The Dark Secret Saga
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The Dark Secret Saga is a fantasy story written by the Italian band Rhapsody of Fire. The story is a sequel to The Emerald Sword Saga and it takes place a few years after the events of The Emerald Sword Saga. So far, two parts of the story have been released, split in two CDs:
[edit] Symphony of Enchanted Lands II: The Dark Secret
Symphony of Enchanted Lands II: The Dark Secret is the beginning of the saga. We are presented with the story of "The Seven Black Books" written by Nekron, son of the Hell God Kron. The books, written with angel blood and then becoming indestructible, tell a part of a prophecy known as the Dark Secret. The prophecy would one day awaken the seven demons who would open the gates to hell, releasing every kind of ancient monsters, alive and dead. Nekron would then be reborn to reign again in the name of cosmic chaos. A search for the books was conducted. Through the ages, six of the books were found; however, the seventh book, containing the secrets on how to resurrect Nekron, remained unfound. Nevertheless, there was still hope. After he discovered the black books, an angel named Erian had a vision where the Gods of Cosmic Light told him how to stop the prophecy. Erian then wrote, in his own blood, the White Book which revealed how to stop the prophecy. The book represented a threat to the hellish prophecy and to Nekron's resurrection and then, in the age of the Red Moon, 3000 years before, the Lords of the Darklands won their battle against the Army of the Nordic Plains and found Erian's Mystical Book in Ainor's sacred halls. The book was then hidden in the darklands, in a place known only by the master wizards of the Black Order. There was hope, however, that the seventh black book held a clue as to where Erian's white book was hidden, and so The White Dragon's Order, an order dedicated to protect the Enchanted Lands from the darklands, was founded. A man named Iras Algor wanted to lead a search for the seventh black book. However no one knew of a way into the darklands. Iras Algor then recalled that Aresius had told him to search for Dargor. Surely he knew the way. There were many objections to this, but Dargor was their only hope, and so Iras Algor, the hero Khaas, princess Lothen and the elven king Tarish, led by Dargor, set out to find the seventh black book hidden in the caves of Dar-Kunor. The story ends with the group taking a rest on the Grey Mountains, near the caves of Dar-Kunor.
[edit] Triumph or Agony
Triumph or Agony, the second part of the Dark Secret Saga, depicts the journey of Khaas, Princess Lothen, Tarish, Dargor and Iras Algor through the caves of Dar-Kunor. It gives some history on the land of Hargor and how it was originally Irith, the land of the Elves, before Akron rose and took it. It also tells the story of the creation of the Emerald Sword and its sealing behind the gates. In the second-last song, the group journeys into Dar-Kunor. They are halted at a wide gap over a bloody river, but Iras discovers that Nekron's name is the key- the letters in his name correspond to different numbers, and with Black Geometry, they cross on an invisible bridge. They find the book, but taking it from its pedestal causes hands of rotting flesh to come up out of the ground. The group flees, attempting to escape, however, they reach the river again. This time, they have no time to solve the riddle again, and so, they leap into the river, reasoning that any death is better than the one waiting for them at the hands of the demons behind them. Luckily, they all escape with the final black book in hand and return to a safe haven with the elves.
