Prologue 2: A time to die...

"So, do we have a deal?"

A child, no older than sixteen, held his hand up, watching flames encircle it in fascination.

"What's in it for me?"

The other figure, a man, perhaps in his twenties or so, took the hood down on his darkened maroon cloak.

"Whatever you want. Power, money.. fame... she can give you it all."

The teenager's mouth twisted into a frown.

"I want to kill him."

The man laughed, a sound that was throaty and full... but it felt somehow wrong to the teenager's ears.

"You don't understand do you? If you agree.. you can make that silly boy your slave. Destruction is such a broad term. You can kill him in his mind long before you kill his body."

The teenager perked up at this.

"Truly?"

The man laughed again, walking over to the teenager. He took the fire encircling the teenager's hand into his, and doused it in his bare palm. He opened his palm, showing burned skin.

"Don't doubt what you can do."

Doubt crossed the teenager's face.

"Isn't this.. wrong?"

The man laughed again.

"Silly boy. Right and wrong, good and evil are such relative terms. The one who writes history decides what was wrong and what was right; who was evil may be the heroes of today. Perhaps this may be wrong to another.. but to you, it can be the most pure right."

The teenager sighed.

"All right. I'll do it."

The fire extended from his hand, singeing a corner of a pristine piece of papyrus.

"So, what do I do?"