Chronicles of Anora Book 1: Paragon of Invasion

Prologue

"...And from then I saw a Lion and a Lamb enter the Throne Room of the Gods, their bodies battered from their turmoils, and so they stood before the gods, bearing with them the cries of those who suffered under the wrath of the unholy, and behind them stood what should be unholy, but they knelt before the Gods, humbled and repentant. The Angels gave their new brothers and sisters fresh cloth to cover their disfigured bodies, wine and bread to feed them, and a warm welcome to soothe their weary hearts. And so the Gods stepped forward, and called forth 8 Gates, held shut by seals of great power."

"The Lion, granted Power, Honor, Wisdom, and Authority above all others, was told to break the First Seal, which bore the image of a King upon his Throne, and he did. When he opened the First Seal, the gates opened to reveal a Dark Void, and from it stepped a White King, dressed in divine white armor of Bone, Scale, and Dragonsteel whilst sporting a cloak of skin. His eyes were the color of majesty and his hair a darker shade as he stepped forward, and knelt before the Gods, being given a crown of Fang, of Claw, of Bone, and of Scale, whilst being armed with a bow of Divine Power and Holy Authority. He was given arrows of Holy Wrath in which to strike down the wicked and those who worship them, and so he nocked an arrow and drew his bow, firing towards the Second Gate, and the sound of shattering metal could be heard as the Second Seal, holding the Sigil of a Dragon biting its Tail, broke."

"And Lo, from the Void, I beheld an Albino Dragon, scales as bright as the stars and white as the clouds that travel the sky, and eyes the deepest shade of darkness. She stood before the Gods, proud and strong, but showed them great humility and kneeled to them, bowing her head. She was given a saddle of the finest make, crafted of gold and studded with jewels, in which her rider caressed her cheek for a moment before climbing in. And so they took to the skies, and the rider, bearing his crown and his bow, went conquering, to conquer the lands taken by the wicked and those that were of the wicked. It was then the Lamb, bearing an aura of innocence, grace, beauty, and love approached the Third Seal, bearing the symbol of a woman holding a collection of heads, and broke it."

"From the Void came a woman dressed in fine, albeit revealing, armor, in which she smiled maliciously, her mouth bearing the fangs of a beast, aching for blood. She knelt before the Gods, loyal and honorable, seeing them as her only Masters. She was given a mighty sword that thirsted for the blood of the wicked, and a shield that would withstand even the might of the gods themselves, crafted to protect the innocent. With Armageddon in her hands, she stepped towards the Fourth Gate, and beheld its seal, one emblazoned with the Image of a Dragon En Rampant. With one quick strike, the seal shattered, and the gate was opened to release a mighty inferno."

"And Lo I beheld a Red Dragon, his blue eyes burning with wrath and his bloodlust matched only by his partner, who sung a song to calm his fury, and help him contain it. Brought to serenity, the dragon beheld his masters, and knelt as a terrifying saddle of Iron was placed on his back, and mighty battle armor equipped to his body. The woman caressed the cheek of her beast for but a moment before climbing into the Saddle, equipping her weapons once on. With a quick movement, the Red Dragon took to the skies and went forth to reave, sack, pillage and burn, leaving not a moment's peace for the wicked, and freeing the innocent who had been enslaved. It was here Two of the Gods stepped forward, Mighty Solaris, he who rules the heavens, and Selene, she who rules the Earth, stepped forward, and beheld the Fifth Seal, which held the image of a woman holding a corpse, breaking it and then backing away in but an instant."

"From the Void came a woman dressed as a saint in Black, with a mask of gold that hid her crying eyes. Mourning at the cries of the innocent, she knelt before the Gods and sang great prayers for the innocent could now at last be avenged of their great suffering. She stood, and was stripped of her robes, slowly and carefully, for when her skin was exposed, only light could be seen, blinding those unworthy to see her glory as a saint, and all who stood before, save for the Goddesses, were as such. She was then given a beautiful but modest armor worthy of a Priestess, and when she knelt again, she was given a terrifying golden staff. She then turned to the Sixth Seal, which beheld a sleeping Dragon, and shattered it with one mighty blow."

"And Lo, I beheld a Black Dragon, his body of Black Diamond and his eyes that of the purest gold. However, his external beauty only hid the ugliness within him, for when he opened his maw, I instantly felt nauseus, for within him were all of the most sickening parasites and the symptoms of the most terrifying of plagues, his internal flesh a sickening yellow in color. The beast's mouth frothed with foam as he could smell battle upon the horizon, however, his desire was only matched by his patience and humility, as he saw his masters and knelt, humble before them. The Priestess walked to the beast, and locked lips with the parasite ridden creature, taking in his diseases and his maladies, however, they did not harm her, for her soul was so pure, she couldn't become ill. The dragon was equipped with a saddle made of sickening horrors that should never be described, and yet, as she climbed in, the horrors ceased, as if responding to her. And Forth they went, sickening the land, those who are wicked, and those who worshipped Evil."

"Finally, the Seventh Seal, which held the image of a skeleton with a scythe, was approached by Anora, Goddess of Creation, and Zirnitra, God of Destruction, and the two lovingly touched the Seal, to which it broke upon its own accord. From the Void I beheld what appeared to be but a child at first, but I then knew my thoughts betrayed me, for he opened a brilliant pair of wings, whose feathers were of silver with cores made of emerald, and this boy, handsome but pale, hovered into the air, and gently embraced the two divines. Upon releasing the Divines, he took on the form of a man, and wrapped himself in a cloak of ashen flesh, placing upon his face a mask shaped like a skull. He was given the most fearsome of gifts, a scythe made from both terrifying metal and holy wood. Upon recieving these gifts, he turns to the Eighth and Final Seal, which bore the image of a Dragon impaled with a spear, and destroyed it."

"And Lo, I beheld an Ashen Dragon with eyes of a menacing green, in which from her I sensed something terrifying, and I knew who they were, he was Death, and she was the Lady of Decay. I could see how Death held her close as she was being prepared with a saddle forged from bone and scale and skin and tooth and nail, to which he climbed in. Before they left, the Gods themselves decreed that he was given one quarter of the world in which to maim, reave, ransack and kill, with disease, famine, envy, anger, and greed. Given such authority, they rode, and as such the world screamed as the Four Dragons descended upon the world, for they meant that Justice was to be done upon the wicked, and those who had abandoned the Gods."

"Those who would survive this great horror of Conquest, War, Pestilence, and Death would be given shelter in the great mountains, where anything one could wish for was obtainable, until 1,000 years pass and the time of the Riders is over, and they would need to return to the seals from whence they came. And as such, one Final Rider would appear, a Rider upon a White Dragon, bearing a Mighty Scourge, and with her, a 60 legions of White Dragons and their Riders, to help restore the world to as it was and hunt the remaining evils until balance was restored. When their task is done, they shall return to the heavens to await the day they and the Riders of the Apocalypse would be needed to save the world from Destruction once more."

That is the prophecy that tells of the Cycle of Death and Rebirth for every age this world has met since the Age of Darkness, repeating every 10,000 years, when the Demon World has regathered its strength to take over the world. And now the the cycle begins again, with just one problem, the Riders of Old have been murdered, as have their dragons, and their weapons and armors stolen, save one. With their deaths, the whole world has become consumed with fear, for the Cycle of Death and Rebirth has been broken, however, hope is not lost, for when they last rode, the Riders and Dragons chose those whose bloodlines shall be forever bound to their post should they die. Now these unsuspecting Destroyers must find each other before the last seal on the Demon World breaks, and the End of the World comes to pass. And as such, all hope can be found in a single Ninja and his Imperial Master.