1 Prologue

The beautiful kingdom of Clios, founded on tragedy and with secrets floating in the air stood proudly against the dimming sky. The season being winter, the atmosphere was cold. The harsh chill sent all the residents scurrying home to the warmth of their fireplaces. Shopkeepers hastily closed up as the last of their customers walked out the door, vendors gathered their unsold goods, street entertainers stuffed their day's earnings into their pockets with cold fingers and scantily clad girls made their way back to the various brothels scattered across the kingdom.

On the southwest side of Clios, an abandoned building towered over others around it. Grime and dust-coated its every surface. The wood was rotting and falling apart. The limestone had crumbled in various spots. This building had once been one of the most beautiful and famous libraries in the whole kingdom. But that was back when Clios had been a part of the lost kingdom of Evertine. Now like the lost kingdom, this building and the whole southwest side of Clios laid in ruins, heavily impacted by the brutal war that had taken place 12 years previously. This part of Clios was unfit for living compared to the parts of the kingdom where the common and elite people lived. No one but thugs, murderers, thieves, and the other notorious citizens lived here. They were in every corner, every nook, and cranny and in the darkness of the various alleys waiting for their next unsuspecting victim.

It was twilight, a mere second before the sun hid and the moon rose. High up on the desolate library's roof stood a figure clad in black, hood pulled up to hide his face. The winds were raging now, indicating the arrival of a snowstorm, yet the man stood at the edge of the roof fearlessly. It was as if he were oblivious or completely ignorant of the imminent death that would follow if he were to fall. As the wind billowed around him, his hood fell back and revealed his long dark hair which floated behind him. The sun finally went down but not before it revealed the man's tanned angular face. The last ray of light glinted off his deep blue eyes. He watched as the Clios was doused in darkness for a few moments and then turned grey under the moonlight just before the street lamps came to life.

He bent his head and looked at the alley running below him. A lone drunkard stumbled on the cobblestones clutching a half-empty bottle of alcohol and muttering curses at the world. He walked on in his intoxication, unaware of the two men following him. Just as he turned the corner a hand shot out to grab him. A man twice his build held him by the neck as the drunkard screamed muffled profanities. The two stalkers proceeded to beat the life out of the man as the third held him. This went on for a few moments after which they let the bruised and broken man fall onto the ground. They ripped his clothes and took hold of all his possessions and walked away laughing, leaving the man to die slowly and painfully.

The burly man stopped after a few steps and walked back with a mixed expression of pity and cruelty. He lifted the man with his hair and pressed him against the wall. Then he took out a dagger and swiftly dragged it across the man's throat, killing him in a matter of seconds.

The man on the roof heard a creak. He took one last look at the blood that had splattered on the cobblestones and was now pooling around the drunkard's body with amusement swimming in his ocean blue eyes before looking over his shoulder. He saw the door to the roof slowly open and the large body of a seven-foot man emerge.

"Master.", the man said with his head bent.

The blue-eyed man turned his head back to gaze at the nighttime Clios.

"Veriz.", the man's deep baritone resonated in the silence.

Veriz shivered. His master's cold voice did nothing to reassure him of the outcome of his next actions.

"M-master I-I.... ", Veriz stuttered and then cleared his throat.

"Stuttering today are we? I believe I have never heard my best runt stuttering. ", the master said, disgust evident in his tone.

"Master, Kervon has escaped. He killed Tinsley.", Veriz said as fast as he could and waited for his master's reaction.

His posture did not change. He still stood at the edge of the roof with his hands clasped behind his back and hair flowing freely in the wind. The silence lengthened and perspiration trickled down Veriz's neck as the seconds passed. Seconds turned to minutes and the temperature around them seemed to drop. Veriz gulped.

Before he could discern the next second, which would be the last one of his life, a dagger sliced through the air and found its mark as it embedded itself in his throat. Veriz's eyes widened in shock and then his lifeless body fell with a thud. Blood flowed freely from his throat and ran across the grime towards the small pipe at the edge of the roof from where it dripped onto the alley below, merging with the blood of the drunkard.

The master walked to the southern edge of the roof and gazed down at the river Delia which was covered in a thick layer of ice. His eyes focused on one part of the river where the ice was thin. A mark on the side of his neck glowed. It was a circle made by tangled black vines. Cracks appeared on the thin patch of ice. It was pushed outwards and finally shattered. A black form emerged from below the surface. A long black tentacle with jagged suction cups the color of a purpling bruise latched itself to the ice. Another tentacle followed and a few more until eight tentacles were visible. Finally, a beak emerged followed by a head like that of an octopus with beady eyes staring forward. The monstrous being pulled itself up onto the ice and stood still awaiting the arrival of its master.

The master lifted his hand and summoned water from the opening in the ice. He made a bridge and then froze it. He walked down to the Kraken which bent its head to lead help him get on. It then made its way to the hole in the ice and started sinking after it made a protective cover around its master. The master's blue eyes turned to the north where the castle stood in all its glory. He saw a snowflake make its way down from the sky and smirked.

The snowflake resembled the beginning of the end. For the people, it was the end of a fruitful year and the beginning of another good one. But for the master, the beginning of the end held a different meaning. For him, it was the end of Clios and the allied kingdoms. And the indication of the beginning of his reign of terror.

His lips moved for a second as he finally sank below the surface of the river Delia. The ripples stilled yet his words lingered in the silent night air.

"The girl doesn't know what's coming."