Prologue to my book

Prologue

         Even after a thousand years of his existence, Tariel still took pleasure in looking down on his realm, Norhim. Such a beautiful place his realm was and he would never let any harm befall it. Not on his life. Floating high above the clouds on a rock formation, he was always hidden from view of the humans, but they would never be hidden from his protective gaze.

         Tariel sat with his hands placed out behind him to support his lounging posture. His feet dangled off of the rock formation that was his throne. The look about him was that of a careless boy, free to explore the enjoyments of the world. He did not look like a being who had the tremendous weight of an entire realm of his shoulders.

         Tariel looked down on his own splendorous form. His golden skin shone under the beating sun. Veins pulsing with power were visible underneath that skin, pushed up by muscles fabricated with the magic that created him. He admired his armor, as much as a part of him as his own flesh. He shifted his form so that the shining silver reflected more in the sun. The gold trim of that armor seemed to carry the dazzling light throughout his whole body, giving the appearance that he was radiant.

         Beside him laid his weapon. Tariel picked it up and also held it to reflect the sunlight. He watched the light dance from the ornate handle, to the chain and eventually rest at the spiked ball at the end of the chain. His morning star. He observed the gold magic reacting to the heat of the sun, setting off a glow in his weapon that stirred from within. With this weapon in hand, he had defeated many enemies that had entered his peaceful realm.

         The celestial being wondered, and not for the first time, how he came to be. His first memory was rain. He was laying flat on his back on the cold rocky earth, with the light drizzle splattering his face. Tariel's face scrunched up as unpleasant thoughts of his first years on Norhim resurfaced. It was hard for him to find a purpose. Eventually, he chose look over mortals from afar. To protect those that aren't strong; that is a good purpose to have.

         Tariel leaned forward and smiled. Yes, this was a good existence. He gazed over the single continent residing on his world. His eyes searched with magically enhanced vision. He looked out beyond the continent to the seas, it's roaring waves spread farther than even his eyes could see. The Endless Ocean. He knew there was nothing out there. He had sent his senses out over the oceans, and had felt nothing but the life forms of those creatures who live under the seas. He sent his eyes back over the land and his smile faded. Something was not right.

         What was that Tariel sensed? There was presence down there that didn't belong. His gaze followed the lines and flows of the land. He looked down on the Flat Mountain and found the cause of his troubled senses.

          Two figures were stepping out of a dimensional portal. Humanoid in shape, one was a vicious looking male. He seemed to be made of blackness, so dark was his skin and armor, with a red gaze that could make any mortal cower and wish for death. He had his arms out wide as if expecting a welcome from Norhim itself. Tariel imagined that he would be smiling, if he had a mouth. The other was a woman humanoid, her skin a deep red. This one was smiling, showing a row of sharp teeth. She had no armor to be seen, and the weapons at her disposal were the claws on her hands and feet. A barbed tail dangled out behind her. These were not beings of good intensions.

         The deity's enjoyment and carefree attitude were gone. Replaced was a need to protect his home. He grabbed his morning star and rocketed off his perch. Exploding through the air head first, Tariel's passage spread the clouds before him. The emotion on his face only intensified with every passing moment. How dare they come here! How dare they enter his domain! Angry at the intrusion, but excited for a good fight, Tariel plummeted to earth with the wind roaring in his ears.

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         Kron let his arms drop back to his sides, and rest on the hilt of his sword. This realm was a good place to start in his ambition to rule the worlds. He didn't care much for this world though. It was too bright, too green and too... happy. No sooner had he stepped out of his portal than he started missing the darkness of his own world. Kron sighed, but without a mouth it came out as a hiss through his nose. If he wanted to control the universe, he needed to put up with slight irritations.

         The celestial stomped his foot into the ground, crushing tall grass that seemed so inconsequential compared to his gigantic godlike form. He closed his eyes, hiding his deadly red orbs, and sent his senses out through the earth. Those red eyes popped back open in an instant, a blazing hunger in them. Looking over to his underling, Kron gave a slight chuckle.  It was good he brought her along, for he could sense a powerful entity closing in fast. That was when the ground exploded.

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         Tariel righted himself just before hitting the ground, striking the earth like a meteor from the heavens. The force of his landing exploded the ground outwards, throwing a ton of rock in every direction and sending the intruders flying.

         The black intruder righted himself just as Tariel straightened up from his landing crouch. His godlike presence sent shivers into the red female. He met her gaze as she laid there with eyes burning with a white intensity of rage and passion. For the first time the female knew true dread.

         Tariel's gaze then met the red eyes of the male unflinchingly and said, "I am Tariel. If you do not leave now, then this will be your end." He said it as sure as if it were fact and his powerful voice only made it more believable.

         The black intruder was undeterred. "Get up Zandra," was all he said, his voice seeming to come from nowhere, but everywhere. Zandra looked over at her master. He hadn't even bothered to look at her. His powerful hands were twitching slightly. Zandra knew he was itching to destroy whoever this shining entity was. Her master drew his vicious blade from his belt.

         Tariel observed the weapon. Black as well, this weapon seemed the suck in the light around it, turn it into darkness and send it back out in a display of emanation. At the bottom of the hilt was a long black spike. At closer scrutiny it could be seen glinting with sharpness, despite its color. His armor held a similar effect.

         The deadly intruder then said, "I am Kron, a World Watcher, just like you and I have come to rule your world. Leave this realm peacefully, and you will see another day." His voice sounded like the deepest rumble of far away thunder.

          Tariel smiled and started spinning his Morningstar. He was hoping for that reply. "Not a chance."

         "Then you will die," Kron stated with finality.

         Tariel shrugged, saying, "If so, then so be it. However, I doubt that will be the result."

         Kron lunged forward with such force that it seemed he was gliding off the ground as the gap closed between him and Tariel. He raised his sword up and out to his right and brought it down in a deadly cross. Tariel was ready for him though and leaped back out of range of the long sword. At the same time he brought his morning star up so that the sword hit the chain almost to the handle. The spiked ball with the rest of the chain whipped upwards around the sword and narrowly missed Kron's face. It continued to wrap around the sword until the morning star locked in on itself. Tariel then jerked his Morningstar with the wrapped sword down to the ground, pulling Kron forward. He then stepped on the handle of his weapon and spun around to the left, pivoting on his Morningstar's handle and coming back around with a right hook. Kron saw what was coming and tried to let go of his sword but he was too late. The right hook struck him so hard that the ground on the opposing side of the blow cracked as if from an earthquake. Kron was flung to the ground like a rag doll. That is when Tariel felt the claws sink into his back.

         His armor protected him from most of the damage, but Tariel could still feel sting of those deadly claws from this Zandra creature. He reached for his Morningstar, but remembering its entanglement, he instead flipped forward onto his back. Zandra, her claws stuck firm into Tariel's fine armor, came around with him and landed under him, right on top of the entangled weapons. With Zandra's claws dislodged, Tariel rolled off of her and she howled in sheer agony, her back arching. He ignored her, knowing she was out of the fight for now. He could focus on Kron, who appeared to be much stronger than her.

         Tariel up righted and then turned to Kron, who was getting back to his feet. Kron's glowing red eyes were narrowed in anger. He leaped forward, his powerful hands reaching for Tariel's neck. Tariel, having other ideas than being choked to death, fell into a slide. Kron flew right over the top of him. At the same time Tariel stuck a foot up to further aid Kron's flight. That may have been a mistake, for Kron landed by Zandra and the hilt of his entangled weapon. Giving no thought to his fallen companion, Kron grabbed the hilt of his sword and jerked it from the entanglement, giving another wailing cry from Zandra. He turned back to Tariel and said, "Now you die."

         Kron did something that Tariel had never seen before. He pointed his sword at Tariel and a black mass spewed forth from the blade.  The black mass formed into a spinning ball of nothingness and closed in to engulf Tariel.

         The angelic being planted his right foot backwards and pressed his hands against the ball, sending all his power into his hands to keep this unknown magic at bay. The force of the magic actually caused him to slide backwards! His magic was sufficient to stop it though and maybe even redirect it. But then Tariel heard a chuckle behind him.

          Looking over his shoulder he saw Zandra, dripping with blood from the hideous wound in her back. Somehow she had managed to recover enough from her injury to flank him in those moments of distraction! She was smiling evilly and she pressed her hand out. Her hand glowed bright, and blasted forth was magic funnel of the deepest red. Tariel had to take one hand off of the black mass and focus on stopping the magic funnel closing in like a thrown dagger.

         Arms outstretched Tariel stopped the red magic, feeling the pressure as it built up behind his staying hand. He was pinched between two unstoppable forces, feeling the magic slowing pressing in on him. His arms were slowing bending in towards his body. What magic was this? He would not die like this!

         Tariel gritting his teeth and the magic directed to his hands intensified to a blinding white light. His eyes were like burning suns. Slowly he redirected his hands, bringing them out before him so that the two spells were to meet. Just before they touched each other, Tariel roared with the power to make the ground shake and clasped his hands together in vicious movement.

         The mix of the deadly magic, never meant to touch or to form together with the power Tariel was sending out, reacted in a massive explosion. The three beings were hurled backwards from the blast. The explosion then sucked back in on itself, and flowed out everywhere in a shockwave. A red magical force spread out over the distant horizon, as far as the eye could see.

         Tariel, smoke rising from his magical protective armor, landed with a thud on his back. With a groan he rolled over. He was almost completely drained. He spotted next to him his Morningstar, the weapon that had seen it all with him. Tariel smiled. Finally, some good luck!

         The deity summoned his remaining of his strength, grabbed his prized weapon and started to walk to where Kron had landed. He closed the distance and looked down on Kron, who was on his hands and knees, trying to regain his senses. He had the urge to ask a question. A rather meaningless question that wouldn't change what happened here today, but he asked it anyways.

         "Didn't you consider this a possibility Kron, that you would find someone stronger than you? All that power could have been set to a good purpose, and instead you chose to enter and threaten my domain. A pity really," Tariel said, his voice sounding empty in that moment.

         Kron started to chuckle. His back shrugged up and down as his chuckle turned into a genuine laughter. After a few moments he calmed himself.

         "You really believe that with all your power, you're actually making a difference?' He sounded baffled. "I mean to consolidate all the known realms under my rule. I am one of a very few that have the power to transfer my body through space in an instant. I have a purpose! Only a blinded fool would think there is such a thing as good or evil," Kron retorted. Without a mouth to be seen, it was hard to tell Kron's emotion, but in his eyes there was hatred. "There is only the wants of everyone, and there are those that have the power to take what they want."

         Tariel wasn't surprised by this response. He replied, his voice almost pitiful for this creature who knew nothing about the love and goodness for others. "What I want is to protect my realm, my home, and what you want is to take it from me. This is why you will die."

         He raised his weapon, its spiked ball glowing gold with its powerful enchantment. He swung down, aiming for Kron's head. At the same time he felt claws once again sink into him, this time into his leg.

         Tariel diverted his weapon, narrowly missing Kron's head, and swung it out behind him. At the same time he spun on his right foot, causing the claws to rip out of his leg. He screamed in pain and rage. The morning star swung in a vicious back hand. It caught Zandra in the neck with enough force to take most of it out. Tariel kept spinning, bringing it around with the intent of hitting Kron where he was kneeling. Or where he should have been kneeling.

         The deity had just enough time to remember Kron saying something about transferring his body through space before the black sword exploded out his chest. The emanating blackness seemed to spread through Tariel's body. It was cold, so cold, and there was nothing he could do.

         Kron watched as Tariel turned to stone. Intriguing, he thought. His sword quickened the death of any it pierced by disintegrating their souls at his command. He was positive that without that power, Tariel would still be alive, even with that stab wound. He jerked his sword out from in-between the deity's shoulder blades. The releasing hold of his black sword caused a glow from the stone figure. The glow dispersed, rising high above the ground and forming into a glowing mass, and then flew off in the distance. 

         The evil being Kron watched it fly off, memorizing its direction and having part of his senses follow it. Then he walked over and looked down on his fallen comrade, if she could be considered a comrade, and felt only a tinge of regret for the loss of her usefulness and her companionship in more sensual moments. He admired the powerful blow that took out the majority of her neck. Zandra was no weakling! He turned into the direction the glowing cloud had flown, and started running. Tariel might be dead but the magic that appeared to have created him from stone was not. That magic was going somewhere.