Prologue

*Here is the proglogue to Shattered Realms, be gentle on me and enjoy.*

Prologue
To a man with two eyes the world seemed content. But, to a man with many eyes chaos was everywhere.Harkin smiled to himself, his own dark thoughts had pulled his thin lips upward. The smile was gone as quickly as it had come, these creatures who roamed this world....how he hated them all. Shaking the thoughts from his head, Harkin stuffed a hand into one of the hidden pockets in his robes and produced a small piece of black cloth. Setting the cloth against his forhead, Harkin began whispering, words that made even the most powerful arch-mages cringe in fear. The words of a God. The black cloth begin grown & soon it covered the top half of Harkin's body. The spell was nearly complete when he felt it, small at first, almost intangible than he felt it again. The one thing Harkin loved suddenly assailed him:Hate. "Most intriguing." The smile suddenly found it's way back onto Harkin's lips and it stayed there. Quickly Harkin attuned his mind to the overwhelming sense of hate and found it in a child, not far from his spot either. "Most intriguing indeed." Harkin's smile quickly became a sneer as he set off after his prize.
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"I said the game's not fair Ben!" The young prince puffed out his chest as he stormed off. His latest attempt at beating his brother at 'Mountain King' had not gone his way. "Fine! Be a baby just be back before dark Sartris!" The words floated back to Satris yet landed on deaf ears for he wasn't listening to his eldest brother. The third child in line for the throne, Sartris was not content with his lot in life. Power was the name of the game in his family and Satris was the third child thus power was never his to attain.Sartris sighed deeply, at thirteen years of age Sartris looked like he was still a baby, skinny, average height....no muscles like his older brothers nor could he compete with the charisma of his younger sister Kailen. Life was not going as planned for the young prince...but what could he do, kill his brothers? Sartris laughed to himself, the thought has crossed his mind almost daily since he was seven years old but his brothers were already training in the art of swordplay with their father. Sartris held his hands in front of face.....staring at the delicate fingertips that were attached to his hands...not the hands of a warrior. Sartris stared long and hard at his hands....the flame of a keen intelligence burned in his eyes. Magic.....magic was the key to his power. Strength was obviously not his forte but his mind was sharp and he could solve any puzzle his teachers tossed his way. A smile stole it's way onto his boyish face, he knew many teachers at the academy who taught magic to students who showed promise. His smile darkened quickly....he may have the mind of a mage...but not knowng even how the simplest magics worked...there was no way he could prove to his teachers that he was ready for training in the arcane arts. "so very strange to find royalty sitting alone on the forest floor with only his musings to keep him company." Sartris forced his thoughts back to the present as the mysterious voice washed over him. Blinking quickly Sartris scanned the area around him but found no one. "Whose there?" His heart beat rapidly, if it wasn't for his damnable heartbeat he might be able to hear if someone was near him. Sartris may have been scared but his mind was working harder than ever...and he willed himself to calm and take stock of the situation. His vision blurred suddenly, Sartris tried to back up but found his back against the trunk of a very large oak tree. Blinking back tears that stung his eyes Sartris tried to draw the defensive dagger his father had given him just in case something was to happen. "Put that down boy." The voice again and now the dagger he held was to heavy for his hand, the weight dragged down his small arm yet try as he might he could not drop it. "Whose there!?" Sartris screamed, his voice cracked and faltered from the fear. He heard it than, the laughter of his invisible assailant. "Submit to me child and I will make it all go away." The voice seemed closer now almost to close as if the voice only rang in his head. Sartris could take no more..whatever was happening was simply to much for his mind to bear. "I submit!...Please!...Just make it stop!" Than it was over...the heaviness in his arm vanished, his vision returned to normal. Sartris however..felt sicker than ever before. He doubled over almost immediately, the contents of his lunch spilling out over the grass. How weak I must look Sartris thought, doubled over in pain vomiting on the grass. Sartris was sick of himself at this exact moment. Harkin couldn't help but smile at this child as he came out from behind a tree to stand near the boy. Looking down on him Harkin was sure this boy was the one he needed, even now sick on the grass, Harkin could feel the boy's hate. Slowly the pain in Sartris's stomach receded as he placed a hand against the trunk of the oak tree, attempting to stand on his own two legs. He was wobbly at first but the effects he suffered seemed to be fading quickly. Sartris placed a hand on the back of his head, a vain attempt to quell the small headache that was creeping up on him. The headache was his last concern. Out of the corner of his eye Sartris spotted his mystery assailant. A tall thin man, bald head with thin lips that seemed to be in a sneer as Sartris stared at this man. Harkin stared back at the boy, not yet speaking than the boy broke the silence. "You..attacked me...why!?" Sartris's threatening scream seemed more like the voice of a angrey spoiled child, both Sartris & Harkin knew it the moment the words were spoken. Sartris cursed himself silently, he was a prince, his words should hold meaning...but they won't if he cannot find a solid voice in which to speak them with. Harkin slipped a hand from beneath the folds of his robe and held out a small glimmering orb that shone with limitless color. Sartris's words were lost in his own mouth when he stared upon this marvelous little trinket. The colors seemed to a dance & sway as if the colors themselves heard music that only they could hear. Satisfied that he had the boy's attention Harkin cleared his throat. "Do you know what this is boy?" Sartris was silent for a moment...only half hearing the man who had only moments before attacked him with what appeared to be a powerful spell. None of that seemed to matter anymore, what mattered was the orb. Sartris had the strange notion of taking it, hiding it, the orb whispered to him and his hands went to take his prize. Harkin snatched the orb away quickly, tucking it back behind a hidden fold in his robes. "I'll ask again, did you know what that was boy?" Harkin's tone deepened, he needed this boy..but his paitence was growing thin, perhaps it would have been better to kill child while he was under my spell Harkin mused to himself. No, the child was needed besides, there were a dozen villages along the main route...villages that held many children who could sate Harkin's lust for blood. Sartris shook his head quickly, not sure what would happen if his answer didn't satisfy this strange man in robes. "No...I do not know what it was." The answer was quick and to the point, as was taught in the academy. Harkin laughed to himself..how easy this is going to be he thought. "Come child, sit, let me explain a few things to you, than I shall answer some thing's for you." Sartris knew better...he know he should run, hide...escape back to the palace as quickly as he could, but a part of him was interested in this man. Besides, Sartris thought, if I can survive one encounter with this man...than I can surely survive another one. A large smile played over the boy's lips as he took a seat next to the tree, power he mused...if only I could wield power like his.