Prologue

For millenia, the human world had no knowledge of the portals and the other worlds that they led to. Dimensions so vast in their differing realities that a balance had to be put into place to ensure that the darker being of each world wouldn’t try to escape and take over the other planes.

Elven races would have been lost; their customs and legends overthrown by Dark Angels from another realm. The ogres in their swamp lands would be destroyed by the technologically advanced alien beings from their own world.

So the rulers of each world came together to form the Portal Council, and came to create what would come to be known as the Keepers of the Gates. Two were assigned to each portal; one male and one female from each race, to oversee and to protect their individual window into other existences. Mated together to birth and begin the training of the next generation of Keepers. A biological responsibility, one not to be bestowed lightly, and to be taken very seriously; the fates of hundreds of worlds rested on their shoulders.

Once each Keeper came of age, they were sent to the Council for their real training; education of each different world, and the trades that were allowed. Languages were shared and learned for ease of communication with the other Keepers. Traditions and etiquette were taught in classes, and lastly, each Keeper was trained in various methods of fighting. After all, in the words of the humans, sometimes the best defense is a good offense.

Swords, lasers, magic and more; the Keepers were masters of each world, but unknown to most of the species who occupied each realm. For the Gates were a secret best kept safe, and their guardians were an anonymous group that most of the worlds never even knew existed.

But in this last millenia, Keepers have not been willing to keep to their tasks, and have ended up going rogue. Using their knowledge of the commerce trade, and the weaknesses of other Keepers, they’ve begun to sneak into other realms and start riots, and a horrifying black market of other-world goods that could drastically alter other realities.

Suddenly, fantastic stories began flying into worlds, secrets of other realms. Tales of frightful beings, untold riches, and acts of power. The rogues were growing stronger, and the Keepers were starting to find they had one emotion that they weren’t sure how to handle: fear.

So the Master Keepers, the oldest of all Keeper-kind, found me. The first of my kind, a Master Guardian.

I herald from the world of warriors, Indhygar. A world not unlike human legends of Vikings and Berserkers, with monsters of humongous size living on both land and in the seas. I am their prince, and it is now my task to take down these rogue Keepers, and make sure that my world, and all other worlds, remain safe.

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Copyright USA All Rights Reserved ©2014 Mabry Michaels.
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