Bound To The Goddess

Chapter 1: Dreams of Gold and Shadows Lithia woke up gasping. Again. Every night for the past week, the same dream. Golden light. A voice whispering, "Goddess..." Shadows moving in the dark. A man with red eyes watching her from far away. She could never see his face. Only his presence. Heavy. Dangerous. Familiar. Who is he? Who am I? She pressed her hands to her chest. Her heart was pounding. And for a second, her skin glowed faint gold before it faded. "Stop daydreaming!" Her stepsister snapped, throwing a bucket of water at her feet. "Scrub the floors. You're just a servant." Lithia lowered her head. 19 years of this. 19 years of being called worthless. But the dreams didn't feel like hers. They felt like memories. Pieces of a life with parents she couldn't remember. A castle. A crown. That evening, the royal messenger arrived. "By order of King Drayk Volther," his voice boomed. "All girls aged 18 to 20 must report to the palace. The prophecy speaks of the Goddess of Life. She must be found." The hall went silent. Lithia kept scrubbing. But that night, the shadow from her dreams was closer. And somewhere in the dark kingdom, the Vampire King opened his eyes. "She's awake," he whispered. And somewhere in the dark kingdom, in a throne room of black stone and blood-red torches, the Vampire King opened his eyes. The room was silent. His general stood waiting, armor stained with old wars. "Report," Drayk's voice cut through the dark. Cold. Final. "My King," the general bowed low. "The golden magic has stirred. After 300 years... she's awake." Drayk stood slowly. His cloak fell behind him like night. For centuries he had sat on this throne watching kingdoms fall. This was the only thing left. "Where?" One word. The torches dimmed. "A human village. Near the border. A servant girl. 19 years old. Name is Lithia." Drayk's jaw clenched. The prophecy was burned into his mind: 'Find the Goddess of Life. Teach her to control her power. Or the kingdom will fall to ash.' She was not a person to him. Not yet. She was a weapon. A duty. "Send word," he ordered. "All girls aged 18 to 20 to the palace. No exceptions. Test them all." The general hesitated. He dared to look up. "My King... with respect. A servant? The other houses will laugh. And if she cannot control it? If she is weak?" Drayk turned. Red eyes met his. The temperature in the room dropped. "Then I will teach her," Drayk said quietly. Too quietly. "Before our enemies find her. Before the curse takes the last of us." He walked to the tall window. Outside, lightning split the black sky. "The fate of this kingdom," he murmured, "rests on a girl who doesn't even know what she is." His fingers tapped the stone. "And I do not fail."