Project Earth

The Prologue

Well here is my first draft of the prologue- keep in mind chapter one starts off after this happened, but I wanted to show the readers what caused the events in the next chapters to come obviously, and this is it. Any feedback is welcome and always appreciated.
Oh before we start- here are some characters to know before hand:
Zeeni (Zee - knee)
Yura (yer-uh)
Kzell (kuh-sell)
Yasix (yay-six)
Archilon (arch-uh-lon)

Forgive me if it came out wrong i went through my copy and paste to make it look as best as I could.....and here it is:



         The white grass danced across the plains as the breeze ran across the field. A creature unlike a human stood holding another watching apparently their children play and run in the tall grass. These creatures were shorter than most, the tallest standing about 4'6" (and rather tall for his race) was clearly a male. His long rabbit-like ears were folded down neatly over his shoulders. His cat like face had a chiseled and hard look that was masculine in appearance. He had short whiskers as did his children and companion next to him, and his short hair was all of a frizzle on his head. The one next to him, his wife, was actually very stunning. Her eyes were a dazzling light blue, settled against her soft grey fur, and her features were soft on her face. Both stood on the hind legs, yet they bent back like that of a cat. The lady's long gown was gently flapping in the breeze. She leaned closer to the other, as if to get out of the passing wind.
         "Was the Higharch really that worried?" she whispered to him. The male sighed and closed his eyes.
         "Yura, I wish not to speak of this right now..." he said, not unkindly. "But yes...he seemed so. They had to move Trion and Teldranil. "
         Yura looked down, saddened. That was a shock indeed, and certainly not a good omen. Trion was the dimensional prison ship that held some of the most dangerous beings in all existence, and Teldranil is the mother ship of the original beings created by existence to govern all life in all dimensions. Both ships were in the care of the last known of these said beings, the Holy Archilon, who resides in a secret place in the tower of this dimension, and is the one their Higharch serves. "But how could anyone-"
         Her husband interrupted. "I know...no one should know where the ships are located. But I don't want to worry about that now. The Higharch wanted me to take a rest. Besides, it's been a while since I have spent some days with you all. I want to enjoy this."
         "Zeeni, I am sorry, love. I know you have missed your family. OH! Zara has advanced in healing magic did I tell you?" Zeeni raised his eyebrows to this exciting news.
         "Has she..." Zeeni was genuinely surprised. If his youngest daughter, only 4 years old, has advanced that fast, it was a wonderful thing indeed. They start teachings at 3 and the youngest known age of advancement in this art was 8. Zeeni turned to face his wife. "Tell me then all about it!" he was smiling, all previous gloom disregarded.
         "Well, you remember Yasix told us that she was very talented for her age only after a week of training...honestly seems "very talented" was a bit of an understatement since she advanced in almost 5 years worth of experience in less than a full year!" Zeeni let out a little laugh; this was too great to be true. Yura went on. "The Higharch made a visit personally since this has never happened before, and she was able to restore the shattered bones in one of the injured workers from the temple. In what is rumored to be record time as well- they said the amount of energy output was almost too great to properly calculate, like the Higharchs' spells."
         Zeeni laughed again. This time he also wondered why the Higharch didn't tell him, but he realized that was something the Higharch knew he would want to hear from his family. He watched her now chasing her older brother, Zuri. He felt really pleased. His eldest son, only 8 himself, had advanced to his higher level in combative magic a year before average at the age of 7.
         "Well we certainly are blessed." he said with a smile. His smile waned as he saw Zara giggling and about to touch a strange shimmer over the plains where there were playing. He started walking over to the spot. "Zara! Don't touch it!" his youngest jumped and saw her father running over to where she stood.
         "I'm sorry papa....I just thought it was beautiful."
         "Yes, it is, but..." Zeeni guided his daughter behind him with his hand. He reached out cautiously and went to touch the shimmer and in a blink it was gone. Zeeni stood there, hand still partially extended, frowning.
         "Yura, get the children and go back to the Tower."
         "Zeeni, what is it?" Yura asked frightened.
         Zeeni, who had never seen such a thing couldn't answer at first. His instinct told him it was something dark, another bad omen. "I do not know, however I do not like it. Do not walk back either..." he added trying to urge her to get moving. He still had not lowered his hand. Yura, sensing this urgency, grabbed Zara's hand and reached out for her son's outstretched hand.
         
         "Father, are you not coming?" Zuri asked?
         Zeeni smirked. "No, I am afraid not, but I will see you all soon."
         Yura looked more frightened than ever. Zeeni had never been like this, and yet she felt what he felt; a terrible darkness. She sighed and in a whirl of wind was gone with their children.
         Zeeni looked back to where the shimmer had been. What magic is this? he thought. He reached out to exactly where it was and it felt normal...but tainted somehow. It was real. He stood up full height and surveyed the horizon. Nothing else seemed out of place. After taking one last look he placed his right hands' index and middle finger to his forehead. In an instant he was gone from the plains. The breeze still danced over the white grass. The sun was now lower and behind the mountains, though it was still light out. The breeze began to pick up. As the breeze turned into a rush of wind a shimmer tore into existence above the field in the spot it was only moments before. The wind was getting stronger still....

2
         Zeeni appeared in a great hallway and was walking quickly down to a set of double doors at the end. As he approached, two guardians stepped out from the doors themselves. Each creature was a spectacular 10 feet tall and resembling a gryphon, except they stood on the hind legs. Powerfully built and armored, these were the guardians to the first inner chamber of the tower, where the Higharch resides. They knew Zeeni on sight, as he was the general, and they proceeded to open the double doors for him. Zeeni didn't loose a stride as he passed the threshold and walked into the inner chamber.
         The Higharch stood at the other side of this first room and was staring at the hundreds of thousands of candles that were on the wall. A few were extinguished, the rest danced brilliantly casting flickering light all across the great room. Like Zeeni, the Higharch was taller than most, himself almost as tall as Zeeni. But unlike Zeeni, or most of their race, the Higharch was of a rare breed. His kind was only born every few thousand years, and are very strong in their magical abilities. The Higharch had two solid whiskers on each side of the face, each slightly waving with its own energy, and his eyes were like that of the snakes of earth. Unlike the snake's however, his eyes continually glowed a faint white, leaving a hazy essence about the top of his face. Zeeni, who was approaching from behind the Higharch, could see this essence even from behind. Zeeni stopped behind the Higharch, he too glancing at the candles.
         "Zeeni, I am surprised to see you so soon. Only yesterday I asked you to take a rest with your family..." the Higharch turned to face his general.
         Zeeni smirked. "Sire, I wouldn't come of course if it was not urgent. As such, I was with my family just a moment ago. We were eating and watching the sun set over the White Plains...and then Zara noticed a shimmer in the field. I noticed only as she was about to reach out and touch it...It vanished when I approached..."
         The Higharch raised his eyebrow at Zeeni. "Enough to warrant a visit I see...just what do you think it may have been?" he inquired.
         "I honestly can not say...I have never seen such magic before, but there was a dark feeling about it. In light of the recent news, I wanted to inform you right away." Zeeni was staring at the Higharch intently. The Higharch did seem a little worried. But still he smiled.
         "Well, I thank you for your prompt attention on the matter. Come. We shall talk in the inner sanctum."
         The Higharch turned slowly and began walking to the east side of the room. Zeeni followed. As they approached the wall, a swirling vortex appeared in the bricks themselves and grew larger morphing into a small opening. Zeeni and the Higharch walked through and the opening morphed back into a wall. They were now in a smaller roomer, but large enough to leave a faint echo from their footsteps. In the middle of the sanctum was a round table that floated a couple of feet in open space above the floor. Small poufs were lined around the table, clearly the seats for those who confide here. The Higharch walked up to the largest of these chairs and took a seat in it. Zeeni sat next to him in his seat to the left. This was the perfect place to talk and discuss secret matters. The room itself existed in its own dimension unknown to any and all living thing unless you were invited there by the Higharch himself. Even then only in his presence can you enter the room. The Higharch reached out to the table as if to grab a cup, though nothing was yet there. The moment before he grasped, a mug appeared steaming from the brim. The Higharch brought the mug up to his face, breathed in the aroma and took a sip. After placing the mug back on the table he positioned himself to face Zeeni.
         "So... this magic you've seen. Tell me your theory..." The Higharch knew his otherwise calm general was stirring with slight unrest inside.
         "In light of the news from the Archilon, I fear this may be some kind of pre-emptive of whatever forces we may be dealing with. Now, I know our dimension is presumably undetectable, but this felt like...a gateway of some kind. Could this even be possible?"
         The Higharch frowned. He was unsure now how long he could hide the truth from his people. Only weeks before did the Archilon warn of a looming threat, and this could be exactly what he meant. But what remained was how, and when. The Higharch thought to himself, obviously sooner than later.
         "Indeed, Zeeni, I fear it is a possibility. And just where did you see this in the plains?"
         "Quite a ways from the tower, actually. We did hike to the eastern mountains where they meet the endless sea. It was there." Zeeni was eyeing the Higharch carefully. He felt the Higharch was keeping something from him. "Sire, what is it you will not share- what are you hiding from me?"
         The Higharch let out a little laugh. "Always quick to the point, eh Zeeni? To be truthful I myself only know half the answer you seek, for I am at a loss myself. But I do know that the Archilon was expecting such activity...as to why I do not know. I can only speculate, but I think this has to do with the Archilon's new project. You know of the new dimension he created, yes? The one of free will?"
Zeeni nodded. The Archilon, through the Higharch, told them that a new dimension was built some time ago where all life has free choice to go either way, positive or negative. Until now, most dimensions were either one or the other, and some had both consistently clashing with each other. But this was forced upon them by the Archilon, or so they were taught. The idea was to see how living things could live if they had a choice to be good or bad. Zeeni could not imagine such a thing, as he, like all their kind, was of positive energy; they were made that way.
"I believe that this is a threat to some force out there- something does not want this to continue. The Archilon knows. I feel he knows who, but he will never speak of it. But alas, this is my best guess. As such, Zeeni, I am afraid your rest may be cut short. But first I must speak with the Archilon." The Higharch rose from his pouf. Zeeni rose as well. The Higharch reach up to place his hand on Zeeni's shoulder, and looked up into his face. "Dan'ala (Thank you, brother). Go now with your family. I shall summon you when I am ready." Zeeni placed his right fist into his left hand and bowed. The Higharch nodded at this and turned sharply walking to the other wall opposite where they had come in. Zeeni placed his right hand's index and middle finger to his forehead, and as a vortex opened in the wall the Higharch was about to run into, Zeeni disappeared from the room. 

3
         The Higharch was walking along a narrow bridge in a very faintly lit room. The light was so faint that's it was almost complete darkness. The bridge itself was suspended in the air, held by nothing. The room was actually unfathomable in size, as it housed the Archilon itself. The bridge the Higharch walked on was suspended directly in front of the right eye of the Archilon in this room. A seemingly unfathomable size was his eye itself, for the Archilon was larger than any dimension, or planet, in existence. The Higharch was the only one allowed in his presence, as only the Higharchs knew this secret of the Holy Archilon. If others knew it would arouse curiosity or in some cases fear, both of which the Archilon did not want his people to feel toward him.
         As the Higharch neared, a sliver of light appeared stretching across the room farther than the Higharch could see. It grew brighter and brighter as the Archilon slowly opened its eye. It stopped when it was only partially opened. The light dimmed and grew brighter; the Archilon reacted to seeing the Higharch back so soon.
         "Kzell, a surprise indeed." When the Archilon spoke, he didn't really speak. It came through directly to the Higharch, who heard it as if the Archilon had whispered in his ear.
         "I have grave news, Lord Archilon. My general informed me of a strange magic near the tower."
         The Archilon remained silent for a moment, then spoke."And did he feel it to be a gateway of some sort? Zeeni is quite a unique character for feeling such things...."
         "He did, Lord. It is as if this is a pre-emptive from those we are dealing with."
         "Yes. I feel the same. So soon they have found me, and now time grows short." The Archilon made a noise like that of a sigh, but sounded more like a wind passing through an endless tunnel.
         The Higharch thought he knew who was behind all this...an enemy they have encountered many times throughout the age. Demon Lord Sorg was a general of a dark and powerful army. At his disposal were legions upon legions of different horrors from demons and dragoon to dark netherworld summons from a dimension they, the light, dare not touch. But behind all this it felt as if there were another force driving even the Demon Lord. The Higharch wanted to voice his concern; however, the Archilon already knew what he was thinking.
         "Yes, Kzell Sorg is but a pawn I am afraid. But do not let your people know just yet. The power behind Sorg is still concealed in its domain. Only recently had it come to life, however, and every passing moment it gathers the energy it needs..."
         "What must be done then?" the Higharch asked, almost with urgency. He had a lot of questions for the Archilon, for instance what he knew of this concealed power. Sorg, to the Higharch and his people, was the worst known being in existence. To hear of something more powerful and far worse was the worst case scenario indeed.
         "We must use what little time we have to initiate the last defense. I will worry about the astral ships for now. You deal with Dranora and keeping her safe in the new dimension. Here is what must be done...." The Archilon instantly sent to the Higharch what he was to do and what was to come. The Higharchs eyes widened as he instantly understood what to do, but it was not without a bit of sadness on his part. This could only mean...
         "But, my Lord, if you - "
         "Do not worry, Kzell. Trust in what I have said. This will not be all in vain, I promise you..."
         The Higharch lowered his head a little. He did not want to Archilon to see his tears. "If you will it, so shall it be done."
         "Kzell, you have served me well, and I trust you will get this done. I thank you for all you have done for me until now, and for what you will do. I - "
         At that moment, the Higharch slowly turned his head, tears ceased, and a slight feeling of doom, only for a moment, spread across the air like an arctic breeze. The color of light dimmed in the room almost completely....and after a few moments the eye came back to life, glowing bright.
         The Higharch began to ask "Was that - " but the Archilon again cut him off.
         "Yes...yes I am afraid it was. Time is shorter than we thought. We must act. Go now, Kzell. We will see each other again. I will do my part here."
         The Higharch faced the Archilon and bowed, then disappeared from the spot. The light dimmed, and a sound like that of a strong wind passing in an endless tunnel once again passed. The light faded, and darkness once again filled the room.

         Outside, only moments before, over the now dark plains before the tower, the shimmer was now a full vortex of rushing time and space. It was now large enough to fit a good size army through. But as the portal swirled and swelled slowly in size, only one thing began to materialize through. A dark mist was seen at first slowly seeping through the portal untouched by the cyclone in the middle. Following the dark mist was what appeared to be a cloaked figure. It was floating effortlessly through the vortex and came out right over the field, still floating above the ground.
              The head was all black, and there were no visible eyes or nose or mouth, but the features looked like they should have been there. The sockets were empty but deep. A small bump extended from the face as if it was a nose, but it had no features. Its cloak was wrapped around the entire body and floating down almost to the ground. It appeared not to have any arms, so all there was to see were its head and cloaked body floating above the ground, letting off a dark mist around it. The thing looked around and suddenly let out a high pitch sonic wave that was heard by all in the tower. At that moment the tower itself sprung its own defense as well. Never before had anyone in this age seen such a sight. The tower walls suddenly glowed a brilliant white and thousands upon thousands of archangel's began to fly out of the light itself. This is what the Archilon and Higharch felt. The archangel's were lining up outside the tower walls in a formation to defend the tower.
The statues of the larger Archangels that stood on each side of the gate's to the tower sprang to life as well. Each walked forward only a few steps (but many step to an ordinary man) and slammed their staves into the ground. As they did, glowing white-blue orbs appeared above the staves and emitted beams of light straight up high into the air. The beams collided when they reached the proper height and rained down like a waterfall on all sides of the surrounding area encasing the tower itself, and the archangels still lining up in formation outside the tower walls.
              The creature watched all this from his safe distance and let out a little laugh.
Always the same, like rats and turtles - hide in your hole and hide in your shell. No matter.... The creature raised its head and let out another sonic wave, this time no real sound came out, just the sonic boom. Immediately, dark creatures began rushing through the opening. The original being floated to the side of the portal as to not get hit, as if he would.
            "My lord Sorg, it is done. We are here..." The creature sent this telepathically to his master.
            After a moment of silence a voice responded. The voice was chilling and deep, and filled even the wicked at heart with dread.
            "Finally...."