A/N-Welcome one, welcome all to the final book of the Two Worlds Collide Series! To those of you who are new to this tale, make sure to head to my profile and find the other five books that set the scene before this one, and I encourage everyone to also look into the Two Worlds Collide: the Book of Dragons to find information on all of the species that have made an appearance in prior books and/or will do so here. To those who have been following along from one of the prior tales, I pray that this one will continue to live up to your expectations. We will see many of our old characters, several new ones, and wild twists that will, once and for all, make two very different worlds collide.

This is a long tale, the rough draft having reached more than 370 pages, so I hope you are ready for an exciting ride! And now without further ado...

Prologue

Timing was everything. The atmosphere was peaceful, the late summer sun warming the Mediterranean hills that surrounded the area and bringing with it a cool, soft breeze from the nearby Tyrrhenian Sea. Birds sang from the trees and their nests atop buildings, the scent of slowly ripening grapes wafted from the vineyards, and it all built up to provide a picture like that of a fitting fairytale.

The city looked so perfectly calm in its ignorance. Not a soul below could have possibly foreseen the events to soon unfold of course, but nevertheless he chuckled at the thought. The so-called center of civilization in Europe was none the wiser, hustling and bustling with merchants and civilians alike as if it were just as every other day, with people going about their daily lives replete with their own superficial ups and downs and completely oblivious to the changes to come.

It was time; he glanced casually over at his companion, and gestured to the city. "Well, shall we?" he asked. The figure nodded.

They descended down the hill, meandering as if without a care in the world as they wanted not to draw any serious attention until they actually reached the buildings themselves. The man entered first, walking down the dusty street toward the better cared-for cobblestone roads further in. He drew attention himself, dressed in an outfit that no one in this place would have recognized, with its crisp woven fabrics and precise matte colors, but the companion that followed behind him truly gathered the eyes of the crowd, fearful stares funneling in from the civilians they passed and a handful of startled yells rising up, before being silenced so as to not draw attention to themselves.

The edge of the city was no good for their intent, however, so the pair continued in toward the heart of the array of buildings, knowing already their presence would be whispered about through the crowds. All the better that way though, the man thought. Once far enough in he stopped, looked around, and nodded. "Let's not waste any more time here. Begin."

His companion straightened, a savage grin stretching across his face, and he lifted up the massive gun he bore to aim it toward the biggest building he could find nearby. "With pleasure," he sneered, and fired.

The shots rang out like echoing cannon blasts, the rapid fire tearing through the bricks and mortar of the structure he targeted. Some of the rounds exploded on impact for added effect, bringing the top half of the building crumbling down to the streets below. Screams of terror mixed with anguish began to echo through the city as the two continued down the street, heading toward a clear square from which a straight view of the emperor's home could be had. The figure with the weapon continued to fire at random as he moved, wherever he pleased.

When they reached the square, the man halted, his companion leveled the gun up toward the palace on the hill, and they waited patiently, listening to the chaos they had created. It wasn't long before the city guard appeared, surrounding the square with their swords and spears at the ready, flanked from behind by numerous terrified but inexplicably curious civilians. At the sight of the pair before them however, every one of the soldiers stopped cold. The man grinned, knowing now he had all the audience he possibly needed.

"People of Rome!" he shouted. "I know my entrance here has left you frightened, confused, but I assure you I am not interested simply in destruction. I am here on very important business, and I don't intend to make it wait. You see what my friend here can do," he gestured to the figure with the gun, "and he is not the last ally I have of such power to call upon. My request is simple, but if it is not complied with I have no qualms of leveling this city and everyone in it before moving on to find a location more accommodating. Knowing this, are you prepared to listen to what I ask?"

Silence reigned for a stifling period, before the weapons of the guard lowered slightly, and the crowd gave reluctant nods.

"Good," the man said, crossing his arms and continuing his address. "I am in search of a single soul, a boy who has the powers of dragons at his command." Immediately whispers began to run through the crowd, and the man smiled all the more; they knew of whom he spoke.
"I see you have heard of him," he drawled. "That is most perfect, for I require someone to seek out this boy, and bring him here. My companion and I will stay at this city until this is done; if you do not comply, well, you already heard what my intent will be. Now," his gaze swiveled across the crowd, "who here will be the one willing to take on this task for me? Who knows where the dragon man is?"

Once more the streets fell silent. They had all heard of him, for tales of what had occurred drifted from the north all the time, but few present were well-traveled, and fewer still had any knowledge of where to look for the dragon man.

Finally, however, a hand rose from the back of the crowd. People parted as a middle-aged man slowly made his way forward. Trembling in fear not only of the pair before him but also of what he knew the boy might do if he ever returned to that island, let alone the friends he possessed, the man presented himself as well as he could before the threatening pair.

The newcomer looked this volunteer over: dressed in scarlet robes that once depicted a powerful status, now they were dirty and tattered, telling of a past that had not been kind.

"I-I know where to find him," the robed man said, "b-but if I were to leave now it is still at best a nearly two month journey there and two more back. At worst, I could not be able to return for six."

"Then you'd best gather what you need and be on your way," the newcomer quipped. "I am a patient man, but only to a limit." The civilian nodded, before pressing another question. "And what should I say to him, to make him come here? He will not come entirely willingly all this way, not without reason. Who are you?" "Who I am is of no consequence," the man replied. "And what you say matters little. He won't leave a city helpless, not if he's still as I once knew; he'll come."

The man in tattered robes nodded again, and turned to leave, more than ready to be out of this person's presence and be on his way to find the only chance they now had. Before he left however, the newcomer spoke once more. "Let me remind you of course," he said lowly, menacingly, "what happens if you do not return within six months' time: we will bring down your emperor's house with him inside it, and then the church of the Vatican, followed systematically by the rest of this city until every brick is reduced to sand. Then, we will search you out and deal with you accordingly before I find the dragon boy myself and drag him here to finish the business I have started."

A/N-Let the predictions, questions and thoughts begin! I know the prologue is early to start guessing as to who we're looking at here, but I promise you, some of them we've met before...

Let me know whatever you like in your reviews! And also: I am still working on a cover sketch for this book which I hope to have done within a couple of weeks. It will be uploaded as the thumbnail for this story, but if you want to view the whole, uncropped sketch once it is completed you can also look to the Facebook group Two Worlds Collide: A How to train Your Dragon Series, where it will be posted alongside the dozens of dragon sketches and other works pertaining to this series.

Lastly, this may or may not be a shocking thing, but I cannot guarantee the extremely regular updates like I have had on my previous books. This is said for two reasons: the first one is life; working on a thesis project and finishing out my junior year of college will take up lots of time, among other things, so I may not always have time to type out the new chapters on a regular basis. The second reason is more relating to the actual pace of the story: we all know how much I like cliffhangers, so sometimes I may stall updates to build suspense. On the flip side, there are times I may also post several chapters in a week, so hopefully it will all balance out.