Prologue

It started with a spark.

A spark that became the Big Bang, a spark that helped to create all we know in this universe. The stars and suns in the skies above; they are signs of galaxies and worlds light years away that we can only dream about. A small spark at the beginning of time; hey, sometimes that’s all that’s necessary to create things beyond even your wildest imaginations.

Earth is but one of those things, a product of the Big Bang located in the Milky Way galaxy. It is a small planet in comparison to some of the larger, neighboring gas giants, such as Jupiter and Saturn, but it holds a distinction that separates it from these massive planets, that being the ability to sustain life. And sustain life Earth does; before any humans ever walked the surface of this planet, millions of years had passed when this earth was home to creatures of near legend, none more iconic than the massive dinosaurs. By the time the first humans started appearing on Earth’s surface, there must have been hundreds of billions of organisms, animals and plants alike, which have already lived out full lives on this world.

At first, humans had amounted to nothing more than a new species, with animalistic minds and instincts themselves. We lived off the land as we started our development, slowly but surely forging distinct mannerisms that would one day separate us as more than just animals, but as people. Even with that kind of ambition, the development was slow at best, living on this planet a long 190,000 years before Earth experienced another ‘spark’, one that would change the face of this planet as we knew it.

That ‘spark’ was the arrival of the Scions, an advanced race of human beings from another world altogether, deep within the reaches of the neighboring Andromeda galaxy. They were masters of all sorts of technologies, as well as the sole wielders of a force of energy called ki, a spiritual energy that resided in all things. The humans on this planet were mystified by these Scions due to their knowledge and power, whereas the Scions were enamored by the resemblance humans had to themselves. Due to the similar wonder each race had for each other, the Scions made the decision to help the human race, in the hopes that one day we could rise to the level that the Scions had become familiar with.

To this end the Scions gifted us with wisdoms that would be the progenitors of modern concepts, such as learning and civilization. This brought rise to the earliest of civilizations and empires the likes of the ancient Nubians, Phoenicians, Egyptians and Sumerians, deep in the heart of what we call the ‘birthplace of civilization’ in northern Africa and Mesopotamia. Concepts such as mathematics and language, which were nothing more than a dream at the time, saw their first dose of prominence, with many more to come.

Another gift the Scions bequeathed the human race with was the ability to control ki itself, as a way to defend ourselves as well as to further signify the bond we humans now shared with the Scions. From this harnessing of ki, the human race changed, with this energy resonating in humans in differing ways; ways that would become our first glimpse onto what we now call the supernatural. The effect ki had on the human race was profound, in its own way being the predecessor to the ideas of the supernatural, and by extension, religion, seen in the choice powers and abilities of early deities, even to the extent of later religious figures in the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian cultures, as well as the far eastern Indian and Chinese culture.

Due to their new abilities, these new Sovrumano were categorized into differing sub-races, the Supremo and Divino. The Supremo had four different races: the Angeli, Daeva, Draco, and Lamia, whereas the Divino had seven: the Anguis, Avis, Canis, Felis, Equus, Simia, and Ursa. For a time, this new human race thrived, hand in hand with the Scions as we took the first steps into civilized life. Sad as it is to say, however, this peaceful existence soon came to an end.

No one knows what happened, when or why, but a small, yet highly influential group of people rose up to challenge the philosophies that the Scions had graciously given to the human race. More so, they challenged the position that the Scions had over the human/Sovrumano race, sowing the seeds to rebellion against the Scions, which they had perceived to be conquerors themselves. They preached about purification of the human race, as well as the expulsion of the Scions from our planet. As is usually the case, people chose sides in the soon to be conflict: those that followed the philosophies of these ‘purificationists’ became known as Ut Puri, the Order of the Pure, where as the ones that continued to side with the philosophies of the Scions came to be known as the Illuminati, the Order of Enlightenment.

War soon began between the two groups, with the Scions hopelessly stuck in the middle, refusing to take parts in the bloody conflicts. Even with their stance, they were soon forced to take action against the spreading evil of Ut Puri, annihilating two of their most famous bases, Sodom and Gomorrah, in a pillar of cleansing fire. In response, Ut Puri orchestrated the even which would spilt the human race in two; the utter destruction of the near mythical Atlantis, the home of nearly all the Equus, who were the most stalwart supporters of the Illuminati. To further prove their dominance, Ut Puri took it one step further by sinking the entire Atlantean continent beneath the waves of the ocean, thinking that the event would prove their superiority once and for all.

The aftermath wasn’t anything that they had anticipated.

Angered by the lack of respect for life itself, the Scions decided to abandon Earth, but not before casting one final judgment on mankind. As consequence for their actions, the Scions took away the ability to manipulate ki from Ut Puri and any of their supporters, deeming them unfit and unworthy of their most prized gift. With that being done, there were now two main races on the planet; that of ‘regular’ humans, those who lost the ability to use ki, and the Sovrumano, the ‘super-humans’ who retained the ability.

Ever since that point in time, Ut Puri and the Illuminati had been locked in conflict, each group still set on proving which philosophies were right and wrong. Their conflict had spanned the ages, influencing the river of time and the history of civilization in ways few would have ever imagined. About the one thing the two groups did agree on, however, was the necessity to ‘hide’ the conflict from the general populace, an attempt at sparing those who didn’t want anything to do with either side. Even with that, the epic war between Ut Puri and the Illuminati continued, even to this very day…..

Author's Note

As a first time aspiring author, I'm a little paranoid in how my writing sounds. To that end, I would really appreciate your opinion on how this prologue sounds to you, so the one question I would love answers for is this: would this kind of prologue intrest you and compel you to read this story?