Prologue: The Kanarian (draft stage)

Stepping over the fallen totems, a being who was neither man nor god stared toward a galaxy not too far from Kanaria. Clutching a pendulum, he turned his gaze to a winged beast that stood behind him.

“It’s okay, Pegasus,” he whispered and placed a hand on the winged-horse’s mane, the beast’s wings flapping erratically. “I’ll be back soon.”

Pegasus reared back, releasing a high pitch snarl. “Please don’t go,” she whined. “The darkness will corrupt you.”

“Let him go, Pegasus,” another creature slithered up to them, over the barren ground, as he hissed loudly. He was a very large snake, that is, if snakes had three eyes. “He knows what he’s doing. He will find the stone, and we can finally leave this dead planet.”

“Speak quietly, Leviathan,” he told the large serpent and looked around the ruined planet. “If the gods hear you, our plan will crumble.”

The three comrades fell into silence, listening to the grounds of Kanar and the vibrations from the stars of Ia. After they realized no one had heard their conversation, the creature that looked like a god resumed speaking very softly, “While I’m gone, watch over the others. Make sure Jaxel does not eat any more of us.”

Both Pegasus and Leviathan shuddered at the mention of Jaxel’s name. Jaxel was one of the earlier abominations, and he loved to devour the other creations of Nao, wanting to become stronger.

“I will be in contact soon. Nao is sending me to Earth to infiltrate the mortal world. I will find the stone, too. When I come back, we can finally carryout the plan.”

Leviathan and Pegasus watched the man walk toward a portal. He looked back at the two before the portal closed, watching Leviathan wrap around Pegasus’ torso, and they flew away toward the Enclave, the home of the abominations.

Walking out of the portal, he looked around at the area and took in the giant trees and foliage. The strong taste of oxygen almost turned his stomach. He slid a capsule into his mouth to settle his organs. Kanar did not have much oxygen, as most planets in the Kanaria Galaxy were dominated by more severe gasses. Adjusting to the pressure of Earth, the man walked over a fallen tree trunk. He inhaled the oxygen to test how his body would react, though he had no need to breathe any form of gas.

While abominations were technically demigods, their anatomy was disordered. Every new gas they were exposed to could disrupt the rhythm of an abomination’s blood flow, and without the antidote of Kanar’s root, the abomination would suffer internal bleeding. Unable to die, this meant they could spend an eternity of suffering from a slow death that would never come.

A crunching sound came from behind him. The Kanarian turned to a woman hiding behind a tree. “You don’t belong here, Kanarian. This is not your land,” she told him.

“Who are you?” he asked. “Why can you speak Kanarian?”

“Lucifer taught me,” she said boastfully. “On Eden, under the trees of Url.”

“Edenian,” the man said, astonished anyone had survived the explosion. Nao had told him that the Edenians had all died.

The woman’s eyes widened in a dazzle.

“Who are you?” he asked the woman whose skin was translucent, like foggy water, blanketed with a pale pink.

“Interesting…” The woman looked up at the abomination. “Why do you look like Cain?” Her lips crept up into an upsetting grin, and fire sparked at her fingertips. “Did Nao send you here to take Cain’s place?”

The man did not have time for the woman’s musings and said, “I need to speak to your king.”

She chuckled lightly. Her eyes lost the glisten of joy, turning a dull blue. “You think that is wise? Do you know who the king of this land is?”

“Ezra,” he replied.

“No. He does not go by that name any longer. His name is Lucien.” She walked around him.

“My name’s Frost,” he said and watched her circle him like a shark who just spotted something interesting. “What’s your name?”

“They call me the Spirit,” she replied. “The people who rule this world, that is.” She stopped circling him and found an entryway into his mind. “But you can call me Syn, Frost.”