I need to stop doing things on a whim...seriously. This is getting to be annoying to myself, not sure about anyone else. But I get ideas and they keep bothering me until I get them actually dealt with and sorted out and such. That and as it works out perfectly in the in game story, it'll give me an easy time to work with it.

So yes, I writing this now...and I have an idea of where to take this...and I know what I'm going to do with it. So, without further ado...OK, at the time of writing this, I have no idea what to name it. So yeah. Let's see what happens.

Oh, by the way. I'm not going to name the chapters after the chapter names in game. Chapter 1 here won't be chapter 1 in game. It's how I normally deal with things like this that have in game chapters. And there will be one other thing.

Do note though, this is long for a prologue...even by my standards. It's going to be more then one chapter. I don't know how much exactly, but considering the main game starts at Southtown, that's when chapter 1 will officially start.

Prologue I

The end where I begin

I was running towards a dark throne in an equally sullen and dark room, fancily dressed and set with a formal royal carpet leading the route up to the throne itself, mysterious emblems set up on banners hanging from flagpoles. I was in a dark cloak, covering all of my person, a section of the pommel of my blade banging against my side with a thick leather tome in my hand.

I was running towards the throne as fast as my legs could carry me, my leather boots giving off a light patter as I took each step.

I heard another person, seeing a young man holding a silver sword with a gold inlay, a hole in the blade near the hilt. The man himself had short neat blue hair around his clean face. He was just taller then me, wearing blue leather, having 3 sets of bronze straps around his body, one holding a sheathe on his thigh, the other two securing his long white cape and a steel arm guard. He wore plate mail on his lower body, with his sword hand uncovered save for a gauntlet, with a tattoo of something near the shoulder on the outer side of his arm. He was clutching his sword in both of his hands.

He overtook me, yelling at the top of his lungs, holding his blade ready to strike. I slowed down, letting him begin things as I peeled off. He ran at a dark figure, swinging his blade, only to be dodged. Both were so fast as I could only see a flurry of sword swings and electric currents dispersing as the apparent mage brushed the sword off, both giving a cry of frustration as they fought.

I walked around, trying to find an opening, holding my left hand up and producing a fireball in it. The mage threw his hand down as the fighter jumped back, a massive black fireball crashing down barely after the guy rolled under it, taking a quick swing as he got close enough. The mage disappeared, the swordsman looking up, then to me.

"UP THERE!" he shouted. My eyes shot up, seeing the mage throwing another black fireball down from the ceiling, this time towards me. I gasped, turning around and dashing away, the shockwave from the blast throwing me away from it in a white haze. I swung around in the air, throwing the fireball at him, rolling as I hit the ground and recovering. I watched as the fireball hit the ceiling, a blue outline of the mage slowly dissipated. I looked back down quickly, hearing the mage shouting 'you fool!' or something at me.

I looked at my apparent ally, seeing him raising his sword again. Suddenly a bolt of lightning hit him, throwing him against a wall, dust flying up around the swordsman. I almost called his name, lifting a hand up before I saw him recovering, slowly and unsteadily starting to lift himself up with his sword.

I looked to the throne after hearing what I can only describe as electricity pulsing. I saw the mage readying another black fireball, laughing as he prepared to hit my ally with it. I gasped, swinging another fireball out as he threw his, both of them colliding in the air and exploding in a blinding flash of light. I only just noticed how heavily I was breathing, Putting a hand on my chest and slump forward slightly. My ally charged over to me, putting my arm over his back and supporting me. He was as worn out as I was, if not more.

"Come on...keep it together" He told me. I looked over, seeing the mage we were fighting. He was looking over at us two, giving us a leer and laughing as he saw how worn out we were. The only real way I can describe this guy was dark. Dark skin, dark robes, black hair, the works. "Have you got Tiberium?"

"It's sheathed up...might be wise right about now" I replied. I grabbed my sword, drawing it slowly and holding it tightly. It felt light...I didn't look any further at it. Would have been nice to know what this thing is. "I don't think...I can keep this up..."

"You've done...a lot more then this..." He patted my side, both of us finally having the strength to stand on our own. "You not alone, Dark. You're one of us, and never forget that" He took his stance once more, and I held the blade low in front of me, standing side on.

"Let's make this count"

My ally charged forward, and I followed his lead, both of us shouting as the mage threw another spell at us, barely missing us both and smashing the wall behind us. The swordsman got into range, jumping forward and slamming his sword down at the mage, the mage stepping back as the sword hit the ground. The swordsman followed up, swinging the blade up, getting shrugged off by another lightning hand, then getting punched back by it.

I got to the fight, swinging my blade low to try and cut at his legs, the mage letting his tome go to bring the electricity to his other hand, grabbing the blade of my sword and yanking it out of my hand, throwing it behind him as I somehow managed to summon ice around my arm, the end sharpened to a killer point as I tried to punch him.

This time he summoned up fire in his hand, catching the point of my ice and holding it in front of him, barely touching his chest. He gritted his teeth, my arm flaring in agony as some unknown pressure was put on it.

"Good...good...let your rage out" He taunted, his voice low, determined, gravelly. I gritted my teeth, throwing a kick at him with whatever I had left, this time the reaction was worse. He grabbed my leg, electricity pulsing through his hand and now into me. My body erupted in agony and I cried out in pain. The mage just laughed. "This will all be over soon"

"For you it will be!" the swordsman shouted once more.

Next thing I saw was a bloodied blade sticking out of the chest of the mage. His grip on me faded as blood splashed on me. My spells faded, as did his, the blade being quickly withdrawn. We both recoiled, taking a few paces back away from one another. My ally quickly ran over to me, supporting me as I nearly fell over. The mage burning in a weird blue fire, falling to his knees as he reached out to us one last time.

We gave him a good distance as the fire burnt, the swordman letting me go as we both started recovering from the fight. We watched him burn for a short period, making sure that it was over.

My ally looked at me, relieved and smiling as he sheathed his blade. I looked at him, giving him a smile back.

"This isn't over..." The mage commented, his voice faded and almost non-existent. "Damn you both!"

The mage shot back up to life, quickly throwing another fireball. I gasped as it flew to my ally, throwing my arm out and pushing him out of the way, shoving him to the floor as the fireball hit me.

I must have whited out at this point, as the next thing I knew I was on the floor, pain coursing through my body from the flames. It can't have been that long. My ally ran over to me as I laid on my side.

"Dark!" He cried, running over to me and cradling my head. "Are you all right?" I couldn't answer, only nodding as I answered. "May as well give me an answer"

"I've...been worse..." I managed to fight out a reply. "Is that it?"

"That's the end of him" He spoke. "Looks like we did it" I turned my head, seeing the body now burning itself out. The swordsman turned to me again. "Thanks to you we carried the day"

"Wasn't me alone mate" Mate...that's what I always call him. I don't even know his name.

"We can rest easy now" I looked away as I started the chore of getting back up. "At long last..."

The same thing happens every time at this point...the red pulses in front of my eyes, the paralysing pain, even though I can still move. I pick myself up slowly as my friend gave me a hand. The pain pulses, almost blinding me as the world turns red. When I get to my feet, my friend turns, seeing my face and changing from his smile to a worried look.

"Hey, are you OK?" something happens with my hand beyond my control. "Stay with us" He begs. Something happening in my hand still. "Dark, hang o-"

He never finishes the sentence as I thrust my hand at his chest, his eyes losing their focus. He lets me go, backing up and holding his chest, a spear of lightning in it, puncturing all the way through it. I raise my hand, looking at it and seeing the sparks ricocheting around it. His breath is laboured, trying his best to keep standing, terror gripping me.

"This is not your fault..." He speaks, swallowing several times. The red mist faded at this point. "Promise me..." I put my hands on his shoulders.

"Stay with me" I beg. He swallows again.

"Promise me...that you'll escape from this place..."

"I'm only leaving if you do as well" His left leg lost it's strength, and I went down with him. "Stay with me!"

"...I'm sorry...Dark" He wheezes out, crashing down to the floor. I stand up slowly, shaking my head as I back up.

"No...no" I hear a laugh in the background from the mage again, starting to just walk over to where my sword was thrown. "I'm not done yet..."

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP.

In the past I got told something by a sailor...just randomly really.

There's the calm before the storm...you need to enjoy it while it lasts

because when that storm hits...that's it...

you're in for the ride of your life...

Damn alarm. I wake up slowly, my eyes adjusting to the sunlight blazing in through the window at JUST the right damn angle to blind me. I cover my eyes whilst my other hand scrambles for the mobile phone, mentally cursing myself for setting the blighter up in the first place. Why did it always have to when I have bad nights that it decides to be really chirpy? I shook my head, checking the time...too fricken' early in the morning...at 9am...wait a sec...wasn't there something I needed to-

"CRAP! LESSONS!"

Yeah...so, let me give you a quick run down for those who aren't aware, which I'm pretty much sure is everyone actually listening to me. My name is Craig. I'm 20 years old and a Uni Student at Derby (who runs late every so often because of alarm problems) I'm...decently tall, brown short hair and a guy (if you couldn't tell by the fact that I don't normally describe myself.) and generally fit enough to hold my own, thank god at the moment considering I'm running full pelt. Right now I'm wearing a leather jacket (seems to be my trademark) over a white polo shirt and dark jeans and boots. Though I don't wear them as much as I used to. Shame really as they are nice boots.

As I'm running with my bag on my back, hoping that I don't end up too late for lectures, ducking, dodging and diving my way between people heading back from earlier lectures, not to mention the odd hellos and maybe a shuttle bus.

I was about halfway there, running down a route with no one on it, but not looking where I was going. I saw a guy fishing in the pond of all things, his dog nearby enjoying the spring sun. I couldn't help but smile at this point.

Well, until I bumped into something soft.

I heard a soft moan, followed by a panicked 'whoa' then finding myself falling to the ground face first. I landed on something soft, only lightly groaning, but someone else gave a louder one. I raised my head slightly, shaking it before looking at what had become my mattress, so to speak.

How exactly to explain this to them is going to be- wha?

OK, right now...I will have to apologise to her.

It was a young woman, roughly my age. No marks on her face at all, with silver eyes...I presume she's wearing those contacts that change your Iris colour, quite tall, around my height, with red hair going curling around her head, covering her left eye. She was wearing a black...almost cloak with weird symbols running down the sides. The cloak covered just about everything apart from her legs, these by leather trousers. She also has a book hanging from her waist, a thick leather bound tome.

"Sorry" I spoke, lifting myself up quickly and offering my hand for her. "Need to look where I'm running" She took my hand with a gloved one of hers, shaking her head as she pulled herself up. She looked at me for a bit, as I had done with her.

"Don't worry...I've been a mile away myself" she replied, taking everything of me in, even more intently then a normal woman would in the situation. Her face suddenly changed at a point, putting a finger quizzically to her chin. Her voice was soft, almost too calm for anyone "Sorry, have we met? I feel like I know you" huh? That came from nowhere. "It's erm...Elias?" I shook my head.

"I'm sorry Miss, but I don't think we have...Elias isn't my name either" I scratched my head, thinking that this was going no-oh crap. "Oh jeez, gotta run" I started running again, turning to her as I left. "Nice to bump into you Miss!"

She half laughed at this, waving me off before I left.

Running late...something I needed to work on.

But considering how things normally worked out, I'd be fine.

The thing is...I often worked out a plan to get around this.

Not like it was going to get me killed if it went wrong...

OK, these won't keep dragging on, I promise, it'll be a small number of these, but there's a reason for it. Heck, the story doesn't really begin until we're in Ylisse right?

…...right?