Prologue: The Petrifying Woods

The history of the Cataclysm of Summer Breeze

The Petrifying Woods is home to the Deadly Surprise, which is the dwelling place of Demise the Terrible, previously known as Hector Ward. He and Maqsedeth were good friends�"brothers, not in blood but in bond�"before planet Eros became known as the Forbidden Planet. Maqsedeth gave him the Termination Sword as a part of the vow they had made to defend and protect each other’s families, but after his wife died while giving birth to his daughter, Hector changed real quickly.

After receiving word from one of the men who helped Maqsedeth with the formation of the Termination Sword, of the existence of a corresponding pendant to the Termination Sword, Hector went immediately to demand it from Maqsedeth. He refused to let Hector have it, afraid that when used in conjunction with the Termination Sword it would cause an early arrival of The Chaos. Hector became furious and their friendship began to fall apart.

Months later, Lord Eros had everyone to evacuate the planet Eros because the barriers that protected the planet from becoming uninhabitable were failing. They lost their goddess of Love, Youth, and Beauty and The Living Circle in the Battle for The Living Circle when Asus and his gang kidnapped her and tricked her into going inside The Quietus, an underground cave that traps and kills anyone who enters. The person dreams that they’ve escaped, when in reality they’re dead and still trapped inside The Quietus. That’s what happened to The Living Circle: she was still trapped inside The Quietus while her body roamed the planet Eros. The Xeroxians captured her and made her their goddess of Love, Youth, and Beauty.

So, due to this loss, Lord Eros evacuated everyone from the planet Eros. Maqsedeth along with his wife MaryAnn and Samson, who was just ten months old then, fled to the City of Aristotle. He hid the corresponding pendant to the Termination Sword in the Jagged Cliffs of the village Fruits and Berries. After the City of Aristotle sank and MaryAnn died, he and five-year old Samson fled to the village Fruits and Berries. For three years they lived a peaceful, quiet life until the cataclysm of Summer Breeze:

O

ne sunny day in the village Fruits and Berries, while Samson helped Maqsedeth around the house, the ground quaked violently, knocking them both to the floor. Glass crashed onto the floor and the house collapsed as they made their escape. They ran a short way until they suddenly found themselves face to face with Demise. He attacked them with a blast from his scepter and Maqsedeth shielded Samson with his body. Demise pried Maqsedeth from Samson and shook him, violently, “Now, I’m gonna make things simple: Where is the treasure?” he demanded.

“What treasure?” Maqsedeth coughed.

“Now, now, Maqsedeth, we can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Demise chided. “Which do you prefer?”

Instead of answering, Maqsedeth held his intense gaze for a few heart beats.

Demise growled, “So be it. The hard way it is,” he said as he chucked Maqsedeth into the rubble around him and picked up Samson.

“Dad!” Samson screamed.

“Samson!” Maqsedeth called, clawing his way out of the rubble.

“If you want to see him alive, you’ll tell me where the treasure is!” Demise said as he held the Termination Sword on Samson’s neck.

“Daddy, please,” Samson sobbed. “Make him stop!”

Maqsedeth glared at him, “You know why I can’t let you have that pendant, Hector,” he replied, firmly.

Demise hardened his gaze, “Fine. Have it your way,” he said as he disappeared with Samson.

“Samson!” Maqsedeth called after him.

Demise located the treasure in the Jagged Cliffs and smashed his way inside. He grabbed the Nieaockonioan (ʼn�"-'ō-'kō-n�"-'on) Sapphire and used it to suspend Samson in time so that he couldn’t call for help or follow him out of the Jagged Cliffs. He turned to leave when he was faced with Maqsedeth, who had sealed the exit to the Jagged Cliffs with his magic so that he couldn’t leave.

“Let Samson go, Hector and give me the pendant,” Maqsedeth demanded with an intense gaze. “No one else has to get hurt.”

Demise sneered, “No one else will get hurt,” he chuckled. “Now that I have the treasure, I don’t need you guys anymore.”

Demise drew on the power of the pendant and shot one long column of fire at Samson and one at Maqsedeth. Maqsedeth  teleported in front of Samson and quickly blocked Demise’s attack, manipulating the light from inside and outside the Jagged Cliffs to form a shield. Demise got frustrated and drew his sword to attack. Maqsedeth reshaped the light into a sword and parried Demise’s attack.

They fenced for a while before Maqsedeth got the upper hand and tripped Demise with the sword he formed, causing him to fall onto his back. He used the tip of his sword to remove the pendant from around Demise’s neck and used it to unsuspend Samson.

 He tossed it to him, “Run for the Falls, Samson!” he called to him as he held Demise back from following him.

Samson quickly departed from the Jagged Cliffs with the pendant and escaped to the Rainbow Falls while Maqsedeth fought Demise. Demise pinned Maqsedeth to the wall of the Jagged Cliffs with his arm and raised his sword to attack just as Trenton, the village chief approached him from behind with a metal oar, “Say goodbye, Maqsedeth,” Demise growled.

Maqsedeth nodded, “Goodbye, Demise,” he said, glancing at Trenton. Trenton whacked him over the head with the metal oar and Demise crumbled to the ground. Maqsedeth sighed, “He was kinda out of it,” he said. “I’m gonna miss him. Anyway, thanks for the backup, Trenton.”

Trenton smiled, “Anytime, Maqsedeth,” he said as he hefted his oar and went back to his house.

Maqsedeth caught up to Samson and retrieved the pendant from him. He swam to the bottom of the Rainbow Falls and buried it deep inside the Rainbow Falls. He returned to the surface and together, along with the rest of the villagers, they cleaned up the rubble and repaired their homes.

Demise the Terrible is called “the Terrible” because he is the cataclysm of Summer Breeze. He returns to the village Fruits and Berries every three years to wreak havoc on the land. He is still searching for the treasure that Maqsedeth took from him and hid somewhere underneath the village. It has been three years since Demise’s last visit and he has planned his return to coincide with Maqsedeth’s birthday this time. The Queen of Manorá is devastated at this point and the only person she knows of to save the day is the Chosen Warrior of Xerox.

Author's Note

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