Chapter 12: Prologue.

There was a long told tale.

A tale of great calamities, abominations and demons.

As well as a tale of Heroes.

Told by the mother it's children, the children then tell theirs.

For ages, the tale was told.

But only now that people realized.

It was actually a tale foretold.

It began with a bang, or more accurately, a big boom.

A cataclysmic blast tore through Migles, the capital of the human kingdom Rert.

A shocking event sure, yet no one panicked, cause after all.

It's just the humans, weakest of the races.

Human cities then began to explode one after another, no matter its alliance.

It was then that the ever-wise Elves noticed a problem.

Elves, the strongest of the humanoid species, are not behind this destruction.

A worrying thing for them, as another potential predator has entered the cage.

They then began to bicker among themselves, pointing to the dwarves then the dragons.

Only after the fall of the last human city did they know the truth, and not thanks to their intelligence but rather to the fact that a demon emerged from the rubble of the final human city.

From blood a baleful demon rose.

Crimson hair and jet black eyes, the demon was unlike anything the long lived Elves had even seen.

For it wanted to parley.

The demon was clad in regal robes, reminiscent of a king as it waited on the rubbles for anyone to come.

Curious but not reckless, the Elves sent their royal guard along with the elven king to meet the demon.

They sat before each other, a lone demon before a dozen Elves.

Then the demon spoke.

“Now that the only threat is gone, would you kindly surrender and save everyone the trouble?”

Needless to say, the Elves were slightly surprised and very insulted.

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One elf in particular lost his cool and pointed his crystal bow to the demon.

“Stop.”

The Elven king said, actually thinking about the proposal, a fact that infuriated the Elves around him.

The Elven king then says after a moment of silence.

“Give us ti-”

The king is interrupted by an arrow flying past him and towards the demon.

The king panicked while the demon merely smiled as he stopped the arrow between his fingers.

An elf then spoke.

“The Queen said no.”

Hearing this, the Elven king dropped his head in resignation, while the demon smirked.

The Elves aimed their bows towards the demon.

And all Hell then broke loose

Literally.

Monstrosities emerged from the Gate, devouring everything on their path.

Marking the start of a new era.

*****

Heavy thunderstorm covers the sky.

At the peak of the blackest of mountains, a castle of brimstone stood broken.

Inside the castle can a throne be found, which lies the Demon King.

Bloodied all over, the once mighty King lost all his magnificence, leaving only a frail man awaiting for his death.

Doog doog

Heavy footsteps then resounded from the hall that connects to the throne room.

The Demon King raised his head to greet the intruder to his lair.

Dressed in pristine white armor, a woman walks in, her golden hair swaying even without the winds along with eyes that shone like the sun.

A Paladin, no.

“Hero.”

From the ashes of mankind she rose, humanities strongest that brought light to a hopeless world.

Once a mere peasant, now she stands face to face with the cause of all calamities as an equal.

The Hero stared at the Demon King, her eyes radiating confidence as she held her sword tight.

Then she dashes, faster than the eye can see, the Hero went for the head.

And the head she obtained as her blade decapitated the Demon King without resistance.

Silence..

“That's it?”

Asked the Hero, a question she would regret.

“PHASE 2!”

The Demon King’s corpse detonated in a blast of gore, his blood forming a pool under the throne.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Manic laughter thundered through the room as the throne began to absorb the spilled blood.

The Hero tried to move, only to be prevented by an invisible force.

Before she can make heads or tails of this though, the throne emitted a blinding crimson light.

And from that light rose……a god.

“Heaven shall fall under my might!”

Shouted the newly ascended god, it was also at this moment that the Hero regained her ability to move.

There is a problem though.

She can't.

The difference between a Demon King and a god is what a mortal is to a divine.

Supreme pressure weighed on her, preventing her resistance.

But then.

She looked at him head on.

And moved towards him.

Towards a god.

The god looked at her, amused.

The Hero slowly made way to him, remembering the sacrifices she made to come here, the sacrifice of everyone who believed in her.

Against all odds, she will defeat him, god or not.

She took a step forward.

And disintegrated to a pile of flesh.

The hope of all life, the Hero..

Is dead!

*****

Darkness.

This is only darkness.

In an endless void that consumes everything, light was born.

A single star amidst the all encompassing darkness.

What is light?

“Light is Hope.”

Spoke a voice, magnificent and grand.

Then, the star shattered.

Separating into four, smaller stars, it began to drift away into the boundless void.

Suddenly, a hand reached out from the original star, the only thing that remained from it.

The hand is presented with a choice.

The first star is the Star of War, a red ball of flames that threaten to consume everything, yet despite its faults, it gives images of a widely different way one can kill across time. This is Progress.

The second star is illusory, it is material yet intangible. Colorless and simple, the star seemed to let everyone who gaze upon it see everything, for it is the Star of Memories that oversees Time.

The third star is strange, it is tranquil, its flame cold. The Star of Stagnation that holds all things together. Order is the most organized Chaos, a star that will never shine brightest, yet will burn the longest. This is Contentment.

The last star shines in emerald light, dispelling the void with its radiance. The Star of Discovery that seeks the unknown. For even in the darkest of nights, one must be aware of the everpresent light. This is Hope.

The hand pauses for a moment, its decision set to stone.

It reached for Hope, and into the unknown it arrived.

For as long as there is Unknown, there will always be Light hidden within it.

*****

Chronos slowly opened his eyes.

He saw light, and trees.

It took a moment for him to realize that he was laying on a patch of grass, in a forest somewhere.

“Where am I?”

Doesn't really matter. Chronos thought as he stood up, his golden hair blocking his vision.

Chronos brushed it away, nuisance he thought as checked his surroundings.

“Kyaaaaaaaaa!”

Chronos screamed….wait.

“I regressed!”

Said Chronos (?) as he, no, the body moved itself, running towards a nearby river.

The body peered upon the waters where its reflection lies.

And there Chronos beheld a beautiful woman with golden hair and equally golden eyes radiating an aura of regality, an unusual sight in a wilderness. Chronos paused at the scene, not because of its face but rather because of its eyes.

Chronos sensed something strange on that golden eyes, something familiar.

The body meanwhile touched its smiling face as Chronos continued to stare at the body's eyes.

Chronos suddenly realized.

Hidden behind them is an otherworldly being, unnoticed by the body, for it is beyond mortal comprehension.

Him.

The curtains fell and burned.

Everything shall change.

For the Die has rolled a 0

A number with various meanings, yet Chronos, Time incarnate knew what it represents in his domain.

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