There were four primary kingdoms that reigned in the Hidden Continent.
Pyraethis, the Kingdom of the Eternal Flame.
Zephyrelius, the Kingdom of the West Wind.
Voltheim, the Kingdom of the Crackling Thunder.
And finally, my own kingdom, Umbrathis, the Kingdom of the Obscure Shadow.
All four kingdoms were reputable and well-known for various things. Pyraethis, its learned and powerful mages. Zephyrelius, its endless supply of high-quality ores. Voltheim boasted skilled swordsmen that could contend with the strongest mages.
But Umbrathis...
Umbrathis had a long history of tyrannical rulers with evil goals. Those who sought only to fulfil their own goals, ignoring the oppressed citizens residing in dirty slums amidst crime and poverty. But what made these rulers so obsessed and unable to keep up the reputation and integrity of their own kingdom?
The answer was dark magic.
Dark magic - a form of magic which none of the other kingdoms dared to even speak of. More destructive than even the Eternal Flame of Pyraethis, this magic consumed everything. A power so great it was enough to allow a singular kingdom to rise above all the others. That was why the rulers of Umbrathis abandoned all else - to master dark magic.
But it was different this time.
My father, the king of Umbrathis, was a humble man who held the wellbeing of his kingdom, his people, above all else. Abandoning the dark legacy of his predecessors, he walked a noble path. Poverty was nearly wiped out throughout the kingdom, and citizens were happier than ever with their great king.
Unfortunately, there could not only be good in this world.
This time, the roles were reversed. The current rulers of the other three kingdoms were arrogant and greedy. All three wished for absolute dominion, and came to an agreement to exploit the kind heart of my father. One fateful day, he was found dead, slumped over a book.
A book of dark magic.
Those evil men diverted the blame of his death to my father himself. They made the people of the kingdom believe that my father was no different from the other rulers, an evil man who dabbled in dark magic and was consumed forever.
When I saw my father in his eternal slumber, punished for being a good man with a noble heart, something inside me snapped. I closed my eyes and opened them after a minute, this time with a cold, calculating gaze. I would not let this go unpunished. Sometime, someday, I would take revenge.
But now was not the time.
I already knew the rulers' next move. They would pounce on our kingdom, taking this marvelous opportunity to seize the land from a naive prince who had no power.
Today, the kingdom of Umbrathis would fall.
Today, its people would be left at the mercy of power-hungry oppressors.
But I wouldn't be there to witness it.
I had already made up my mind. Being the weakling I was now, there was no chance of fighting back. I had to get stronger. Stronger than I could ever imagine. Whatever path I had to take to avenge my father, my kingdom, I would take it. Even if it meant resorting to dark magic.
All this circled my head as I walked away from the castle. A bright full moon slightly illuminated the grassy plain ahead of me. I looked up at the night sky and sighed deeply.
"I'm sorry, people of Umbrathis."
From today onwards, I would no longer be Prince Nythos Umbrison. That young, innocent prince had disappeared.
I was now simply "Night".
Then the first screams erupted in the sky, along with a dark cloud of ash. The invasion had started, and it looked like Pyraethis had struck first.
Not looking back, I disappeared into the seemingly endless plain.
"Umbrathis shall return. Just you wait..."