prologue

King of the Storm, Faithful Believer in the Tempest Mother, Champion of the King's Gambit.

That day I didn't clothe myself in the usual purple attire of a king of the Sanctum, it was not tradition, because today wasn't a day where I ruled or governed my subjects, no I was on a quest the aftermath of which will either free us or put us in damnation.

The Temple of Yamorthra loomed before me, ancient stone steps leading up to the entrance, littered with the torn and decaying corpses of fellow challengers who had once dreamt of eternal life as I did now. I offered them a moment of silent respect, for though I knew nothing of their names or histories, we shared the same dream, of eternity.

Turning back, I took one last look at the cursed lands I ruled over - a kingdom of criminals, outlaws forsaken by their former realms and gods. It was not an honorable vocation, but it would have to be enough. I would not need an army this day, only my closest brothers and sister who had sworn the vows of the Tempest Mother along with me.

If I fell in the battles ahead, they would lead what remained of our people. But I did not intend to fail.

"Prince Matthew," I said to the towering figure at my side, his silvered armor adorned with antlers like a stag riding the clouds.

He had been my most loyal brother for all the long years of struggle.

"This may be our final war, but we need no one else beside each other. If ever a day comes when our bond is not as strong as it is now, I can only chalk that up to the ravages of time. But that day is not today. Here and now, we will prevail, and I will usher chaos upon this world we will be free,You have made the choice to follow me, because I Know the way forward, the path I seek, is that of no return, I am grateful to you, the world can burn around us, by the results of my pursuit of everlasting life, but it would be a blessing to have you at my side, at the ends of time."

Matthew's gravelly voice returned my conviction."Your grace, my life is yours, my hammers is yours, my faith and loyalty is yours. We shall no longer dream of freedom, as today we will achieve our desires, of no longer being shackled by the realm."

I looked over the handful of my most trusted lieutenants gathered on the steps. They were all I had in this world, but all I would need. Turning back to the immense stone gate, I took a breath and pushed it open, I stood in the hallway, the rock walls adorned with intricate art and symbols chronicling the history that had established this ancient place. It was a shame I would have to destroy it all.

Torches flickered along the walls, their eternal flames providing light for untold years.

I opened my palm, electricity crackling along my black armor and coalescing into my gauntleted fist. Vibrating at intense speeds, I aimed my charged fist down and unleashed it upon the marble floor. The impact shattered the stone into dust, leaving a crater. The force was not what I expected, but I needed to rouse the ancient power stirring here.

The Guardian...no, the Guardians.

"You dare!" A disembodied, thunderous voice echoed through the temple's main chamber. The designs adorning the walls and ceiling began glowing an ominous red.

The temple violently shook. The entrance passage slammed shut, sealing us inside. Then an unseen force surged through the room, the patterns aligning into a ritual array - meant to summon an elder seeker from the outer realms.

"Your grace, we should not linger too long," Matthew cautioned.

A rumbling shook the chamber as a vortex of ethereal energy formed, buffeting us back. The power concentrated into a single point at the room's center. From a pouch, I withdrew a green gemstone and whispered an enchantment, hurling it into the swirling red light. This caused a violent collision of green and crimson energies.

But then a massive tentacle lashed out towards me. Matthew interposed his war hammer, deflecting the nightmarish appendage.-

"Do not worry. No matter the horrors summoned, they will be restricted by the realm will of these desolate lands. We'll fight what we can, and flee if necessary, but we cannot leave without the Temporal Crown," I said.

Crimson lightning arced through the chamber ii's source was the abyss gap, coalescing where it struck into a hybrid orcish-troll monstrosity. This corrupted energy and these runes were all a ritual summoning creature that should not be named.

The giant statuesque horror loomed before us, unleashing a thunderous punch. A burst of red energy pierced its chest, only staggering it back a few paces.

A figure garbed in crimson attire, composed of solidified blood, strode past me."Your grace, I can hold them. Do what you must," Almond stated, squaring off as more orcish-troll monstrosities materialized.

I inhaled deeply, feeling the tempest power surge through me, concentrating into my outstretched palm. My black long  hair shifted brilliant white , eyes blazing piercing blue as crackling electricity danced around me.

A longsword composed of azure lightning energy took form, humming with potent energies.

Raising the blade skyward, I unleashed a blinding burst that lanced through the chamber's ceiling. Storm clouds amassed, swirling angrily as tendrils of lightning reached down, drawn to my upraised sword. I slashed down, unleashing energy that destroyed the tentacles, and forced back the orch-sh trolls.

Almond focused on piercing the weakness with blood-forged arrows.

I breathed deeply, my lungs surging with the unfathomable power bestowed upon me from the heavens, blessed by the Mother that governs the sea, the winds, and the clouds.

Almond, my sworn brother, was dealing with the other summoned abominations, conjuring thousands of crimson arrows to pierce their vital areas.

Matthew stood stalwart at my side, his warhammer at the ready as more monstrosities materialized around us.

The chamber shook with the impacts of their massive forms emerging into this realm.

I raised my lightning blade skyward, a conduit calling down searing tendrils of pure electrical energy. The storm answered my summons, regenerating my tempest powers as bolts of brilliance danced across my form.

The energy we unleashed devastated the place, slaying beast after beast.

Dead corpses littered the ground, bearing grievous sword wounds and mashed flesh from the devastating impacts of Matthew's mighty warhammer, and my own weapon 

Finally, only one massive troll remained, surging forward with murderous intent.

It locked eyes with Matthew, who leapt towards it, swinging his hammer in a brutal arcing blow. The resulting shockwave burst outward with the thunderous resonance of a Storm's clap, utterly destroying the beast and cratering the ground where it had stood.

Even Prince Almond was forced to shelter behind his blood-forged shield, drops of lightning sizzling upon the crimson surface as the storm's fury raged around him. When the blinding tumult finally subsided, half the chamber lay in smoldering ruin.

"By the Tempest Mother..." Almond breathed in awe at the devastation that surrounded us.

"Miranda!" I called out for my sister, a lady with crimson hair flowing freely behind her back, her amour was that of forged ice, emitting frost around her.

Yet she wove cyclones of mystic energy, she called "tears of the tempest mother, aid your apostle." The swirling tempest siphoned into our bodies, its power healing our wounds and replenishing our stamina.

A thunderous roar shook the very foundations of the ancient temple. Chunks of stone rained down as a massive scaled limb punched through the far wall in an explosive burst of debris.

A gargantuan reptilian head followed, jaws unhinged in a bellow of rage that set our ears ringing. Blinking dust from my eyes, I made out the colossal form of a towering draconic monster forcing its way through the breach - a crimson-scaled behemoth with leathery wings and curling horns.

"The primordial guardian has awoken!" Matthew's cry rang out.

With an earth-shaking crash, the titanic dragon burst fully into the chamber, shaking the temple roots. Its immense tail lashed, demolishing whole sections in swaths. We scattered, narrowly avoiding the deadly hailstorm of crushing debris.

"To me!" I shouted over the thunderous chaos, electricity arcing across my lightning blade as I raised it skyward once more.

In answer, blinding tendrils of pure energy lashed down from the storm clouds, regenerating my tempest powers. I became nature's fury incarnate, channeling the might of the storm into my very being.

I directed a concentrated bolt at the rampaging beast.

The scorching lightning impacted its armored hide, causing it to recoil with an ear-splitting screech of anguish. But the enraged monster was hardly slowed, turning its full wrath upon me as unleashing a dragon breath towards my direction.

Bracing, I poured all my will into conjuring a tempest vortex - a whirling dervish of lightning that ballooned outward, devouring the dragon's inferno. When the two engery clashed the flames ceased, yet maelstrom continued spinning, grounding electricity into the beast's scales and causing full-body convulsions.

Charring hide even as it used its wings to douse the sparks. Yet for every wound inflicted, it seemed to shrug off the damage. I could feel my strength waning, tempest powers straining their limits.

Just then, the dragon reared back, unhinged its mighty jaws...and unleashed a thunderous roar that dwarfed all previous bellows. The sound itself was a physical force, a rolling shockwave of power that slammed into us like a tsunami.

I was thrown from my feet, lightning blade wrenched from my grasp as I tumbled amid a shower of rubble. Dazed, I saw Matthew, Almond, and the others similarly battered and flung aside in the chamber's wreckage.

As the ringing subsided, I became aware of a looming shadow falling over me. Craning back, I stared into the dragon's blazing, baleful glare. With an earth-shaking roar, it reared back, jaws agape to deliver the final crushing blow.

I was staring right into the jaws of death itself. This gigantic dragon monster was about to chomp down on me and end my life. But then, out of nowhere, Prince Almond came zipping in wearing his bloody red armor.

He jumped right in front of the dragon's mouth as it was opening up to eat me.

"Raaaaaahhhh!" Almond yelled in a big battle cry as the dragon's teeth crunched into his shield, ruining it but stopping the beast from killing me.

"Now's your chance, Your Grace! Attack it!" Almond shouted through gritted teeth while holding the dragon back.

I scrambled to my feet and made my lightning sword appear with a crackle of energy. The massive dragon was totally focused on Almond now, giving me an open shot at it.

I ran toward the dragon, channeling all the storm's energy into my body. I was like a human lightning rod as I leapt towards the monster's horned head.

With a huge thunderclap, I brought my lightning sword down right on the dragon's skull, blasting it with a massive volt of electricity straight through its brain. The shockwave blew Almond backwards, charring his bloody armor, while he tumbled through the rubble.

I crashed to the ground in a shower of debris, completely drained of energy. When I opened my eyes, I saw the dragon twitching and convulsing wildly until finally it gave one last earth-shaking quiver...and then collapsed in a huge dusty cloud.

I just lay there, unable to move as the dust settled around me. My friends Matthew and the others slowly got up from the wreckage, all staring in shock at the fallen dragon.

Using all my strength, I pulled myself up to survey the total destruction surrounding the dead monster's body - the whole inner temple was shattered ruins.

"We...still need...the Temporal Crown..." I said weakly. "It's gotta be...in this mess..."

My generals started frantically digging through the debris until Matthew shouted out in triumph, holding up an ornate glowing crown artifact - the powerful relic we almost died trying to get, was inside the corpse of the slain dragon.

I leaned forward and took the sacred crown from Matthew with shaking hands. Despite being stuck in the dead beast, it remained pristine and perfect.

I traced my fingers along the etchings. "Everlasting life...eternal suffering..." I read the inscription out loud.

"The greed of man will only ensure a false ascension…true immortality is not yearned nor gifted, because there is no such thing as true immortality it's false, a lie."

As soon as I said those ominous words, the Temporal Crown shattered into four pieces - the main gemstone split apart while the band broke into other pieces.

My heart sank, thinking our quest failed, that our efforts lead to nothing. But then a strange power emerged, not from another realm but from the shattered crown itself. The gem shards embedded themselves right into my skull, and also into my lieutenants' heads.

I screamed in horrific agony as searing pain seared through my mind and soul. This was no gift of immortality, it was a corruption infecting me. Madness flooded my thoughts, this wasn't at all what I wished for this cant be the result of my life's ambition. The truth was nothing like I dreamed - just agonizing torture.

I needed to be saved from this nightmare torment, any way possible...I was drowning, begging for help, my voice shredded from constant screaming. Someone please save me! I don't want to die!

Was I so blind and arrogant?

Please, somebody save me!