'I don't want to be here,' Corvus thought. Even now it was hard to stop himself from crying. At the age of 16, he really didn't want to cry around so many others.

He was currently standing in a large room. All round the room there were wrought iron chairs, encrusted with large gems and upholstered with fluffy cushions. If this were an ordinary house, these chairs would be the focal point. However, here they were nearly insignificant. Looking up a short set of steps there was the only chair in this room that mattered. It was gilded in gold and adorned with jewels. Even one of those would feed a family for years, but here it was just a symbol of wealth.

He had been lead here when he approached the castle requesting an audience. Corvus counted himself lucky to not have been treated rougher. He was little more than your average peasant. It was only the seal on the message he had been asked to deliver that had gotten him through the gates. He had been standing there on the verge of running off, when the guards looked at him as if they were judging a new recruit.

'I just want to hand over this dumb letter and get out of here.' He wanted so badly to just leave, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Blinking back more tears, he crumpled the letter a bit in his hands. Were his circumstances different he might just want to go home, but now he wasn't sure of where home really was any more.

Up until a few days ago his home had been a small cottage, just outside the city walls. There wasn't much there. A few bedrooms, and a kitchen. Not much at all, but more than enough for him and his mother. He could still remember waking up to the smell of her baking bread.

"Hah," he couldn't stop the choked chuckle form coming out. He might smell fresh bread again, but it would never be quite the same. How could it? Not when his mother was gone. It was her time, is what she said but Corvus didn't understand how that could be she barely looked old enough to have a son his age.

That was when she gave him the letter. She told him that if he presented it to the king, he would get the answers he sought. 'Why didn't you just tell me yourself! Why! Why. Why ... ?' Corvus started to lose himself in his grief.

"A~hem!"

Looking up with a start, Corvus saw a small man standing near the front of the room.

"If everyone could please sit, we can begin to get things under way," the man requested.

'Get what under way? Was I lead to the wrong place? No, the butler was quite clear on why I was here' As Corvus was thinking the people at the front of the room had started shuffling around and taking their seats. Not entirely sure what to do, Corvus just stepped forward a bit grabbing the seat farthest from the throne. He figured that way if he was in the wrong place he wouldn't be a hindrance to the others, and he could take the opportunity at the end of the audience to present the letter to the king. Seated he looked through the crowded seats, watching the little man up front.

"*cough**cough*" the speaker cleared his throat before announcing, "Presenting his majesty, King Telrok the Void Lord."

A door on the left side of the front of the hall opened and out stepped a young man. This confused Corvus. His mother told him that the king had been ruling for over twenty years before Corvus's birth. Was this the new king? 'No, that's not it,' he decided. He hadn't heard anything about a new king, and as isolated as he was, he wasn't that separated from the city. Besides the troubadour announced him, giving the old king's name.

*Thwump*

The cushion on the throne, poofed as the king dropped himself onto it. Looking at him closely, Corvus began to notice something. Even though the king had a youthful appearance he had grey hair. Not the kind of grey you would expect, it didn't seem like it had turned grey from ageing it looked as thought it had always been grey. For a moment, Corvus remembered seeing someone who had that same hair colour. He just couldn't recall the image clearly. 'It's like ... I was looking at someone's reflec...'

'No! No, that can't be right.'

"Hello," the king greeted everyone, "I imagine you are all wondering why you are here. I imagine for at least one of you here is the last place you want to be right now."

The Void Lord seemed to be looking directly at Corvus as he spoke. To Corvus the kings eyes looked so sad and weary. Like there was no lift left in the man.

"So," Telrock continued, "I will waste no time getting to the point. I have grown weary. I have lived for hundreds of years, and over the course of those years I have lost eight wives, thrice that number in concubines, and just a few days past, my last remaining child passed."

Corvus could almost hear everyone gulp. Had any other stranger tried to tell them this, he would have thought the man mad, people just didn't live that long. Coming from the man on the throne, though, he believed it. Having just suffered a loss himself, he could hear the overwhelming grief in the king's voice.

"Before I move on to why I called you all here, I need to impart to you some information. I am a god, or near enough that making a distinction is irrelevant for you," The king stated. At that moment, the room went still. Had a feather fallen you would have been able to hear it swish in the air. Continuing his speech the Void Lord explained, "And this Realm of existence is but one that I control."

"As I have said, I am weary. I no longer wish to bear the responsibilities of my position. However, were I to abandon my position and leave, the Realms I control would collapse and all the worlds within would be destroyed. This ... ," Telrok paused sweeping his gaze across the seated crowd, " ... this is why I have gathered you all here."

Murmurs spread through the crowd as each person wondered what this had to do with them. Corvus on the other hand, already had a guess. 'It really is like that, huh...'

Corvus took a quick count of the rows of chairs in front of him. 'Sixteen rows of chairs.' Looking to the side he did another quick count. 'Eight chairs per row. That's one-hundred twenty eight chairs on this side of the audience chamber. If the other side is the same then ...,' Corvus continued calculating in his head,'two-hundred fifty six.'

'Ha ha ha ha,' he sorrowfully chuckled in his mind. Had he done so out loud, he was sure someone would have thought he'd gone insane. Though, in a way one could say he had or perhaps that he felt the world had gone mad. He had thought he was alone in the world now and had been lost in the grief of losing his only family. He was still mourning, but he knew now that he wasn't alone. He had two-hundred fifty six living cousins.

Having given them a moment to settle down the king began again, "You, each and every one of you, are my direct descendants. My grandchildren to be exact. As such ..."

Most everyone seemed like the had gone completely loose. Corvus kind of understood. Had he not noticed the similarities between him and his grandfather he would have received three major shocks in the past hour. Of course, he probably still wouldn't have been as affected as the others because from the start he was already in a bit of a daze.

"... each of you, has some claim to my position." Telrock stated. "However, should you fight over it the result could be devastating and though I have faith that each of you has the potential to be a great ruler ... I have also seen too many people fail to live up to their potential to leave the fate of the realms to chance."

'I'm not sure I'm gonna like this ...' worried Corvus. Several of the others seemed quite intrigued, leaning forward in their chairs.

"I have decided thus: I will hold a contest, and the winner shall be my heir."

"Contest?! What sort of contest?!" shouted several of the gathered people.

"Simply put, one that will test your determination, ability and worthiness. I will send you all to worlds in the Lower Realm, and assign you a task to complete, succeed and you will proceed to the next round, fail and your soul will become part of that planes reincarnation cycle."

Having said that the king waved his hand, and several small lights rose from each of the people in front of Corvus. Pushing his seat back in surprise Corvus didn't even have time to scream before he felt his soul gently separated from his body.

[Authors Notes]

There it is the first prologue I've managed to write. This was mostly written without planning, so there are areas it's going to be weak. If you have any constructive criticism to share, please feel free. Though, please do try to be specific or provide links to resources for areas you think I have done poorly on. Hopefully you enjoyed it.

As I haven't really planned this story out, I have left the tags mostly blank. I checked Mature so I wouldn't need to censor myself when I write, Original because it is an original fiction as opposed to a fan fiction, and Reader Interactive because I have no clue where I am going with this story.

I do have a rough direction I want to head but I am working on improving my writing and trying to actually write. As opposed to spending all my energy planning the story out, so the events of this story aren't plotted out. I do have stories I want to flesh out in that way but there are also times when I just need to write, that is what this story will be.

Also I don't know if I can change it but title suggestion would be welcome. As would any name suggestions. I may or may not use name suggestion but I hate naming things so if you don't like one drop a suggestion and I might change it.