Prologue

Nightmare sat on a hill overlooking his village. His dark gaze swept across the houses dark against the moonlight. His thoughts were bent on a fitting name for this place, a place that would forever lack the light of the sun. A place that had not been seen for many ages, in fact had not been seen in the world since the dark ages, a time in which beasts of the underworld roamed the earth. Ah, that had been a time of luxury when he and his master had ruled over all. It was only at times such as these when he had completed a labor, did he allow himself a few moments of reminiscence of the glory days… and their end.

'Fool' he thought, and whether this muttered word was an admonishment to himself or another it was hard to tell. He and his master had become lax in their vigilance. They had lost their power through arrogance and the power of others. However, this wouldn't happen again, things would be very different this time around. They would use their cunning and wits to destroy all who opposed them.

Bringing his vengeful thoughts to an end Nightmare stood up and and with a maniacal light gleaming in his eyes stretched out his massive right hand towards the village, in it was a sword like no other, it was black as night itself, red veins ran along it from the tip of the blade to the blood red eye on the hilt. He admired this new incarnation with a great deal of satisfaction, he was particularly fond of this blade. Then, without further prolonging a duty that could not be ignored commanded in a voice filled with demonic power: "Bones, blood, death and decay take these things and make them whole, the hounds of Kor, Nor, and Lay."

Out of the shadows of every doorway, every cellar, every store room, and every corner of the village white shadows played across the walls, windows and doors, flowed like drifting dust towards that terrible voice. They were the spirits of the dead. The empty souls that nightmare had left in his wake upon ravaging this village and naming it his own.

Nightmare chuckled. He could never understand the effect Soul Edge had on the souls of the dead. But he knew without a doubt that they would enhance his power, and that of soul edge and with their help he would awaken first the hounds… and then the master.

As the spirits drew near, he thrust the sword into the ground whispering "feed". The sword turned to shadow and darkness except for that red eye and began to spread out and swallow the light of the spirits still seeping out of window and wall. Each time a soul was taken by soul edge, the red eye grew a deeper shade of red. As it took in the last soul the sword's eye burned with a hellish fire and shook in every direction as if it were laughing. At what or whom, Nightmare could never have guessed.

Job concluded, the sword became corporeal once more and sunk into Nightmare's shadow. Nightmare muttered to himself as he turned away heading for the center of the village. There were more souls to consume. It was time to begin building his empire. He knew the hounds must be the first to awaken. This he knew would not be the most simple of things to do however. With his master beside him he had been able to awaken them in a month, Therein lay the problem, with his master this task was an easy matter but it would take him many long and irritating years to awaken the hounds. Once they were awake he would begin the unchaining of his master. That was the endgame of course, for once he and his master ruled once again. They would never, ever let go.

Nightmare, thinking these dark thoughts sat down, soul edge once again in his grasp and across his knees, it's power radiated around him and he closed his eyes. The world turned to dark and the ground began to shake as the feeling that only the presence of evil brings stirred the air. Then, nightmare opened his eyes… and both his eyes and his world, went, black.

The name of this den of evil is the Village Hidden in the Shadows…