--𝓣𝓱𝓲𝓮𝓿𝓮𝓻𝔂'𝓼 𝓒𝓸𝓶𝓹𝓪𝓷𝓲𝓸𝓷--

-Chapter 1: Prologue-

It wasn't everyday you were falling down a dark pit, thrown in by someone you wouldn't think would do such a thing. But here you are, falling down the said dark pit, along with three other unexpected people. The princess- princess Vania- and two other guests, a ninja and his master. You had all met what you thought would be your untimely demise at the hands of king Vangelis, who was also the Skull Sorcerer, when he had thrown down the guests into the pit.

You and Vania were given the split second choice of either staying by the king's side and let these good people fall into the pit- or, go in and attempt to save them. Your duty was to protect the princess, but also to be loyal to the king. You didn't want to defy him, but letting these people fall into the abyss was worse. He was a horrible, horrible person. The choice had been so simple yet so hard.

You had been standing at the kings side, listening to his orders. "And please ask the Accounting Department for a report on the latest shipment of Venge-" He said, cut off by the sound of Vania and the guests bursting into the throne room. You quickly turned your attention from the king to the princess, looking a little off-guard but quickly fixing that.

"Father, we must speak with you. It's an emergency!" the princess exclaimed, the guests at her heels.

"Princess-?" you said.

"Vania? Wu? What emergency? What's this all about?" said the king, slightly surprised by the sudden intrusion. He raised an eyebrow in curiosity, a hint of suspicion crossing his face.

"The mines! They're not as empty as we all believed!"

"You went underground?" he asked sternly, disapproval evident on his pale features.

The princess sighed "I had to, father. Cole and the other ninja were trapped!"

You hadn't known that, you thought they were merely lost. At least that's what the king had told you. He had told the guards and soldiers to be extra in security when the ninja arrived. You assumed he simply didn't want the ninja snooping, so when they were said to have been gone, the king told you all that they were simply lost. You moved your head ever so curiously to the side, but stayed quiet.

"It's true. She saved my life." said the ninja honestly, which I made the assumption of being Cole.

"I told you never to go down there." Vangelis sighed, clearly frustrated and unhappy at hearing where his daughter had ventured.

"Please, don't be angry, Father." the princess pleaded, looking at her father with a look of both urgency and pleading. You had to give it to her, she was pretty bold for doing such a thing when it went against her father's rules. You shuffled a little in your post, attempting to appear nonchalant by the whole situation.

The king sighed once more "I'm not angry, just saddened. You have forced my hand." he said in a dull and disappointed tone.

"What do you mean?" Vania asked anxiously, glancing back at Cole and Wu.

"I love you, child, but why don't you ever listen? I was trying to protect you!" said Vangelis angrily, almost gritting his teeth whilst attempting to control his temper.

"I know, I'm sorry, but you need to understand. There's a dark evil down there called the Skull Sorcerer!" the princess said more urgently, though slightly thrown off from her father's anger.

Was this actually true? It sounded so, but maybe you were just a little gullible. Even so, could it really be?

The ninja spoke up quickly, almost noticing both mine and the king's confusion "Yeah, and he's got this evil magic skull that glows red, and these two huge wings, and-"

He was then cut off by king Vangelis.

"Are you certain..?" Vangelis said, his voice suspiciously nonchalant.

"I saw him." said Cole, his expression sincere.

"And you're certain it wasn't ... green?" the king said in a dangerously soft voice, taking out a skull- the skull of Hazza D'ur. He transforms into the Skull Sorcerer, right before us, revealing who he really was. The Skull Sorcerer. You took a step back from him, moving more so alongside the princess. You were in shock, how could the person you'd been so loyal and honorable to- be this abomination? You knew what the skull of Hazza D'ur was, what it did, and that anyone that held it had no good intentions. You made to draw out a weapon, but hesitated.

This was still the king after all.

"No!" cried princess Vania, her urgent and strong demeanor quickly being replaced by a look of shock and hurt.

"You're the Skull Sorcerer?" said Cole, evidently as shocked as Vania and the rest.

"Why?" said Wu, finally speaking up.

"Perfection, I'm afraid, has a cost. And the cost is Vengestone. It comes from the mines." the now sorcerer replied simply, his response making him sound like he was grinning evilly under his mask.

"From the mountain, from the earth." chimed the little skull deviously.

"The people of Shintaro may not realize it, but their magnificent city, the lives of bliss and joy that they lead, is paid for by Vengestone. Fortunately, I found a customer willing to pay dearly for it." Vangelis said calmly, no panic or guilt found in his voice.

There was something wrong, you didn't know what was going on, but by the look of the group, they did.

"I don't believe it. You-you wouldn't. You couldn't!" yelled the princess, unwilling to believe that her own father had done such evil.

"Well, it ends now!" said Cole fiercely, his face one of determination. You momentarily admired his determination and boldness, but your attention was quickly back on Vangelis.

"In that respect, sadly, you are correct." said Vangelis coldly, attacking them with the Skull of Hazza D'ur.

"Master Wu!" yelled Cole, watching as the skull knocks down his master.

"No!" says Vania, watching helplessly.

"The Skull. Get the Skull!" Wu says direly, motioning to Vania to get the skull.

You stood still, unsure of what to do. This wasn't exactly what they trained you for back in the Shintaro Academy where you were sent to train as a guard.

"Chompy, go!" yells Vania, calling upon her small and rather cute pet dragon.The small dragon leapt at the sorcerer bravely. The Skull Sorcerer however, hits Chompy mercilessly, then drops Cole and Wu down a dark and never-ending looking pit. "Cole! Wu!" cries the princess, putting on a pair of Shintaro wings and looking like she was about to jump in after them and rescue them.

"Vania! No! You'll never reach them in time!" Vangelis yelled, whether out of love for his daughter or for some other reason was unknown to me.

"I have to try!" said Vania determinedly, her eyes narrowing at her father.

"You over there! Stop her!" Vangelis yelled, motioning to you. "I- uh" you had stuttered slightly. You were torn, was your loyalty to the king or the princess? But you knew this was no longer a king, but rather a dark lord. This was no king of Shintaro. So you stood firmly beside the princess, looking at the king with a look that clearly said no. He groaned in frustration and sent the skull in your direction, knocking you into the pit. As you fell, I could hear his next words echo.

"If you do this, you will be my daughter no longer! You will be nothing to me!" the words rung out like fire, spitting and hot. You'd think the king loved his daughter like no other. Apparently not. You could tell Vania paused for a moment, clearly hurt. She loved her father, her father had always been there. Strict and stubborn, but there. But here she was, being torn between the choice of his love or fate of her friends. It was choice that would determine everything.

"Nothing, nothing, nothing!" the stupid skull chimed in.

The young princess gave one last look of determination and hurt before leaping into the dark abyss alongside you.