You find yourself at the shore of a lake, with no memory of how you got there. At your feet, the water ripples gently as it hits the sand; the only light is coming from the blood-red moon hanging low above the horizon, painting the whole place in an eerie light.
In the middle of the lake, you can just make out an island with a grand building on it. It seems forlorn, from a past age... And yet it stands tall and strong in the middle of that seemingly deserted patch of land.
As you wonder how to reach the island, a giant creature glides down from the sky; you take a few steps back as it lands on the shore, its scaly claws digging into the sand as it folds its giant, bat-like wings and turns its head to you.
"Have you come to visit the castle?"
Surprised, you look around, but there is no one else. As the voice asks the same question, you realize it is the dragon by your side that is talking to you; you are unsure what to answer. Before you get a chance, however, the dragon speaks again.
"I will take you there."
The dragon kneels down, allowing you to climb onto its back; you grab on tightly as it spreads its mighty wings and takes off towards the island. There are a lot of questions you want to ask, but you have no idea which to start with.
"The castle is called Sanguine Moon; it is named after the full moon which is also known as the Hunter's Moon. It is not a place of this world, and the things you may find inside are not for the faint of heart... It is a place of intrigues and mysteries, dangers and wonders, fairytales and legends... But what, exactly, lies beyond those gates, you will have to find out on your own."
You brace yourself as the dragon glides down and lands on the pebbled shore, surprisingly gently for such a big creature. Carefully you slide off its back onto the ground, feeling more and more certain that whatever lies in wait, it is something beyond what this world would consider normal.
In front of you rises a grand castle, its walls adorned with intricate decorations from an ancient civilization; inside everything seems to be quiet, eerily so. A bit reluctantly, you take a few steps closer, and for a moment you feel a strong sense of something in the atmosphere; you wonder if this is what you could call magic.
You stride forward, finding your resolve, and the gate to the castle slowly opens, seemingly all by itself; as you walk onto the castle grounds, they quickly slam shut behind you.
Above you, you can see the dragon landing on the highest roof; it looks as if it has always been there, no more than a stone statue, and after looking at it for a while, you wonder if it was all your imagination...
Then you hear the voice again.
"Welcome.... to the Castle of Mysteries."
-Yuui-TR-Flourite-