"People don't live in darkness, darkness lives in them." Aizea is just another girl in the mysterious kingdom of Zaayes, where sound (rather, the sense of hearing) vanishes as soon as night falls - for everyone but Aizea. However, with this vicious secret finely hidden for years, Aizea, with her unique beauty, has caught the eye and the heart of her otherwise good friend - the handsome Andre, who has captured the hearts of almost every other girl in Zaayes; but for the one girl his shifter spirit craves for. Their friendship doesn't even get bitter despite the intrusion of these myriad of emotions; until, one fine night, the secret is spilled... Aizea has to choose between the much feared forests drenched in cold darkness which fringe their kingdom, and the wild darkness that claws its way out of the serene covers of the people that she had been holding close to her heart for all these years. What does she choose as she hears the night call her from the dark depths of the woods?

Chapter 1 Before We Begin...

Dearest Readers,

This is my first book in the fantasy genre, and being as new as I am, I am flattered that you clicked on my work!

I hope I don't let you and your hopes down, and honestly, I have tried to the best of my ability to avoid involving cliché fantasy creatures and events. My own fascination about fantasy-literature isn't new-found, but I haven't previously tried writing. There is still a bit of fantasy in some portions of my previous works.

I won't rant on and on too much longer. I hope you all communicate your views and feedbacks - good or bad, with me through votes and comments which are always open for you folks. But, I do have a few requests to you all:

# Toxic comments or fights in the comments' section(s) are absolutely not welcome.

# In case this work turns out to be lucky enough to have re-readers, re-readers kindly do not give spoiler-answers to the questions that'll be there at the end of each chapter.

# When I give questions, I look forward to hearing answers from you all, and I'm always happy to read from you all.

# My stock of English songs - yes, I mention, ENGLISH SONGS - isn't too big. English doesn't happen to be my mother-tongue and therefore, although I know a decent amount of songs, it's still just about a hundred or so. Therefore, although I'll be mentioning a 'Song of The Chapter' at the beginning of each chapter, you lovelies are always welcome to suggest probably more apt songs.

# It's all the better if the comments section isn't used for promoting other works. I'll try to give self-promo zones, though; because I love reading just as much (if not more) as I love writing.

Now, that we're all set to go, I'll give the final disclaimers. This work is the child of my own heart and mind, and I, very obviously won't tolerate anyone stealing my work. This work has been partially inspired by the countless books I have read, stories I have heard or movies that I have watched in my seventeen years of life. So, if anything by-chance takes after something from some other work, by a significant extent, kindly be generous enough to inform me. I try to take to heed as many suggestions of my readers as possible, but it will obviously be impossible to bend the storyline as per every individual's wishes. Hope you all understand.

So... Here begins our journey into Zaayes.

~With Love,

Bree <3