AUTHORS NOTE- Yes, this is short. Yes, that is why it's the prologue. Yes, the chapters DO get longer. And Yes, they do get better. R & R!
Prologue
I was dead. Once again, I was staring at the gate awaiting my fate. I do not regret my death. For Al, I would go through much more to make sure he was safe. My only regret was that my being gone would hurt him. Now, standing in front of the gate, I felt insignificant. As if nothing I did had mattered and everything had ended. I gave a small, pained smile. Unlike the previous visits to the gate, this time I had nothing left to lose. I had accepted death and whatever judgment would be given to me. The gate slowly crept open, showing the yawning darkness within that seemed to eat the light. The eyes of the gate-children stared at me as their hands began to reach out. "Goodbye, Al," was the last thing I said before the black hands grabbed me. Nobody noticed the tear sliding down my face.
Darkness. Pulled through the never ending black, whisked along to the other side of the gate. I acknowledged what was going on passively, I didn't care. Maybe I would end up in some sort of Afterlife, or maybe I would once again arrive at the London on the other side of the gate. Suddenly, I realized something was off. I could no longer feel the black hands. Opening my eyes, I saw why; in front of me where more gates. More than I could count. They stretched into the distance as if imitating the number of stars in the sky. Each gate was unique, with a different design imprinted on it. Some were decorated with numerous, small decorations that, if I decided to get closer, would most likely tell a story about where the gateway led. Other gates had only one, large carving that took up the entire gate. The only thing each had in common was the size: all gates were the exact same size, same general outline.
In front of me there were three gates clearly the closest. While some of them looked like it would take hours to reach them these three were only a stone's throw away. Walking closer to the gates, I noticed something out of the ordinary. On the leftmost gate was a rose. A soft red, it was so detailed it looked too real to be a carving. Upon closer inspection, the rose was wrapped almost delicately in a thorny vine. The thorns seem to gently cup the flower, giving the feeling of protection even being just a carving. The right door had two crossed swords on the front, carvings of snakes and mythical creatures dancing around the blade. A border of flowing waves skimmed around the door frame, but even that peaceful carving somehow seemed menacing. It gave off a hostile aura that practically dared me to try and approach it. But it was the middle one that caught my eye. It was one of the barest carvings I'd seen, with only one design on the entire gate. Twisting around it was a blue arrow, almost shining with an internal light. I could probably give a guess at the land the other two gates lead to, but this one had no clue to whence it might lead.
Reaching up, I softly touched the head of the arrow. Coincidentally, it was right in the middle of the door; halfway between the two sides. The arrow began to glow a bright white color, then the doors slowly creaked open. As I watched, transfixed, a soft wind began blowing. At first it was like a gentle breeze, enough to ruffle some papers. But then it began to blow harder, pulling the air through the gate. Soon it was hard for me to keep my balance in the gale. The wind began to slowly pull me towards the door and, with the smooth flooring, I could not stop myself. As I was pulled through the doors I passively wondered where it would take me.