Prologue

The heat from the village inferno drowned the night's chill as its brilliant glow dissolved the stars from the sky. Houses, shops, and all crackled and crumbled as the bittersweet taste of ash gently landed upon his mouth. The burning odor of smoke set his heart ablaze while howls of terror reverberated in his ears. His hand clenched his sword as an innumerable amount of fools charged towards him, their eyes teeming with fruitless confidence. Countless traitors had fallen in his wake; their debts paid in full. Those in his path and his wake came from all walks of life: guards, potters, millers, teachers, and other banal occupations. Some would hold their swords and spears with the slightest amount of finesse while others flailed about in horror with their tails between their legs, but they fell all the same.

"Murderer! Monster!" The voices came from everywhere, and he effortlessly silenced them. His sword tore through the horde effortlessly as every muscle in his body acted toward their destruction. And through all of this, his purpose was clear. A bringer of destruction and justice, he bathed in the righteous glory of battle.

The thrill of the justice he had brought them enveloped his body... and melted away in his final moments. Why? How? His mind recoiled at the indecency of it all, as his breath quickly faded. All the warriors, generals, and grunts who had fallen to his blade... and yet his undoing would come from a single, pathetic, wounded, child.

A/N: Beginning my first fanfic/novelization; if you decide to review it, *please* be constructive with your critique.

All rights go to Dean Dodrill.