1 Prologue

"What do you say," The shadow deity asks with a deep and soothing voice. "Will you help me destroy a world?"

Minutes Earlier…

Dimas picks his head up from the wooden desk, wiping away the saliva that had gathered on the corner of his mouth. Must've been exhausted. It takes him more than a moment to gain his bearings. Where the hell am I? The study room he's in is a stark contrast to the mountaintop where he had fallen asleep.

The previous night's events pop into his head. A lump begins to form in his throat as a sense of despair begins to creep up on him. After taking a deep breath, he's able to swallow the lump and calm himself. One thing at a time.

The strange new room takes priority for now. The big fancy desk in front of him looks and feels pricey. He almost feels bad for drooling on it, almost. The dark wood floor is free of any blemishes, as if no one has ever walked on it. Bookshelves cover nearly every wall, their dark wood complimenting the floors. Behind the shelves, a dark green wallpaper can be seen. The front of the room was the most interesting as it was the wall without any bookshelves, instead it only had two doors. One had "D" emblazoned on it, while the other had "T". A hanging chandelier was the room's only light and gave it a warm orange glow.

Dimas stands up and walks over to one of the bookshelves. With a quick glance, he sees that there's books from every genre on there. A series of sci-fi books catches his attention, he picks the first in the collection and opens it. The smell of the open books eases him the tiniest bit. This edition is rare. He remembers wanting it but decided against it. It's not that he didn't have the money, it just wasn't worth the hassle. First off, he didn't have any room for it underneath his bed. Secondly, the other kids at the orphanage would've asked to read them and he didn't want to deal with that.

"Amazing, is it not?" The voice comes from behind Dimas. He turns around quickly, his fists raised.

Sitting on a chair, on the opposite end of the desk where he had woken up, is a dark silhouette. The entity is featureless except for a piercing pair of eyes and small bright flecks that swim throughout its body, both shine with a golden luster. This thing…might not be human… Dimas's heart skips a beat at the thought.

"I enjoy the stories humans dream up. Almost envious, actually. I don't have it in me to be a writer, it doesn't bother me in the slightest. I prefer to be the audience. The only thing that plagues me, is the question on whether or not a real individual could be like the heroes in the stories. What are your thoughts?" The stranger's voice is deep and soothing. A voice better fitted for documentaries, not scaring teenagers. The stranger places a hand against the side of his head. "My apologies, I don't have much experience in entertaining guests." He stands up. "Welcome to my home, my name is Corvus." After bowing, he sits once more. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you Dimas."

"What are you? How do you know my name?" Dimas asks, hiding the fear in his voice.

"I should've expected that question given my physical appearance. I believe the best suited word to describe me would be deity." Corvus responds, almost smugly. He continues, "And I know more than just your name. After all, I've been observing you your whole life. From the moment you were abandoned at the orphanage's steps to less than a couple of hours ago." He leans forward, head nestled between his hands. "While we're on the subject, how does it feel? To have your whole life come crashing down, years of hard work undone in less than a minute and all you could do was watch. I can only imagine the feeling being nothing less than soul-crushing." Corvus waits for a reaction.

Dimas takes a deep breath and exhales quietly. I'll have to take his word on 'deity'."Why were you watching me?" He lowers his fists but continues to glare at Corvus.

"I saw potential and my hunches were correct. You became the school's top student and, under a masked alias, became the town's undefeatable fighter." Corvus's tone changes slightly, almost like a parent bragging about their child. "Due to your current situation, I thought now would be best to ask for your assistance."

"For what?" Dimas looks away to pick up the book. He places it back on the shelf, looking away from Corvus.

"Destroying a world…" Corvus answers sinisterly.

Dimas is at a loss for words, unsure if he heard correctly. He turns back around and nearly lets out a gasp.

Corvus is looming over him, looking directly into his eyes. Dimas can't help but feel like an ant facing a hawk.

"What do you say," Corvus asks. "Will you help me destroy a world?"

Silence fills the room. The only noise Dimas can hear is his own heartbeat, a part of him believes that Corvus can hear it as well.

"You want me to help you destroy Earth?" Dimas regains his composure and walks past Corvus. He makes his way to the seat where he had woken up.

"It is not Earth I am interested in. You're familiar with the concept of different dimensions?" Corvus returns to his seat.

"Different choices and all that?" Dimas shrugs his shoulders.

"No. Imagine, if you will, each story you've ever seen or read as their own dimension. Each has their own set of rules, this is what I'm referring to." Corvus pulls out a 20-sided die from the desk drawer. "My sights are set on Terrama, a world that exists in another dimension."

Dimas wraps his head around the idea easily. There's just one thing that bugs him. "Why do you need me? You're a deity, don't you have any powers?" He furrows his brow.

"My abilities are tied to the number of souls who know of my name. Apart from you, not a single soul knows of me. You will need to spread my name." The golden flecks within Corvus's body converge into his hand. Making it seem like he's wearing a golden glove.

"That's it? Just spread your name on a street corner?" Dimas watches as Corvus makes a fist around the die.

"It will not be that simple. The people of Terrama need to have an idea behind the name. They need to believe that there is strength behind it, otherwise it is an empty name." The flecks in Corvus's hand glow dimly and disperse almost instantly. When he opens his hand, the die is a silhouette just like him.

"What happens if I fail?" Dimas continues to stare at the die as it slowly returns to its normal state.

You will die." Corvus says, way too casually. Dimas eyes snap right back to Corvus. "Not by my hand, of course If too much time passes, Terrama's dimension will purge you. Trust me when I say that it is more gruesome and painful than you might think. I will not be able to retrieve you as taking you to Terrama will drain me of what little energy I have. Until enough souls believe in my name, I will be in a deep slumber." Corvus holds out the die towards Dimas.

"How much time do I get?" Dimas takes the die, while rubbing his temple with the other hand.

"In all honesty, I do not have the slightest clue. Do not worry, have faith in your skills." Corvus is about to stand up when Dimas asks an important question.

"What's in it for me?" Dimas asks, as if countless lives weren't being negotiated.

"Once you fulfill your end of the bargain, I would have enough power to grant you any and all desires you may have." Corvus replies as he stands up.

Dimas ponders the offer. My greatest desire? Failure means death. Success means… the destruction of a whole world… His mind drifts to a distant memory, one where he's crying alone but no one comes, no one cares. His jaw tightens. I won't fail no matter what. Damn anyone who gets in my way!

"I'll help you." Unwavering conviction can be heard in Dimas's voice.

"All that is left is to seal the deal," Corvus walks over to the two doors in the front of the room, Dimas follows. "Do you, Dimas, accept the role of my harbinger and vow to spread my name across all of Terrama?" The deity holds out his hand.

Dimas puts the die in his back pocket before taking Corvus's hand and giving it a single shake. "Yeah." When Dimas pulls away, he sees some of the flecks on his hand. They sink into his flesh almost instantly. He feels somewhat violated.

"That is the only assistance I will be able to provide for your journey. The die will be your link to me. I'll contact you through it near the end of your journey once I am awake." Corvus opens the door labeled T. Behind it is an endless darkness.

Dimas takes one last deep breath and steps through the door. Darkness engulfs him as he loses consciousness.