Prologue: Define 'Nor-mal'

The world is divided into only two things, and after time, you will see that what I am saying is true;  The world is divided into what we can see, and what we cannot.

On the side of what we can see- there is light, life, nature, sun- day. Day is what people see. Day is the realm where everything is seen, and everything is done. That is what we call Vietellam. ‘The realm of life.’ the realm of day and of sight, where the sun rises every day without ever failing. But, as one of the scientists from the realm of light once said, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction”.

I wonder if that little man knew just how right he was?

Where I am from, the clouds are our ground, and death is but a casual occurrence. An occurrence we fight everyday. The things the humans of Vietellam never wanted to believe existed, they exist here. We exist here. And sometimes…..sometimes those things they never wanted to believe in….. sometimes they slip out of our world, and into theirs.

Things like demons. And plague. And the horrible monsters that hide under children’s beds.

That is where you have hunters and slayers- people from the realm where Death reigns supreme, who have the courage to delve into the world of light and exterminate the ones that slipped through their fingers. Before the world of light, also sinks into an inevitable darkness…..

Nobody wants a second world of night.

Our world is more than enough-

To give the earth children bountiful nightmares for centuries to come.

Vietellam children are quite a peculiar occurrence. They “dream”, and sometimes these dreams are horrifying to them, so they are called “nightmares” (I do like the sound of that, “Nightmares”) they hate these “bad dreams”. But they fail to realize what they are actually seeing. Those dreams of corpses coming to life, of werewolves howling and searching for flesh, of vampires waking and pursuing their hunt for blood, of witches cackling and monsters snarling under their beds- they are very real. They are visions from our world. Visions from Muortum. The realm of Death.

A world where every day you wake in night, because the sun is too painful. Where you try to make the best of each day, even though you know that you too are becoming more and more a part of the nightmares that haunt earth children. A world where everything that is not completely human, is banished and forced to stay. A world full of good people, who fight to make sure that the painful sun will still rise in the morning for the humans down below. We walk on clouds, but we are not angels. We are far from it. What would humans say if they knew their angels were really monsters in disguise? We protect them, and yet, if we expose ourselves to them, they want to destroy us. There have been very few exceptions to that. The humans always seek to destroy things they do not understand. Lord Death himself says so. Lord Death- our supreme ruler, who lives alone in his castle, on the highest cloud above us. He sees everything, and he knows everything. He is like our god. He is the only thing that is absolute. He is the one that all humans ultimately fear. All humans fear death,  what other horror could there be at the end of one’s life….except to die?

But some of us, In the face of our own apocalyptic world, refuse to die. The same ones that put themselves in the face of danger every day. Hunters and Slayers, nobody seems to realize how big a role they play. Hunters, most have learned by parents or some small institution- a formidable foe for demons surely, but never for a Slayer. A Slayer has been bred since childhood to be a killing machine, through inhumane methods that prove just how nightmarish our world really is. A Slayer has attended one of the international Slayer academies, sponsored by Death himself, though it is a certainty that even he does not know what truly goes on behind those closed doors. Children being turned into killing machines. Most slayers wind up being female. It is some odd phenomena we cannot yet explain, there are male slayers, but they aren’t very common. Slayers tend to not have family, or any attachments to the world. So nobody really cares nor notices when they go missing, or never return. You go in a child, and you come out changed forever.

But it is a good change. At least, in my mind it is. You have a certain respect, and a strength that is certainly enviable. Naysayers will tell you that slayers are soul-less monsters. This isn’t true. They feel like any normal person would. At least, I assume they would. If they were really monsters, would they devote their lives to destroying other monsters? And why would society seek to make more monsters in a world where they are already abundant? In the end, Slayers are just people. And eventually, all people die. Even in the realm of Death…..

But I’m not here because I’m a normal slayer.

I’m not here because I feel like a normal person. Or even because I am one.

I’m here because I’m not. Or at least, I didn’t.

This is a tale of what happens when two extraordinary people,

Come together in a world that is dead-set (No pun intended) on tearing them apart.

Despite what history books say, this is my account of what really happened in those years that led up to the fall of Muortum.

I would know after all. I was there. And I caused it.

Reviews

[Jared Grace]

Cool chapter. It has a poetic rhythm to it. And we get a lot of information from the start. I'm already beginning to feel like I've known this place for a long time.

[Emalie Todd]

Wow this is a very good start to a book. It is amazing, and I love the narrative ability you posses. I love how you explain a large amount of things in the prologue before you head into the first chapter. To me, it reached out and drew me into the story, and makes me want to continue reading the story.

[LostGreyPup]

This seems like a very unique story and I can't wait to read more and fine out whats going to happen.

[The Fallen]

OMG This is so interesting, suspenseful and overall I found it quite unique. It has a creative aspect to it and you wove the suspense into the story line wonderfully. It keeps me wanting to read more of this, awesome job! I loved it

[Adam Crate]

This is a very interesting idea that has plenty of opportunity for further exploration. I love the contrast between day and night, living and death. Your mind is extremely creative and it's entertaining to catch a glimpse inside. I like the attitude that the narrator has, and the way it pulls the reader into the world happens effortlessly. You did a good job building these settings but I feel more like an observer than a participator.

As an introduction, this is perfect. There were a few spots where the writing felt disjointed and certain parts were information dumps, but the way that you have written it keeps everything together. I would definitely be interested in reading more about this world (or two worlds, I should say) and how they interact. The narrator is intriguing as well; I would really love to explore her story more.

I felt I had to mention the disjointed writing (for example, you got a bit happy with the hyphens) but I wouldn't worry too much about it. The more that you write, the more your own natural style will develop. What's important is having original ideas and a clear vision - both of which you possess. Your writing comes alive on the page and as long as you keep striving to improve, I can definitely see your books being published in the future.

Great job and I look forward to more.

[RedRozeNinja13]

I'm going to try and work out the "information dumping" when I revise it, but going into the story, you will need a basic understanding of the "facts". This story is what I affectionately call my "pet project", and feedback on it is very much appreciated. so Thank you very much ^ ^

[Kuandio]

I'm impressed, for a 16 year old, or any age. I find it very interesting that you say the world is divided into what we can see and what we cannot - it's something I totally agree with. Throughout your book try to keep at a minimum light and life vs darkness and death references, because there will be many opportunities for this given the themes being dealt with here. I like how you merge dreams, nightmares from this world with Vietellam. That sounds like a Nordic name, no? I also like the emphasis you give on the fear of death. I've experienced this many times and there's nothing that comes remotely close. I think Slayer and lord Death are overused names. Not sure if you want to explain so much about Slayers yet. Just summarize the most important info here and then you can reveal the rest through the story. Also don't think you want to give away so much about the narrator here, that they brought down Muortum, because you kill the suspense that he/she might fail. I'm glad that defeating Muortum is the goal of the story. What could be better than that? But I think finding a convincing solution to this might be quite tricky.

[RedRozeNinja13]

It's necessary going into the story that you at least know the "minimum"(I say this loosely) about Slayers, the end up playing a very big role, as do the stereotypes and everything you "know" about them. It will be odd but fascinating, considering the story is being told from the point of view of a Slayer). The bringing down of Muortum turns out to be a very bad and horrifying thing, and this is more of the Narrarator admitting that she did it and reflecting back on it, and what she did to cause it. I hope, but know that most probably will not, get lost in the story and forget that she has said the world will fall. Sort of like Anne Frank I suppose, you know what is gong to happen, but the end still hits home pretty hard anyway. As per the light and life vs darkness and death references, I was never planning on making them such a big deal or key thing, they aren't an intention of mine, so you can rest assured they will be kept to a minimum. People have pointed out that there are some grammatical errors, and I will explain to you what I have to them. My keyboard likes to skip letters (Even typing this I have had to go back and fix it's "skipping" numerous times) some things slip through my fingers, and I am an absentminded girl, hence some things may just slip through my fingers. I think you will be quite surprised with the "convincing solution" that awaits at the end of the series, and I hope you will like it.

All in all, I'm very glad you like the story, and you even acknowledged that I am young, so thank you. Because I know that I AM young, and am new to this "playground". Nothing I post will ever be flawless, But I do take great pride when people appreciate or even simply "like" what I have written. So thank you again.

[SweetNutmeg]

I am curious about a number of things... are Slayers humans? If so, how do they end up in Muortum? I also want to know all the normal stuff, what happens next, what is the story. I have writers' questions too... how hard is it to have a self aware narrator in first person? Who is she speaking to? Is she speaking in a book or telling her story to a live person across the table from herself? She's a wonderful narrator.

PS KatieFrain~Haters sent me here.

[RedRozeNinja13]

Oh, she is quite a good narrator. And who is she speaking to? Well, that's a surprise. for now you can just assume that she's reflecting on everything that happened or is just writing it down as she remembers it. It's not exceedingly difficult to have a self-aware narrator, seeing as later she gets so pulled into her own memories she recounts them as though they were just unfolding.

[SweetNutmeg]

I am looking forward to see how you handle the transition from this portion to when she gets pulled into her memories. It is something i have never tried. I look forward to the answers to all the other questions too, which I know can only be answered by reading what is to come. Imagine me rubbing my hands together in anticipation. :)

[RedRozeNinja13]

Well, the next chapter has been posted, I do hope you enjoy it ^ ^

[Catherine Frain]

This is great so far. I am waiting on the edge of me seat to see how this turns out.