Chapter 1: Preamble

The Blue Prince Preamble

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Minori is the champion of the realm of dreams where the dead go when they die.

He had first woken up long ago to find himself free floating in an infinite black void. There was nothing there. No light, no sounds, no feeling. He had stayed there for an incomprehensible amount of time just floating, just dreaming.

One day, light pierced the darkness and coated Minori in warmth for the first time in his existence. Drawn by it, he floated towards it and escaped the void. Outside, he found himself in a barren, rocky land that offered nothing except vicious beasts and violent demons. Not so much as a flower existed.

There, he stared into a pool and saw himself for the first time. He is a blue-skinned creature without hair, pupils, a nose, or even belly button. Instead, his most distinctive features are a wide mouth with two rows of sharp serrated teeth on his upper and lower jaw and a long set of claws on his hands that are as blue as his skin.

He left the infinite void behind and wandered this strange land all the while learning little of himself or others. There was little of value to learn. The land contained nothing but beasts that wanted to kill him.

For a time, he switched between running, hiding, and, on rare occasions, fighting back. Sometimes, he wins. Mostly, he lost. He earned himself scars and injuries to remember his battles until nearly his whole body was filled with scars. During these times, the larger demons would sometime say something to him in a guttural language that he couldn't understand. It ultimately didn't matter as a fight happens all the same.

One day, he encountered a demon hog-like creature and, being trapped, he decided to fight back. During the battle, he accidentally stabbed its eyes with his long claws. He intended to rip its eyes out, but something else happens instead. The hog creature mummifies and dies off. Minori lost the meat, but in return, he feels stronger. More powerful. Some of his old scars and injuries even healed themselves.

He is fascinated enough to try again and again. His strength rapidly grows. His intelligence becomes greater. He somehow learned the ability to talk the demons' language. Soon, he found himself absorbing vast numbers of beasts and demons alike. When he first escaped the void, he could hardly even take on a creature his own size. Later on, he can tear to pieces creatures a hundred times his size.

The beasts and demons soon came to recognize and fear him. During one attack, one of them screamed calling him the blue prince. He liked the name. For his color and to recognize himself as the burgeoning leader of this vast land he doesn't know the name of.

There eventually came a point where the beasts and demons would rather run at the sight of him rather than face the terrible risk of dying by his hands. They would force Minori to chase them down which he'd always do easily.

However, a problem soon arrived. Minori's rapid growth began to slow down greatly and he gradually needed larger and stronger creatures to increase his own power. However, there were only a limited number of those creatures. Soon, even they couldn't do much to increase his power anymore.

Minori found himself in a strange situation. He found himself alone while surrounded by thousands of others. He had always felt like that but his newfound powers gave him direction and purpose so he could ignore his other issues.

Now he feels like how he did back in the void, except without its stark darkness and loneliness.

He thought he should keep devouring and growing stronger, but…what would be the point? He was already the strongest around. He was the strongest and the loneliest.

One day, he decided there was nothing left for him in this great land and decided to return in the direction he came from. It took years, but he soon found the void he had escaped from. Without a word, he jumped back in.

He floated inside the void as the light from the outside world shone down on him. A long time later, he doesn't know when, the light disappeared and he found himself in complete darkness again. He doesn't mind.

Slowly, but steadily, the vast power he accumulated left him, but he doesn't mind that either. Slowly, but steadily, his intelligence and mind also left him. He also doesn't mind that.

Instead, Minori just floats and floats. Until the point came when the last vestige of his mind disappeared and he is no longer aware.