow at them but just passed by. Using her umbrella, Cornelia tried to smash the poor flower but her effort was with no avail, the plant just grew back and even bloomed a flower. Disappointed she just stopped what she was doing.

"Oh great, you and your little green thumb are gonna cost us a ribbon." Irma sarcastically said and Cornelia just shrugged at the comment.

From afar Cornelia can see the group of Uriah Dunn, the school's trouble maker and his friends. They were currently teasing a red-haired girl, who was called Will. She just transferred to their school a month ago. She honestly didn't like the girl at all, yes, she was friendly but the girl had no sense in fashion!

She was comfortable with some pants and a usual pink jacket which was so out of the season! Who cares anyway? She, Cornelia Hale was the most popular girl in school, boys are falling for her and she was an ice skating champion and why would she waste a second of her time thinking about a new girl? It's not like the girl would be a competition.

"That's Uriah. Don't mind him." She heard her friend Hay Lin said. Aside from Elyon, she was also close to Hay Lin as they share the same love for fashion. Hay Lin loves designing and she had seen the girl's design and it left her awed. The girl has talent and she knew that Hay Lin was bound for success someday.

"Evolution did. One day we expect him to slither back into the water." Irma joked but no one paid attention to what the girl was saying.

"Oh Hay Lin, I got your note. Thanks so much for the invitation." Will said as she just turned to Hay Lin who was smiling widely now. Cornelia frowned as she realized what the new girl was talking about. Hay Lin had invited them for dinner in their family restaurant and she will be forced to interact with the new girl!

She had no choice however, either she won't show up or she'll miss the opportunity to eat at the Silver Dragon for free. The restaurant was famous for their delicious meals, all thanks to Hay Lin's amazing grandma Yan Lin.

The old woman would sometimes tell her granddaughter to bring some friends over and have free dinner. She often would go there to enjoy the food. She remained calm and just smiled politely at the new girl.

As soon as the school was over, they were now crammed at a private booth in the Silver Dragon. They were all stuffed. Yan Lin cooked orange chicken and some stir fried meat she haven't heard about.

"So Will, where did you to school before Sheffield?" Taranee asked Will after the meal.

"Hello. Who cares? Have you guys noticed a bunch of strange happening around me later?" She commented and the others just shrugged at her impoliteness. Well, that was okay! She refused to continue with this nonsense anyway!

"Oh wow! The conversation has accidentally wandered from Cornelia's life! Whatever were we thinking?" Irma commented as her hand was situated on the table supporting her head. Cornelia just snorted and the girls giggled at it.

"Enjoying your food?" From the door came Yan Lin, she was holding a box on her hand and placed it on the table. They shared their gratification to the old lady who just smiled at them.

"But the most important thing of all, how is Cornelia enjoying her food?" Irma again teased and Cornelia shrugged. It was then she realized that it was better to hang with tasteless girl than Irma. Irma would love to tease her the whole day without even stopping! She hated that!

Will on the other hand snatch a piece of fortune cookie from the plate she cracked it open and read the contents.

"You will make a new best friend." Will read the contents but no one paid her attention. Their eyes were focused on the box Yan Lin had placed on the table.

"What's in the box grandma?" Hay Lin asked the old lady. Cornelia found it unusual but didn't comment.

"Let me tell you girls a story that I believe will have a special meaning to all five of you." The old lady said as she stood in front of the table.

"Ah grandma, I think they are not really in the mood to listen to a story." Hay Lin chuckled nervously, embarrassed by her grandmother's actions but the old lady just gestured her to be silent.

"The universe was once a single kingdom ruled by good…." The old lady started and Cornelia felt that her hair started to stand as the room dimmed and out of nowhere some kind of hologram appeared. "but evil began to take root. A veil was created to isolate the evil kingdom of Meridian from all other worlds. Without the protection of this veil, every world including Earth is in grave danger."

The girls jaws dropped but no one said anything; they were just focused on the hologram in the air.

"Meridian has been overtaken by a powerful entity named Prince Phobos." Cornelia shivered as she heard the name and for some unknown reasons, her heart started beating widely. Phobos. The name sent tingles to her spine. "But he is not the legitimate ruler of the kingdom; they believe that the real heir to the throne is somewhere here on Earth." The lady said.

"Uhmm. I'd like to wake up now." Irma nervously said but the old lady didn't mind her. Cornelia became engrossed to the story and was now wondering about this mystery Prince. From what she has heard, he would probably be some sort of monster like creature unlike the ones she had heard from fairy tales; tall, dark and handsome and a knight-in-shining armor for some sort.

"But portals have begun opening in the veil. A doorway through which evil can pass through. There are people called guardians whose job is to close this holes using their powers." The old lady then snapped her fingers and the creepy hologram disappeared. Cornelia who was rather amused by the situation gasped as light hit back her eyes again.

"I became a guardian when I was your age." Yan Lin proudly said. Guardians? Portals? Powers? Meridian? A lot of questions bug her mind and she found it hard to believe that earlier she was just having a normal life but then after Yan Lin's creepy fairy tale, she was confused if she was dreaming or not. Was she just hallucinating?

"But the duty is passing to your generation." The old lady finally said and Cornelia had enough of it. She refused to believe this madness!

"Whoa! Thanks for the snacks!" She stood up and immediately grabbed her bag, ready to go but Yan Lin gestured her to sit back down, which she weirdly followed. She then opened the unusual box and held out a crystal that emits a pinkish light. "This is the heart of Kandrakar." She said as if presenting a product to a customer. "Which contains the elementary forces of nature. In the last few days, you all had unusual experiences, am I right?" The old lady asked. Including this? Well, yes. She wanted to answer but for some reasons, her voice somehow left her.

"All five of you are starting to notice extraordinary abilities…" The woman then turned to Irma whose mouth was still open in shock and disbelief to whatever is currently happening. "Irma, I think you have noticed any water near you behaving strangely."

Without any words, Irma lifted the straw from the glass of water and the liquid floated on air forming into some sort of sphere. The astonish girl gasp and the water slid back to the glass.

"Taranee, I believe that you have always been afraid of fire but focus now on the candle." Yan Lin nodded to Taranee, who was now pointing a finger on the nearby candle that appeared out of nowhere. Instead of the candle however, it was the end of the banana that lit up. Irma immediately put out the fire using the water.

"My little Hay Lin, earlier you have noticed your powers over air." Yan Lin brought out a lantern and Hay Lin without further questions blow air into it. For a moment, Cornelia had thought that she was going crazy. Well, maybe the idea of going to the Silver Dragon was really bad. And she regretted it.

Yan Lin went outside for a while and when she came back, she had a pot on her hand. She placed it in front of Cornelia who just eyed it weirdly.

"And to you resolute Cornelia, the powers of Earth." Cornelia didn't know what's happening and her hand moved like it had a mind of its own. A flower sprouted out of the empty pot and bloomed afterwards. Her eyes widen in delight but she snorted as the pot suddenly broke. An ugly vine replaced the flower.

"Lastly Will, you have been chosen as the new keeper of the heart." The old lady turned to the red-hair and the crystal floated towards her. Will gasped. "You are that binds all the others and give them power." They all didn't comment as they can't find their voices.

"Will, Irma,Taranee, Cornelia and Hay Lin. You five have been chosen as the new guardians of the veil." The old lady said.

It's going to be a long night for her.

From the balcony of his room, Phobos eyes gazed at the vast lands in front of him. If the sorceress' words are true, his bastard would be a very useful tool to achieve victory but for now he will settle for search of her sister.

Her powers would be enough to sate his thirst for now. Then he would focus on the mystery girl, whom the seer has told her should be a part of the new generation of guardians, his grave enemies, the ones guarding the veil which was built to isolate him from the universe. Funny that he would need to make her fall for him and marry her to have a child.

Having a child was easy, he can just summon some concubines and voila, job done and after nine months he can drink his success but unfortunately no, the job wasn't just easy as he imagined it to be. The child should be born of magic as the seer had said. Its mother was blessed with great powers and combined with his, the result: a very powerful entity. But he does not care about having an heir at all, with these great magical abilities he can become immortal.

After draining himself with deep thoughts, he went inside the room and walked over the table to get some water, he raised the goblet but for a moment he stared at it with suspicion. Sometimes his powers of scrying tends to go faulty that he seem to be seeing things. His eyes caught the image on the water, two icy orbs were staring back at him, piercing his very soul.

He closed his eyes for a while and the image disappeared but somehow it was embedded on his mind as he can still remember the intensity of the gaze the unusual pair made him feel. It made him shiver but he chased the thoughts away from his mind. He sighed as he walked towards his bed.

Tomorrow is the start of his search for the lost Princess and he will never give up until he has all the powers of the universe and be its king.

I hope it didn't disappoint you. Please leave comments/ reviews about what you think! Thanks! ^^