Prologue

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Prologue

Time stood still.

He reached toward the glowing gem as it oozed its light across the cavern, illuminating, pulsating in a deep green flush. It shone in his eyes almost blinding him, almost.

His hands disappeared into the light as they brushed against the stone. It was surprisingly warm to the touch as if it had been bathing in the sun for hours, not stored carefully deep underground for centuries. He reached around with both hands, wrapping his fingers along the oval surface until he was holding it between his fingers.

Carefully.

Slowly.

He lifted the stone from its encasing claws of pure gold.
It came free from its thousand year old bed with only a slight wine from its pillows as it scraped against them. He expected it to be lighter. This was it. He was finally going to finish what his brother had started. He was the chosen one. The one to bare all the power in the four corners of the land.

Finally.

He breathed and sighed heavily, feeling his heavy heart beat furiously at his rib cage; urging him not to stop. He closed his eyes against the light, soaking in all the power before he could fully embrace it.

He brought the orb towards him. It burned through his shirt until it reached his sweating, heaving chest. His heart pounded faster, trying to escape its cage so that it may touch the power in the strange stone. His body started to shake, gently at first but then increasing its brutality. A smile slipped through his mouth as he started to laugh in ecstasy.

“NO! Don’t do it!”

A shout.

A voice he once loved.

Before the power took over him and eventually, his heart.

His only love. Lost in power.

The shakings stopped suddenly, violently. The light zapped out, cruelly.
Something was wrong. He opened his eyes. The orb was gone and in its place was a long sword, protruding from his now bloody chest, his hands covered in his own blood, black with guilt as it slowly desecrated the holy ground beneath him.
He followed the blade to the hilt and came upon the eyes of his murderer, burning with hatred.

Eyes of disgust.

Eyes of his absolution.

Eyes of innocence, brutally taken.

Eyes of his only son.

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