Note: And so this is how it begins folks. From the hard work accomplished from Dontnod Entertainment themselves that all began in a little town known as Arcadia Bay, to the inspired prequel achieved by Deck Nine, to my deepest ambition I've maintained in my fan fictional arts of writing up until now, I bring you the Mockingjay/Return of the Jedi in a young adult saga known as Life is Strange. From the cliffhanger of After the Storm that set up the final chapter of Max Caulfield herself!

I stand before you all, in this hour of triumph, after gradually completing the Catching Fire/The Empire Strikes Back of Life is Strange, I bring to all my fellow readers and Life is Strange fan around the globe new and old, Life is Strange: Eternity War. In this grand finale of Max's tale, Max will endure her biggest and most breathtaking adventure yet. In a story of love and loss, change and hope, sacrifice and struggle, brotherhood and sisterhood, chaos and despair, affection and power, tragedy and limits, and letting go and holding on, let us never forget how far I've come to take on this task into my own hands. Let us never forget how passionate we are of the characters we've embraced our hearts to in Arcadia Bay and beyond. And let us never forget why we love life is strange until the end of time. Never, ever, and forever. For the time has come for Max Caulfield to come back with a bang!

Enjoy this first episode ladies and gents! Rhymes with Beethoven! Stay Golden!

"Why is all around us here as if some lesser god had made the world, but had not force to shape it as he would. Till the High God behold it from beyond and enter it. And make it beautiful?"

- Arthur, in 'The Passing of Arthur' by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Chapter 1 No Sacrifice

Arthur - Age 37 (POV)

Merlin - Age 57

July 25th, 487 AD

7:37 AM

The Dark Battle

Meridian Prime

Human - Rag'n'bone Man

The dark times had fallen. A battle had spawned across the island of Meridian Prime. Knights and Vikings brawling in the battlefield. A fight between the Saint Loomis order of England led by I, King Arthur, and the Saxons of Germany. Soldiers and warriors clashing for their lives with swords, shields, and bows with arrows. Catapults launching fireballs across the battleground blowing fighters away like popcorn. The battle was bloody as it was vigorous.

In the battle on Meridian Prime, soldiers were gutted by the steel of swords. Soldiers on horsebacks were dismounted from their own horses by the led of arrows. Horses pranced around the battleground fleeing and naying in distress. Massive flaming projectiles from the catapults collided into the dirt searing everything into rubble and devastating everyone into scorched corpses. Arrows raining down in the air faster than a flock of birds and plummeting on the dirt and slaughtering assailants. Saxons howling on their side in the battlefield like a pack of ferocious wolves. Holding sickles, clubs, axes, hatchets, and mallets in their hands. Their anthem of war.

Though the Saint Loomis army was losing the battle, I and Sir Lancelot rode on their horsed coming to the rescue with the rest of the Loomis leaders and enforcers from the round table. Overlooking the battle from their horsebacks. Watching our men get butchered by the Saxons. They all sat on their horse saddles. Some holding Loomis flags and banners while observing the bloody battlefront. They couldn't stand to see their army loose to the Saxons. They did not have the numbers for reinforcements and my compatriots could wait no longer for my magician Merlin to bring whatever special forces he was to summon for the fight.

"Where in hell is your so-called, magician?" Lancelot asked.

"He will be here, Lancelot," I assured to my fellow knight. "He swore it."

The Saxons appeared to be doubling their numbers as the enemy reinforced themselves from the woods outside the battlefield. Adding more pressure onto the Loomis army.

"They're preparing for a second wave," said Lancelot.

When the Saxon enforcements came marching in, archers lit their arrows with fire to fire another round in unison. Then the tribal Vikings got their range on and one of them roared 'Charge!' to fight their next wave. Then the Saxon warrior charged into a stampede to start clashing against Loomis knights and soldiers. Then Loomis reinforcements on horses came charging down on their horse back to begin their next attack run on the Saxon and counter their second wave.

One of my knights commander my reinforcements named Tristan, led the next wave of my men attacking.

"This...this is what the end looks like," said Tristan on his horseback.

As soon as Tristan's enforcements charged against the opposing force, the Saxon archers fired the flaming arrows in the air to cut down their enemy. The enemy of the enemy began clashing against their will struggling to butcher their opponents before they got butchered themselves. Regardless who was killed in battle first, fireballs from the catapults continued to arc over the battleground to plummet onto to dirt to disembowel more fighters off their horses or off their feet.

My knights and I continued watching their get bested by the Saxons. Running out of hope for winning the fight.

"You're so called magician, Merlin, cannot help us," said Percival next to Lancelot and I. "We're outnumbered one hundred to one. How are we gonna get out of this?"

"He promised us a weapon," said Arthur. "One of great power."

"Arthur, you are my King," said Gawain, another knight of mine. "I will lay down my life for you, but this - Merlin, is no wizard."

"He's a worthless drunkard," said the other knight.

Merlin

July 25th, 487 AD

7:42 AM

Meridian Orchard

Meridian Prime

I rode on my horse across an orchard to find place withholding the weapon of great power. A weapon known as the Eternity Gauntlet. In order to find the Eternity Gauntlet, I would need to enter the cavern that would take me to the underground lost city of Providence. Where I would find the Ark of Genesis holding the Eternity Gauntlet for me to use to help win the war for my King Arthur against the Saxons.

I halted my horse for one moment as it jerk upward and nayed for a second. I felt like I need another swig of my whiskey. Feeling exhausted after thirty miles of galloping by horse.

"Whoa," I say stopping my horse. "Oh god, I'm sozzled. One last nip."

I take my bottle of whiskey and chug a sip down my throat until I've quenched my thirst. A raven had flown above me where I stopped. It was the raven I was told to follow. The spirit raven the Sisters of Fate told me to follow to reach Mount Genesis. I then signal my horse to keep riding northward.

I ride northbound across the Meridian Plains and up towards Mount Genesis. Proceeding where the raven had flown. Where I'd find the secret passage to Providence and find the Ark of Genesis to claim the Eternity Gauntlet. Magic does exist. It had been found long ago. Inside the lost city of Providence. Where I would be entering to complete my journey.

Once I have reached my destination up on Mount Genesis, I had seen the raven coming to a stop resting by a mystic door and then flew away. This was indeed the place. I dismount from my horse to gain entry. I take my magic staff from my sheath to access the door to the hidden passage to High Providence. The door opens with ease when I use the magic from my staff to unlock it. Then I proceed into the dark passage to the lost underground city. I step onto a panel inside the dark cavern that would teleport me to the Providence domain. And so it does.

When I teleport into the buried city, I'm taken directly to the Ark that's central to the domain. Where I'm to meet Chronos the god of time for my bargain I made with him to help me complete my task for Arthur. Just as the Sisters of Fate had guided me to.

"Hello!" I holler in the darkness of the Ark. "Hello! It is I! Conquer of spirits! Master of the dark arts! Is anyone there?!"

I take another swig of my whiskey waiting for Chronos to come for our meeting. But no one arrived.

"It is I, Merlin," I say. "The wizard? Remember me?"

Suddenly, an immobilization field of some kind raised me off my feet and restrained me limb from limb. I could barely move and inch of myself in the restraining field. Then he came. Chronos had arrived and approached me where I had been caught in his trap.

"The wizard of King Arthur dares to disturb my ark and domain?!" Chronos grunted.

"Wait! No! I kept your secret!" I shouted. "I did! Just as I promised! I told no one of your existence! No one! But you have to understand. The sisters of fate guided me here promising me a fair bargain. We Britains in the order of Saint Loomis are in a desperate fight. End of time sort of thing. I mean it. It's happening up there now as we speak - it's awful. People just clashing in a big bloody battle. I hate to ask, but I need your help."

"And what does a wizard and the Britains of Saint Loomis benefit from my aid? The Sisters of Fate could not have just told anyone about any interest of mine for any impending inquiry. They clearly would've known about a vagrant charlatan who lives a life of fraud."

"There are no spells," said Percival on his horseback. "There is no magic. We retreat. Live to fight another day."

"No!" Arthur persisted. "Without sacrifice, there can be no victory."

Arthur got off his horse, unsheathed his sword, and forked it into the ground. It was no ordinary sword. It was his trademark Excalibur Sword. Marking it as his token of leadership.

"This is madness!" Percival bickered.

"He will be here!" Arthur yelled.

"Alright, I am what they say." I admit. "I'm a lair. I'm a charlatan. I've deceived my whole life - but if I could, for one moment change this world for the better, I would give up everything. Everything! I would give up drink, money, whim - drink and money! Look, good men will die without your help. Women and children. I know your people were destroyed. I'm sorry. But please, don't let ours die too. I beg of you."

"If you wish to atone your fraudulence by surrendering your ego," said Chronos. "The Mantle of Possibility is yours. I will give you the eternity gauntlet. The Chrono Dragon is yours to command."

I hear the shriek and roar of a flying beast above me. It his none other than the Chrono Dragon itself ready for me to command as granted by Chronos himself. I am released from the retraining field and the Eternity Gauntlet is latched onto my hand. Illuminating into a spark of eternal energy.

"Yes," I said. "That would be just the thing."

"Protect this gauntlet," said Chronos. "One day, a great evil will come for it."

I am teleported back to the surface of Mount Genesis. Where the Chrono Dragon flies around in a circle. I ride my horse back to the Meridian Plains where I the dragon flies besides me. As long as the Eternity Gauntlet is in my hands, the dragon is under my power to command whatever I wish. Which is now to help Arthur and Saint Loomis win the Eternity War.

I stop my horse besides a cliff that overviews the battlefield. I guide the dragon towards the direction of the fighting to extinguish the Saxons so Saint Loomis would win.

"Oh...yes!" I chant.

Arthur

July 25th, 487 AD

8:25 AM

The Dark Battle

Meridian Prime

Archers of the Saxons lit up more arrows and shot down more of my men. Tribal Vikings kept mowing down my troops to the ground like pigs. Wherever my wizard Merlin had gone there was no more time to loose as there were no more men left to loose. Every minute Merlin stalls my army is every life taken by the Saxons. Not anymore.

I soon realize my talisman on my body armor and Excalibur Sword illuminate like a lantern. I equip my sword knowing Merlin's reinforcement has arrived. And it had with the Chrono Dragon flying into the battlefield. Prepared to strike a brutal death from above for the Saxons. I raise my sword in the air to rally my knights and soldiers.

"Charge!" I bark.

The Chrono Dragon begins shooting flame from it's mouth incinerating every last Saxon in the skirmish. Destroying the catapults that had devastated most of my army and burning every last Saxon alive into a baking crisp. The dragon then lands on the ground to swipe down some tribal warriors with it's bare wings and roaring into an extraordinarily loud echo of monstrosity. My fellow knights including Lancelot charge through the Saxons to help my troop kill as many as possible as well.

Every Saxon we slay with our swords falls to the ground and is made a corpse. My fellow knights Lancelot, Percival, Gawain, and Tristan fight by side in the middle of the onslaught. With the help of the Chrono Dragon igniting it's incinerating breath to do the heaviest damage to the Saxons. And just when we thought we had won the battle and cleansed half the Saxons while the other half retreated, this is what occurs next.

Clouds of lightning darken the sky. Then a mysterious armored figure is manifested from a hole in the clouds as lightning sparks from it. This figure drops down thousand of feet up in the air and plummets to the ground with a heavy tremor caused from it's landing. This figure was no random one. This figure was a celestial being wearing heavy Greek armor and a horned helmet. This figure was Ares the god of war.

"Impossible," I said.

"Where I stand, anything is possible," said Ares.

The war god himself released a devastating force pushing Arthur and the other knights into thriving blow. While my fellow knights were knocked unconscious, I got up on my knees and belly crawled my way to my Excalibur Sword. Not before Ares could reach it first and take it for himself. Once he had my sword in his hands, he was somehow now in control of the Chrono Dragon. That now leaped over behind him. Signify it's transferred allegiance to Ares. But that wasn't all.

Every corpse on the ground, both Loomis and Saxon, rose back on their feet. Transformed into metamorphic beast. Zombie like creatures for Ares to forge his own army of undead soldier to fight at his side. The army he had built around him soon became a horde. The horde of the undead crowded behind him and his newly pledged Chrono Dragon that growled and roared before my very eyes. Ones that I could not believe to be true. Just when I was about to chant myself for winning, I still had lost.

"Now, where is the Eternity Gauntlet?" Ares interrogated as I crawled away from him.

"Wherever it is, you won't find it here," I answer. "Turn back."

"Your answer is a fib to be corrected. It is your wizard who posses it if that is correct, isn't it?"

"Just finish it, Ares! You've won. You have beaten us."

"For someone known as the greatest king and warrior of the Britains and Saint Loomis, your far too tempted to surrender your life so easily. You have said so yourself. No sacrifice, no victory. Allow me to repay the favor!"

With his final word said, Ares raises the Excalibur sword. Preparing to strike me down as the roar of the dragon is heard within the war god swinging the sword to my marrow. Executing his last blow to my body and winning the dark battle. As well as the Eternity War.

Note: For those confounded as to what has happened in this prologue, it his set during the Arthurian era where in this universe, King Arthur is the first to lead the order of Saint Loomis with the knights of the round table. Saint Loomis was a fictional cult I created that I referenced in After the Storm. I have tethered this historical event to the Life is Strange verse not only to give this story more realism and also set up the premise and tension for this story. Bare with me, the following chapter is where the real excitement begins. Thank you and enjoy the rest of this premiere episode as it updates!

P.S. In the following chapter, I will unveil my interpretation as to why Max neglected herself from Chloe after her move to Seattle. As to who was the reason Max was distracted from the girl she abandoned on the bay. Also, the raven Merlin the Wizard had followed is the same raven as seen in Before the Storm. That's all.