It was the day the sea turned against the world. There had been an age of peace that had lasted nearly one thousand years, but the oracles had foretold the end to come, and so it came. Storms the likes of which had never been seen before tore through our coastal fishing village, leaving everything in ruins. Entire houses were thrown miles from their original locations, and waves reaching hundreds of feet hammered against the cliffs. If that had been all, my village may have been able to survive. We had weathered storms before, and would have done the same this time. Of course, there would have been great loss, but we would have pulled through. However, that was only the beginning of the hell that was to come.

  It began with the disappearances. Neighbors, friends, even family would vanish without a trace and there was nothing that could be done to stop it. The last night was the worst. Howls could be heard from the ocean, and eventually a serpent emerged. It towered over us , reaching thousands of feet into the air. It was a calamity personified, a creature straight out of Satan's realm. When it screamed, the world screamed with it, and when it attacked, nothing was safe. Whatever it touched simply ceased to exist. Its rampage went on for a time, and nothing was left when it descended back into the depths of the ocean.

  Stolen story; please report.

  I had been out gathering berries in a nearby forest during a lull in the storm, and returned to find my entire family gone, along with everything and everyone I had ever known. I swore revenge against the creature I later came to know as a King of beasts. This one had no name, as it had never been seen since, and no reports had ever come in other than my own. I wandered the forest for days, hoping, praying someone would stumble across me and give me hope, however if I had known what hell I was in store for, I would have slit my own throat before enduring it. I cried out for help, and a man emerged through the darkness, later to become my darkness. My tale is one full of strife and struggle, and I hope I live to see it through.

  

  
• Helescar Thorne, The age of darkness Year 1037