Prologue - Demon Lord

Screams echoed into the night as bright flames engulfed a city in an explosion. Above the chaotic event, a silver-haired elf hovered in the sky, clad in red-and-black armor. He grinned at the destruction that was happening below him.

“The last surviving city in the southern region is about to fall. Where is your Goddess now, Your Highness?” He looked north, the direction that led to the capital, as if the King would hear his mockery. A shout put a slight frown on his face, and he turned just in time to see five humans launch arrows at him.

He scowled and with a wave of his hand, sent the arrows flying right back at the archers. The men attempted to flee, but to no avail. Their own arrows pierced their skin, forcing them to the ground.

“Humans never learn, do they? Let this be a lesson, then. Anyone who messes with the Demon Lord won’t live to see his reign.” Several lightning bolts shot from the sky, frying the men below. He watched as the flames in the city grew, engulfing everything and everyone inside. If anyone made it out of the city, their deaths would be far worse than those that died inside. He would make sure of that. After watching for a few minutes, he determined that there were no survivors. “Mara?”

A masked woman appeared next to the Demon Lord, bowing. Eight fluffy tails protruded from her back, illuminating her robes with a ghostly light. “Yes, my lord?”

“I’m putting you in charge of gathering my army. Make sure every creature despised by the kingdom knows they have a place in my empire. In the meantime, I’ll find a temporary hideout to use before the castle is built.”

“It will be done, my lord.” Mara disappeared, leaving the Demon Lord to himself.

He soared through the sky, scanning the ground for a suitable hiding place. There will undoubtedly be adventurers sent to at least discover his whereabouts.

After flying into the deepest portion of the southern region, the Demon Lord spotted a large cave. He landed in front of the opening, searching for any life within. His magic detected nothing but small animals, to which he nodded. “This is a good place, for now. Once I have an army, I’ll have to expand.”

He entered the cave, summoning fire in his hand as a light. Rats hid from the light of the flames, running behind boulders and climbing into holes. The Demon Lord came to a stop when the cave split into two directions. He glanced left and right, then started left.

His exploration ended in success as the cave opened up into a vast cavern. He stopped and envisioned it as a throne room. “Yes, this will do until the castle is finished… Mara.”

Mara materialized next to him, bowing again. “Yes, my lord?”

“On top of your previous assignment, I need you to gather some goblins to turn this place into an audience chamber.”

“An audience chamber?”

“Yes. After all, I need to make sure my soldiers have what it takes. And a ruler needs his throne, don’t you think?”

Mara briefly nodded. “You make some good points. I will see that it is done.”

“You have my thanks. You can go now.” The Demon Lord turned away from his assistant, knowing she would vanish the instant she was excused. He laughed. “Having a powerful fox-demon as my servant is very useful.” He remains silent for a moment. “Agdron, report. What is the current progress on the castle?”

The dirt on the ground swirled upward into a humanoid form. “The foundation is being laid as we speak. It will take approximately eight more years for the build to be completed.”

“Eight years…” He looked around the cavern, once again envisioning it as a throne room. “I could stay here for eight years.” He paused, then tilted his head slightly toward Agdron. “But no longer. You have eight years. Dismissed.”

The dirt fell to the earth, forming a large mound.

…

The Demon Lord’s figure vanished from the magic orb. The Goddess set the orb on a small pillow that laid on the table. Her eyes were wide with alarm.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen for another twenty years… How did he deceive my foresight...?” She stood and took a deep breath. “I must send a hero, and now.”

She cleared her throat and put her hands over the magic orb once more. This time, the image of the High Priestess came into view. The Goddess closed her eyes and started whispering.

“The demons have escaped the shadows, but still hide from the light. A hero will take this light and strike at the heart of evil. Only then will the children of light be safe. On this very night, that hero will come into the world.”

“Now that that’s over, I can choose the hero.” She stood up and closed her eyes. Her surroundings slowly changed from a small room to a galaxy. Her fingertips lit up, and light remained where her fingers were after she moved them. She gracefully drew a sigil in the air, causing hundreds of stars to appear in front of her. She studied each of them carefully, looking for the right one.

“Not this one… No, not that one either… Aha!” After searching for hours, she held one of the stars in her fingers, and smiled. “This is him. The hero that will stop the Demon Lord. His heart is just what they need.”

She tossed the star in the air, and the others disappeared. The star grew brighter and brighter, until it was impossible to see anything. Then the light went away, and a young man stood in front of the Goddess.

She summoned a throne behind her and sat down. “Welcome, hero. You may have some questions, and I will answer them all. But first, let me introduce myself. My name is Arelianis, the one and only Goddess."

…

The High Priestess stopped as she felt the Goddess trying to reach her. She ran to the Goddess’s statue that remained in the Royal Palace’s cathedral. She fell on her knees and started praying, trying to establish the necessary connection to receive the revelation.

The prophecy poured into her mind, and she gasped. She looked up and tried to calm her breathing. The news of the Demon Lord’s attack on the southern region hadn’t reached her yet, but she felt the urgency behind the Goddess’s message. Something terrible had happened, and it would only get worse until the prophesied hero dealt with it.

“I must tell the King.”

She got up, and ran out of the cathedral, heading for the audience chamber where the King would be. The High Priestess had a feeling the hero would need assistance.