Prologue: Part 1

The birds chirp as the sun rises. The rays go through the window and light up the room. Clover turns over to avoid the sunlight beaming on his head. The wind whistles through the window creating an annoying high pitched noise. Clover slowly gets out of bed and gets dressed before heading downstairs. He has longer blonde hair that he slicks back and is average height for a man and has ocean blue eyes. He wears light brown and yellow to represent his kingdom's colors. The castle doors creak as they open and the wooden stairs squeak as he walks down them. The royal knights walk behind him and escort him to wherever he wants to go. The knights' armor is coated with gold to show their authority over the other knights of the kingdom. The royal knights helmet is also different. Their helmet has narrower eyes and a mouth cover so that their face is almost completely covered. Their hands rest on the pommel of their sword so they can quickly draw them if need be.

"Good morning, my lord." the knights say.

"Yes, good morning indeed." Clover responds, "Follow me to the courtyard."

"Yes, sir." the knights comply.

They walk through the great hall where Clover's throne sits. The throne is made of steel bones of the enemies he has crushed with their swords on the back of it. The knights avert their eyes from the throne as it sends chills down their spines. The great hall has giant pillars with gold vines running around them with a blood red carpet down the center of the hall leading from the giant doors to the throne. There are stone steps that lead up to the throne. The knights open the door and Clover walks through. After a while of walking through the corridor they finally reach the great courtyard.

"Stay here at the doors. I will continue by myself." Clover says.

"Yes, my lord." The royal knights say as they stand in front of the door and wait for him.

In the center of the courtyard stands a great old oak tree. The tree looked dead and had no leaves on it. The founding king, King Carter The Conqueror, planted this tree. Clover walks over to his eldest son, Jack. Jack is standing and admiring the great tree. Jack is shorter than Clover by a hair and has brown short wavy hair like his mother, Alice. Jack's right eye looks like his father's ocean blue but his left looks like his mother's dark brown. Jack prefers clothes that don't make him stand out of the crowd.

"It looks better in winter, my son," said Clover, putting his hand on Jack's shoulder.

"Yes it does." Jack said, looking up at the top of the tree.

"From the first time it was planted and all the way to now, the tree never bore any life and never will." Clover said

"It never had leaves?" asked Jack

"No, it always looked dead." Clover said

"I wonder why." Jack said

"Walk with me." Clover said

Clover begins to walk and Jack respectively follows him. Clover leads him down the stairs and into the crowded marketplace. Sellers shout to the crowd and people shout to each other. Clover is unbothered by this wildness, however; Jack has a tense face since he doesn't like crowded places. Clover continues to walk deeper into the city. Jack looks around and is amazed by the great walls that surround the city. Clover stops in front of a tall statue of King Carter.

"King Carter was a mad man on the battlefield. He was a skilled swordsman that never hesitated to kill. He was also a great leader and never left a man behind. He was without a doubt the greatest king on this planet." Clover said.

"Why did he choose this name for his great kingdom?" Jack asked.

"Kingdom of Dusk?" Clover asked.

"Yeah. That name makes the kingdom sound weak." Jack said.

"That's because to all the other kingdoms the sun sets above ours." Clover said.

"I never knew that." Jack said, "That's interesting."

King Carter's statue was made so that he was holding a sword in one hand and the other hand open. The open hand was to show that he always had a helping hand. Clover makes a gesture with his hand and signals Jack to follow him. Clover leads Jack to the Church of Fate.

"Do you know the story of creation?" Clover asked Jack as they walked in the church.

"Yeah, do you want me to tell you?" Jack asked as he looked around in awe.

"If you don't mind." Clover said, looking at the High Priest kneeling in front of the altar.

The High Priest wears a white robe with gold lines that run down it. The High Priest is rather tall and slim. The High Priest is bald and no one has ever seen hair on his head.

"Well it sta-" Jack started to talk but was cut off by the High Priest.

"My lord! What a pleasant surprise!" The High Priest cheered, "How are you?"

"I'm fine, High Priest." Clover said, "Perhaps you would like to tell the story of creation to my son, Jack."

"I would be honored to." the High Priest said. He pointed to the great stained window of two giant beings. The one on the right had horns like a goat and was much darker than the one on the left. The one on the left had no horns and was much brighter than the other. In the middle of them there were two artifacts. One was in the shape of a diamond and it was closer to the one on the left. The one closer to the one on the right was a shape of a triangle with an eye in the middle, "The universe was created by two gods. The two gods are brothers and we know nothing of their own existence and how it came to be. The god on the left is the god of Life and Creation. His name is Kayotic. He is the nicer brother. He created all good things in this universe. The artifact that is next to him is called the Atlas. The Atlas is a great blessing. If you touch the Atlas you will be gifted with the power of the gods. The god on the right is the god of Death and Destruction. His name is Kryptonick. He is the meaner brother. He created all evil things in this universe. The artifact next to him is called the Illuminati. If you touch the Illuminati you will be cursed but will also be gifted with even more power. The gods always argued and fought because they each had different ideas of the universe. After a while the gods decided to create something together. They decided on a being that could decide to be good or evil. They created humans together. They even created this world that we are blessed with. A perfect balance of good and evil."

"Where are they now, High Priest?" Jack asked

"They are beyond our understanding and we cannot even begin to comprehend their actions!" the High Priest preached.

"Thank you for telling us the story, High Priest." Clover said, bowing

"Of course, my lord." the High Priest replied, bowing

Clover and Jack leave the Church of Fate. The High Priest waves 'goodbye' to them. The High Priest waits for the grand doors to close. He turns around and walks towards the altar. He kisses the altar and stands up straight.

"You can come out now, Lavernius." The High Priest called out.

"That was a long story, Kenneth." Lavernius said, "I thought it was never going to end."

Lavernius is the same height as Jack. Lavernius also has a scar that runs down his face over his right eye. This scar caused the right eye color to turn white but he can vividly see out of it. He has short black hair so it won't cover his eyes. Lavernius is very muscular and possibly one of the strongest men in all four kingdoms. He is a skilled fighter. He was trained by King Mortis himself. He was raised by him, too. Lavernius is known as Lavernius Bear to the common people. He is secretly an assassin that goes by the name of Shadow.

"Why did you come to the Kingdom of Dusk? It must have been a long trip from Crow Tower." The High Priest said

"It was. I took a horse so it was faster." Lavernius said.

"You came alone?" The High Priest asked.

"Aye. This is a solo mission." Lavernius said.

"Should I be worried?" The High Priest asked.

"No, Crow Tower has accepted this faith. In fact this is now the only religion in the content. I'm here on King Dominus Mortis' orders. It's also a secret. Sorry Kenneth." Lavernius said

"That's fine. I don't want the details. I do believe it's about the newly found artifact that was found in a nearby cave." The High Priest said

"Yeah, long story short I'm here to steal it." Lavernius said

"What? The royal knights are guarding it. You won't get close." The High Priest pointed out

"I know. All I need to do is kill them." Lavernius said, "I'll be taking my leave now. Goodbye for now, Kenneth."

"Will you stop by before you leave?" The High Priest asked

"Yeah, I'll show you the artifact." Lavernius said as he pulled up his hood and pulled up his face mask and tucks his daggers in his sleeve. Lavernius walks into the dark shadow that covers a door and he leaves the Church of Fate.

"Good luck, Lavernius." Kenneth says to himself.

Clover leads Jack to the training grounds and he shows him around. Jack looks around and sees the knights training with wooden swords and cushion-like pattings. Clover gestures to the royal knights to stand watch.

"Now that you are 18, I think you are of age to learn how to use a sword. This here is the best trainer in the kingdom. His name is Leonard." Clover said

"Hello, my young lord." Leonard said, "Grab one of those wooden swords there on that rack behind you."

"I'll leave him in your hands, Leonard. Good luck, Jack." Clover said, as he walked back towards the courtyard with the royal knights.

The training ground was surrounded by barracks and the ground was dirt with no signs of grass or any sort of plant. The dirt was covered in footsteps from all the soldiers. Leonard's a trainer and a soldier. He's not part of the hierarchy. His hair is cut short and he has almost no hair on the sides. Leonard is quite tall and muscular. Clover always says he would make a great Champion but Leonard always refuses. He wears black leather for his clothes and has a sword held by his belt on his left side. Jack grabbed a wooden sword that is used for training. The sword has a nice grip and is sanded down. Leonard started to flaunt his wooden sword.

"Swing at me!" Leonard shouted.

"Ok." Jack said as he pointed his weapon down and swung upward towards Leonard. Leonard swiftly blocks his attack and then disarms Jack.

"Not bad, kid." Leonard said, as he gave the sword back to Jack, "Let's try horizontal strikes first."

"Yessir." Jack said gripping his sword tightly

The sound of the tea being poured made Clover thirstier. The maid handed the steaming tea cup over to him. The maid poured another and passed it to the High Priest. They both blew the tea cup before taking a sip. Clover set his cup down and waited for the High Priest to put his down.

"Thank you for coming to this meeting, High Priest." Clover said, "Miss, please leave us."

The maid bows before quietly leaving the room.

"Thank you for inviting me, my lord." the High Priest said graciously.

"I went to look at the newly found artifact myself." Clover said, "It's not like the two you described to me earlier at the Church of Fate."

"It's not? Please, my lord, tell me what it looked like." The High Priest's head tilted slightly in curiosity.

"It was an orb. It was transparent and glowed with a golden aura. I didn't get close because my royal knights deemed it unsafe. I was close enough to hear something." Clover said.

"What did you hear? the High Priest asked.

"The orb was whispering. I couldn't make out what it was whispering but I heard something." Clover stated, "Perhaps there are more artifacts made by the gods than we thought."

"Perhaps, we still haven't found the Atlas or the Illuminati. When did you go see it, my lord?" the High Priest asked.

"After I handed Jack over to Leonard. He is training right now. It was under an hour ago." Clover said.

"How many people know of its location, my lord?" the High Priest asked.

"Only myself and the royal knights that are there right now. Do you want me to take you there?" Clover said.

The High Priest sat quietly for a moment. His hands folded as if he was praying. He closed his eyes and began to say something under his breath. The High Priest looked at Clover and smiled.

"This must be a gift from the gods!" the High Priest proclaimed.

"Is that a yes, High Priest?" Clover asked.

"Yes, my lord, I would love to see this." the High Priest said, "I cannot today though. I have a mass to serve."

"I understand, High Priest. No worries, come find me when you have time. Good day." Clover said.

"Good day to you, my lord." the High Priest said with a grin on his face, "I'll take my leave now."

Clover watches the High Priest leave. Clover waves the maid back in and she refills his cup. Clover walks over to the window and looks down at the training grounds. Leonard and Jack are sparring and the other knights are doing their own thing. Clover puts his jacket on and leaves the room with the royal knights following him. Their armor clings as they walk. Clover walks with his hand resting on the pommel of his sword.

The church's doors creak as the High Priest walks through them. All the pews are full of people waiting for his preaching. The High Priest stands behind the altar and begins to preach about the gods. The High Priest preaches for exactly two hours every day. He stays back to talk to the people who have questions or need to confess about the wrongs they have done.

"Hello Believer of the faith! What brings you here?" the High Priest asks the man.

The man is in an old and raggedy jacket. The man's hair is gray and slowly turning white. The man's face; however, looks young and he seems to be in perfect health. The man begins to mumble before actually producing sentences.

"I-I went t-to the ca-cave." The man finally says.

"What cave, Believer?" The High Priest askes.

"Th-the cave whe-re the Wis-shing O-Orb lays h-hiden. A-and is bl-ock o-off by the ro-yal kn-knights." the man says

"Wishing Orb? Believer are talking about the new artifact?" The High Priest asks.

"Yes, I-I am. It sp-spoke t-to me. It sa-said that it c-can grant any w-wish. I-I snuck in-inside t-the cave. I-I wished t-to be i-in perfect h-health because I-I was dying. I-It granted the w-wish. I-I wasn't specific e-engough." the man says.

"Is that what the orb does? Interesting. Did it say anything?" The High Priest askes.

"Yes, i-it was created b-by Kryptonick. Its p-purpose i-is to help u-us. " the man says.

"A blessing from the gods!" The High Priest exclaimed, "You may go, Believer. You are holy and the Atlas shall grant peace to your soul."

"T-Thank you, H-High Priest." the man said, as he bowed and walked out of the church.

"If an old man snuck past the guards, then you shall have no trouble, Shadow." The High Priest muttered to himself.

The sound of the wooden sword clashes was like a wooden drum being pounded. Leonard was too fast and skilled for Jack to stand the slightest chance against him. Jack's clothes were all dirty from him being pushed down to the ground. Everytime they locked swords Leonard would tell him something he was doing wrong and how to fix it.

"That should be good for today, my young lord." Leonard said.

"Yeah, sounds good, Leo." Jack said while catching his breath.

"You did well for your first time holding a sword." Leonard said, patting Jack's shoulder, "You should go back to the castle."

"Thank you, Leo." Jack said.

"Anytime." Leonard said while waving goodbye to him.

Jack went to the washroom before heading up to see his mother, Alice. Jack washed his face and changed his clothes. The warm water felt soothing on the scrapes and bruises. A royal knight was waiting for Jack by the gate back into the corridor. Jack walked through the door and the royal knight followed. His excitement could not be held in and his face did a poor job of hiding it. Jack reached the nursing sector and knocked on the door.

"Hello Mother. It's Jack. May I come in?" Jack asked.

"Yes, but leave the knight outside." Alice said.

"Sorry, sir. You have to stay and watch the door." Jack said to the royal knight, while walking into the nurser.

The knight nodded his head and stayed outside.

"Hello, little brother!" Jack said with joy, "Look how big you're getting!"

"Soon Ima be as big as you!" George said, as he stood next to Jack.

"Mother, guess what Father had me do today?" Jack asked.

"Something courageous?" Alice asked.

"Yes, indeed. I learned how to use a sword! I was trained by Leonard." Jack said.

"How amazing!" Alice cheered, "I'm so proud of you.

Alice was rocking George back and forth in a rocking chair. Alice is short and has long beautiful brown hair and deep brown eyes. Alice is told to be the most elegant woman in the whole kingdom. George looks identical to Clover, his father and is five years old.

"Have you heard the news, Mother?" Jack asked.

"About what?" Alice asked.

"Crow Tower now has the largest fleet in all four kingdoms. Their army outnumbers ours 5 to 1!" Jack said.

"Crow Tower is the biggest kingdom and the strongest. King Mortis wants nothing more than to be number one." Alice said, "We are also the smallest kingdom."

"How does the order go?" Jack asked.

"It goes like this: Crow Tower, Golden Gate, Kingdom of Light, then Kingdom of Dusk." Alice explained, "Crow Tower has the biggest military. Golden Gate is the wealthiest. Kingdom of Light is where the Church of Fate originated. Kingdom of Dusk had King Carter many years ago."

"Could Crow Tower conquer us all?" Jack asked.

"If King Mortis wished it so." Alice said.

After the sun rests beneath the earth, the stars and moon awake. The moon was filled with light and was the brightest it's been in a while. The moon is never alone like the sun. The moon is surrounded by thousands of stars because the moon is afraid of the dark. The royal knight's armor clinks and clanks when they walk on their patrols. One royal knight stands in front of the cave entrance. The other walks back and forth.

"Anything?" a knight askes.

"No." the other knight answers.

When a knight falls they create too much noise and the other would be alerted immediately. For one to die and not make noise the body would have to be put down extremely slowly. The impact must be subtle for the plan to work. Shadow slowly lets down his daggers and grips them tightly. The attacks are performed swiftly and silently. The knights die instantly when he lodges his dagger in their throats. Shadow wipes the blood onto the ground and stuffs the daggers into his sleeves. Shadow kneels in front of the bodies and says a small prayer for their souls, "May Invictus have mercy and let you into the heavens above." Shadow walks slowly through the cave and does not make a sound. Around his waist is a bag that he plans to put the artifact in. As he goes deeper into the cave he sees a bright golden light.