Chapter Text
A long time ago, deep in the Northern Forest lay the center of Harmonex, a city once known for its great beauty and hub of learning. Where art and science coincided like the threads of woven cloth. But that all changed one fateful moonrise at the palace.
That rainy night a young prince of Harmonex, golden as the rising sun, held a selfishly lavish party in his name. Dancing, music, and games were all featured, all directed and planned by his twin brother, red as the sunset. The guests were all as beautiful as the art hung on the walls, but little did they outshine the sunlight princes. The tall ceiling of the dance hall was delicately painted with scenes from ancient tales, twelve gods and goddesses standing in a circle around a white and gold mech. The window curtains were all a rich maroon, and the tables covered in expensive dishes and cutlery.
All was well until a rap at the door stunned the party into a frozen lull. Reluctantly, the gold prince opened the door, only to find an old, haggard mech obscured by a cloak. A single crystal rose was offered by the old mech in turn for shelter from the storm outside. The prince’s face twisted with repulsion. Too disgusted to even touch the rose, he rejected the mech. The sunlight prince may have been more ravishing than anyone in Harmonex, but his spark was conceited and vanity controlled his waking life.
The haggard mech smiled, their outward appearance melting away in beams of light. His cloak fell to the ground to reveal a heavenly sorcerer. Bright white plating glittered, gold detailing wrapping around his body like ribbons, and metal feathers adorning the sides of his helm. Long pieces of cloth hung from his shoulders and waist fluttered in the wind. It was the sorcerer from the ancient tales, Prima. The prince still refused to back down, believing in his spark that no one was more important than himself.
A curse fell upon the entire castle, dooming each resident to forever remain inside its cold walls. Every person was stripped of the quality they pride themselves most. And for the prince? He shifted into a monstrous beast, the ugly inside turning outward, showing the world how truly hideous he was. The curse was to only be lifted if—and only if—the prince learned to love and receive love from another in return before the crystal rose shattered.
Time flew as the palace began to wither, wind howling and snow piling up onto each surface in the eternal winter. Inside a glass case, the crystal rose began to crack. Each fracture traveled further up the flower year by year. The sunlight prince, now a mere flicker rather than a blaze, paced the prison he once called home. His brother, the sunset prince, fell terribly ill under the curse. The boy’s once lively nature now smothered out like a candle. Anger and regret crept into every crevice of Harmonex until no joy was left.
The prince an everlasting monster, his brother forever held on the tether between life and death.