Prologue

The sun rose high in the sky basking the world in its warmth, but it could not reach the pitch-black cell deep underground.

CLICK, an echo of a loud door opening.

Suddenly, multiple footsteps in harmony grew closer to the cell. They wore full silver armor, which shined even in the darkness.

One soldier stepped forward. "Devil. Your judgment has arrived," he spat out with disdain and disgust.

The man gazed down at the prisoner tied to chains. It was another man with long black hair parted unevenly. He raised his head at the soldier's words. A dirty face and dull pitch black eyes stared into the soldier's. Immediately, he smiled with an ominous affection. 

They dragged the soiled man by his chains outside and above ground. In the light, the man looked like a corpse. His skin was pale and his clothes bloodied and ripped. A foul stench surrounded him.

They finally appeared before a large wooden stage. The man gazed lazily to the side and saw an enormous crowd. 

"KILL THE DEVIL"

"BURN HIM ALIVE"

"FREE US FROM HIS EVIL"

"KILL HIM NOW"

The large audience chanted and shouted simultaneously at the man, however, his smile only grew brighter. Finally, the soldiers tied the man onto a wooden cross in the shape of an X. The crowd screamed as the soldiers poured large amounts of dark liquid onto his body.

Another group of seven men walked onto the stage, albeit not soldiers. Their presence alone silenced the once-booming crowd. Each of them wore a long robe with different colors.

Then, the seemingly youngest of them stepped forward first. His eyes were a sparkling light brown and his robe a blinding golden hue. He outstretched his arms and began a speech.

"It is a marvelous day for the empire of Luminra. For centuries our ancestors lived in fear and a constant threat of extinction. We were hunted and toyed with by retched monsters and demons alike. But we bravely lived on. We survived, united, and built this prosperous empire we see today! Witness our great power for those same creatures now cower in our presence!"

The crowd roared in triumph. They felt the pain and sorrow of their ancestors all that time ago. The man waved towards the crowd, and they quieted down.

"Many of you know our great hero Validus Luminra whom we owe our deepest and greatest gratitude. He possessed unimaginable power and led the creation of our haven. It would not be an understatement to say he saved the human race. But, ultimately, he was still a human bounded by greed."

The young man paused. He suddenly dropped his head. His voice grew solemn.

"At first, we let him and his brethren rule us because it was the least we could do for his acts of heroism. However, they began to use their absolute authority to rule as dictators. The dark ages that followed almost led to the end of our beautiful empire. They have selfishly used their power to threaten and maintain a chokehold on us. Enough is enough!"

The young man pointed to the 6 men in robes behind him.

"For this past decade, my brothers and I have led the revolt against the wicked Luminra family and successfully returned the power into the people's hands. These devils who ruled us are no better than the monsters outside. We must purge our empire of all evil!"

The young man grabbed a massive torch from a soldier and lit it on fire.

"We are here to witness the execution of our King and the last of the remaining Luminra family, Astor Luminra"

The young man walked toward the cross.

"Any last words devil?"

From start to finish Astor kept his creepy smile, occasionally chuckling to himself at the young man's grandiose speech.

He looked toward the young man and back to the crowd. Suddenly, a frightening aura covered the area. Astor dropped his smile. He appeared to whisper, but his words bellowed on the crowd.

"I'll play a worse monster than you make me to be. I, Astor Salus, swear on my lineage to destroy this empire. You will all pay."

Dead silence hung around the entire area. Even the young man stepped back slightly but quickly snapped out of his trance. He frantically threw the torch on Astor. The fire grew fiercer consuming Astor. However, the loud crackling of the flames could not drain out his sinister laughter.

For weeks to follow, people dreamt of his wicked laughter in every nightmare.