Prologue: "Once upon a time, two Kings waged a war and they never stopped."

876 AD - France.

The first witnessed war: Author Anon.

__________

The cathedral was silent, no one dared to move from behind the hidden shadows of the church pews, those who hadn't found sanctuary were outside, fighting for survival, some already dead, their final piercing screams still wafting in the air with the scent of metallic blood and inferno.

A child whimpered beside me, fear gripping its tiny heart with the final moments of our mortal lives, it wouldn't be long before King Alexander raged into the sanctuary, his brother, King Kade following the smell of his brothers rage.

Fire and Ice, the two Kings of our unfortunate lands, they ruled for decades before my birth, and the births of many older than I.

Two mysterious Kings who lived forever, it seemed, no one would live long enough to discover their source of longevity.

Unless-

There up in the attic of the cathedral was a book, it's pages old and weathered, but empty.

My steps were urgent, the stone steps echoed my arrival into the attic, where dust floated freely, a lone window in the corner of the room.

Besides a wooden table, a small wooden chair, an inky feather to scribe with.

The book lied discarded.

I turned my face towards the war outside, the screams, the cries, the bloody sights, the horrid stench.

And I wrote, with a steady hand, all I saw.

Below me, warriors raided the cathedral but al of it was background noise to me, the war outside was more important, my hand sped up with each sword clash, with every death that occurred, I was completely entranced by the discord of the battle that waged on.

I must have sat there for minutes, hours, days, because when the last man fell, all was silent, the cathedral, the outside, the dead.

All that remained was the two Kings.

Alexander and Kade. Brothers at war.

My hand rested. I watched.

The two Kings filled the silence of the cobblestone street below with their presences. From opposite ends of the street, the brothers met in the middle, as if they were ready to set their weapons down and end their rivalry. The smell of blood, the sight of the innocent and warriors alike, corpses around the Kings as they spoke; told a different story altogether. My senses were overwhelmed.

I wondered how they could be so ruthless. Those people, now dead, were their subjects. The lifeblood of the kingdom.

Perhaps their strength lied in carnage. That was the only reason I could formulate to try to explain all the madness. Their immortality could never be pure... no, they lived forever because everyone else had to die.

* * *

"Brothers Oath."

Alexander's rage was nearly tangible, his face aa sight to behold, sharp features filled with hatred; all amplified by the moonlight that shone upon him.

Kade remained as he always was, unmoving, his cold stare shaking me to my core. His pale pearl skin stretched over softer features.

The brothers began to converse, I couldn't hear a thing, and to record the event I had to know what was said.

Below the window I stared through was a stone ledge, a statue of the Holy Trinity the seconding witness to the brothers feud; and my only comfort as I lifted myself onto the window. A prayer of salvation passing my lips as I descended onto the stone ledge unsteadily, my book and ink tightly grasped in my hand. My body was tense, I trembled when I looked down, the space between the small window of the cathedral and the ground beneath taunted me.

Still, I took the leap.

I dropped onto my shoulder, the ground where I could have well been splayed on staring back at me. My breath left me as I pulled myself up into a sitting position, cold stone penetrating painfully into my lungs. Tremors tickled my spine and a disorienting dizziness filled me.

So close to my own death, I disregard the Kings below me.

A shout sounded through the night.

"This will not end unless you heed my words Kade, stop your tyranny and we will live in peace; together, as it should be." King Alexanders eyes glowed red.

I picked my inked feather up again, my hand tremored by the sight of his eyes.

The angered King received nothing but a laugh in return, Kade's raspy laugh echoed; ringing the sound of death into my ears. The moonlight glinted off the Kings extraordinarily long canines, fangs.

My lips parted in shock. King Kade's beauty became horrifying right before my eyes, I tore my gaze from him-

Onto King Alexander, the shadows on his face elongated, like his brothers canines; his eyes grew brighter, redder. Then he parted his lips.

I pressed myself further into stone, a shocking growl; an animalistic sound that reverberated into my head, echoing there and remaining.

"This is my final request Kade, the next battle we fight, will be to the death."

Kade smiled a toothy smile, "Then so be it brother, but remember-" He ran his snake-like tongue over the top row of whitened sharp teeth in his mouth, "You will never defeat me, we shall remain at war for centuries."

Alexander threw his head back, "Then so it will be."

And so it was, that the Kings lived on, and their war with them.

____*____

EXCERPT FROM THE JOURNAL OF AN ANONYMOUS AUTHOR - ORIGIN UNKNOWN

I have spent a fortnight in the aftermath of the destruction that the Kings left behind; there are nary any survivors and I fear that the future of the lands are bleak at best. I was never certain that the Kings were ever like us, ordinary... Human, I am now steadfastly assured that they are not.

To whomever may find this, I hope the Kings have perished.

For the sake of all humankind. In the case that they still live, I pray that the Almighty will save the souls of the innocent from their clutches.