Chapter 1 - Betrayal and Rebirth
This is a story filled with duplicity, lust and love, the desires not just of man, but the ethereal entities that inhabit the heavens.
The vanities of man make them weak to the whims of the gods and their agents. One such being preys upon their vulnerability.
The Veiled Emissary observes the world with mischievous eyes, its cold calculating mind picturing the vast array of possibilities before it. Grown tired of being an agent to the gods, it thirsts, it has tasted power and wants more.
Its past is shrouded in myth and legend, but one thing is certain, it was once mortal. As such it is flawed, an ironic slave to its own agenda, and no matter how powerful, its foundations are built on the human spirit; now a misshapen and wretched thing.
With honeyed words it fires the desires of man. Drawn like a moth to a flame we find the Kyrios and the Slaver enter our tale. The Kyrios, a god of war, a man with no equal; or that is what you are lead to believe. Not content with the domination of nations, and well aware of his own mortality, he wishes to become a living legend, an immortal. The Slaver, a corrupt, immoral and base individual, his commodities are of the flesh, be they man or beast. His lusts reach for more than his lot given in life and he sees an opportunity of advancement. Both men are easy prey to the Emissary, and their fall to damnation are absolute.
With promises made the two mortals conspire to bring about all they covet. Each meeting with the Emissary weakens their resolve more and more until they inevitably sell their souls.
But such dealings are never so easy, and to bequeath to them their wants and wishes, blood is the payment. Not just any blood, but one who is strong, noble and of all things loved. And so the Emissary sets its plan in motion, whispering, conspiring and leading the Slaver to the Kyrios, the scene is set and the journey on a path that will change the course of history in this world. But a word of warning, be careful of what you wish for.
Sacrifice - The Villa upon Slavers Isle
Enter Diomedes a commander of men, a warrior he is respected, loved… betrayed.
Sold into slavery, his life taken from him, his love torn from his grasp, he finds himself chained to a floor, confusion, helplessness, anger his only companions. Across from him his wife, chained to the Slaver, his malicious smile directed at him, looks on helpless, her anguish palpable. He strains at his bonds, the metal cutting into his wrists, but he is going nowhere.
From the shadows strides the Kyrios, a man of single purpose. In his hand a long ornate gold spear. He ignores all as he walks towards the kneeling Diomedes. Looking down he stares straight into the uncomprehending eyes of his sacrifice. The last thing Diomedes hears is the scream of his wife, as the spear punches through his chest.
Darkness claims him.
The Emissary whispers to the warrior, promising vengeance, rebirth, retribution, and the warrior whispers back… “Yes!”
With a gesture the Emissary engulfs the warrior in flame, remoulding him in an image more suited to the role he has in mind. Through fire and pain he is reborn, in body and mind he is anew. Rise Lazarus, your time is now.
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Armies will collide, fallen heroes will rise, new enemies will be sent to destroy this world, and above it all, demons will battle gods, but in the end one man stands against everything, not just for himself, but to save the woman he loves.