Prologue: The Universal Archive

As the doors to the Universal Archive creak open, a figure made from grey mist adorned in a blue cloak, floats away from the library carrying a stack of books in his arms.

Ulysses

Guardian of the Universal Archive

As he glides across the bridge that connected the archive to his study, the sound of an explosion rings out across the small pocket dimension Ulysses' home was contained in. He opened up his cloak and stowed the books he was carrying away within the mist that was his body. As the books entered the mist, they disappeared. Closing up his cloak, he turned around to find a crack on the protective dome surrounding the universal archive. "What! How is this possible?!" cried Ulysses, as he rushed back towards the library. Just then, another explosion went off above the dome, destroying it and sending its glass-like pieces crashing down onto the archive's roof. Out of the explosion emerged a streak of green fire, flying directly into the archive. "This can't be possible" he said to himself, quickly flying back into the archive.

Emerging on the other side of the doors, Ulysses began frantically looking between the hundreds of rows of bookshelves for any sign of the evil presence he feared had returned. Hearing a noise to his right, he turned a corner into one of the rows of books. Out of nowhere, an icicle shot up from the marble floor in front of Ulysses. Opening up his cloak once again, Ulysses formed a fist out of the mist and punched directly through the icicle, causing it to crumble. As the icicle cracked and melted, the figure behind the ice attack was revealed. In the distance, Ulysses saw a floating creature with stick like arms and bandages wrapped completely around its head and torso, with a ragged-looking hooded cloak covering its body.

The Watcher

Just your usual roach construct

Alongside the Watcher were two wardens, twitching as they floated next to their commander. "The Watcher?! But you're meant to be dead!" cried Ulysses at the construct floating at the other end of the row.

"Rghimnsaer ilsm avjha yhi rha!" shouted the Watcher, the wraps on its face shaking from the force of the cry.

"Your master? And who would that be?" he responded.

"Noso liwl raktrecear oyu okwn honeu" said the Watcher outstretching its hand, commanding its accompanying wardens to attack their foe. The wardens flew straight towards Ulysses, who outstretched his hands from his cloak. He formed his hands into the shape of a diamond and faced the wardens, splitting it apart, and summoning multiple energy blasts which homed in on the wardens, severely damaging them. Ulysses levitated the cracked wardens with his magic and threw them directly at the Watcher. The Watcher slammed it's bony hand onto the floor, summoning a wall of ice in front of it, which blocked Ulysses' attack. However, the ice wall broke, leaving the Watcher exposed. Ulysses began advancing. In response, the Watcher changed to blight magic and began shooting beams of paralysing electricity at the caretaker, all of which he dodged by weaving in between each blast. In an attempt to slow Ulysses down, the Watcher raised its arms into the air, causing multiple books on the shelf to open and spew out sand all over the floor.

"Sand? You know I can fly right?" said Ulysses as he approached it. The Watcher lifted its arms into the air, raising the sand upwards into Ulysses. As the sand carried him towards the ceiling of the archive, Ulysses slammed his arms into the sand, sending a shockwave across the whole archive and causing the sand to fall back down onto the Watcher. Falling through the air, Ulysses pulled his arm back, ready to punch the roach construct laying on the ground directly below him. However, before he could reach it, a swirling pit of fire opened below the Watcher, consuming it, and closing just as Ulysses hit the ground. Ulysses' punch sent cracks through the floor and caused some of the books on the shelves beside him to fall over.

"A portal? Then it is him". Floating back up, the caretaker shouted "Alright Selvar, show yourself! I know you're lurking somewhere around here!".

In response a voice echoed across the archives, "Slow down there bud! I can't have you destroying all of my underlings immediately!"

"Where are you, you snake? How did you escape the forgotten zone?!" he asked, frantically searching the archive around him.

"There's no use dwelling on something as insignificant as the forgotten zone, right? I think you should be more worried about what is going to happen next," said the voice. Suddenly, from in between the books on the shelves, multiple chains coated in emerald fire sprung out at Ulysses, coiling around his body. As he tried to break free of this makeshift prison, he could hear the sound of fire swirling behind him and forming a portal. Out of the portal emerged a being comprised entirely of emerald fire. It's build was similar to a human yet lacking any human qualities. Their eyes were just two large white ovals which changed based on their emotions.

Selvar

Fire consumed scourge of the universe

"I'm going to make this quick Ulysses. I'm not one for tearful reunions. I'm sure you understand" said Selvar, walking in front of the chained-up Ulysses.

"Tell me beast! How did you escape?!" yelled Ulysses as he struggled against the chains, feeling his power being drained through them by the second.

"Listen Ulysses. I've got work to do, and you aren't at the top of my priorities right now" said the fire demon, walking away from him. He raised his hand in the direction of Ulysses, clenching his fist. "I will, however, be taking those books you have" he said, further constricting the chains wrapped around the guardian. Selvars fiery hands further ignited, as he used his powers to rob Ulysses of the books he was carrying before. Snatching the books out of the air, he began inspecting them. "Spyro the dragon? This sounds like a children's tale"

"Every work is worth studying! You should know that!" he shouted back, gasping for air.

"Oh, I know that. It's just, you devote your time to doing menial things like this? And these other books too. Monkie Kid? Shovel Knight?" he said, tossing the books aside. "However, since you seem so interested in these books, I might begin my conquest with these worlds"

"Don't you dare! All of these worlds are valuable. If you're doing what I think you're going to do, you would be destroying the delicate balance we worked so hard to create!"

Selvar turned back to Ulysses. He clapped his hands together, summoning a portal beneath the constricted caretaker. "I don't have the patience to discuss this with you. Leave my sight, and never return" he said scornfully, as the chains wrapped around Ulysses began to dissipate into small embers. Ulysses fell, the portal swallowing him whole. As he lost consciousness, he could hear the laughter of Selvar echo through the archive.

And so, the cross wars began.

Authors Message: What's up? So, as you might have noticed, I decided to go back and rework the prologue to the crossover chronicles. My previous iteration had poor grammar, was really short, and was made at a time when I didn't have the whole story of the crossover chronicles planned out. So, enjoy this new and improved version of the prologue! And stay tuned for chapter 3.