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Author's note: this is the prologue that will lead us into the pilot episode and serves as background information for the trilogy in addition to this fandom.

However, part of the prologue will play a key role in this book and will be a major component for the third book {specifically a part of this prologue will serve as a key component for the third book}, so yeah!

In addition, some characters will have descriptions and some characters will not. The emphasis of {or lack of the} descriptions for the characters is completely intentional. Why did I decide to do this, you may ask? Well... I will just let you be the judge of that one. 😉

Also, just as a heads-up, some things {mostly the end of the prologue} will be repeated in the opening segment of the pilot for further emphasis.

Oh! One last thing!

The prologue is {partially} connected to a book called Deceitful History - it's written by my sister/bestie, GeekyCookie1, who also came up with the hierarchical system I use in this book {which I have listed in the updated credit page}!

Granted, it's a bit different from hers for ✨ plot purposes ✨, but the bulk of the system that she created is still there. Anyways, if you're interested in this fandom, then I definitely recommend that you check out her book!

Enjoy!

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Prologue

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"A long, long—"

"Oh come on, Jax! Do you really have to start like that? I mean, you'd think that this kingdom would have a better way to update their opening segment to these stories by now!"

"Ah, that's true, Libby, but tragically, the Avalonians are sticklers for tradition, so it's a mandate that, I, as this kingdom's Storyteller, stick with this traditional, standardized format... as incredibly outdated as it is," the narrator casually chimed in as boos were heard by the latter.

"Lame!" their sister chimed in before she huffed, causing the narrator to chuckle. "I'll do my best to make it interesting," Jax softly said as their sister sighed. "Fine," she said as they chuckled.

"Can I continue, Lillian?" they followed up as they saw their sister nod. "Yes..." Lillian quietly answered and once that response was made, the narrator proceeded to tell the rest of the story.

****

"A long, long, time ago, in the kingdom of Avalon, there lied four other kingdoms that made up the foundation of this kingdom. The other kingdoms are the Light Kingdom, Deheubarth, the Kingdom of Oceanian but the most important one lies directly in the heart of Avalon itself: Fairytopia. It is here, in this kingdom dominated by faeries and fairies alike, that serves as the basis for our story."

As the sound of clashing embers could be heard, a light soon glowed and with the light illuminating in the distance, there stood a singular wooden table. On that wooden table lied a white scroll tied with a singular black ribbon.

As the black ribbon came undone, the white scroll gently rolled over and opened as the sacred document revealed its contents. Once the scroll was opened, a image appeared in the center of the document.

In the center of this document, there stood a painted image of two light-skinned people standing side-by-side as they were lavish, white royal attire; their respective gown and suit bejeweled with various jewels such as white, polished pearls and glittering emeralds for all to see.

On the bottom-left center pictured a hand-painted crowd as the civilians in the image were portrayed in a enthusiastic manner as they were excitedly clapping and cheering for the two people.

While directly on top of the document itself lied the words 'Avalon: A Kingdom of Peace!' written in a medieval-like cursive writing style. Below the words of the sacred document were a few paragraphs written in the same medieval-like cursive writing style as the title.

Forged from the prosperity of its own people and blessed by the goddess of peace and harmony, Thena herself, the first two rulers {King Esteban and Queen Adelaide of Fairytopia} along with the kingdom's first seeker-knight {Magnus Braveheart} crafted a hierarchical system of equal measure to set the foundation for future generations to follow.

In the hierarchy stood three systems:
✨ Top Class - reserved for faeries, fairies, overlords and gods/goddesses {a tribute for Thena's blessing}
✨Middle Class - reserved for mermaids, sirens and occulusts {witches}
✨ Lower Class - reserved for nymphs and the mixture between two or more species

"Together, these three classes served as a way of preserving the legacy of those who built the kingdom from its ashes of despair. In addition, it was designed to ensure the harmonious and peaceful balance between the kingdom and its inhabitants. With this system, the kingdom of Avalon lived in peace, believing that they had nothing to fear."

As the scroll moved deeper, the sound of laughter could be heard as a image of children frolicking in the heart of this kingdom as the children all laughed and danced their days away.

"But lurking in the shadows..."

As the scroll moved away from the heart of the kingdom, there was a child entering the enchanted forest just outside of the outskirts of the kingdom. There as the child stood in front and beyond the depths of the enchanting forest, the child could hear a monstrous growl.

"... lied a great and terrible evil."

As the monstrous growls continued, a set of glowing, white beady eyes suddenly began to appear before the scroll switched to another illustration of the kingdom, which was portrayed in a devastating light as homes, buildings and monuments were all abruptly  destroyed within seconds.

"The monster struck without warning as it laid waste to everyone and everything in its path! But the monster wasn't alone for in its path of destruction, its master arrived to make themselves known..."

As the monster continued to cause destruction to the kingdom, a woman emerged from the veil of the shadows.

There, the older pale-skinned green-eyed woman worn a silk ebony long dress with light blue ruffle material on the cuffs of her sleeves. Along with this, the woman worn a set of black heels as her raven hair contained a few white streaks coming across as highlights as two gasps were heard.

"Bone Witch!"

As the woman looked at the two light-skinned royals standing side-by-side with their lavish, white royal attire; their respective gown and suit bejeweled with various jewels such as white, polished pearls and glittering emeralds for all to see, she scoffed at the two.

"It's Lady Bone Enchantress and I'm here to collect my dues."

"There's nothing for you here, Enchantress! Take your monster and go!" the two royals firmly countered as the Lady Bone Enchantress dryly chuckled.

"On the contrary, King Esteban and Queen Adelaide, there is something for me and I'll have what I want when this entire kingdom comes undone," the enchantress sharply stated as screams and cries of terror continued to ring out among the people of Avalon.

"No!"

"In that darkest hour of despair and grief, it seemed as though all hope was lost. Yet, the goddess Thena, heard their pleads and aid the people of Avalon by offering them a gift: two heroes — no, two saviors! — who would save the people of Avalon and vanquish this great evil from their home!"

Over the hilltop of the kingdom, the scroll placed its focus around a olive-skinned male with luscious dark jet-black hair and forest green eyes. Beside him stood another male, one of light ivory skin with bright-golden hair and ever-green colored eyes. Together, it is said that the two heroically raised his sword towards the direction of the enchanting forest, where the great evil resides.

"Their names? Magnus Braveheart and his only son, Lieutenant Aureus Braveheart."

"Begone with you, wicked beast, and go back to the shadows from which you came!"

As Magnus and Aureus fought valiantly against the black shadowy beast with its razor-sharp claws, piercing but intensively white glowing set of eyes and dagger-like fangs for teeth, the father-and-son would soon prevail against the great evil when Magnus ended up delivering the final blow when he pierced his sword through the center of its heart as the monster fell.

"It was a great victory... but one that came at a terrible price for that day, another life was taken."

Magnus would die after delivering the final blow for the great evil would dig its razor-sharp claws into his heart and viciously dig its claws into his body right before the hero could successfully finish it off.

"But as for the Lady Bone Enchantress..."

"I'll be back! I'll get my rightful revenge against you Avalonians! Your precious seeker dying was just the start! Soon, this kingdom will be eradicated and I'll make this world anew! No Bravehearts, no seeker-knights and no agencies of discord to ruin my plans!" the Lady Bone Enchantress angrily exclaimed as Aureus dryly chuckled at her response.

"Sure. You can try again... in your imprisonment!" Aureus promptly exclaimed as the Lady Bone Enchantress stared at eight knights carrying a light-blue, almost teal-color chest while she was strapped head-to-toe in grey, metallic chains, to which she bitterly scoffed.

"You think that little box is going to keep me imprisoned forever, knight? Mark my words. I will return and when I do, Avalon will be nothing more than a distant memory!" the Lady Bone Enchantress sharply stated as Aureus crossed his arms at the occulust.

"Well as long as I'm still standing, occulust, you will do no such thing," Aureus firmly stated as the occulust's green eyes glistened with mischief.

"Don't underestimate the power a occulust has, seeker. Especially one like me. When I am freed from my imprisonment, I'll gather the six items I need for my master plan, get my hands on the Incendius Flame and then, I'll be ready to execute my destiny!" the Lady Bone Enchantress firmly exclaimed before she stared at Aureus and gave a slight, dark chuckle.

"So, if you thought your father dying was the beginning, seeker, I'm here to tell you, no. He and those two royals wronged me and now, the whole kingdom of Avalon is going suffer for their actions."

"With you in your imprisonment? I doubt it. My father took care of your band of creeps, so once you're locked away, they'll be no one left to carry out your project. Much less, I doubt they'll be anyone left to free you. I mean, after today, you'll become nothing more to these people than a villain — a dangerous one at that," Aureus simply countered back as the Lady Bone Enchantress darkly chuckled.

"You really think your father killed all of my people? Magnus might've killed a majority of my people, I'll admit, but there'll be one left and this one will have direct ties to me. Your people will know the shadow prince as the last shadow occulust and you'll call him a myth, but he'll resurface. My son will make himself known and he'll be the one to free me, seeker. Mark my words..."

As Aureus locked the Lady Bone Enchantress away and trapped her soul within the box, the teen brushed off the witch's words, having believed that there was no actual value to her words. So, her words were forgotten as the shadow prince became a myth while the kingdom of Avalon believed the species of the shadow occulusts were long gone; dead to their world.

As the two royals and the people of Avalon grieved for the loss of a beloved warrior that helped shape Avalon, his surviving son was left to pick up the pieces of what his father started and continue his legacy.

"In the wake of Magnus' and that of his monster's death, more heroes would rise up to the occasion as Aureus would be joined by Nightflutter, Turtle Titan, the Siren Siblings and Timekeeper. Yet as light arose from tragedy to spread goodness and peace across the kingdom of Avalon, the evil, dark forces of the shadows threatened to consume all of that the light touched for evil never ceased to rest. But our heroes were ready to face the challenges ahead!"

With all their combined forces, the six were a protective glow that shined all across the kingdom of Avalon. Together, they were unstoppable for not even the dangers in and out of Avalon could break them.

"As time went on, the six Heroes of Avalon grew wary about King Esteban and Queen Adelaide. None of them liked the way King Esteban and Queen Adelaide of Fairytopia let people like them suffer for the royals did not care for the heroes in a way that most believed. But after they all saw this cruelty expand to a majority of the kingdom, they made a plan to overthrow the two royals to bring about change to the kingdom, but in the last moment..."

Nightflutter, Turtle Titan, the Siren Siblings and Timekeeper were all cornered by some knights, whose swords were solely directed at the main five heroes as King Esteban and Queen Adelaide glanced at the group in disgust before turning to the light ivory skinned male with bright-golden hair and ever-green colored eyes.

"A twist occurred..."

"Thank you, Aureus, for remaining true and loyal to your kingdom by providing us with a way to capture these five troublemakers. Your father would be proud of what you did today if he were still alive," King Esteban and Queen Adelaide warmly stated as Aureus kneeled towards the two. "Anything for the kingdom, Your Highnesses," Aureus said, in turn and as the five heroes looked on, it became apparent where their friend now stood.

"Aureus!"

As Aureus stood to face the five, his ever-green eyes now held a bright golden sheen as a golden, metallic thin headband — almost like a variant of a crown of sorts — appeared on his head.

"You five left me with no choice. I had to do something about your treacherous behavior and this was the only thing I could think of..." Aureus calmly told the five heroes, whose eyes all glared at him in disgust.

"You were supposed to be on our side!" Turtle Titan, the Siren Siblings and Timekeeper angrily called out when Nightflutter calmly looked at Aureus and blinked as the truth of their friend's intentions dawned on her before the others.

"Wait. You were never on our side from the start... were you?" Nightflutter slowly asked as Turtle Titan, the Siren Siblings and Timekeeper grew quiet; their eyes now lingering on Aureus as he stared back at the group.

"No. I aligned myself with our true rulers, King Esteban and Queen Adelaide, from the start. The kingdom comes first — always — but none of you ever understood that and now look. You'll all be forced to face the consequences that your actions brought about and you'll have no one to blame but yourselves to blame for the atrocity you and your friends committed against the kingdom," Aureus bitterly answered as the King and Queen of Fairytopia proudly stood behind him.

"Spoken like a true seeker."

"... For Aureus always viewed King Esteban and Queen Adelaide as the true leaders of Fairytopia and couldn't stand to let his friends destroy the kingdom with their actions. So, he arranged the whole coup in order to let the royals catch their deception and see the five for what they really were: traitors to their kingdom."

After that, the kingdom of Avalon — nor King Esteban and Queen Adelaide — looked at Nightflutter, Turtle Titan, the Siren Siblings and Timekeeper the same again. The five of them had failed their coup against the royals and saw their friend align himself with the same people they've been fighting against.

Aureus was awarded for his actions in making the heroes' treacherous betrayal known to the royals and the public by becoming what his father was: the next seeker-knight as he was given powers, fame and admiration for his loyalty.

But as for the others...

"Nightflutter, Turtle Titan, the Siren Siblings and Timekeeper's actions against their kingdom never went unnoticed. As a consequence of their actions, the group were all branded with the shiszi mark; essentially coined the mark of a traitor. From there, it all went downhill for them."

With the shiszi mark, Nightflutter, Turtle Titan, the Siren Siblings and Timekeeper were stripped of their powers they all possessed along with their jointed title as the 'Heroes of Avalon.' But seeing the act was new and so profound, King Esteban and Queen Adelaide ordered the execution of the five and what was said by the royals went.

So, Nightflutter, Turtle Titan, the Siren Siblings and Timekeeper were all executed the same night — their weapons lost and their legacy amounted to being called the "Fallen Heroes" for the five fell from Avalon's Grace the moment they attempted to overthrow the King and Queen of Fairytopia.

With the deaths of the five ex-heroes-turned-traitors, King Esteban and Queen Adelaide decided to ban the use of heroes for vigilantes like the Fallen could never be trusted. So, the two royals ordered Aureus to hide the weapons to ensure that no one could ever find them and take up the mantle of the group.

Aureus did as he was told and hid the weapons deep within the heart of the Enchanted Forest for no one would dare to enter with all of the monsters and evil that lurked in the shadows.

"After Aureus completed his task, the King and Queen of Fairytopia decided that they would never allow their people to be vulnerable again. So, in the wake of the Fallen Heroes' deaths, the royals focused on a different type of heroes — one that they could control: knights and at the center of that decree? Aureus."

Under the orders of King Esteban and Queen Adelaide, Aureus trained an elite force of knights and as the royals gradually fazed him out, he tried to live a life of peace, but for reasons unknown, he grew increasingly restless at the stability.

So it is said that Aureus voluntarily gave up his title as 'seeker' to his eldest son, gave up a life of marriage and kids and chose to bury his weapon deep within the royal palace in Fairytopia after he took on one last mission for the royals.

There, he enhanced his own weapon — the Staff of Immortality — to activate when the staff was touched by someone who was deemed worthy of wielding it. After he did that, the second {now former} seeker-knight left Avalon — along with his own past — behind him...

"Meanwhile, King Esteban and Queen Adelaide decree that the descendants of the elite force of knights {especially those of Braveheart's blood} would protect the kingdom for generations to come."

For years, generations of Avalonian royals would uphold the decree that King Esteban and Queen Adelaide first began. As such, royals would enlist the elite descendants of all those who fought to protect their home and preserve their legacy.

These descendants of these elite knights would go on to become the next heroes of their respective generation, known to Avalon as "the heroes of the realm" and the cycle of keeping knighthood in the blood of the elite would repeat...

Until a thousand years later when the latest, current rulers of Fairytopia, King James and Queen Morgana, decide to stray from that traditional model and break the cycle, creating the first controversy in centuries as the royals did the unimaginable: the two decided to let a commoner become a knight.

****

"The change that King James and Queen Morgana established was new, strange and practically unheard of! Especially since—"

"The kingdom of Avalon couldn't handle having a woman be a knight because everyone in Fairytopia believed only men were capable of fighting," Lillian sharply interrupted as she made her bitterness known, causing Jaxon to chuckle.

"Not everyone shared that viewpoint, Libby. There were some Avalonians in Fairytopia and the the Kingdom of Oceanian that didn't share the same ideology as the rest of the general population. Plus, other kingdoms like the Light Kingdom and Deheubarth were already ahead of the curve, so they definitely didn't share the same ideology as the rest,"
Jaxon casually pointed out as Lillian blinked before she huffed.

"Okay, fine. Not everyone shared that viewpoint like you said, but still. The majority of Avalonians did share the general consensus," Lillian briefly countered as Jaxon gave a nod. "That's true," Jaxon simply said as Lillian nodded.

"Plus, it didn't help that your sister was constantly known for her rebellious nature by the Senior Fae," another voice chimed in as Jaxon and Lillian stared at the individual, whose physical appearance was also hidden from the audience's eye.

"Dad! I'm trying to tell a story here," Jaxon childishly emphasized, mainly annoyed by the intrusion as their father was heard laughing.

"Oh, come on, Jax. It's his story too. So, if he wants to chime in here and then, let him," Lillian lightly lectured her sibling, who huffed. "Besides, dad has a point. Our sister did have a rebellious flare in her," she teasingly added, now chuckling.

"Hey, I wasn't that rebellious now, Libs," another voice pointed out in a teasing tone as she chuckled; her physical appearance hidden from the audience's eyes, much like the others.

"Besides, I'm pretty certain the general consensus of the King and Queen's decision had less to do with me being a woman and more of me having no ties to the descendants of the elite knights like the others did," the girl casually started, briefly pausing before she continued.

"Oh, along with me being wingless, magic-less and you know, the fact that I was also the only lower-class citizen amongst the rest of first-class knights," the girl casually finished as she sighed. "Man, it was lonely. Can you imagine—" the girl continued, most likely on the verge of rambling when she caught Jaxon's stare.

"Right, right. I got it. I'll stop talking now and let you do your job, Jax," she later added as Jaxon lightly shook their head. "Am I allow to continue now?" Jaxon followed up as they look at their father and Lillian, who looked at each other and back at them as the embarrassment set in for the two.

"Yes..."

"Thank you," Jaxon said at last, eyeing their sisters and their father [who all pretended not to notice] as they sighed. "Now..." Jaxon followed up, trailing off as they proceeded to resume the opening sequence for the story.

****

"Regardless of how the people of Avalon felt about this change, the King and Queen of Fairytopia decided to take a chance on the commoner after she emerged as the winner for the Trials of Avalon — a rigorous and competitive tournament that contains three challenging obstacles to determine the best."

"Now, she may not come from a noble bloodline like the other knights, but she won the tournament all the same," King James explained as his wife, Queen Morgana, nodded. "Not only that, but from the actions she displayed in the Trials, she might just have the heart of a hero," Queen Morgana proudly finished as the two stared at the commoner in their direction as the two saw the girl awkwardly balance the sword.

With this one action, the woman would challenge Fairytopia's hierarchical system, but that wouldn't be all of what she does.

For soon, our commoner would go on to change her kingdom again when Fairytopia is faced with sudden tragedy and the unexpected appearance of the last shadow occulust, whose species were long believed to have gone extinct.

When our commoner is faced with a chance to clear her name by following protocol on the last shadow occulust, she ends up defying the rules when she sides with the last shadow occulust rather than her home. The action fully cements our commoner as a traitor among her people — and the kingdom — that results in her going on the run.

Luckily though, she's not alone for our commoner has the last shadow occulust and a fierce fire-elemental faerie to keep her company. Company that is appreciated, especially when she and the last shadow occulust both find themselves being branded by the new king as fugitives.

Still, that's not all they would do.

For our commoner {along with the last shadow occulust and the fierce fire-elemental faerie} would all find themselves tangled in the revival of the Lady Bone Enchantress when she is freed from her imprisonment... in New York City.

So when the Lady Bone Enchantress decides to exact her revenge against the kingdom of Avalon after being freed, the trio take it upon themselves to stop her {though no one takes it harder than the last shadow occulust}.

However, when the Lady Bone Enchantress decides to fix the imperfect nature of New York City by acquiring the powerful but dangerous Incendius Flame and several items for her master plan, the stakes are raised higher and as such, the game between the four is on.

The game that quickly becomes a high-staked race to collect the items of the things that play a part in the Lady Bone Enchantress' master plan and collect the four charms that are capable of activating the Incendius Flame.

But as the search for the six items and the four charms intensifies, so too do the secrets that the last shadow occulust tries to contain...

Secrets that would eventually result in the three bringing about the start of a prophecy...

"This is the beginning of how a commoner teamed up with a shadow witch and a fire faerie to forge a new era for Fairytopia when they redefine what it really means to be a hero in the kingdom of Avalon. But, it's also the beginning of the story of how the three became heroes... the hard way."

****

"As for their names and what happens next... well, now you'll just have to keep reading to learn the rest," the Storyteller cheekily told their audience; their physical appearance still a secret to the reader...

"Jax, who are you talking to and why are you alone in the dark? Actually, why are you in the dark?"

... until the lights came on.

"Technically, I'm not alone as I'm talking to my audience and I was in the dark because I was trying to be mysterious. Now, I'm visible to everyone and I can't keep the mystery storytelling vibes anymore, all thanks to you turning on the lights, Gi," Jaxon childishly whined as they huffed.

With the lights now on, the reader could see the Storyteller, whose physical appearance took that of a human, who appeared to be somewhere between their mid-twenties to the start of their early thirties.

With their light-brown skin, short brownish-black hair and hazel eyes, the reader could see their outfit consisted of a black buttoned jacket with a white collared top alongside a light peach T-shirt and a rose-gold heart-shaped locket.

"Babe, you'll live."

As they turned to face the fair-skinned, blonde-haired woman with misty sea-green blue eyes, Jaxon then noticed her outfit, which had consisted of a light purple's traveler coat, medium-length shorts and brown buckle shoes. Like Jaxon, the woman's appearance is taken based on a human form, specifically one who appeared to be somewhere between their mid-twenties to the start of their early thirties.

"I know, I know, but still," Jaxon dejectedly stated, still somewhat whining and slightly pouting now as the woman softly giggle at narrator. "You're so dramatic," she replied as she lightly pressed a kiss on their left cheek. "Just like your father," she teasingly added as Jaxon casually rolled their eyes and chuckled.

"Whatever, Giselle. Let's just go," Jaxon casually said, blowing out of flame of the torch as they softly peck her lips. "You know I'm right," Giselle cheekily said, now giggling as the two held hands. "Ah, well we'll see about that," Jaxon teasingly countered as the two proceeded to leave the room, now closing the door behind them.

****

Once the door closed behind the two, the scroll closed itself up as the enclosed room is now covered in complete darkness. But in that moment, there was a slight breeze as the scroll mysteriously opened up again.

This time, the document revealed Magnus Braveheart before switching over to his son, Aureus, who was standing beside eight knights [four to his left and four to his right] as they all heroically stood over the wall at the end of the enchanted forest. Outside of that wall was an illustration of various monsters - five-headed dragons, creatures with fangs, terrifying giants and so on.

Chances were, if it was a monster, it was there.

As Aureus and the eight knights stood guard, the wall had act as a barrier between the kingdom and the dangers that posed outside the wall.

A wall that continued to stand firm in the kingdom of Avalon today as it continued to act as a defensive barricade to keep the shadows and the dark forces of evil out while protecting the good people of Avalon from the inside...

But, it wasn't enough.

"No, because if you wanted a happily ever after around here, you needed to keep your guard up and never let that guard down," a new voice spoke amidst the darkness of the room as the illustration now shown the image of a powerful mist encasing all of Avalon as another layer of protection against the darkness.

"For evil lurked in the darkness and danger hid itself in deepest depths of the shadows in the night, patiently awaiting the day you dropped your guard," the voice added as a
brief pause was taken before they continued.

"So, you see, even in a place like Avalon, where safety is a must, one can never truly be safe because..." the new voice now added, their tone dark and sinister, only to trail off as a dark chuckle followed; their pure white eyes beginning to brightly glow amidst the darkness.

"... The monsters are always out there."