If you are reading this, you are looking at the old prologue before the story got reworked. Please read the improve version starting here: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/55685/the-path-of-the-monster-king/chapter/1182382/chapter-1-prologue-part-1

The story of the Kingdom of Ratier was one that was well known at this point. Long ago the continent was in chaos thanks to demons. Greed had taken hold of the Demon King, who had grown unhappy with the size of his domain in the mortal realm.

Death and famine were everywhere, losing your loved ones was common during those dark times. That was until the 7 heroes came together with the goal to end it all and save the continent. The heroes were all of different races. A human as their leader, a dwarf, an elf, and 4 of monster kind. With the help from The Oracle, the 7 were able to gain the knowledge of how to seal the demons away. Things seemed on track to bring down the demons, they were few in numbers and even demon elites stood no chance against the group.

Eventually, even The Demon King was sealed away. All that was left was to gather the last few remaining Demons. Then it happened, the 4 heroes from monster species grew corrupt and switched sides to the Demons. Trusting a Demon came with a price though, the traitors were they themselves betrayed. They were killed by those very demons they tried to help. The Human, Elven, and Dwarf heroes were thus the only true 3 heroes, while the other 4 were referred to as the 4 traitors.

The human hero, Ratier Layton, became the first human king. The priest that had foreseen the betrayal of the monsters and warned the heroes was also rewarded by becoming the first Pope of the religion of The Oracle.

The other two heroes created their own kingdoms, The Dwarven Kingdom of Thimdur and the Elven Kingdom of Zelphar.

The 3 kingdoms created an alliance, their residents being the only people considered actual people. They lived in the West of the continent while the monsters were casted to live in the Wastelands of the East, also called the Savage Lands. Monsters could only live there, if they were discovered in the 3 kingdoms, they would be killed on sight by The Order of The Holy Knights.

Today, modern day, the legacy of King Ratier was destroyed. The royal family had become corrupted and turned into heretics. Just 2 years ago they were all executed and tried for treason. It was what the human hero would have wanted, or so the church said.

Of course, this meant that the church was now in charge of the Kingdom of Ratier, a change in power that seemed to not concern their allied kingdoms Thimdur nor Zelphar. The Order of The Holy Knights was expanded to become the police force. There was also an elite squad that was created, The Knights of Edict, that serve directly under The Pope turned king.

Other than that, life remained the same, priests still guided people to obey the will of The Oracle as before.

The Oracle was many things, a greater form of the beyond, a pathway to the future, the deciding factor in your fate. That is what many knew The Oracle orb to be, something to be worshipped as the official religion of Ratier, universally loved.

Whispers still spread though… In the wind, behind an inn, the dark and small places where the church did not have eyes and ears… Some spoke of how they saw it as corrupt, something manipulated by the church.

Still, many others saw it as the closest thing to God. Even Elves and Dwarves with their own Gods acknowledged it’s power. All those who are close to the church, who have faith in the religion, or even those who seek to know their future, sought it’s wisdom.

The Oracle was an important part of life in Ratier. It was involved in the process of becoming an adult. At the coming of age, at 15, there is a ceremony that was performed. Where all those who come of age on that day, witness the miracle of the Oracle Orb. Only through their eyes can they know their future, see their personal vision.

Only oneself knows what they see in The Oracle Orb; However, the church is very much in control. They force people to disclose what they saw right out of their heads. Some were even beaten until they disclosed it. The church did not want undesirables nor those with unfortunate fates to hide themselves. Of course this was not known to the public. Only those who knew of the corruption of the church knew just how fast things turned sour when someone did not immediately disclose what they saw.

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This brings us to an orphan named Kazius, left upon the front steps of the church as a baby. A male with dark black hair and pale skin, his eyes a dull gray. He appeared human.

The male, however, was not given a name by the church, but was rather instead called by the name carved upon a necklace that dangled around his infant neck. The obsidian-colored necklace is something he kept with himself, even as he grew.

Kazius grew up a quiet child, but quickly became friendly with most, spending his time either studying the faith and history of the church, or practicing the way of the sword secretly with friends in a back alley. He admired the Holy Knights and such games allowed him to pretend to be one, they had been fun.

He lived the life of a normal child. He got to cause mischief with the church orphanage, having to make up for it with cleaning the entirety of the building. He felt like he was living a happy life, despite not knowing who his parents were. He hoped to dedicate his life to the church that took him in, which was why he hoped that in his ceremony of coming of age he would get confirmation to be a Holy Knight… Maybe even part of the elite Order of Edict.

When the day came, he was brought to a great hall of marble, with pillars standing tall up to the high ceiling. The room of the Oracle was lavish and despite not a candle nor light orb in sight, the place was well lit. It was almost like walking into a room in heaven itself. A priest with many Holy Knights around would then begin to call the names of the birthday boys and girls in order, for them to step up and receive their vision.

Soon Kazius’ turn came.

The first thing he saw was a startling sight by itself. Looking into the orb, he saw flames and fire, a barrage of Demons flying out of a dark black portal, swarming into an army of Holy Knights.

This is where he thought he would see himself, see himself as a holy knight, yet instead...There was another army. One filled with monsters, Humans, Elves, Dwarves, and even Demons. All of which, he was leading, his eyes shining an ominous red, a confident smirk on his face.... Was that a Werewolf? A snake woman… A Kitsune… The faces of his comrades were fuzzy. There were even more figures he could not identify.

That is where he heard a voice, a very sly and deep voice....

"Kazius....you...will be the breaker of worlds...the ruler of the undead...the creature of the night...the bringer of destruction... The Monster King."

After such words were spoken, the male would be pulled out of the trance, his body in cold sweat as he collapsed to the ground on his knees. He was immediately swarmed by not only Holy Knights but priests, demanding to be told what he saw.

That is when Kazius heard the voice again, chuckling into his head before persuading him to lie....

"Holy Knight...I am to be...A Holy Knight, the greatest of them all..." He replied.

“That is wonderful news… Being spoken to by The Oracle must be overwhelming for such a devoted believer such as yourself” The priest would reply.

Of course, such a lie would normally not work, the clergy of The Oracle could tell lies from the truth, yet it seemed when Kazius lied, it was never caught… It was something he never gave much mind until now, but now he was thankful for.

He would take his leave; it was uncertain what would be the next step. His lies were not caught for some reason… But why was that the case? What if the ability suddenly vanished? If what The Oracle showed as his future was true… was he a heretic? He still believed in The Oracle though… Yet if the Oracle believed this would be the best path… Who was he to say otherwise?

Then again… Two things were clear with his vision, he was not Human… and… that the Demons would return, and he would be there to oppose them.

He felt lost, even frightened. The very thing he worshipped told him to become something the church hated. For now, he decided he would buy his time and observe… Be trained properly in the sword… Since the priests believed his words, he could attend the Holy Knight Academy, to become a Holy Knight.

He admired them, but now he needed to understand them… Whether it was if he really would become this figure in his vision, or for his own survival. Above all, he had some serious self-reflecting to do…

Time flew by, Kazius became a proper Holy Knight with ease. Sure, it was what the church believed The Oracle wanted, but he had quite the talent for battle. Still, he had ways to go before he could hope to join the Edict.

Kazius wore the garb of a Holy Knight, bright silver and blue armor. His weapons consisted of a hand crossbow, a rapier and a simple curved dagger, ones he was quite deadly with.

He and his friend Alex would practice regularly together, becoming best friends since The Academy. The vision he got almost became like a dream even though it was only 3 years ago. Alex was like a brother, always having his back. Alex was a rather thick built human with a massive Warhammer who could simply beat almost any in a strength contest as well as eating, a blonde with green eyes that was known as a lady killer, which meant that Kazius often had to bail him out from situations with angry women.

He didn’t mind though, it felt like he was cleaning up after a younger brother. They were close, in fact, Alex and their squad were the only one to see him smile or even laugh. Such a friendship and bond with other Holy Knights could never be forfeited, right?

Kazius had been incredibly wrong, for one day...