《The Black Eagle》 Prologue: What *is* a demon Demons. Unlike most races, they come in various shapes and sizes. They can look like any creature you know, or look like something you never saw and thought impossible to exist. Those are the simpler demons. One-hearted. Once a demon develops enough, it gains another heart. One demons become two-hearted, that''s when things get dangerous to us humans. These demons gain a more humanoid posture, regarless if they look like a dog or a boulder. They are powerful enough to access magic - dark magic - and to use it. That''s pretty much it. Do take this into consideration. Once a demon surpasses the two hearts stage, things change. Depending on the traits the demon is born with, theymay or may not go over three hearts. It''s like a poorly built tower. The first three accommodations can be accessed through stairs. But to reach the fourth and so on, you''ll require a ladder. This means, demons that reach thefour hearts mark gain an absurd increase in power, usually receiving a sort of mutation. Over-sized limbs, odd-looking protrusions in the skin, stomach mouths... The most common occurrence of a four-hearts is what we call an orc-type: they basically look like orcs, goblins, ogres; always having a size around twice the common human.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. But the real mystery is what comes after. The appearance of higher tier demons in our realm is extremely rare. The only time we had those kinds here was during the Great War, 1000 years ago. However, I wasn''t born, so I couldn''t take notes. It is my wish that, whoever finds this tome, continues my research on this intriguing race. As for the other races, visit the beginning of the book, would you? - "The World Tome", by Eldritch the Mage Chapter 1: A New Day Blood everywhere. In the grass, in the river, in the rocks. Countless bodies stacked. The moonlight makes the scenario even more mysterious. What exactly happened here? As these images float around Guild''s head, he finally wakes up. - Shit, smells good! - it''s pretty clear what is going on inside his head now. As he walks outside the small cave serving as shelter, he''s greeted with an interesting view: a small fire, two small boars being cooked. Atlas, an old man with long gray hair and a small but volumous beard, calls his attention. - Good morning, sleepy-head. Lunch is ready. - Lunch?! How... Why... What... AAAH! - Stop your ranting, you''ll wake up the bears. And, as you should know already, I''m saving those for when we leave this damned forest. Guild sits on a rock and grabs one of the boars. A question strikes him. "How am I gonna eat this? Do I dive in right away? Do I tear it apart?". As if reading his thoughts, Atlas reacts. - Here, use my knife. I would advise you to just eat the meat and not the skin, but I''ve seen you eat things before and... The sudden silence makes Guild unconfortable. Atlas hands him the knife. A small, wooden hilt. The blade, made of a mysterious metallic substance, definately not iron nor steel. With a swift cut, Guild begins to skin the boar. Not as messy as he was expecting. Guild throws out the skin and dives right in to the meat. - Oy! My knife, please? - Atlas shouts - Sorry. I''m hungry. - Guild replies, handing back the knife. After finishing their meals, Atlas stands up. With a serious look on his face, he says. - It''s time to continue your training. Today I''m not holding back. - What if I get hurt? What if you break my arms? - Ugh, that is exactly why I''m training you. It''s so that if, one day, we fight for real, you can properly defend yourself.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. As he says this, Atlas remembers somethings from his own past. His training days with his master. His first kill. His time as a ruthless mercenary. The tall, white haired, mysterious man that saved him and his brother so many years ago. Atlas and Guild begin walking deeper into the forest, reaching a small area filled with wooden weapons scattered around. Atlas picks two staffs and throws one at Guild, with Guild grabbing it after stumbling around. - You need to practice your balance. You know what, we''re doing that exactly. Altas proceeds to sweep Guild off his feet with the staff. Guild hits the ground, unaware of what just happened. - The training is over. - Says Atlas, with a oddly serious look on his face. - Did I fail alre... - Sshhhh! - Atlas covers Guild''s mouth. They slowly try to head back to the cave, but find it surrounded by several knights. Altas leans closer to try and hear what they''re discussing. - Reports said he was spotted around here. - says one of the knights. - Well, the cave is filled with clothes, weapons, and oddly, enough things for two people. - says another one - Maybe he has an ally? - a third one asked - Or, and the most likely option, he kidnapped someone. The man that uttered these words was wearing a more ornamented armor. - That''s the general of the Royal Guard of Reines. What the fuck do they want with me? - Atlas whispered - Royal Guard?! - Guild feared for the worst - Kidnapping?! Guild''s startled squeals caught the attention of the guards. Atlas and Guild begin to run away from the guards, arriving to the training grounds, filled with guards. As they stop, the general begins to talk. - Assassin Atlas the Ghost. After all these years, I''ve found you. I have orders to bring you back alive to the kingdom. But, honestly, I should kill you right here, right now. - Well, Shonn, I have a kid with me. Are you going to kill me in front of him? - What is your name, young boy? - Shonn asked - The name''s Guild. And Atlas is my master. - Master, eh? I''m sorry, but now I have to kill you both. As Shonn begins to draw his sword from the scabbard, Atlas gut-punches Guild. As he does this, Atlas says. - Remember who you are, my boy. Tell me your name. - I-I... I shouldn''t. No. I''m... Guild. - WE''LL DIE RIGHT HERE IF YOU DON''T! *HE* KNOWS! ASK *HIM*! - "Who am I? Why is it so important?" - Guild thinks to himself. - You are who you want to be, my liege... - a familiar voice echoed in Guild''s mind. As this voice spoke, Guild slowly blacked out. His last vision was Shonn beheading Atlas. Guild felt a very strong burst within himself and a sharp pain in his heart. When he woke up, it was night time. He looked around, searching for Atlas. But he only saw blood. Blood everywhere. Severed limbs, broken bones, crushed heads, bodies with holes all over them. The blood was all over the place. Tainting the grass, the dirt, the pebbles around him. A small stream of blood was flowing like a river. Corpes were piled with missing parts, nowhere to be seen. As the moonlight began to be noticeable on that place, it finally hit him. Guild''s dream wasn''t a dream at all. It was a vision. Something in him now felt different. On a nearby tree, a small crow landed on a branch, blanly staring at Guild. This was an omen of things to come. Authors Notes Hey, DBmaniaX here. I just want to talk about some things. During my time writing this story, I had some people helping me out, both with concepts to add in and by motivating me to continue. Eventually, I began developing other projects, building the concepts for other stories, and so on. With all that in place, I slowly lost interest in this title. This doesn''t mean I''ll forget it forever. It means I''ll take a break from adding more chapters or even developing the story further. When I decide to continue "The Black Eagle" (if I''ll ever do that...), I might change some aspects, maybe the tone of the story, maybe it''s central plot, or even the characters'' pasts and motives. I''m sure this damned bird will leave it''s nest. Even if it won''t be an eagle anymore.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. For now, I''m working on two new titles, one set in an alternative present, and the other in a post-apocalyptic future. No magic, no supernatural, no nothing. Just boring humans having their shitty little feuds. Maybe, just maybe, one of these has a character that will go unhinged and kill everyone... maybe. Also, sorry to everyone that was hyped to see the rest of this story develop. Maybe you''ll enjoy my next stories better... (fuck, too many "maybes"...) Let''s think positively though. The fact that I started to write stories made me have something to aim for, an objective to complete. These last 4 years in my life were a piece of shit, and it could''ve ended much different... instead of depressing over garbage people, I have broke free from the chains of hate, and wrote, created, and killed off many characters. Thank you for believing in me, those who read "The Black Eagle"! You''re special in my heart (or, at least, what''s left of it). This has been DBmaniaX. See you in the next fiction!