Shadow Kingdoms | Book 1 ✔ (REWRITTEN AS 'THE EXILED KING')

Prologue

There were five kingdoms. Dragons ruled the skies over the prosperous kingdom Anhua. Elves lived in harmony in the woodlands of Silvardor. Dwarves mined away deep down in the mines of Westik. Druids practiced their arts in secret on the isle of Handemon. Mighty kings and queens ruled over the mighty human empire, the kingdom of Sanobar. The races moved freely between the kingdoms, although generally they stayed secluded.

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Such a carefree existence did not last. Archangels established five crystals of immense power, one for each kingdom. The first of the archangels, Cassiel, created the Key, to gift the Mortals with some power so they might thrive. If there was an object of extreme power, the Key had ten times the amount. You could destroy the whole world and the other parallel worlds as well.

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There were four worlds. One was Dargon, home to the five kingdoms. Another was the Abyss, home to the monsters. Demons, vampires, Grysan and elementals are among the Arysi, the big monsters. They dwell near the center of the Abyss. The Abyss was a hellish place filled with lava pits and blood red soil. Some said that the blood of Ziocrat, the god of death, stained the soil to that shade. Lesser monsters such as Grysan dwelt near the edges of the Abyss. Portals to Dargon appeared randomly around the edges, meaning that the weaker monsters regularly entered Dargon. However, they were weak enough to not do any serious damage. The third world was Heresh. It was the world of the undead, the necromancers. King Naghren ruled supreme there. Heresh was a world comprised entirely of hues of green and grey. It was a dull and lifeless place, with most necromancers returning to Dargon to capture beings who have evaded death. Also, no one desires to spend eternity in such a place like Heresh. Vampires regularly visited the court of the king, whenever they were fortunate enough to stumble across a portal to Dargon. The only creatures you would encounter were creatures infected by the Dark Cloud, becoming mere mindless servants or beasts of burden. The fourth world is the Ether. Your spirit is captured by the Ether moments after your death. In a way, the Ether is a version of paradise, for you can wish for anything without a soul. No humans, but if your loved one died, then you would be united with them in death. The Ether appears differently to every person. Also, you can tailor the world to your own eyes, so the Ether is as changeable as human nature itself.

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Cassiel's Key was hidden in a remote location known to few and guarded by five crystals, one for each kingdom. The archangels thought Dargon safe again. Little did they know that wars would be fought over the very power created to save the world. The Key had the power to save the world... but also to destroy it.

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Guardians rose, fierce and dedicated to protecting Dargon and harnessing their Crystal Powers for good. The most memorable generation of Guardians were Alexei, Reyneld, Jaron, Farnic, Arilea and Leiea. Alexei was the KeyGuard. Reyneld was perhaps the most famous guardian of all time. He was the golden guardian, and Dragonkind. Jaron was the Silver Guardian, Farnic the Ruby guardian and Arilea the Emerald guardian. Jaron was an elf, Farnic a dwarf and Arliea a druid. Leiea was human, and the sapphire guardian. Together, they represented all of the kingdoms and races.

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Times were good in Dargon. The gods were worshiped, monsters dispatched to the Abyss and the dead stayed dead. Archangels were worshiped as messengers to the gods. People did not know of their role in shaping Dargon as it was. They were created by Pelos, the god of good and of dragons. In that time there were many archangels, and many dragons. Pelos was worshiped everywhere. Aeliyas, his sister and the goddess of evil, was not as prominent. However, things declined quickly. Famines spread, people starved, and lost confidence in Pelos. Those who worshiped Aeliyas found their fortunes turned for the better, so more and more deserted Pelos. That was when the demon war began. A rift appeared at the northern borders of Dargon and demons swarmed through. Anhua was destroyed. In a final desperate battle, Reyneld used his powers to draw forth the Key and used the powers from the Key to vanquish the demons. However, when he did that, he opened up small portals that let in demons that lived in the outer edges of the Abyss. The guardians disappeared soon after the demon war, but the people of Dargon lived in peace. Soon, the guardians became lore and legend, rather than a reality as time passed and no new guardians surfaced. Mothers told their children bedtime stories of the time when the guardians were at their mightiest. Loyal Alexei, Brave Reyneld, Mighty Farnic, Leiea, Arilea and Jaron. Those were the last guardians for many decades. In Sanobar, the kingdom flourished. Old king Darwond the second passed away, and King Kashius took the throne. He married and had four children. In Silvardor, the rulers there also worked feverishly to repair a kingdom scarred by war. Dwarves worked hard in the nights mining precious stones and materials used to rebuild homes destroyed by war. The druids in Handemon concocted many arcane potions to heal those harmed by the war. All the races of Dargon cooperated to repair their homeland. However, dragons had died out. Soaring the skies above Anhua, the mighty beasts had fought for Anhua, to no avail. Anhua was no more. All who dwelt there were no more. Dragons and wizards, Dargon's most powerful magic wielders were dead. Destroyed trying to save their kingdom. Such was the cost of war. Innocents suffered and many perished.

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Now, those who desired the Key to do evil rose to power, aided by Aeliyas who wished for dominance over all in Dargon. However, new heroes rose from the stories of the old, and when calamity struck Dargon once again, mighty heroes would fight to save the world they loved...

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Partially Edited [Skimmed through and most mistakes edited]

Proofread by 

@AuthorJMColes - Thanks for reminding me to put something in between to separate the chapters