Chapter 1

A gaunt man sits inside a nightclub. His pale skin and dark suit seem out of place, when most everyone else is wearing bright, colorful clothing. In front of him sits a dull, gray drink. He bought it several minutes ago, but he hasn't touched it since then. He turns to the woman next to him, her skin the color of pine.

"Control, why exactly are we here? I don't recall us ever truly caring about our trapped cohorts, and I get the feeling that blaring music was ever the best way of unleashing one of us." The man says, his voice managing to sound like many many different voices at once.

The woman waves her hand dismissively. "Honestly now, Stranger, I get the feeling they're reaching a breakthrough here. And why wouldn't we stick around to watch the inevitable carnage? Remember when they combined you with Dogma? How you slaughtered your way through the hordes of excited cultists to test out your new abilities?"

The gaunt man sighs. "Yes, and they combined you with Shame. Though I remember the testing of your abilities was much less violent and more... carnal..." The gaunt man can't help but find it disgusting. Humans and their biology...

"Oh, relax, Stranger. This should be fun..." 



Leo was, by all senses of the word, an average college student. He went to classes, he had several close friends... And he was descended from a former lord with great magical powers. Of course, he didn't realize that last part, and it was also far from average. So when he was accosted by several men wearing hoodies and gas masks, he was very, very confused.

"What the hell do you guys even want with me?!?" He had shouted as the men approached him, various weapons drawn and seemingly fully intent on killing him. He had recieved a response from what seemed to be the leader, but it was muffled by the mask he was wearing.

Leo was scared. He was worried that he was seriously going to die here.

That's when the sword appeared. A gleaming cutlass, glowing radiantly and crackling with energy. Leo had no idea how to properly use a sword, but he knew that generally, swinging a sharp object at someone was enough to incapacitate them. So he slashed wildly at the first person to get close to him.

Unfortunately for the man Leo hit, he had managed to sever a limb. Blood flowed freely, terrifying the man, his friends, and Leo. Everyone was shocked into silence and stillness, except for the man who got his arm chopped off. He was screaming and desperately trying to stem the spray of... Black?

Before Leo could get a closer look, the man and his friends had opened a portal to a forest full of black trees and stepped through, closing it behind them. Leo simply stared, stared at where the portal was, stared at the blade in his hands, and stared at the black liquid covering himself and the ground.